Plan an Elegant Wedding on a Budget

A wedding day should be the happiest day of your life, not the most expensive day of your life. Getting married on a budget is the latest trend. It means more money left over for the honeymoon. A budget bride must use creative ways to save money, be innovative and of course, lower their environmental impact. Planning your wedding is about smart bulk ordering that saves on shipping and overall cost. Ordering all your printed wedding-related materials at one time will save you time and money.

Use printed announcements to let people know the happy day will soon be here or to share with friends and family after the wedding. Like printed birth announcements, the wedding announcement should include all the pertinent details such as names, locations, dates and a few words of love.  Postcard-style announcements are great for weddings. Display a full-color photo of the bride and groom on one side and include text on the reverse. Postcard-style announcements are modern and save money on postage.

Save-the-date cards are really coming into their own these days. Choose something a little quirky or a little traditional to announce the date of your wedding. Postcard-style cards work but fold-over cards are best for including personal notes. Just don’t forget to put the date on the card (a common mistake) and double check all your details before going to print.  Writing the wrong date on your save-the-date card is not good for the overall organization of the wedding.

Wedding invitations come in all shapes and sizes and there are hundreds if not thousands of possible designs out there. Begin by choosing the type of wedding invite (postcard or fold-over) and then search for a template that reflects your wedding theme or color palette.  Use business card templates to insert custom-printed details such as driving directions or registry information. Never put these details on your actual wedding invitation. The wedding invitation is the ultimate keepsake for family and friends, so take your time.

Every good bride and groom should remember to send thank you cards to their wedding guests. Order them early and get enough for both the bridal shower guests and the wedding reception folks.  It’s nice to choose a thank you card that highlights your wedding colors but is simple enough to be used as regular stationery for months after. Use initials on the front rather than full names for a polished look.

Budget brides must use common sense and good organization to plan their wedding. The time saved from ordering all the printed materials early can be spent making favors, organizing seating arrangements and checking for sales and clearances for wedding supplies.  Buy everything in bulk and be sure to find second or third uses for all your supplies to recycle and save money at the same time.  Then you can call yourself a budget bride.

Scrapjazz offers a huge variety of Wedding Scrapbook supplies and much more.