Saving Money When You’re in a Wedding

This summer I was in three weddings and I was invited to three others. It was an expensive summer of throwing bachelorette parties, going to bridal showers, and buying several dresses and having them altered. Last week I was at brunch with a newly-engaged friend when she handed me an envelope that had that wonderful question. Of course I said yes– I am honored to stand next to her and be apart of her day. Later on as I was planning her engagement party, I was thinking about the next few months and the expenses that will be coming up. I decided that I need a better plan this time around than last summer.

Here are my tips for saving money when you are in a wedding (or when wedding season rolls around and you are invited!).

1. Do not buy a new dress for every shower, party, and rehearsal. If you can squeak by with borrowing a dress or rehearing, do it! No one actually remembers what guests wear to weddings or gives people crap for wearing things twice.

2. Have a number in mind for your presents budget. Are you willing to spend $30 at the bridal shower and $50 for the wedding gift? More? Less? If you are planning to buy from the registry, look it up early so that you don’t get stuck with a gift that is out of your price range.

3. Are you in charge of planning one of the showers or parties? I have one word: delegate. It takes some weight off of your shoulders and helps others feel more involved. If there are other bridesmaids, ask them to plan a game or bring a dish. And if you are a bridesmaid that is not in charge of one of the parties, volunteer to help (it is so appreciated!).

4. Don’t get alterations done at the bridal shop. They are much more expensive in my experience. I found a little tailor shop that does the alterations for a quarter of the price that I had been initially quoted for at the bridal shop. Don’t be afraid to ask around and shop around.

5. Reuse decor— When I threw two bachelorette parties this summer, I kept a lot of the decor and reused it. None of the same girls were at both parties, so it worked out perfectly. (But even if there had been some of the same girls I would’ve still reused it)

6. Ask attendees to chip in for the bachelorette party. For one of the bachelorette parties, I asked each girl to bring $20, which covered a wine tasting at a vineyard, snacks and drinks back at the house, and also breakfast the next morning (I just made crepes, which are soooooo cheap and easy). I felt weird asking for people to chip in at first, but it really helped alleviate some of the costs for me and my co-host, and it allowed us to splurge a little more in the activies.

7. It’s ok to skip some activities. Were you invited to three bridal showers? Choose one to attend and bring a gift, and do not feel like you must attend every single one (and certainly don’t feel like you must bring a gift to every one). When I was a bride, my maid of honor came to every shower but I would NOT have wanted her to get a gift for each one.

Enjoy standing by your friend and being a part of the wedding party. What it all comes down to is making your the bride feel loved and supported, and helping ease any anxiety or stress around the big day.