My Frugal Wedding

Here are all my posts about saving money on our wedding in July and the wedding budget.  If you’re planning a wedding soon, consider subscribing for free.  I’ll be posting more as the wedding approaches.  If you’ve got tips, please share! I need all the help I can get.

• 5 Tips for a Wedding Under $5,000
• Wedding Photography on a Budget
• Three Important Money Decisions Before Marriage
• Wedding Invitations for Half the Cost
• Confessions of a Frugal Bride
• A Wedding Snowflake
• Saying “No” to Wedding Extras
• To be a Frugal Bride, be a Flexible Bride
• When Professionals are the Frugal Choice

Wedding Budget

We’re having a mid-day ceremony on a Sunday at our favorite state park with a picnic reception. I’m totally lucky because many talented friends are donating services as their gifts to us: my family and I are doing the flowers out of our local farmer’s market, one friend is helping us make the cake, another will be our officiant, another will play music at the ceremony, my brother is helping with photographs, and my future step kids are helping me design the wedding program.

$300: Ceremony (park lodge rental and chair rental)
$750: Dress, alterations, and hair
$200: Photography
$280: Invitations, save-the-dates, and thank-yous
$300: Music rentals and music at the rehearsal dinner
$200: Flowers
$1050: Catering and bar
$ 50: Wedding license
$400: Gifts (including stepdaughters’ dresses)
$250: Parties (open house Friday and girls’ lunch Saturday)
$ 70: Favors/programs
$100: Decorations
$100: misc.

$4050: TOTAL