📋 Get the Wedding Quick Start Guide!

Money-Saving Wedding Tips from my appearance on GMA's Strahan & Sara

When you shop via links on our site, we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase. Learn more.
Money-Saving Wedding Tips from my appearance on GMA’s Strahan & Sara
BSBsquarelogo

I was over-the-moon thrilled to have the opportunity to stop by GMA’s Strahan & Sara show on Friday, May 17th to share some of my favorite modern tips for saving money on a wedding. In case you missed it, you can view the full segment below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myQjV6oP0Bo

Our five and a half minutes flew by in a flash. It made me realize I could talk for AGES about all the various ways to save money on a wedding without sacrificing style!

Due to the time constraints, I had to fit in as much as I could with the limited time we had. I’m really thrilled with how it all came together, even with some major butterflies on my part. ?

I wanted to go into further detail here on the blog so you have all the details of these awesome products! Below you’ll find each of the resources and details that were featured in the segment– why I love them, where to buy them, and there are even some exclusive discounts to save you some money!

 

Money-Saving Tips for Weddings:
How to Cut Costs without Sacrificing Style

strahan and sara - gma - save money on a wedding - invitations DIY

How to save on wedding invitations

DIY Your Wedding Invitations

Let’s face it– more often than not your wedding invitations are going to end up in the wastebaskets of the majority of your guests. So while I personally appreciate the fine details of a gorgeously letterpressed invitation suite, this is one area of the wedding that it’s totally cool to cut back on!

Why? Because it’s TOTALLY  possible to get the look of luxurious designer invites for less, and you don’t need design or crafting skills! Download free or low-cost templates online (we’ve got a few gorgeous ones here on BSB!) and customize them yourself. You can print them at home or send them to the print shop of your choice. It honestly couldn’t be easier to DIY your wedding invitations and your guests will never know you did them yourself.

? Love the ones in the segment? Find them via the links below:

Get the rose garden printables | Get the yellow daisy printables

strahan and sara - gma - save money on a wedding - invitations

Use an affordable All-in-One Wedding Invitation

Not into DIY? We’ve also got a done-for-you option! We’ve already sung the praises of Minted’s all-in-one wedding invitations here on the blog, and they are still by FAR our favorite outsourced option for affordable wedding invites.

Why? Because they include everything you need and make it efficient and simple AF to send a gorgeous invite without having to lift a finger yourself. Their all-in-one invitations feature gorgeous designs that include the invitation and self-addressed RSVP card that tears off for easy response for your guests.

Did you know you can also use Minted to gather your guest addresses? They’ll even address the invites for you with their FREE guest address printing, saving you time and money and hassle.

If you want to avoid the post office altogether, you can pay to have your invites sent straight from Minted’s warehouse to your guests’ mailboxes.  The basic paper options start at $1.50 each – it doesn’t get much savvier than that.

? Love the styles from the segment? Here’s the details:

Greenery Diamante Invite on the left | Foil Printed Basically Invite on right

[one_third margin=”0 30px 0 0″]

minted all in one wedding invitations

[/one_third]

[two_third_last]

*special offer*

20% off your Minted purchase!

Save even MORE money on your wedding invites with our discount! Use code: BUDGETSAVVY20 at checkout to save!

 

SHOP NOW[/two_third_last]


 

strahan and sara - gma - save money on a wedding flowers

How to save on wedding flowers

Rent your wedding flowers instead of using fresh blooms

How many times have we sung the praises of Something Borrowed Blooms? Hint: Alot. We’re kind of obsessed. The rent and return floral boutique gives couples the look of luxurious fresh flowers for less money, less hassle, less stress, and less worry. They make the whole wedding decoration process feel effortless and simple and eco-friendly and beautiful. We couldn’t love them more!

They have several different collections to choose from, in a variety of color palettes and styles that you can shop a la carte or mix and match! There are so many benefits to renting silk flowers over using fresh blooms for your wedding flowers.

