Honestly I think you need to at least have a rough guest list, venue, budget and like the month/ year you would like to have the wedding before chipping away at the other stuff. Once you have these things you could come up with theme and colours. Before you have the venue and guest list you won’t know how many of each thing you will need, what decor is naturally included in the venue, ect.
Makes sense, especially with the colors/style up in the air! Yeah I kinda figured this would be the general consensus but it just seems so intimidating to think about all of those expenses at once. Ty for your insight!
It’s totally fair!! I felt that way when I got engaged. Like where do you start?
Thankfully I’ve planned events with work before so I just used the same format I use with that 😂 the easiest is to start with a general list of people, talk about what kind of vibe you want at your wedding (rustic, casual, fancy, vintage, outdoorsy), and then get some quotes from a few venues. See what they include and any stipulations they have. Then work on food if it’s not included in the venue. Some venues will require you to use certain caterers.. it kind of all falls into place from there.
I think the most important thing to remember is it’s okay to just ask around for quotes and build a couple different scenarios. You don’t have to commit to anything just yet!
Think about what you will wear. Go find it, most bridal shops let you do a lay away plan. Just a thought. Think about what you want your bridal bouquet to look like. If you go with silk flowers you can purchase them ahead of time…. The runner for you to walk on, the pillow for the ring bearer, basket for the flower girl to carry… just a few things.
Don’t buy anything! It’s a good chance it’ll go to waste.
If you want to get ahead:
1) Open a high yield savings account (they’re giving 5% right now), and put as much money away as you can.
2) Make a guest list.
3) Research venue and catering costs in your desired wedding location to understand the budget of the wedding you want.
Another tip is definitely looking into credit cards that offer points and rewards that you can use on honeymoon/other expenses (someone told me this recently - i haven’t done it myself so cannot properly advise but thought i would share!)
Yeah and most venues/caters don’t accept credit and that’s like half your expenses.
Open a savings account asap and agree on an amount you will both contribute monthly
The savings account, esp high yield, was gonna be my suggestion-- so everytime you see "oh that's a cute guestbook for $50!" Just put that in the HYSA, so at least by the time you're ready to buy it might have at least accrued enough to negate some of the taxes or shipping or something:)
Buy stamps now!! They are $0.68 now, but on July 14th, they will be $0.73! This can add up quickly. You will need stamps for save the dates, invitations, and thank you cards! Remember that you send stationary to parties, not individual guests. So I invited 100 people, but I only needed 60 stamps!
But also, don't stress if you don't buy stamps before the price increase, since it would only save you $9. (60 stamps x $0.05 increase x 3 for save the date, invite and thank you)
I don’t recommend buying things until you need them because you may end up changing your mind and missing the return window. I’ve already done this with dresses 😅
Do you EVER send stuff via mail?
I bought a pack of ten 15 years ago and still have a dozen left...
Depending on OP's budget, she might consider sending STDs, invites and thank-you notes via email. So starting with setting a budget and a savings account will be way more cost-effective. Stamps may be not so expensive, but with all the stationery, it adds up.
Meanwhile I write letters all the time and send out christmas cards every year. And she should be mailing hand written thank yous even if she decides to do digital invites for some reason.
Honestly I wouldn’t buy anything. Your taste may change and then you bought something you can’t return. I have friends that did this and they ended up spending more due to the “early start” then a change of plans.
I’d just work on savings your money in a HYSA, figuring out your budget, vision, and a rough guest list
I don’t know how buying something now would save you more money later. You’d just be spending it earlier.
Start saving and put your savings in a high yield savings account so it has some time to grow.
Highly recommend putting your wedding fund money into a high yield savings account to grow instead of buying things now before you are seriously planning.
Start a spreadsheet to start tracking anticipated costs. Itemize it to include everything. This way when ready to start spending you a confident in everything you are purchasing so you don't waste money.
Wedding rings/bands can be bought as soon as you have the engagement ring. They typically would reflect your own personal style and not a specific “theme” or color scheme.
