So, like many others out there, I’m a budget bride. And, honestly, even if I had endless funds, I wouldn’t use them on this one day. I’m not saying that it wouldn’t be nice to have a little extra wiggle room, but I’m not one to spend tens of thousands of dollars on one day. Having said that, I thought that I would lay out my plans to save money on this wedding, and hopefully you guys would have even more ideas, tips, and/or advice.

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I know I’ve used this picture before, but it’s so darn cute!! Anyway…

Back to the point: Break convention, not the bank. I’m so thankful that I heard this before I nailed down any big plans, because now I’m starting to go through all our quotes and just strip away anything that isn’t necessary. And you know what? It’s making this wedding less about the flowers and food, and more about what’s really important: Dahlia Dude and I committing our lives to each other. And so, without further ado, our Saving Plan (we’re still working on the name).

We’re having a destination wedding. I know that this doesn’t really sounds like that big a deal, but it’s been a HUGE money saver for us. First of all, it immediately cuts the guest list down to the bare minimum. I mean, as loveable as Dahlia Dude and I are, not everyone is willing to take a vacation to the destination of our choice just to see us get married. A smaller guest list meant that we could not only cut the cost of food and drink, but also centerpieces, as fewer people mean fewer tables.

Having a destination wedding was a money saver for us in another way as well. Seeing as the wedding is in South Africa, there’s obviously an exchange rate. And, in this case, it’s working in our favor. There’s about ten Rand (South African currency) to one U.S. dollar. How great is that? That means that we can easily do two weddings (a ceremony/reception in Cape Town, plus a local reception about a month later) for under $10,000. Which, compared to the average cost of one wedding where we live, is absolutely phenomenal. Plus, who doesn’t want a beachside wedding?! Check out the ceremony site at our number one venue choice:

And the absolute best part?! Guess what inhabits the beach outside the venue!

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AFRICAN PENGUINS!!!!! So…that reaction was pretty intense, but it’s totally warranted. I mean, can you imagine the adorable pictures I can get with African Penguins surrounding Dahlia Dude and I on the beach?! It makes me absolutely lose it! Alright, I’ll forget the adorable penguins for now, and I’ll go on with telling you about our other money saving ideas.

We’re getting as much as we can in one package. Since we’re having a destination wedding, I felt that, even with family still living in Cape Town, it would be exceedingly difficult to book and schedule every vendor and rental and still be sane when the wedding day came. I mean, it’s one thing when I can shop around and set up meetings, but I wouldn’t be able to do any of that until a month before the wedding. Nerve-wracking, right? So I began looking for wedding planners that specialized in destination brides. The reason for this is that not only did they have basic packages that I can customize, they also have a rapport with other vendors (florists, photographers, DJs). This means that I can knock out multiple vendors in one fell swoop. Which has proven to be extremely relaxing, I must admit.

We’re printing our own stationary. Dahlia Dude and I, after looking at the cost of stationary (as well as going for months without finding something that we wanted) decided that it was best for us to go DIY on the paper products. While this may not be the best choice for every couple, it was definitely the best for us. We’re both artsy people, as well as perfectionists, and my background in graphic design will get us through alright.

We’re most likely having flower-free centerpieces. I covered our centerpieces in a previous post, but our final plan will save us hundreds of dollars. You can see my flower-free centerpiece idea here.

We’re not doing favors. The way I see it, our wedding guests will already be getting a free meal, free drinks, and they’ll (hopefully) be having a fantastic time! I don’t see the point in spending (read: wasting) money on something that 75% of guests will leave behind or throw away when they get home.

I’m going to be a DIY bride. Obviously, due to restrictions on luggage that I’ll be allowed to take on the plane, my DIY is somewhat limited, but I’m still planning on doing as much as I can. I’ve always loved art. I was an arts and crafts maniac when I was a child, and even today anything remotely hands on gets me crazy excited!!! So it’s a win-win: save money and have fun!!

I’m sure that there will be many more money saving ideas coming from the Dahlia Wedding, but that’s all I can think of for now. Dahlia Dude and I are taking this whole wedding planning thing very slow (seeing as we have two years) and it’s actually really nice. We not only get first choice for every vendor, but we also have more than enough time to shop around and change our minds about things. So I’ll definitely have multiple update posts as time goes on.

So what about all of you? Any brilliant money saving schemes that you used/are using for your Big Day? Are you a DIY bride as well?