21 Wedding BUDGET SAVING Tips

[@JamieWolfer]

⬇Download Your ULTIMATE Wedding Planning Checklist ⬇ www.wolferandco.com/yt/pc/263/checklist

[@elisecollins8467]

Maybe you've already done this but would you do the opposite of this video, ie. debunking bad budgeting tips? stuff like lying to your vendors and saying it's not a wedding, trying to diy too much stuff that's out of your wheelhouse, etc.

[@mharloveandre8827]

Oohhh this would be SUCH a good idea!

[@vikicorona3916]

As a Hispanic the favors are centerpieces and decor 😂😂

[@hannahlong3055]

When my fiance was ring shopping I let him know that I would prefer a lab grown diamond to an Earth sourced diamond! They are a fraction of the cost, scientifically the same as an Earth diamond and 100% ethically sourced. Just a thought for anyone looking for a way to save on rings but still wants to have a diamond. Love your videos Jamie!

[@RaccoonTails1]

This is relevant to other stones as well! My Alexandrite in my engagement ring is lab grown and is a fraction of the cost. Love it more because I know it's ethically sourced!

[@HA-zx2pk]

I get it... I wanted sapphire but I wanted lab grown... it's better for the environment imo.

[@wendyfitness7085]

I love my Moisonite ring! My original wedding ring is diamond and just isn't anywhere near as beautiful as my Moisonite one. 😅

[@colleendeighton3524]

My ring cost $90!! And I love it! I'm also very clutsy, so if I lose or break it, no big deal.

[@rebeccaleann]

My ring is lab grown as well. We picked it out together and compared it to the looks of real diamonds and the lab grown just looked so much better to us and it was cheaper. Win-win for us!

[@nadiaalessandracarmodossan604]

1:16 - Tip 1: DIY 2:20 - Tip 2: Stick to your budget 3:53 - Tip 3: Be prepared for unforseen costs 5:11 - Tip 4: Forgo all inclusive 6:22 - Tip 5: Rings! Be creative 7:43 - Tip 6: Buy an used or sample or of the rack dress 9:19 - Tip 7: Hair and makeup 10:36 - Tip 8: Keep the wedding party small 11:11 - Tip 9: Skip save the dates 11:47 - Tip 10: RSVP 12:53 - Tip 11: Cut vendors hours 14:33 - Tip 12: Reuse flowers in many ways as possible 15:24 - Tip 13: Have a dessert table instead of cake 16:25 - Tip 14: Skip the lounge 17:06 - Tip 15: Have a budget bar 18:14 - Tip 16: Skip the champaign toast 18:34 - Tip 17: Do not offer any type of side service 18:54 - Tip 18: Skip printed stationary 19:40 - Tip 19: Skip the favors (if your aunties will allow it) 20:29 - Tip 20: Cut your guess count 21:30 - Tip 21: Hirer a planner 😏

[@naleyandleyton123]

We were running out of money towards the end and decided to buy relatively cheap rings and made a promise that on our 5 year anniversary we will buy proper ones. But we are now attached to the og rings 😂😂 so they stay until they turn our fingers green I guess

[@lizard3755]

If your rings have stones, you could always get a new ring made using that same stone! That way you've got something that won't make you green but still has a piece of the ring you love

[@Housewarmin]

I think it’s best for your and your fiancé to choose the top 3 things that are important to you. What will make your wedding, YOUR WEDDING? everything else, go cheap on.

[@wendyfitness7085]

Thank you for this! I just asked me husband

[@wendyfitness7085]

*husband as we're planning our vow renewal/wedding as we didn't get one 10 years ago haha*

[@hannadoerbeck4486]

In the midst of planning my own wedding, I have to disagree with the “shell” venue being less expensive. A lot of the inclusive venues are inherently saving you money AND time-renting your own tables, linens, chairs, placings, waitstaff, bar tenders and bar license, arches and decor, etc. to make a shell space a “wedding” is thousands of $$ more than the all inclusive options in my own experience!

[@MaineCoonMama18]

The dessert table idea is so smart! I'm sure you can get plenty of nice desserts for way cheaper than a wedding cake. Plus, you could have little boxes so guests could take some home (use up any leftovers + wedding favors in one). That's the kind of wedding favor I'd want as a guest.

