Wedding Budget Tips: How to Cut Wedding Costs Without Sacrificing Your Vision

Planning a wedding can be so incredibly stressful—especially when it comes to the conversation around budget. Sammy-Jo and Erica, a couple from Miami, joined Rach to get some tips when it comes to incorporating sentimental elements that can later be used in daily life as well as budgeting for their big day from a true expert. Jove Meyer, top NYC event planner, has tips and tricks for the best ways to save money on your big day—without sacrificing your vision.

Instead of buying specialty plates or glasses for all your wedding guests (to later save for use at home)—just buy them for your head table.  

"What I'd recommend instead of buying 100, you buy a set of two if you're going to sit together or a set of 8 to10 for your head table. That's manageable. And then you could repurpose them for a dinner at home for a holiday for a birthday," says Jove. This way you're not over-doing it, while still achieving the goal of incorporating elements that can be saved and used in daily life.  

Make a list of all of your vendors—and play a fun game with your partner to prioritize which to spend the most money on.  

"Beauty, flowers, entertainment, stationary, transportation, catering, venue, all 10, 15, 20 of them. And then I would encourage you to do this as a fun activity. At the same time, privately you rate the priority of all of the vendors. Of course, they're all important, it's your wedding, but scale of 1 to 5. Is it a 1 meaning it's important or is it a 5 meaning it's the most important? Then, you say a vendor and then at the same time you share your rating, so you see where you line up and where you don't line up. Then, you can rank the priority and you can spend accordingly," explains Jove. "So, you can spend a little more where it matters the most and then you can DIY, buy it online or ask a friend maybe where it matters less."  

Take advantage of all that you're already paying for.  

"My first tip to help save is to take advantage of all your venue and or caterer have to offer, if you have already paid for it, then explore using it for your wedding." says Jove. Definitely an easy way to save a little bit on things that already come with the venue or caterer.  

Make your own table runners. 

You probably have never considered how easy this is to do. "Another fun and affordable option is to make your own runner with fabric from the craft store, find a pattern you love, and get a roll of it to use down the center of the tables," says Jove. This is also a great way to bring a pop of color to your wedding, which Jove loves to do! 

Go for single-stem bud vases instead of larger arrangements.  

When it comes to flowers, larger arrangement can be SO much more expensive, but going for a single-stem option instead can be just as beautiful and cost a lot less.  

Keep an eye out for labor costs with flowers—this is another way costs can add up fast.  

"If you want to cut on costs, look for delivery and drop-off options for flowers, instead of a full setup, installations and breakdowns, as those are labor intensive and labor adds up," Jove says. 

Don't be afraid to swap flowers for candles.  

According to Jove, candles are a must at a wedding. "They help create an environment and can be more affordable than flowers," Jove says, "so focus on more candles and fewer flowers to save the budget."