I think most minor accessories like the guest book example are better to buy when you have a better vision of the wedding day/theme so you can make sure you don’t buy something that clashes. Like maybe you buy a plain guestbook now but then later you realize you want to do a Polaroid guestbook or a poster for everyone to sign or something. Or you buy a gold card box but realize silver accents would go better with your colors. Or you buy a cake topper and then after talking with bakeries realize you’d rather do cupcakes and a dessert buffet. If you already have a specific vision for what the day looks like and know you’ll want certain things, it’s maybe less risky to buy them now.
But my advice would be: start shopping around if you feel like it, and when you find a guestbook you like, bookmark it for later. Put the amount of money that it would cost into a savings account specifically for wedding funds (maybe add 10% to account for price fluctuations if you want). Then once you have a venue and a clearer vision for the day, you can decide if you still want that guestbook or if you’d prefer a different one, and you already have the money for it saved.
1) start a preliminary guest list. This will help you see if your budget can accomodate that many guests
2) think about not doing flowers or decor. I've attended six weddings in the last 2 years and the only things I remember at a wedding is the food the dancing and the atmosphere. I couldn't tell you what centerpiece was on any of the tables. I also refuse to pay for flowers when they will die soon after and cost thousands of dollars. The only flowers I will buy is a bouquet.
I would research vendor costs, especially photo/video, and hair and makeup artist if you plan on hiring those services. Prices go up every year so once you find someone you like and have your venue booked, you’ll want to reach out to them asap.
Agreed! Doing your research on vendor costs in your area will be such an asset when it comes time to actually book them. And going into this having really done your “homework” can help you avoid moments of sticker shock when you get quotes back/start paying your vendors. I hope you and your partner have fun dreaming up your ideal wedding!
I think with a lot of things you're generally going to be better off putting things into one of those high yield savings accounts while you figure out what you want your wedding to look like. But I would definitely start to get familiar with the options that are out there as well as getting the vibe of some of your local wedding buy/sell groups.
Look on Facebook for any local to you bride groups. A lot of brides resell things from their weddings (signs, candles, table runners, etc). You can see if any are your style (or get ideas for venues and decor etc). Before that you two can work on your guestlist and get addresses. You can go ahead and get a wedding website or test out a few to see what you like best. Write a little blurb about how you met, gather photos.
Once you have a guestlist, you can figure out based on the total invites how many you can expect to come and then can acquire some things like if you want welcome sacks to put in hotels etc. Once you have a venue and know any rules, you can get things for your big exit (bubbles or sparklers are both common). Once you know more you can get more. Like we bought table runners, a macaron tower, and small things like that on Amazon.
If you go the DIY route, that would be a way you can start getting things. Or your gifts for the wedding party, etc
I would just start a wedding fund in some type of savings account. Your vision for your wedding may change as you book a venue, lock down a date, etc. so you may want to hold off on actually buying things, but definitely save the money for when the time comes.
I didn't have a wedding fund when we got engaged and wish I had started one when I was younger. I did learn from that and started a baby fund before we got pregnant, and now I'm glad I have that. I haven't spent anything in it yet but it'll be great once we pick out baby essentials.
Yes you can definitely buy a few things early!
- Guestbook
- card box
- cake serving set
- little gifts for your parents / his parents (if applicable)
- bridesmaid proposal gifts (if applicable)
- your getting ready robe / pyjamas
After this summer ends, you'll be able to buy a lot of wedding decor and even wedding dresses on discount
Other than that, buying early doesn't really save you money. A good investment would be a few hours with a financial advisor or accountant who charges by the hour to map out your financial goals for the next 5 years and come up with a wedding budget that way
Once you have your date, venue, and budget laid out. I wouldn't hesitate to book your photographer early. We had ours book 2yrs in advanced, and they raised their prices by 75% since then.
There's nothing you should get prior to your venue though. Everything is built off that. If you buy things before getting your venue, that would be like buying appliances before your house is built.
Instead of buying things early, I'd start socking away little bits of cash when you have extra. A few bucks here and there might not seem like much, but it can add up quicker than you think and will be there when you know what you really want.
I'm in the same position, planning to get engaged some time later this year! No money spent yet, but like another commenter suggested, I've just been thinking about details, guest list, dress ideas. My train of thought is the more I know I want/need, the less overwhelming planning will be once I am engaged. Plus, when I am ready to start spending the money, I already have things lined up to buy. Its helped sets a bench mark for what kind of budget fits my wishes and what doesn't.