[@Cruela2b]

I’m a planner by nature, and plan many events for my business but the Master Plan has been an absolute game changer for assisting in planning my daughter’s wedding. From the budget to the timeline and everything in between, this is by far the best money you’ll ‘spend to save’ when planning your wedding. Thank you Jamie for putting this ‘tool’ together and for all the videos you post, with the many tips and tricks you offer to stay on budget and timeline.

[@Hetsupshut3]

Every year, esp with inflation, venues and vendors just keep getting more and more expensive. I remember years ago in 2019 watching your tip videos on how to lower costs and being like I can save for that. But today's prices are about $10-30k more than what it was in 2019. And now that I finally can start getting to planning, inquiring about costs with vendors and venues makes me soooo miserable. Always love your videos and tips and tricks.

[@xooamandaxoo]

I’m looking at venues right now. And some sites have their 2023 rates and their 2024 rates. The ones for next year are 2-5K more 😢 it’s wild out there!

[@rf-g8684]

Another tip: look for promise rings over wedding bands. Tbf, we intend to get tattoo rings later but need something for the ceremony. $64 for 2 gold-plated rings off Etsy. In Canada.

[@fotofeary6]

Thankfully my photographer will be the easiest. I work in a photo dept at a college and most of my friends are photographers. One friend (who does weddings) said he was bringing his cam even though he’s a guest. With so many photographers there I’m tempted to have disposable cameras on the tables 😂

[@hannahwaller9828]

My fiancée and I have found beautiful rings from Etsy that we want to use for our wedding set. Hundreds compared to thousands is an easy choice for us. My engagement ring is my great grandmother’s ring he had sized for me. Her ring means more to me than anything else he could have bought from a store.

[@alenacarhart2413]

I’m recently engaged and my engagement ring is amethyst and rose gold. I love it so much! I am a fairly pale person and wasn’t a big fan of diamond rings because they washed me out. My fiancé was happy that I wanted a gem stone ring because he had more options and was able to save a lot of money.

[@Katie80-501]

My engagement ring is a 1930s aquamarine cocktail ring and I love it!! It was way more budget friendly than anything that had diamonds in it and my fiancé just bought a signet ring off etsy for like $100. Thats good enough for us and if we want to we can always get something flashier later on

[@jacquelinerobnett2257]

YASSSS TO NO SAVE THE DATES! LOL I literally just did a dance because my mom was a little mad I didn't do save the dates muahahah

[@brittanytate3559]

i didnt do them either. saved me lol!

[@TheGreeneBead]

We didn't do save the dates either! Just sent our invites out 2 months early (March 1st for a July 20th wedding)

[@sarah.d.h.]

Etsy has amazing wedding dress designers that make cheaper dresses that look super expensive!! Just make sure you’re ordering from a person (do a little digging to make sure it’s not a cheap recreation of a designer dress), and preferably within your country so you won’t have to deal with crazy shipping times. I’ve been communicating with my designer for months about customization options and she’s the best! Because of her customer service, I feel like I’m getting a $10k dress but it’s actually under $700!

[@amandarachelle9234]

Can you link your designer?

[@TheHonorsKid]

That is also so cool because you can say you actually know your designer and have a relationship with her; love this idea!

[@carolynsteele9929]

Also with a smaller bridal party, there are fewer bouquets/boutonnières to purchase which aren’t cheap

[@jenstringfellow9422]

Been planning my wedding since September of 22 I'm set to get married this summer I just want to thank you Jamie for all your videos it has helped me a first time bride tremendously plan my entire wedding top to bottom thanks for the help!

[@ashtongarrison2587]

My wedding dress was $30 at Goodwill!✨

[@picklepirate]

I’ve literally never been to a wedding that offered favors. I don’t understand why anyone would do them lol

[@carolyncuesta774]

My dress was a sample. Literally PERFECT condition and 1/4 the original cost

[@Creeer2005]

All this is new to me. How does one figure out a budget?

[@danielaa_.]

An idea for the wedding cake that my mom does is she does the bottom layer with literally just a foam layer covered in icing and only the top tier is actually cake, works great if there’s only a few people eating it

[@billee-jokowalski112]

I am getting married in September me and my family are making the food 😊

[@Whatyousayin24]

How are you doing this at a venue? I have friends who want to make our food but the venues say they have to be licensed and insured 😏

[@searchingforapurpose]

In the process of planning a wedding for my bestie on a low budget and needed this!

