Just because something isn’t advertised as a particular item there isn’t any reason not to use it. I was shopping at home improvement store when my friend who had been looking for table cloths saw exactly what she wanted, but it was a shower curtain. Now these shower curtains were on clearance at about a $1.00 each. Still there were enough of them for us to buy them, cut off the top and set up a long seam and use them as table cloths for her wedding

Don’t turn down something because it has a different use from what you want it to!  Be creative.

As you start planning your wedding, start looking around (online and off) for coupons that might be useful. Save them all in one place. If you are an organizer, organize them by subject (flowers, food, clothing). Check online from some of the main coupon sites and save some money that way!

If you are crafty, consider making your own favors. How about baking a big batch of cookies?  Just a little bit craftier than plain old chocolate chip?  Make sugar cookies and print your initials in icing on the top.

Tags: baking, cookies, wedding favors

If you’ve hired a wedding planner, a great question to ask them is how much to tip each of your vendors.  Very often if you ask your friends many of them will have over tipped. A planner knows exactly how much is considered appropriate.  Don’t hesitate to ask her. You should ask this while you are planning your budget so everything is covered.

If you are serving wine and champagne at your wedding consider using a local brand. These are typically less expensive. If you are really close by a winery, visit them and see if you can even get a discount for buying in bulk.

Remember, that if you are dining in a restaurant there may be a corking fee for bringing your own alcohol!

If you want to have cocktails at your wedding but are concerned about saving a little money, consider having a signature cocktail. This saves in the variety of alcohol you need to have on hand but you can still offer it to your guests. If you have just one type of cocktail you may save more by having it punch style!  Remember to let people know it’s not alcohol free!

There is a new fad out there of people who want a larger wedding but still want to keep within a budget. Instead of just a cake and some drinks, consider a dessert reception.  You can incorporate a variety of desserts and perhaps champagne (or a no host bar if you like) and people can graze on their favorites.   This can work well no matter how formal or informal your reception

Buying used items has always been a way to save.  You can find them on Craigslist locally or on Ebay. For those who want more specialized items, you check out Bravo Bride.

Too late for your wedding? You can sell your gently used bridal items there too.

Tags: Good sites

Okay this is an amusing one. Do you absolutely rave about a certain type of food?  Why don’t you use it in your food menu.  So you love hamburgers?  Maybe you need to have a hamburger bar instead of anything fancier. 

You never know…

While most professional photographers will have your photos online so you can share with friends and family far away, it’s hard to get all those other photos uploaded to one place so everyone can share. Not any more.

Check out the Wedding Lens.

Another consideration: if you make it this easy for your friends to take a lot of shots, why not save your photography budget for few formal portraits?  This means hiring your expensive professional for less time (and less money) and you spend less on lots of pictures you “might” want.

Tags: online photos