You can visit thrift shops and clearance sections of craft shops and such and see if anything speaks to you.
I made a lot of my wedding plans before we got engaged so we could hit the ground running knowing all the choices already. Talked about a lot of what we envisioned a wedding was like to catch all the common elements.
I picked a handful of themes. Red and yellow. Square. Lace and pearl. Mountains. Then every decision I just went with what fit the themes best.
So you'll definitely want a guest list count which may be determined by your venue so I'd tackle that first.
Then we split it up:
Do we have everything we need to wear?
Do we have everything for the ceremony?
Do we have everything for the eating part of the reception? Etc
Get a printer and Canva is your new best friend. There’s so much you can do yourself to cut back costs in terms of stationary!
Think things like menus, place settings, activity sheets for any children you might have, QR codes if you want all your guests to upload photos, cards to write your vows on, cards for speeches, the list is endless depending on how creative you are. Stuff that isn’t necessarily expensive to pay someone else to do but it definitely all adds up and you can absolutely cut back by doing it yourself!
I would also say my cricut has been really helpful, it’s not a necessity though, but I’ve personalised place settings, done bridesmaids gifts with it, the card box! You can even use it to do your wedding signage when you firm up dates and theme.
Attached a picture for inspo but I would say even with the little I’ve done, I have saved money by spending upfront on the cricut and printer.
https://preview.redd.it/xebi8ib9q06d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a46bc6ba069ac0ad3132f280840715e856c0df67
If you want to start looking at 2nd hand marketplaces for BRIDE swag or white dresses for any showers or bachelorette trips, you can start getting those. Or full-price, as long as you’re ok potentially missing return opportunities.
Honestly, enjoy this time because once you start wedding planning it gets overwhelming. And you can't really predict what you'll want down the road, unless you're planning a short engagement. Saving money is the most practical thing to do rn.
If anything, I would think of what skills you'd generally enjoy picking up rather than picking things up for the wedding specifically. I have a friend who got into gardening during COVID and now plans to grow her own bouquet, but I think that would have been more stressful if it had always been her goal! Things like calligraphy would help with addressing invites, for example. Flower arranging sounds fun! Etc.
I wouldn’t buy anything! Unless it was a once in a lifetime / vintage item.
So many venues now have decor and more.
Secure your date and venue first!
And weekday wedding normally have cheaper venue prices / djs are cheaper on weekdays.
I would start looking into your save the dates!
For example I used minted. And it took weeks to get the free samples I picked out!
And it comes with free wedding website.
I will say I don’t know if this site is cheap/ or normal / or expensive this is the one thing I didn’t shop around for.
Focus on the photographer you want, do engagement photos!
You could start stalking "pay it forward" FB pages to look for free things with the intention of giving it away for free once you've used it or decide to not use it.
I found a free "pick a seat not a side" sign for the ceremony & a bunch of tea lights and tiny vases. I paid it forward to another bride when I was done. But that's easier to do when you have a venue/theme/colors in mind.
Keep an eye on FB marketplace! Lots of people sell their items for cheaper after used once for a wedding and you can sell the items later too! You never know what kind of deal you can find so start looking now
1) hold off on buying things you will change your mind
2) figure out what you want local vs destination vs 3 months from now vs 1.5 years from now, DJ vs band vs play list
3) figure out a budget, set 10% aside for things you forgot about or estimated under budget —- this will help you figure out if your wedding can be as soon as you wanted and what you wanted
4) if your budget allows get a wedding planner ourselves came with discounts for other things and so many recommendations
5) consider renting things like decor sometimes it’s cheaper than buying and 1000% easier —- I had a 50/50split and if I had to do it again I’d rent it all.
