Planning On A Penny-Pinching Budget

July 28th, 2013, Ryan asked me to marry him. We set our date for September 20, 2014. When we started planning for our wedding, I was working part-time at a grocery store Starbucks, and he was working his way up in his welding career. At the time, we had very little money- especially since I only had part-time work. Fortunately, my parents were gracious enough to pay for most of our wedding wants and needs along with one of our family friends, who so sweetly pitched in more money than I felt we deserved. With the money they put aside for our wedding and the money we spent also, our budget total came out to approximately $5,000. In retrospect, that seems like it would take care of everything and there would be money left over for the honeymoon, or even just for a savings account after the wedding; however, the price of planning nuptials is at its all-time high- In the years 2014-2015, U.S. weddings averaged out to approximately $30,000 when all was said and done (according to a survey done by theknot.com). That means that the national budget was six times the budget we set for ourselves when we said our "I Do's". It seems impossible that a beautiful wedding could be brought to life with those statistics, but I believe it can happen. As a matter of fact, we made it happen. With these few budgeting suggestions, you can plan your wedding without breaking the bank.

• Itemize Your Spendings♥︎ The best place to start when you are trying to piece together a working budget is to categorize the different aspects that create a wedding and separate your spendings into these categories with the total being equivalent to or less than your budget total. When I did this, it really made decision-making much simpler. I was able to pick and choose where most of my funds went. When you itemize, you can decide what you are able to spend extra on, where you may cut corners, and what you may want to or need to cut out completely. For me, I chose to set aside more for my photography and catering. Photographs are the windows to memories that may be long forgotten decades later. I wanted our wedding day captured perfectly so that I could share them with my grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the memories would live on even when we were no longer around. I also wanted our guests to enjoy being apart of our wedding day and be well taken care of, so I put aside a larger sum for catering so that we could make that happen. Being aware of the different areas your finances are going will keep you on track and focused on your ultimate goals. 
• Keep Track♥︎ Whether you type up a spreadsheet, keep your receipts, or write your numbers on a piece of paper, you will always want to keep a record of your spendings. Losing track of them  defeats the purpose of even having a budget, and could put you in danger of going way over the limits you have set for yourself. I kept a binder full of contracts, inspirations, ideas, receipts, my guest lists, and my working budget to stay organized for the entirety of our engagement. It worked like a charm, and in my opinion, it is definitely a vital part of planning on a tight budget.  
• Borrow Instead of Purchasing♥︎ If you can avoid buying decorations, utensils/plates/cups, tule/burlap/flowers, etc. do it! If you know someone who is willing to let you borrow their used wedding supplies, borrow them. Renting can also save money but if not done cautiously, it could add up over time. Borrowing allows you to save money and to save space after your wedding. There are even websites that allow former brides to sell their used wedding goods for an affordable price, and you can also check out wholesale sites, thrift shops and yard sales for your needs at lower prices.
• Look Into Up-and-Coming Vendors♥︎ Every vendor who has five stars next to their business name had to start from the bottom, and at the bottom, they could only charge so much for their services until they got their name out into the open and moved up in status. These rising vendors will usually advertise by word of mouth and portfolios. They know they will need to prove themselves for them to get their name into their desired industry and will usually give large price breaks to their clients. With that being said, always do research, ask local people who know about the vendor or have used them before, and always sign a legal contract before considering this option for your budget.
• DIY♥︎ Being a DIY bride myself, I always did research before I dove into a project. Doing certain things yourself can add up to costing more than what it would to have a professional do it for you or buying your needs instead of making them. My ceremony and reception was loaded with DIY projects- from my invitations to my table cloths, there were many things I and others did by hand to save money for our wedding day. It takes dedication and time, but if you have that, you can easily make your money back without spending it to begin with by going this route. 
• Be Mindful of Your Limits♥︎ There is nothing more important to remember than this. Knowing your financial limits is the least exciting part of planning, but it will save you heartache when you are not in debt over your wedding day. When you plan your working budget, it definitely needs to work for your bank account. Money can become the most stressful factor in life if you lose control of it. Losing control usually starts with the guest list. The number of guests on the invitation list really decides a lot of your budget, especially for your reception. Catering can add up to being $30.00 a head, and the venue and seating can become costly as well. If you keep control of your guest list, chances are you will have even more control of your budget.  

There are many other ways to cut your budget down to fit your financial situation, but these are the approaches that I took to give life to our wedding without squeezing the life out of our checking accounts! The most vital thing to remember when planning is to do what works for you and keep your money on your mind at all times. It is completely possible to plan the wedding that you've always dreamed of having, even on a tight budget.

For a little extra inspiration, the photos below are a few finished results of our DIY efforts for our own wedding. (credits: Jennifer Denney Photography)