A Few Tips for Becoming a Smart Bride
August 31st, 2010Now more than ever, I am experiencing what it really takes to pull off a wedding. Likewise, now more than ever, I am realizing how important it really is to become a Smart Bride! It really is the difference between a happier, in budget wedding, and a stressful out of budget one. Of course everyone has their own ways of cutting down, cutting out, and saving as much as they can! Here are a few things I have done and plan to do.
Buy a pre-worn dress or sell my dress:
The dress one thing that I won’t settle on. I want to have something that I feel 100% comfortable and amazing in. Otherwise, I just know it won’t be the same. To do this, I definitely plan on scouring the sites for a pre-worn dress or I will purchase one and sell it after. It is definitely more of a gamble to purchase a dress and not know whether it will sell or not, but adding it on Smart Bride, or other sites, for pre-sale might be a good way to ease your mind! Just state that it will be available on “x” date. If you get it sold before the wedding, all the less stress for you to endure!
Shop Around:
Finding the greatest deals can be incredibly challenging sometimes seeing as there is so much information to search through. How do you know what the best deal is?? And when no one posts prices on their websites, how do you know who is the most affordable? It may take some time, but it is important to compare services and prices with each other to ensure you are getting the best deal for the best price!
Become incredibly resourceful:
This is something I work on more and more each day! I want the perfect wedding for about half of what it should cost these days. But, I am going to do it and you can to! Just get really smart about things. For instance, my fiance is designing our invitations, place cards, etc. I plan to start an Etsy shop to sell these designs as well as the outtakes he produces. People love new and creative things, and it will definitely help me if I can show off photos of how they actually look. Find containers, mason jars, etc. at garage sales, antique sales, or get them from a friend. Consider posting them on classified lists to “presale” saying they are available after your wedding date. That way, you can count on getting your money back for purchases you have made.
Think outside of the box and enlist the help of friends and family. Really, anything they can do (sew, design, create) will be a big help in eliminating items on your to-do list!
Find inspiration in unexpected places:
Anything with the tag “wedding” on it will be double the price. When looking for inspiration go one step further and look for inspiration in home decor, fashion magazines and other unexpected sources. You can save a lot of money buying home decor and making it work for your wedding, not to mention the fact that you will have something totally unique on your hands!
I’m still working on all of this, but now that the venue is secure I am having to confront the “money” aspect of it all a bit more. That means that it is important for me to start thinking and to get really smart about how I do everything. Otherwise I will end up over-budget and that wouldn’t make me very happy!
Allison also writes for her blog Engaged & Inspired and is currently planning her April 2011 wedding in Carmel Valley, CA
The entire time both Sabine and Amanda were neck and neck with votes. One was constantly pulling ahead of the other by 1 or 2 votes, then visa versa. In the end though, one did pull ahead by a mere 2 votes to take the prize!
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