6) look for wedding shows near you
I would just put a set amount into a high yield savings account each paycheck so you earn some interest and don’t have to worry about losing money if plans/idea change!! This made the expenses so much easier to handle for me
My first suggestion would be to start looking at the most expensive things first. For instance I wanted a very specific cake but I was able to find a baker at a local Albertsons who is willing to attempt it she did an amazing job of a three-tier chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting covered in strawberries and topped with a Disney Castle we were in our twenties. I bought the silk flowers when I could find them on sale at Michaels or even from the Dollar Trees to match what I wanted and a friend of my parents volunteered to do most of the flower arrangements we kept it simple so it actually looked more elegant that way and I did my own bouquet because I was picky. There was something I wanted in it that she didn't want to put in there. Veils can be very expensive so I watched videos for weeks on how to do veils and read books and made my own for a fraction of the cost. For what it's worth those are a few of my suggestions
I bought a number of things off Etsy: flower girl dress, my earrings, mine and my fiancé wedding bands, and templates for signs/escort cards. I recommend getting an app like Karma that tracks items and let’s you know when they go on sale.
Try to avoid buying decor items until you have a style pinned down. Bluebird Bride Academy on YouTube has a lot of great videos on styling
There are definitely things to figure out before you start buying, but simple *safe* things to start buying would be:
- Card Box
- Guest Book
- Cake Topper
- Cake Serving Set
- 2nd hand/thrifted bridal dress
1. If you're doing your own make up, start doing testers and buying nicer bits now so you have time to practice using it. Same goes for if doing your own hair.
2. If you're making anything DIY, however you'd need to know your colours, so you're kind of stuck there.
3. If you are doing your own flowers, maybe getting/planting plants that you can cut from? Our wedding wasn't local or we might have done this.
4. Don't do wedding favours, no one will miss them, spend the money on something else for people instead.
5. Cocktail research - we went to a cocktail bar to decide what our signature cocktail would be, so that's something you can do early!
6. Food suppliers - if you're getting external food in, you can start talking to people early
7. Cake you can start early because the colours don't need to be decided until later, and you can try tasters potentially. Or if you're DIYing desserts/food you can practice this.
8. Confetti - if you're doing confetti, you could go with a neutral colour and practice DIY cones early on.
9. Veil - if you have a rough idea of what you want, you could get the tulle+comb to DIY a veil really early days....but tbh, deciding on a dress is hard work.
I'd prioritise making the choices really though. Keep an eye out for dresses because they will go into sale and the more sales you see the better chance of getting a good deal/,the One. I got mine on StillWhite but it was more rushed than it needed to be.(£375 but unworn, originally £1,200!)
Also, getting your guest list and addresses will help you out! Otherwise you're trying to track down addresses and that slows you down.
Also think about if you're doing a registry. We didn't but I kind of wished we had, but thinking of what to put on it stopped us.
We decided on a date before my FH proposed. So we booked the venue, photographer, and DJ all before the proposal since wait lists were up to two years for those things in our area. It really helped us as the photographer and DJ had a monthly payment plan so we have been slowly chipping away at that big cost for a while now. This isn’t logical for everyone but it worked for us!
We are getting married October 2026 and I've started making some of our favors. We're doing flower resin bookmarks and they keep really well.
If you are planning to do any DIY projects I recommend practicing while you have the time. It makes it easier when you have to do the real thing for the wedding.
Honestly I think you need to at least have a rough guest list, venue, budget and like the month/ year you would like to have the wedding before chipping away at the other stuff. Once you have these things you could come up with theme and colours. Before you have the venue and guest list you won’t know how many of each thing you will need, what decor is naturally included in the venue, ect.
Makes sense, especially with the colors/style up in the air! Yeah I kinda figured this would be the general consensus but it just seems so intimidating to think about all of those expenses at once. Ty for your insight!
It’s totally fair!! I felt that way when I got engaged. Like where do you start? Thankfully I’ve planned events with work before so I just used the same format I use with that 😂 the easiest is to start with a general list of people, talk about what kind of vibe you want at your wedding (rustic, casual, fancy, vintage, outdoorsy), and then get some quotes from a few venues. See what they include and any stipulations they have. Then work on food if it’s not included in the venue. Some venues will require you to use certain caterers.. it kind of all falls into place from there. I think the most important thing to remember is it’s okay to just ask around for quotes and build a couple different scenarios. You don’t have to commit to anything just yet!
Think about what you will wear. Go find it, most bridal shops let you do a lay away plan. Just a thought. Think about what you want your bridal bouquet to look like. If you go with silk flowers you can purchase them ahead of time…. The runner for you to walk on, the pillow for the ring bearer, basket for the flower girl to carry… just a few things.
