Being in a wedding party can definitely get expensive. Even if an individual can’t afford it, they often find it difficult to pass up the opportunity to be a part of a friend or family member’s wedding day. It is an honor to be asked to be in a wedding, but that does not mean it doesn’t come without a cost. While it is not necessarily the bride or groom’s responsibility to make sure everyone involved in their wedding is not stressed out financially, there are steps to take to ensure wedding party members don’t have to break the bank to be involved.
Central Location
One of the best pieces of advice I read on a blog recently was, “It’s not really just your big day.” While your wedding is to celebrate you as individuals and as a couple, it is also to honor and celebrate with people you love and have influenced you. I am all about beautiful locations and maybe where you live there are limited ideal spots for weddings. My sister got married in Hawaii and it was absolutely amazing- I wouldn’t have wanted her to change any moment of it. However, if you are worried that your wedding party or guests are unable to cover the cost of an extended stay away from where most of you centrally live for the wedding, consider finding a wedding venue in your hometown, or near it.
Make their Jewelry/Accessories
Making jewelry for bridesmaids or getting creative with accessories for groomsmen can also cut down on the costs for the wedding party. Not only will these pieces be a unique feature during the day, you can make beautiful things for typically less then what you would pay to buy these items retail.
Pay for their Drinks at the Reception
Alcoholic beverages are often something that can get extremely pricey if you are paying for all of your guests’ drinks throughout the evening. While it is certainly common to pay for your own drinks as a guest at a wedding reception, one way a bride or groom could help their wedding party save money is to budget in their overall wedding budget for their wedding party to drink whatever they want for free all night. This could be as part of their gift or simply a generous thank you to the wedding party in allowing them to not have to worry about paying for drinks during the celebration.
Allow individual choice in dress or tux/suit selection
Wedding shops often raise the price of their dress or tux/suit selection because they know brides, grooms and everyone involved in a wedding are already expecting to pay that price. While the quality is often higher at these shops, so is the cost. If you are thinking about having a cost-effective wedding for your wedding party, consider having them choose their own dress or tux/suit. You can keep the traditional look by keeping them all the same color and fabric, but having a different style can create variety as well as save on cost for the individuals involved.
One great website for mother-of-the-bride dresses is soulmatesdress.com. By allowing the mother-of-the-bride, mother-of-the-groom, or even an older close female family member that is heavily involved in the wedding, choose from websites and stores like these, they can have the choice on how much they want to spend and look great for your wedding day.
Now onto the giveaway!
Soulmatesdress.com is giving away a $50 and $100 credit to their online store! What a great gift to give to a mother-of-the-bride or groom for the holidays!
A big thanks to Jessica from Mo Money Mo Houses for organizing this giveaway.
Some details:
- Open Worldwide
- The giveaway runs from Oct. 19 – Nov. 19 (so as of Nov. 19 at midnight the contest will be closed)
- See terms and conditions in the RaffleCopter widget below
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Letting bridesmaids choose their own outfits is key to helping them save money in my opinion. I had my girls choose a black dress (one of them reused a bridesmaid dress from another wedding!) and I bought them matching shawls and jewelry. I also didn’t have a bridal shower so they weren’t tasked with paying for a gift or new outfit for yet another wedding-related party. It’s amazing to me how many events people have now leading up to their big day — pre-wedding reception that’s separate from the rehearsal dinner? Really?
HassleFreeSaver Victoria actually did the same thing with her bridesmaids – they got to chose a black dress. Definitely saved them money!
I think allowing choice in the outfits can be really helpful. Also, maybe don’t expect that everyone will be able to be a part of everything. For instance, if you’re gonna do a bachelorette party in Vegas, don’t assume the entire bridal party will be able to attend.
brokeandbeau So true! But come on, can you really say no to a Vegas bachelor/bachelorette party? ;)
Haha, now that I’ve been to Vegas three times, I can’t imagine having a better time than I’ve already had there.
I love the idea of letting the bridesmaids pick their own dresses. That way you can pick something flattering that you will wear again. I’ve been in several bridal parties and I’ll be honest, I get a little annoyed when I spend all that time and money to be a part of the “big day” (and all the pre-activities) and then have to pay for drinks at the wedding.
Wedding location is very important because it affects not just the bridal party but the guests too. If it is a destination wedding, that means your guests will have to pay for fare and hotel which can get expensive.
I wish I knew someone who was getting married in Hawaii. I would love to go there! I find it quite interesting that you mention it is quite common to have guests pay for their own drinks at the reception. All the weddings I have ever been to, (my sister’s included), have always had an open bar. While a cash bar is a great way to save money, I think guests would appreciate it more if the drinks were included, since they are already spending a reasonable amount of money on the wedding gift.
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