I’m so excited to start sharing some of my FAVORITE tips for saving money when planning a wedding. Weddings are expensive, and especially for you and your bridal party, all the little things add up. So why not save a few dollars when it comes to you and your crew? Here are my top 5 ways to save money for your wedding: specifically for everyone in it!

Groom and Groomsmen:

There are so many options now a days to find stunning suits and tuxes for men! And many offer options where you don’t even have to leave your home. One of my favorites is Generation Tux. They have tons of great options, every color of tie or bow tie imaginable, AND, you can get it all done from your couch. Generation Tux offers a FREE (yes, FREE!!!!!!) home try on option, so you can request the suit or tux you have in mind, send in your sizing, and try it on at no cost. If it’s too big or too small, their team of stylists are able to help find the problem and get you the right size. All it takes is a couple of clicks and you’re on your way to the perfect look.

Another way for your groom and groomsmen to save money on their wedding attire is by mixing and matching! Bridesmaids have been doing it for years, so why not let the groomsmen in on the fun? For a laid back look, ditch the jackets and have your groomsmen stick to the same color pants, grab a white button down, and let them all find fun ties or bow ties that match the wedding theme. This allows your groomsmen to utilize some pieces they may already have in their closet, or find some cheaper alternatives to a full tux rental.

Brides and Bridesmaids:

If you’ve started looking around for your wedding dress yet, you’ve probably had a bit of sticker shock. Wedding dresses typically start at $1,000 and work their way up as you go. Bridesmaids dresses can be upwards of $300 depending on the brand! It’s a ton of money, and you’re probably only going to wear it once. That doesn’t mean you should have to settle though! Why not save some money for your wedding AND get the dress of your dreams?

Sample Sales:

Ah, sample sales. My personal FAVORITE place to check for your dream dress. Bridal shops typically do a sample sale once or twice a year to make room for new styles, so they sell the floor samples of both bride and bridesmaid dresses for a fraction of the price! Although these dresses have been tried on, they usually are in pretty good shape still since they aren’t going too far. The stores take really good care of them so that brides can get a good sense of how their ordered dress will look.

The only catch for these is that there is typically only one, MAYBE two sizes of each dress available. So you will most likely need to spend a little on alterations. But hey, if you’re getting a $3,000 wedding dress for $600, I’d say it’s a steal. Make sure to start looking for your dress ASAP so that you can be on the lookout for sample sales. And cross check your stores- one store may have the dress you’re looking for in their sample sale even if you hadn’t gone there originally!

Poshmark:

Poshmark is my hidden gem secret. While it’s probably the last place you’d think to look, it’s a treasure trove for the wedding world. If you’re wanting your girls to be in more high end, designer bridesmaids dresses like Jenny Yoo, they can start at $300, and as much as you say “You can wear it again!”, your girls probably will keep it in the back of their closet for the rest of time. UNLESS, they decide to sell it on Poshmark like many bridesmaids across the globe. I’ve found $300-400 bridesmaid dresses listed on Poshmark for less than $100, worn only once, and sometimes even altered already. WIN WIN!! Don’t be afraid to get the bridesmaid dresses of your dreams. You can probably find the exact one on Poshmark, gently worn, dry cleaned, and altered for a fraction of the price.

Same goes with wedding dresses! If you’re looking for wedding dresses on a budget, you’ll definitely want to take a look at Poshmark. Have your measurements and the style name of the dress you want on hand, and take a peek through the Poshmark listings before ordering it. You may be surprised to see someone else who thought like you selling their dress for way less than list price. Not only is it good for your wallet, but secondhand shopping is so good for the environment too.

BHLDN Sale

The BHLDN sale section is absolute FIRE. If you haven’t heard of BHLDN, they are the wedding sister to Anthropologie. They carry their own lines as well as popular designers such as Jenny Yoo, Watters, Amsale, and Daughters of Simone. A quick look down the sale section will find you tons of wedding dresses under $1,000 and bridesmaids dresses under $200- BRAND NEW. Throughout the year they do tons of “____% off of sale items” sales (usually in the 20-30% range, sometimes more around the holidays!) and you’ll want to hold off for those if you can. They also carry tons of bridal accessories such as shoes, belts, hair pieces, and even styling decor- so check those out too!

Planning your wedding doesn’t have to cost you or your bridal party an arm and a leg. Shop smarter and you’ll be able to find all kinds of hidden gems without compromising on the look you want! And if you’re ever wanting a second pair of eyes, my fashion degree eyes are always ready to help.

I hope these tips were helpful for how to save money for your wedding day! Make sure to follow me on Instagram to see what I’m up to! And if you’re ready to talk about planning your dream wedding- hit me up! I’m always down to talk about love and your dream day.

Until next time,

Amy