One of our daughters got married last fall. I’d like to share how we saved money and how we made the preparations easier.

One of the biggest expenses, after the hall of course, is the dress.  As soon as she got engaged, my daughter made a dash for the local consignment shop that has an extensive bridal department.  Our eldest daughter got her dress there, as had at least 6 other people that we know.  She found a dress that fit perfectly and was priced just below 100$!

Since it was a halter top we went to our trusty seamstress, my mom, and she whipped up a bolero that fit perfectly!

Veil?  These things are pricey!  We used my oldest daughter’s veil from her wedding.

stunning!

Bridesmaids dresses can be so expensive… my daughter found some she liked online.  With shipping they were under 60$… back to trusty seamstress for some major hemming and minor alterations….

Flowers?  Another very costly expense.  We could have made our own bouquets… but we were pressed for time.  The next best thing?  Stop and Shop.  I brought some pictures of bouquets my daughter liked, we cut cost by using carnations instead of roses.  We did bouquets for the girls and boutonniere’s for the guys.  No corsages for mom’s or grand mom’s.  We had a family pick up the flowers in the morning and deliver to church.  Delegation is key!

One expense I decided needed to be made was to have a hairdresser come to the house for the girls.  It was cheaper than going to the salon, and a real stress reliever on getting ready… seeing as all the girls, except bride, have super long hair.

We didn’t rent tuxes, all the guys, including my husband, wore their church suits.

My daughter wanted to utilize the flower girl dress my mom made for my wedding, but it really was too big for the smallest member of my family. Once again, my mom came to the rescue. She just “whipped” up a dress in like an hour. She called me and said “all set”

Centerpieces? No problem! I hit up my stash of beloved vintage canning jars. We added some grains and candles and poof!

Favours? Easy! Went to our trusty Church rummage sale for all the wine glasses we could find. Not only did they add an eclectic flavor, the guests got to take them home!

We saved majorly on the wedding cake. One of my daughters made the cake! Delicious carrot cake with cream cheese icing! The large pumpkin is cake, the smaller two are frosted “props” and she made up six sheet cakes to cut up for guests.

We had so many talented people donate their time….the DJ was a cousin of the grooms mom, photographer was a friend of the grooms family, the appetizers were done up by a catering friend….super amazing! (Wish I had grabbed a picture!)
I’m sure I’m missing things as it’s been 8 months!