Wedding budgets are important and can be overwhelming. When you’re planning for the big day there are SO many things to consider, because after all it’s YOUR wedding. There are a few things that I’ve learned from shooting weddings that are worth spending and saving money on so I’d thought I would share them with you!

Splurge on:

Venue- Your venue sets the mood of the entire wedding. It’s where all of your photos will be taken and what guests will remember most! If you pick a gorgeous venue you will save on the decorations. Some venues even include packages of planning and decor set up. Look at my FAVORITE venue ever (maybe just because it’s in my backyard) here!

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Table Numbers- You can easily do some DIY brainstorming for table numbers and guest’s seating arrangements! I’ve seen so many great ideas for this. It’s fun to put a personal touch on the wedding day!

Splurge on:

Bouquet- Who doesn’t adore flowers?! I’ve gotten to photograph so many beautiful bouquets recently and I LOVE it!!! The wedding bouquet is something that is photographed A LOT so it’s definitely worth splurging to get exactly what you want in yours. If you need to know where to get the best bouquets here’s a link to not one but two local florists!!

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Guest List- Trim that guest list to the most important people you couldn’t imagine getting married without. Do not invite long lost friends that don’t even know your fiance. Even knocking off 10-20 guests can save a TON of money!!

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Wedding Planner- Yes, it’s true-every bride who has a great wedding planner is thankful for having one and every bride who doesn’t is usually feeling a little more stressed on the big day, wondering how she’d feel if she would have hired one. Wedding planners save you time, money and stress. It’s always good to work with someone committed to making you and your groom have the BEST day!! Here’s a link to a great coordinator’s website that has still has some dates open is 2019!! BONUS: She also has some AMAZING flower/backdrop walls!

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Favors- Those 100 custom-made mugs that guests forgot to take with them, yep you’ll have to find storage space for them when you move into your new house. You can easily save on the favors and make the guests talk about the amazing experience rather than the customized bubbles or popcorn.

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Invitations- I LOVE a good invitation suite shot, and it is worth it to spend the extra $$ to get those pretty blog-worthy images. If you want to start looking for where to get great quality invitations that are completely customized for you, check out my friend, Alison of Paper Hearts!!! She can pretty much do anything and will make your invitation suite absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

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Accessories- Borrow a necklace from your grandma. Use your momma’s diamond earrings. These will represent much more than the money you’d spend on brand new overpriced jewelry when you look back at photos! I love a good sentimental jewelry shot!!

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Decor- Adding your personal style into your wedding decor is what makes your wedding unique. Custom Decor is something that will add to your decorations and is a great way to incorporate some good photo ops!! The Mustard Couch is a great place to start looking for inspiration and will add some vintage flare to your big day decor.

 

 

Happy Planning!!!

 

xoxo,

Zoe