My Wedding: SAVE or SPEND (It’s Mostly Save!)
💍 SAVE: Wedding Planner. I planned my entire wedding myself. I made a google doc and had every vendor linked along with charts on payments.
💍 SAVE: Our Rings. My husband found his ring in the lost and found at work. No, really. It was his size and it was the exact type we were looking for so we got lucky there. I’m not a jewelry person myself so I went to Etsy and found a good millimeter thick white gold band to go with my alexandrite engagement ring.
💍 SAVE: Groom’s Gift. My gift to my husband was a picture book filled with pages from a secret diary I kept from the day we got engaged. This took some preplanning obviously but it was personal and he loved it.
💍 SAVE: Centerpieces. I made all my center pieces! I found wholesale fake flowers, went to zazzle for table numbers, Amazon for the coasters, and dollar tree for the candles/bowls!
💍 SAVE: Our Cake and Topper. I LOVE Chantilly cake and guess who sells Chantilly cake… Publix. I knew I didn’t want a large cake and Publix had a cake and cupcake duo! It was plenty for everyone and they even came to set it up!
💍 SAVE: Our Wedding Book. I found a frame I liked, printed out our initials, removed the glass, and gave guests a sharpie to write their names/sweet notes to us! It was very personal and is a wonderful reminder of our day.
💍SAVE: Signage. Zazzle to the rescue again. I created all of our signs and had them printed in poster size. I then framed them and ordered a few holders from Amazon. Easy peasy.
💍 SAVE (but time consuming): Favors. Inside each box had individual rearview mirror decor with unique charms. We added note saying “When you look back every day know our love follows you”. It was unique and so many of our friends still have them on their car! But I will say it definitely took time. Finding the bulk charms I liked and using twine to create each favor was no joke.
🤍 AND FINALLY 🤍
💍 SPEND: My dress. My mother had two other daughters while my MIL lost her daughter when she was 14. After asking for her blessing I thought it would be a wonderful homage to wear her dress. However it was from an 80’s Jersey wedding. Beautiful in its own right! But not my style. I had the sleeves shortened, removed shoulder pads and poofs, had all the dangling beads removed, literally made the train of the dress into the actual bottom of the dress, had that baby form fitted, and removed the very large flower that was on the back to replace it with a pink flower piece with a pearl in the middle.
🤍 NOT PICTURED 🤍
💍 SPEND: Our DJ. He was great and I wanted someone that had a very accessible online platform to place what songs go where. I had been to a wedding previously where he was the DJ (ATG entertainment) and his energy kept the room happy. He also announced all of our dances!
💍 SPEND: My photographer (capturing splendor) and my videographer (armendarizfilms). They say you only have two big parties for yourself, your wedding and your funeral. I wanted every moment captured. I also used my photographer for my engagement photos!
💍 SAVE: Our officiant. He was my grooms friend who became ordained! We come from two separate backgrounds so being married by a friend was the nicest option for us.
💍 SAVE: Our Venue. We had our wedding out of season in a venue (whispering oaks) that was just starting out. I knew it was perfect when I first saw it! My husband’s gamer tag has ALWAYS included the word Tuesdays and 2 is his favorite number; he was determined to get married on 2/22/2022. I even walked down the aisle at 2:22 😂. We wanted a barn wedding without the overwhelming country feel. It was BEAUTIFUL.
💍 SAVE: Bartender/Buffet. Because my venue didn’t offer a liquor license I just needed someone to be of age and tasked with watching the bar! I headed to Facebook and an old friend reached out. We settled on a price and her tip jar was definitely full by the end of the night. I actually worked with the people that kept our buffet running smoothly! We had platters of Chinese food and sides and it was very “us”.
💍 SAVE: Bouquets and Flowers. Hobby lobby had premade bridesmaid bouquets in our colors and since it was off season, we got them for cheap! Kept the stress away from trying to put together the bouquets myself. I ordered mine off Etsy and it’s still on display in my kitchen!
🤍 I’m going to make a separate post about my invitations because I definitely was a ✨crafty queen✨ when it came to them but they were perfect.
#weddinginvites #weddingbudget #embracevulnerability #wedding #weddingplanner
Hey future brides and grooms! Picking our wedding date, 2/22/2022, was such a special part of our journey, and it actually taught us a lot about smart wedding planning! My husband, Robert, always had "Tuesdays" in his gamer tag, and '2' is his lucky number, so getting married on 2/22/2022 at 2:22 PM was a dream come true for our newlywed couple. What we initially picked for personal significance turned out to be a brilliant budget move too – we got married off-season at a gorgeous venue, Whispering Oaks, that was just starting out. This really helped us kick off our budget-conscious wedding planning with a big "SAVE!" If you're looking for the best date to get married in 2026, I've got some tips based on our experience that could save you a fortune, just like it did for us! First, consider off-peak dates. Everyone wants a Saturday in May or October, right? That means those dates come with a premium price tag. Look at weekdays, Sundays, or even "off-season" months like January, February, July, or August. For 2026, a mid-week date, or even a winter wedding, could mean significant discounts on venues, photographers, and even florists. We found our beautiful barn venue was much more flexible with pricing because we chose an unconventional date. This allowed us to splurge a little on things like our incredible DJ, ATG Entertainment, and ensuring every moment was captured by our amazing photographer, Capturing Splendor, and videographer, Armendarizfilms, which were our main "SPEND" items. Second, think about vendor availability. Popular dates book up lightning-fast. By being open to less common dates in 2026, you'll have a much better chance of securing your dream team of vendors – from caterers to that perfect wedding dress alteration specialist for your altered vintage wedding dress. This flexibility might even allow for more time for DIY projects, like our handmade groom's gift (my secret diary!) or crafting unique rearview mirror charms as favors. Third, personal significance often trumps trends. While it's great to save, don't overlook dates that hold special meaning for you and your partner. Our 2/22/2022 date was deeply personal and made our day even more memorable. Maybe it's your dating anniversary, a loved one's birthday, or just a number that resonates with you. A personalized wedding guest book, like the one we created with our initials, can reflect this unique touch. Finally, weather considerations. While we got lucky with our winter wedding, always check historical weather patterns for your chosen month and location in 2026. If you're dreaming of an outdoor ceremony, an unexpected heatwave or downpour can put a damper on things. Having a backup plan or choosing a venue with indoor/outdoor flexibility is key. Our "SAVE vs. SPEND" journey showed us that smart choices, especially around the wedding date, can really free up your budget for what matters most to you. Whether it's crafting DIY centerpieces, finding a budget-friendly cake and cupcake duo from Publix, or investing in that stunning redesigned wedding dress, your date choice sets the tone for your whole budget-conscious wedding adventure. Good luck planning your amazing 2026 celebration!
I really enjoyed sharing ur special day, and all the preparation!