[@blinkspacestudio8892]

I have over a year to plan for my wedding, which will be super simple, hotel venue, everything is there already just have to pay for it. I want to do my own hair and make up so going to take time to make sure that is done properly. Il also be doing the favours myself but will test it out to see if it makes sense in the long run. I am getting my ring on Etsy but need to make sure it fits as I plan to lose weight.

[@jessicadvorak2182]

Jamie! I have been watching you for years and I’m still amazed that I catch a new thing from every video you post! I just added leftover/takeout boxes for leftover cake/food to my list. 😉 I cannot thank you enough for you IMMENSE amount of help you give each week. 🤗

[@NK_Cinnamon]

Thank you Jamie!! We're looking for a venue, engaged on 9.25.22, setting a date of 7.26.2024. I'm glad you mentioned the rings! My engagement and wedding rings are custom made by an artist friend who makes crystal and precious metal copper wrapped jewelry. I told him I didn't want a diamond (and I'm into gemstones and crystals), so my engagement ring is a Black Spinel stone set with Herkimer diamonds. I stare at it all the time & say to myself or him once a week "it's perfect"❤

[@prfctlymprfctbeauty]

I’m in the thick of planning my wedding and came across your videos and this is what I’ve been needing! I’m so stressed trying to figure it how to do everything with basically no help.

[@soubi2025]

I love him with my whole heart but I think my fiance hasn't yet realized that all the ideas he keeps throwing at me cost money😅🙃 he's got a rough awakening coming

[@robinchapman7222]

I am doing artificial flowers, cupcakes, and diy decor. Fiancé's grandpa is officiating.

[@rebeccablack8112]

I started planning my wedding with a bare bones budget and less than a year to plan I needed this 😅

[@cindymurphy2946]

My fiancé switched from a May 2024 beach wedding, to a December 31 2023 date. Now I am scrambling to find a venue. This channel is a game changer for sure to the inexperienced.

[@AquaSparkle18]

Ah this came at a perfect time! Thank you! Just want to mention though - not sure why but the audio on this video seems really off to me, your other videos seem fine but on this one it seems like whenever you raise your voice a little bit it muffles your voice and is weird to listen to.

[@Ajdepp1]

I thought i was the only one. Im using headphones so i thought they broke or something. I listened to another video and was just fine. She did say sorry for the audio. Im just glad im not the only one.

[@SamanthaTallman]

Moissanite rings for the win!! 🥳

[@brittanytate3559]

mine is moissanite and yellow sapphire

[@roselyngraceamoncio6075]

Hi! ❤your videos are amazing! Thank you so much for the tips! I'm about to get married and I'm so pressured on things that I don't need. You're videos have been helping me a lot❤❤ thank you so much!

[@brittneesimone7231]

I don’t know if it’s just my phone but the mics you’re using has been REAL hot! There’s like some crackling or something with the audio. Trying to help because I LOVE listening to your videos but it’s been hurting my ears due to this…. Hopefully I made sense…

[@EberhardtTheReindeer]

When we told our families it was no bar or cash bar, they begged us for the cash bar. LOL

[@EJBradley]

Did the microphone break?

[@agnesvs9263]

Can you give advice for a small wedding of less than 20 guests? Hard to find a venue that’s not so large. How to find small venues that include a restaurant or what advice can you give instead.

[@bropoke6799]

My fiance and I are both getting non-traditional rings. I'm getting an alexandrite ring (we found one that's about $95 and alexandrite is right below diamonds on the hardness scale) and he's getting a ring off of etsy that has amethyst in the band thats about $100. It's about what the ring represents and the love behind it, not the financial burden it places on your partner

[@vikicorona3916]

For thr video about inviting guests can you talk about if it's okay to invite certain people from a house hold and not others ?

[@SD-hs2pk]

I hear some do a faux gran exit earlier

[@SD-hs2pk]

Trying to find a was to maybe have a favor table perhaps with a big thank you sign

[@KayNorthrup]

I could watch you all day LOL thank you for making this topic so approachable! Retweet on all of it!!!

[@christimblanton]

Jamie I LOVE YOU but girl what's going on with the audio? It's constantly peaking

[@TheLysila]

Venues that aren't all inclusive are rare these days.

[@missqueeniestea]

Huh? Only two of the venues I toured were all inclusive.

[@brittanytate3559]

so true.

