If you’re on a tight budget and need an easy escort card idea that won’t cost you much, you can simply make these “handbag” escort cards which are so cute. They’re simple and adorable – follow this link to find out how to make them.
Image from Martha Stewart Weddings
Image from PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com
Who doesn’t want to win a free honeymoon, especially in this economy? One of my brilliant advertisers, PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com, is holding a honeymoon giveaway for a 6 day/5 night Caribbean honeymoon. If you’re engaged, you and your future spouse should each fill out the simple entry form found on this webpage once a day. It will take you less than 2 minutes to fill out the entry form. Do it while you sip your coffee in the morning – no excuses!
The contest closes on February 28th – so you’ve got 26 days to enter….the winner will be announced on March 2nd. Send me an email @ stylisheventsblog@gmail.com if you end up winning. I’d love to hear that a Stylish Events’ reader won this generous contest.
If you want to save money by skipping the traditional wedding cake, consider serving sparkling cupcakes. Many cupcake recipes allow you to make the little cakes over a month in advance and freeze until ready to use. You’ll just have to whip up the icing the day before and add some sparkle.
Image from Martha Stewart
Image from the knot {Photograph by Deborah Kates Fine Photography}
Ask if there is more than one bride getting married in your ceremony location on the same day. Many times there are multiple weddings. Talk to the other bride and ask if she wants to split the cost of candles, an aisle runner, pew decorations, and more. You can get twice the decorations and your guests will never know.
If you want to wow your guests starting with your invitations but don’t have a big stationery budget, use the free clip art template from Martha Stewart Weddings to make your own adorable invitations.
Image from Martha Stewart Weddings
I love budget-friendly decor ideas, and this one struck me right away. I love these paper flower garlands with vintage button centers.
Image from Martha Stewart Weddings
I love, love, love these pumpkin place cards from Timeless Paper on Etsy. They are extremely reasonable at $20 for 20! You could make something similar or save yourself some time and hassle and purchase them from a highly rated vendor on Etsy.
Image from Timeless Paper on Etsy
If you only have $50 or less for your wedding day jewelry, you can still be fashionable and chic. Check out these pieces from Forever21 – most are less than $10.
Related Posts:
Fall Rehearsal Dinner Necklaces
Image from Blooms by the Box
I’m so happy today, because I have two new fantastic new sponsors. You’ll be seeing their ads appear in the top right corner of my sidebar by tomorrow! I’ll tell you about the first wonderful sponsor now: Blooms by the Box {and the second one tomorrow}. This company sells fresh, high-quality flowers at an affordable price. They are super budget-friendly and have a 99.3% approval rating. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I believe that ordering wholesale flowers is a great option for brides that want beautiful flowers but can’t afford to hire a florist to do it. And if you read a few articles and watch a couple tutorials on the Bloom Blog, you’ll be able to pull it off. Seriously, don’t sweat it – you can find lots of informative articles like this one, DIY Wedding Bouquet.
Not only should you check out the Blooms by the Box website, but you need to see the Blooms Blog. In the beginning of August, they featured a video from the Flowergod on how to make an elegant bride’s bouquet that is a must see for all DIY brides. There are well over 50 videos on this blog on centerpieces, boutonnieres, bouquets, and more. It’s a DIY bride’s dream come true. While you’re at it, you should take a peek at these posts: Great Decorating Ideas from Pottery Barn, The Peony Alternative, and More About Color in Fresh Flower Bouquets and Arrangements.
So, you can learn how to arrange your wedding day flowers and buy your wedding day flowers from the same company. How brilliant is that? You don’t have to take my word for it. Check out this testimonial from a bride who gushed over their services and products: “Thank you very much! My orchids arrived beautifully. My arrangements were a huge hit at the wedding and had a professional florist asking which florist I worked for. This is great since I just do arrangements for fun.” – Stephanie P.
Welcome Blooms by the Box! I’m extremely excited to introduce your company to my readers today!!!
This adorable shop, elm studios, on Etsy has the perfect gifts for a bridal shower, engagement party, baby shower, birthday, house warming, or bridesmaid’s present. Seriously…I love these products and the majority are less than $20. Stylish Events REALLY hearts elm studios.
Images from elm studios on Etsy
Image from Martha Stewart Weddings {Dress Designed by Ines di Santo}
Isabelle’s Question: Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed about wearing a beautiful white wedding dress and looking like a princess. For the past few years I’ve fallen in love with a couple designer dresses while waiting for my fiancé to propose. He finally did and I don’t have the budget to buy the designer dress. Is there anyway to get my dream dress and stay within my budget of $1,300?
April’s Answer: You may not be able to get the exact dress that you want but you might. But you can definitely still find a gorgeous wedding gown. You need to read my post, 10 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding Dress, for advice on this topic. That should give you a lot of ideas to consider. I hope that helps!
