Are you a bride and groom who want to save money and do it yourself? I know I am the kind of person who likes to save money and get things done myself! I feel so good when I accomplish DIY projects on my own and learn new things-- I mean who doesn't?!

First things first, think about where you want to spend your money. Personally being a photographer I wanted to spend my money on a photographer and a videographer because those are images and videos I can have and cherish for years to come to look back on the day. I will have a blog post soon featuring more of my wedding day photos and my beautiful video from Donn and I's wedding day back on March 25th, 2017! Be on the lookout. I also really wanted to spend my money on a beautiful wedding dress, but you can also find really beautiful reasonably priced dresses! You just have to search or find sales like at Davids Bridal.

My other biggest expense was FOOD because Donn and I are LOVERS of BBQ! We wanted the best BBQ. We also had a fruit bar which was such a great idea in the spring! When you are shopping around for cakes go TRY them. Taste testing is so much fun! Find a friend of a friend or family member who makes cakes on the side. Send them a picture of what you want and see if they can do it! I had a friend of a friend do mine and the cake was absolutely beautiful and YUMMY. We saved so much money doing so. We purchased all the beer, sodas, and water at SAMS so if we had leftovers we could take them back (I don't think we could take the beer back). We purchased our alcohol and wine at Specs because whatever we had leftover we could take back too! Then we just had two certified bartenders from a catering company come in to serve and we paid them by the hour.

Our venue was a gift-- complete blessing! I know everyone is not blessed with that, but look for venues that either give you more for your buck or that are intimate, simple, and not over the top because you can make it your own! OR is there a piece of family or friends land that you just absolute think is GORGEOUS-- talk with your family or friends! Think outside the box.

Find a DJ that really gets the crowd going and that is reasonable. You really do not need anything over the top lighting wise. You really just need a DJ who knows his music!

Finally lets talk about where you can do more DIY projects for your wedding day. Flowers are beautiful and gorgeous, but sadly die super fast. I chose to do greenery down the center of my tables and only use flowers for my bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages. My moms friend actually had a neighbor who had tons of greenery he grew, he let us use it for my tables! You can choose to have a florist do the bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages or DO IT YOURSELF! I ordered flowers from SAMS and Blooms in a Box. You can even find other wholesale places to buy florals from. I ordered hydrangeas and baby's breath from SAMS and they were STUNNING. Roses and eucalyptus from Blooms in a Box. I didn't do anything extravagant, but they were simple and beautiful. My bride tribe and I put them all together the day before the wedding day. Just keep them in a cool and dark place and you will be good. Boutonnieres and corsages can go into the fridge (I recommend making those last).

Think about building/making your own signs or having a talented friend help you with them. It will be so much fun! I did research online, found a calligraphy book and learned how to write pretty doing that. Then I found awesome ways to build chalkboard signs. GET CREATIVE-- do research online, especially on Pinterest! You will find so many good ideas.

Another thing you can save money on is paper items, find invitations that aren't so expensive. They are just going to be thrown in the trash anyway. I know I had a hard time finding a reasonably priced invitation I liked, so I decided to design them myself in Adobe Photoshop-- it was so much fun! Then I went to a print shop in town.

I can't forget about the linens-- they are crazy expensive! Look for some wholesale places online to order table cloths from. I believe we found our table cloths for around $3 a piece. Of course I just wanted white table cloths, nothing fancy.

When thinking about decor, find things that you can use in your future home together! I have an obsession with pigs, so I used some decor I already had and found some that I wanted to use for our wedding. Some of the chalkboard signs I also use in my home now!

I think I covered just about everything. I probably missed a few things, but hey, there is a lot that goes into a wedding day!! These are just some tips I have while I planned my big day. :)

NOW, GO GET CREATIVE AND DIY!

XOXO,

Katelyn

(Photos by France Photographers by Kiera Jane)

Tips from a Photographer & Bride--DIY Wedding Day Ideas | Wedding on a Budget