[@Muppetfanforevah]

For those of us who are married, and didn't have a wedding and want to have all the bells and whistles of a wedding for our vow renewal, could you do a "wedding tweak" video for vow renewals? Legit, my husband and I got married at a courthouse the very same day he graduated Army Basic Training because 9/11 happened while he was there. We canceled all the wedding plans we had because he was told by Drills that he would be immediately going to war (we didn't know that couldn't happen until his secondary training happened, at that moment, but we acted with the info we had at the time). We are planning a vow renewal on our 25th anniversaries complete with anniversary band exchange. (Even our original wedding bands were ordered incorrectly and we had to settle for the "please forgive us we messed up your wedding band order and there is no time to reorder" plain bands they had on hand). I love a few ideas in 1st weddings like unity candles, but it doesn't make sense for a vow renewal as there is no joining, we are and have been, there already. So tweaks would be amazing. I also plan on walking down the aisle on my own versus us walking together. I missed the moment he gets to see me at the other end of the venue in my dress so we are doing that. But little tweaks for all of us who want the dream wedding we never had but are getting now. Still want to do a bouquet toss type thing, but the single ladies coming up for the luck of getting married next feels weird since we were not just married. Our daughters are grown would it be weird for a daddy daughter dance? (No sons) Any other cool tweaks to tradition for a full wedding and reception for a vow renewal would be helpful. Most advice on vow renewals seems to be "keep it low key" "remember this is NOT a wedding" and then just outright "vow renewals are weird and tacky ". That last one hurt my soul. It's not like we are asking friends and family attend a second wedding, we had to cancel the one they were all originally invited to. Just any help with ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[@sarag6710]

Currently planning my wedding for March 2025. I have already done a lot of these 😅but I’m just trying to save more money

[@octopussy6318]

Do you do over the phone planning lol. I just recently got engaged and my wedding date is for next year in October. I’m so lost on where to start.

[@rachelbrown7739]

I spent $1200 on my dress🥴 amazon had one similar but I’m so tall, the dress wasn’t nearly the length I wanted.

[@notinvogue4287]

We got my ring during black Friday season (it's a season now 😂) got it from the air force base for 699 and he had his best man's dad make his ring. Not entirely sure how much he paid for his, but I don't even think we went over $1k for our rings total.

[@Millelykkeandersen]

That DIY rule sounds a bit strange to me 🧐 most my friends diy'ed at least 80%

[@robinluettke8732]

I don't like diamonds. I couldn't justify buying a traditional bridal set and selling the diamonds back to the jeweler. My wedding set is a promise ring,two hearts on either side of the infinity symbol. My stones are emerald, I bought two birthstone rings. I welded them together in the order of five stones, three stones and the promise ring.

[@annejia5382]

that's sweet 🩵

[@brittanytate3559]

saame! i got moissanite and yellow sapphire :)

[@beckyparker2863]

@@annejia5382 a

[@annejia5382]

yay jamie uploaded 💛

[@Madelynntapken]

So helpful. Thank you

[@margaretnix5217]

Can you do an electronic save the date?

[@erikanicolepacis2058]

Would it be okay to not have the whole entourage and just the bride and groom walk down the aisle? So we do not need to pay for the dresses/suits of the bridesmaids/groomsmen together with the corsages and mini bouquets and hair and makeup for entourage. Is it okay?

[@haenahkim]

This seems like a broken video with bad audio and black screens towards the end. Was this the right version?

[@ryannevanvliet5569]

I thought it was my earphones😅

[@ana-7421]

We are thinking of doing invitations completely online (emailing an invitation, and then having everyone rsvp on the website) - has anyone else done that?

[@jaimeerindy4573]

My friend did! I thought it was great, everything was all in one place.

[@ana-7421]

@@jaimeerindy4573 awesome! Glad to hear from a guest that you liked it :)

[@brittanytate3559]

i did just that. No save the dates. I used canva for my digital invites with a qr code to rsvp on the website. Zola is amazing!

[@notquiteasamazingjess]

The main worry I’d have about that for my family at least would be that I don’t know how often they check their emails (my grandmother might not even have one lol), some of the older members of our families are not very tech savvy. But if your peeps all actually check their emails, it will probably work

[@coriannerattai9682]

I have the RSVP on my invitations having people send me an email as to whether they are coming or not. It felt cheaper than making RSVP cards

[@melissaverdoni845]

i am plaaning a wedding in mexico, my dress is going to be ordered online with MY measurements, 160$ :) it doesn't have to cost alot.

