A wedding on a college student's budget

This is a picture of the fans we'll be placing on our
guests' chairs at the ceremony since it will be
outdoors in Savannah in September. We'll be
choosing turquoise and hot pink to match our colors.



Since I work in a public library, I have been greedily hording wedding books and magazines since last May. I have scoured the catalog, had books shipped from all over the state of Georgia, scanned pictures of my favorite ideas, and poured over articles on how to save money while still having a dream wedding. Unfortunately, the latter have been less than helpful. I don't know what "budget" the writers of these articles are using, but it's definitely not that of a college student with loans and only a few scholarships.


So here I am, a year and a half into planning and sixteen months away from my wedding, and I've been doing all I can to save money and still manage to put on a gorgeous (and memorable) event. A blog post by another bride in a similar situation got me thinking of how helpful it might be to compile a list of websites and other resources I have been using to save money. So here it is!


1.) Do what I did! Go to your local library and search the catalog for non-fiction "wedding" books. You might be surprised at what you'll find (just be sure not to check out anything prior to about 1998 or else you'll find some awesomely tacky stuff). If your library doesn't have copies, ask someone who works there if they participate in a "holds" system where you request a book from another region and they ship it to your library free of charge. Once you find what you're looking for, check it out and find a scanner. Scan the ideas you like and add them to your "ideas" picture folder.


2.) For any specific aspect of your wedding, google's image search might be more helpful than you'd think. For wedding flowers ideas, for example, I searched for "pink wedding flowers" and "pink peony bouquet" and found TONS of ideas! I'm having my bouquet made of "real touch" artificial flowers, so I get to design the bouquet myself. I've collected a slew of images exemplifying every single aspect of the bouquet that must be present, and I'll present the designer with the folder when she starts to create it. You can also do this with "wedding hairstyles", "wedding makeup", etc. It's always easier to work with an image than with a description.


3.) Believe it or not, facebook can be helpful too! If you have an account, add the "Weddingbook" application and you'll see a forum FULL of other brides (and sometimes grooms) posting questions, concerns, and suggestions. If you have a question that you don't see addressed, post a new topic and you'll be practically guaranteed to have at least three answers within a week! Also, facebook participates in "ad targeting", which means that once the program realizes that you are getting married, wedding-related ads in the sidebar will start to appear. This is actually how we found our photographers! Browse the adboard every now and then and there's no telling what you might find.


4.) Once you book any of your vendors (photographers, florist, ceremony venue), ask for recommendations! Often these people will have previously worked with some really amazing vendors in other aspects of a wedding and they can give you a first-hand account of their services. This won't always save you money, but if there are one or two areas in which you're willing to splurge (photography and ceremony venue are mine), they can give you a good head-start on who is the best in the business.


5.) If you live in or near a large city, visit http://www.perfectweddingguide.com/ and browse the site and/or sign up for their mailing list (my suggestion is to create a new email address just for wedding stuff, or else your inbox might get flooded!). There are other similar websites also, like http://www.ourweddingday.com/ and http://www.theknot.com/, but I'm a big fan of the first one especially. Just find the city in which you live and there will be tons of information for you right there.


6.) A similar option, if you're getting married in a popular city, is to visit that city's website. For example, I am getting married in Savannah, GA, and on that city's tourist page ( http://www.savannahvisit.com/ ), there's an entire section devoted to weddings! If you can't find similar information, do another google search, this time for "[city of choice] weddings".


7.) Go to a bridal show! Many large cities have these, and not only are they fun (e.g., free food and cake tastings, contests, prizes), you are bound to get some great information! The one Jordan and I went to had a money wind-machine and the amount the groom managed to hold on to gave us a discount on our tuxedo rentals. They also host tons of local vendors, and there are often trunk shows, which are a way to save money on your wedding dress. You might find a designer wedding dress for half or more off!


8.) If you're not set on the idea of having real flowers, or if you or your fiance are allergic, consider artificial flowers. This can save you hundreds of dollars right away! There is something called "new generation/real touch" artificials now that look and feel like real flowers, although they are almost as expensive as the real thing. Another benefit is that they will last for years after your wedding, whereas real flowers will surely die. What we are doing is having the bride's bouquet made of real touch flowers, and the bridesmaids will get regular artificials. Our reception flowers will also be artificial.


9.) Another way to save money on flowers is to get married outdoors or in a well-decorated location. We are getting married in the courtyard of a Savannah mansion, so there will already be greenery; all we have to do is provide a few urns of flowers and we'll be set!


10.) Enter contests! It won't take much time and there's no telling when you might win something. I've entered many contests, and though I haven't won anything yet, my luck might change at any moment! After all, there's nothing to lose except a few minutes of your time.


11.) I've never quite understood why anyone would spend several hundreds or thousands of dollars on wedding reception favors. If they're not edible, they'll probably get thrown away within a week, and if they are edible, they'll probably be gone before the reception even starts! Why not spend the money elsewhere if you're not terribly attached to the idea of giving each of your guests something expensive? I personally prefer edible favors, but I'm making the packaging double as a placecard holder to save some money and space. Here are some websites that have cute (and cheap) ideas (PS: look for sales!): http://blissweddingsmarket.com/ , http://www.favorsbyserendipity.com/ , http://foreverandalways.com/ , http://orientaltrading.com/ , https://www.exclusivelyweddings.com/dynamicIndex.asp . Another benefit is that these websites will often have more than just favors.


12.) If you're getting married in a hotel, private home, or some place similar, ask about their reception costs. Often, these places will charge a ridiculous amount of money for food and drink. If your guest list is small enough, consider hosting the reception elsewhere--at a restaurant for example! In our case, The Mansion wanted to charge us around $7-8,000 to feed 100-150 guests. Instead, we opted to go to The Lady and Sons restaurant, where feeding the same number of people will only cost around $2,500! And the room rental fee was way lower as well.


13.) Don't get fooled into thinking that the packages listed by vendors (such as photographers, reception venues, etc.) are the only options. Don't hesitate to ask if you can personalize your own package (AKA leave out the extras that you don't need--honestly, do you really need white chair covers on the already beautiful chairs at that hotel?). Always Always ALWAYS ask if there is any way to lower the price. The worst anyone can say is "no" (or maybe, "you're cheap", but if they say that, you might want to find a new place).


That's all I've got for now. This monster is long enough. :)