Wedding planning update

It has been awhile since I last gave an update on our wedding planning. 

Here's a picture of my life these days...

Matt and I are big on budgeting. We have an excel spreadsheet outlining our estimated costs and our actual costs for the wedding. We are saving all receipts, so they can be entered into our spreadsheet. A little OCD? Maybe. We just want to be in the know with all the details of our wedding, especially since we are paying for pretty much all of it ourselves. We are totally fine with this. It has been fun planning and figuring out the best way to save money and where we can afford to splurge, like our reception. Coupons have become my best friend. Michaels and Hobby Lobby see a lot of me....like on a weekly basis. 

Here are a few ways we are saving money:

1. artificial flowers (Hobby Lobby has some of the best ones and they even feel real)

2. making our own wedding invitations. (I used to scoff at this idea, but they have turned out beautifully and I had no idea I had such a creative side).

3. COUPONS

4. postcard response cards (to save on postage cost)

5. stocking up on forever stamps now before the cost goes up late January 2013
6. my dear friend, Lyndsay, did our engagement photos for us as our wedding gift.
7. She is also making my veil, so we can pass it down to our daughters and keep it in our families. 

8. picture save-the-dates (Walgreens + coupons = one happy bride)

9. our centerpieces will be multipurpose (not going to tell you what they are yet!)

10. saving every other paycheck for the wedding

11. setting a budget from day one. I cannot stress this enough. Put it writing, don't just talk about it. Decide what you want to splurge on and what you can spend less on or do without.

12. shop around for the best prices...with everything.

13. Make payments on things (i.e. photographer, DJ, etc) as you go, rather than waiting until right before the wedding. This will save you so much stress and anxiety about who you've paid and who you haven't. 

14. Two words: dollar store.

15. What has really worked for us....having enough time to plan and save for our wedding. I would have loved to marry Matt sooner, but we knew before we got engaged, we would be paying for it, so we needed ample time.

Any additional wedding saving tips??

I plan to share what our total wedding cost was after the big day. I think it's important for people to find ways to have the wedding of their dreams without breaking the bank or going into debt.
Stay tuned....

For now check out this couple's low cost wedding....
 YoungHouseLove