[@WiggleIsWiggly]

Is it possible to get off the rack dresses for fat people? If so, where is the best place in England? I know wedding dresses run small and sizes in wedding dress world are different to regular sizing I’m nervous that nothing will fit me and I’m scared to go and look in loads of shops because shopping in general and things always being too small is really crushing to my self esteem and I don’t want to have a meltdown over something as shallow as my body - I’m not going to stress about losing weight or anything btw, as lovely as that would be in an ideal world, realistically I have a history of disordered eating and I’m not going to risk going backwards in my “recovery” and sabotaging my mental health Im a uk size 20 and only 152cm tall which is 5 foot 0 so my body is not very “off the rack” friendly especially as my weight goes mainly to my middle and I often worry that I look pregnant (been asked a couple times in the past by strangers when I’m due, very embarrassing for everyone involved! I bloat very easily which doesn’t help either)

[@caityjayde96]

I'm not in England, but I know there are bridal stores that specialise in larger sizes, so maybe you could see if there are any in your area or that you'd be open to travelling to, and call them to ask what options they have (e.g. if they have samples in your size that they could sell if the style is discontinued - the dress might still need some alterations, but it should still be cheaper than buying a dress that's made to order). Unfortunately the only specific store I can name is Curves & Couture in Essex (because it's where Curvy Brides Boutique is filmed and I'm a fan of the show), but I know there are others out there that Google could probably help you find (although if you are open to going to going to Essex, the store do get good reviews and they do currently have some pretty options listed in their sale section on their website, several of which are size 20, and the most expensive of those being listed for £795, which is still expensive, but a pretty good deal for a wedding dress). Not sure if this info helps, but I'm hoping that it at least help to know that there are options out there.

[@WiggleIsWiggly]

@@caityjayde96 thank you so much! I’m also a fan of that show although I’ve not watched it in ages.. I forgot it existed to be honest! I think essex is only 2 hours from me so I’ll deffo check it out and will search for some others. I just struggle with being in a bigger body because I’ve always been so short and petite and I kind of made it my identity at school and such when people always commented on how tiny I was and would pick me up which was quite annoying tbh but it was a thing 🤷‍♀️ I was always the shortest and lightest and I didn’t really care about it much cos I was a kid but unknowingly it sort of became my identity because of how often people would talk about it especially adults like oh I wish I was that skinny you’re so lucky bla bla bla and I always thought it was weird that everyone was so scared of becoming fat and hated their body even if it didn’t seem much bigger than mine. Then when I had major back surgery at 15 I couldn’t exercise much and over the years I gained loads of weight and lost some friends cos I had to say no to things a lot during recovery and developed an eating disorder to compensate and get some control and I’ve only just “found myself” again after nearly 15 years and stopped beating myself up for my food choices even though I’m not “healthy” and definitely use food for comfort I’m trying to accept that I’m alive and in love and my body is kind of irrelevant and not parallel to my success or happiness in life and when I did shed some weight for a bit in my early 20s I was very miserable despite all the compliments that I look good and I’m “me” again because I was just really hungry and sad and insecure in reality. It’s so annoying that it’s hard to escape the feeling that the size of my body doesn’t matter that much when I have to go to separate shops to get a dress I’m so jealous of my friends that shop for fun and find things so easily like I used to when I was a teenager. A couple of them are engaged and dress shopping lately and it’s just really hitting a nerve in me at the moment! I used to love it that everything was just a bit too big on me and I’d have to get things altered to fit me because of my height like that was an extra expense but I didn’t really care about being short cos I can’t help it but now I’m a lot wider I feel embarrassed because I should be able to control that even though it makes no difference - fat or thin I’m gonna need it altered because I’m much shorter than average and I can’t help the way My body is proportioned because I carry weight in odd places because I have scoliosis which is out of my control, my spine just grew wonky 🙈 Ugh, anyway sorry for rambling so much - I’m extra emotional about things today for some reason! Just the wedding planning stress getting to me I think 😂

[@mamaprepper1494]

Walmart cakes are so nice looking and so much less

[@nadiadansani2139]

People are putting QR codes on their invitations now too

[@neuIyn]

Oh god the audio is tragic

[@sydneygraff1064]

Are you sure you aren’t Britney Spears long lost sister? Only meant as a compliment