BENEFITS OF SILK FLOWERS
  • eco-friendly – arrangements can be used again and again by many brides for many weddings!
  • always in-season – silk arrangements means no worrying about seasonal flower availability or price-gauging.
  • worry-free  – silk flowers won’t wilt or fade even in the hot summer sun, so you can use these beauties all year round!
  • affordable – renting silk arrangements can easily save you 40% when compared with fresh blooms arranged by a florist!
  • cohesive – choose the collection you love and select all the items you need from bouquets, centerpieces, boutonnieres and so much more!

Want to learn more about using Something Borrowed Blooms for your wedding flowers and decorations? Visit their website today!

? Love the styles featured in the segment? Find them via the links below:

The Taylor Collection (pastel palette) | The Stella Collection (moodier palette)


 

How to save on the wedding bar

When it comes to your wedding reception, one of the biggest expenses is the bar,  but there are a few easy ways to cut back!

Find a venue that will allow you to BYOB

Firstly, choosing a wedding venue that allows you to supply your own alcohol is key, because then you can have more control over the cost-per-bottle. Pick a cheap but drinkable option– opting for a $10 bottle of wine you can supply yourself vs a $40 bottle supplied by a catering company gives you a savings of 75%!

Pro tip: Visit your local bulk stores like Costco to purchase wine in bulk for added savings. Use the Vivino app to check out real user reviews and do a taste test yourself before making the plunge!

Serve Beer and Wine plus a Couple of Signature Cocktails

The easiest way to cut back on your bar costs is to nix the open bar. Serve only beer, wine, and a couple of signature cocktails. You and your partner can each choose a favorite cocktail to serve to your guests, adding an extra dose of personality and personal taste to the wedding. You can even extend the reach of that alcohol spend by choosing a spritzer or sangria that utilizes other mixers.

strahan-and-sara---gma---save-money-on-a-wedding-bar

Disguise a Cheap Wine Purchase with Customized Labels

The custom wine labels from the segment are from Evermine — and they’re super simple to customize for your big day! There are a variety of stylish designs to choose from including options that allow you to add photos or choose custom colors to coordinate with your wedding decor!

Not only do these cute labels make a darling added detail to your wedding reception that your guests are sure to comment on, but they also can be used to disguise the fact that you opted to serve a cheap bottle of wine rather than a pricier option. (Two buck chuck, anyone?!)

Pro tip: You don’t have to label *every* bottle of wine. Just apply your personalized labels to the bottles you display on the bar as options, and your bartenders can serve from the regular bottles behind the bar.

? Love the styles featured in the segment? Find them via the links below:

Left Label – Striped Rose | Middle Label – Confetti | Right Label – Katniss 


 

strahan-and-sara---gma---save-money-on-a-wedding-dress

How to save on a wedding dress

Buy a pre-owned wedding gown

Last, and most certainly not least, the dress! If you’ve got your heart set on a designer dress but it’s not exactly in your budget, consider purchasing a pre-owned wedding dress!

Sites like Nearly Newlywed offer new and used wedding dresses, accessories, gifts and more to get high-end designer bridal style for a steal. This is one of our favorite wedding budget hacks because buying a once-worn wedding dress can save you upwards of 50% off the retail price of a designer gown. Talk about being a budget-savvy bride!

For further savings, you can opt to switch up your look from ceremony to reception by adding affordable accessories or even saving on a 2nd/reception dress by shopping used.

The great thing about buying a used wedding dress from Nearly Newlywed is that they have a thorough validation and quality inspection so you know you’re getting the real deal. Not into buying pre-owned but still want to save on a designer gown? If you do make a splurge, consider selling your designer dress after the big day to recoup some of your cost!

Learn more about Nearly Newlywed and shop their fabulous selection on their website!

? Love the styles featured in the segment? Find them via the links below:

Mikaela Dress


 

I hope you loved the segment and these additional details that didn’t quite make it to air. PS — don’t miss your chance to take advantage of these special offers!!

BIG thanks to Strahan & Sara for having me on, and to the wonderful brands mentioned in this post who helped me pull this segment together. Thanks for watching! XX


BSBsquarelogo

The Budget Savvy Bride is the #1 Online Wedding Planning Resource for couples who want to plan a beautiful wedding on a budget they can actually afford. Check out our best-selling book on Amazon, The Budget-Savvy Wedding Planner & Organizer!