WeddingDNA.com began in 2003 when the founder, Jim Williams, wanted to create a resource for brides offering vector-based graphics. This idea is HUGE, and I’m so excited that I get to share it with you. When I found an email in my inbox from Melanie about this website, I was confused. I thought, “Are they really offering all of these graphics for only $39.95 for the year?” Thinking it was too good to be trued, I emailed Melanie back and asked her – and she replied that it was correct.
If you’re a bride who wants to make your own programs, invitations, and other stationery items for your wedding but you don’t have or know how to operate Adobe Illustrator (which is very expensive), then you MUST look into this option. They offer program and invitation templates to make it user-friendly and it’s certainly budget-friendly.
It’s true that you can now make your own invitations and stationery, pay only $39.95 to have designer quality invitations and only pay an additional cost for printing. I bet you could make your own invitations using this site for just as much money as you would spend on a generic boxed set at Target or Michael’s. And you can be as creative as you want using only the templates or making your own by accessing the tons of graphics they have to offer.
And I love that they aren’t a big corporation – they’re a tight 10 person team of designers and programmers. Don’t you just love these invitations?!? And by the way….I’m not being paid for this post. I’m doing it, because I really believe in this idea and think it’s great for budget-conscious brides.
Images from WeddingDNA.com
Thank you Melanie for sharing this amazing DIY resource for brides.
Images from Brides
I’m a bride, and I know how important it is to find the “perfect” wedding dress. But I also understand what it’s like to shop for a dress on a strict budget. I found an amazing wedding gown that was originally $5000. Could I afford a $5000 wedding dress? Not unless I wanted to starve my guests. I ended up purchasing the dress for less than $2000. You’re probably wondering how I did it. I bought my wedding dress at The Bridal Garden which is a non-profit bridal shop in New York that sells wedding gowns that have been donated by designers, other bridal shops, and brides. They sell new and used wedding dresses at a fraction of the cost and donate all the profits to charity. I got the dress of my dreams and helped out a great cause at the same time.
You can find a wedding dress in your budget if you have the time (I would suggest shopping a year in advance if you’re looking for a deal), determination, and patience. Here are 10 ways to save money on your wedding dress.
1. Get your dress from The Bridal Garden in New York. If you live near NY or taking a trip to the big city anytime soon, I suggest you visit this bridal shop. Make sure you set up an appointment before your trip, because this bridal shop is by appointment only. I WOULD NOT make a special trip just to go to this bridal shop, because some days are much better than others. One day a bride might find three dresses she loves and the next not be able to find one. The merchandise changes daily and they usually only have each dress in one size.
2. Purchase your wedding dress online. There are many websites that you can find gorgeous dresses for less than 50% of what they would sell in a bridal shop. Be careful when you shop online. Read reviews and try on similar dresses to the one you want to buy to make sure it looks good on your body type.
3. Look for wedding dresses on eBay. Some days there are great finds for wedding dresses, veils, and shoes on this website.
4. Buy your dress used from Once Wed or preownedweddingdresses.com. Many brides have begun to sell their wedding gowns after they wear them on their wedding day. If you go this route, make sure you see detailed pictures of the front and back of the actual dress (not pictures from the runway or designer’s website) and ask the bride if she had the dress altered.
5. Get your wedding dress custom made. If you can find a trusted seamstress that has multiple recommendations, make an appointment to show her pictures of your dream dress. See if she can replicate it or make something similar for less.
6. Wear your mom’s, aunt’s, or friend’s wedding dress. It doesn’t hurt to ask your female relatives about their wedding dresses. Sometimes a bride may like the basic design of her mother’s wedding dress but want to add some lace or beading.
7. Buy a sample gown. One of the world’s leading bridal shops, Kleinfeld Bridal, has sample sales on a regular basis. This is a good reason to visit New York. Also, go to your local bridal shops and ask if they have sample sales. Ask them to add you to their mailing list, so you’ll know when they big day happens to be.
8. Purchase a wedding dress from Dillard’s or Nordstrom. Did you even know they sell wedding dresses? Most of them are less than $400 and some are closer to $150. You can’t beat that price. Look online at the selections they offer.
9. Don’t buy a wedding gown. There are plenty of beautiful white dresses that aren’t labeled as wedding dresses which means they won’t be as expensive. Shop at non-bridal shops that sell formal dresses.
10. Arrange to sell your gown after the wedding. If you can afford to pay the bill upfront if you promise to sell the dress after the wedding, this might be the option for you. If you have to buy the $5000 wedding dress, you might be able to sell it for $3500 or $3000 after the wedding on eBay, preownedweddingdresses.com, Craig’s List, or Once Wed. That means you really only spent $2000 in the long run.
Do you have tips for brides on budget looking for that perfect wedding dress? Leave a comment.
