According to The Wedding Report the average cost of a wedding in Arizona is $33,430. Even with the best of times, many couples are feeling the stress that financing a wedding can bring. Here are 3 simple ways to help cut your budget without sacrificing the overall look of your wedding.
Use repurposed items or rent instead of purchasing items.
For example, you love the idea of a huge birdcage to collect your cards. Instead of purchasing a new one that will be used for 6 hours max, why not find one from one of the many bridal resale shops, either locally or online. Better yet, check with your local event planner or rental establishments to rent items. My beautiful bride Kristen wanted to have lanterns in her centerpieces. So garage sale shopping we went. It looked absolutely stunning. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
Faux-aphernalia
What? This is my lingo for ‘fake items’. Let’s take an item like flowers. Back in the day fake flowers looked fake. They were horrible! Now with better technology faux florals not only look real they feel real as well. They are also affordable. If you are using exotic or out of season flowers you may want to consider faux flowers instead of real. Also, think of using faux for items like the boutonnieres or the bridesmaids bouquets. Another faux item I use is the cake. Yes, a fake cake. Any baker worth their flour will know exactly what to do. The bride will save hundreds of dollars by showing the baker how the cake should look. The baker will use Styrofoam forms for the bottom portion of the cake but will make an actual cake for the newlyweds to cut into. The rest of the top cake can be served to the bridal party or taken home. What do the guest eat you ask? Either cupcakes or sheet cake, pre-sliced and ready to serve. This not only saves money but time as well when serving the cake.
Go off the beaten path
This tip is huge! It requires the couple to be willing to once again think outside of the box. Instead of setting a date during wedding season, why not wed on a Thursday in March? Picking an off day or an off season will save thousands in rental fees for the location, food and entertainment. If you want to save even more on cost think of a location that no one has used before. Try a library, conservatory, zoo, museum or theatre. Planning in a different locale and at a different time of year will make your event even more memorable.