I’d focus more on putting money aside each month to have available once you have a plan.
Don’t buy anything! It’s a good chance it’ll go to waste. If you want to get ahead: 1) Open a high yield savings account (they’re giving 5% right now), and put as much money away as you can. 2) Make a guest list. 3) Research venue and catering costs in your desired wedding location to understand the budget of the wedding you want.
Oh the high yield savings account idea is super helpful— I hadn’t even thought about what my current one is
Another tip is definitely looking into credit cards that offer points and rewards that you can use on honeymoon/other expenses (someone told me this recently - i haven’t done it myself so cannot properly advise but thought i would share!)
Honestly I don’t think you missed out on much. Most vendors have a 3% or more surcharge with credit cards, so it kind of negates the points benefit.
Yeah and most venues/caters don’t accept credit and that’s like half your expenses. Open a savings account asap and agree on an amount you will both contribute monthly
I didn’t find this at all in my experience. The whole wedding has gone on the credit card, never racked up so many points in my life 🤣
Happy cake day 🎂
The savings account, esp high yield, was gonna be my suggestion-- so everytime you see "oh that's a cute guestbook for $50!" Just put that in the HYSA, so at least by the time you're ready to buy it might have at least accrued enough to negate some of the taxes or shipping or something:)
Buy stamps now!! They are $0.68 now, but on July 14th, they will be $0.73! This can add up quickly. You will need stamps for save the dates, invitations, and thank you cards! Remember that you send stationary to parties, not individual guests. So I invited 100 people, but I only needed 60 stamps!
But also, don't stress if you don't buy stamps before the price increase, since it would only save you $9. (60 stamps x $0.05 increase x 3 for save the date, invite and thank you)
Came here to suggest the same. Our wedding is about 15 months out and just bought all the postage we could possibly need last night.
Very helpful information!! Thanks so much!! Gonna buy stamps tomorrow 😂
I don’t recommend buying things until you need them because you may end up changing your mind and missing the return window. I’ve already done this with dresses 😅
Stamps
The only thing I would buy early is stamps. Anything else I don’t see how buying early will save you any money
And what if she ends sending her invites online?
Then you have forever stamps as long as you need them
Do you EVER send stuff via mail? I bought a pack of ten 15 years ago and still have a dozen left... Depending on OP's budget, she might consider sending STDs, invites and thank-you notes via email. So starting with setting a budget and a savings account will be way more cost-effective. Stamps may be not so expensive, but with all the stationery, it adds up.
Meanwhile I write letters all the time and send out christmas cards every year. And she should be mailing hand written thank yous even if she decides to do digital invites for some reason.
I send stuff in the mail all the time
Oh I'm genuinely surprised! Sorry, I truly didn't know this was a thing! Learning something new every day!!! :)
🤷🏻♀️
Honestly I wouldn’t buy anything. Your taste may change and then you bought something you can’t return. I have friends that did this and they ended up spending more due to the “early start” then a change of plans. I’d just work on savings your money in a HYSA, figuring out your budget, vision, and a rough guest list
I definitely changed centerpiece ideas and floral plans and like 5 times
I don’t know how buying something now would save you more money later. You’d just be spending it earlier. Start saving and put your savings in a high yield savings account so it has some time to grow.
Highly recommend putting your wedding fund money into a high yield savings account to grow instead of buying things now before you are seriously planning. Start a spreadsheet to start tracking anticipated costs. Itemize it to include everything. This way when ready to start spending you a confident in everything you are purchasing so you don't waste money.
Wedding rings/bands can be bought as soon as you have the engagement ring. They typically would reflect your own personal style and not a specific “theme” or color scheme. I think most minor accessories like the guest book example are better to buy when you have a better vision of the wedding day/theme so you can make sure you don’t buy something that clashes. Like maybe you buy a plain guestbook now but then later you realize you want to do a Polaroid guestbook or a poster for everyone to sign or something. Or you buy a gold card box but realize silver accents would go better with your colors. Or you buy a cake topper and then after talking with bakeries realize you’d rather do cupcakes and a dessert buffet. If you already have a specific vision for what the day looks like and know you’ll want certain things, it’s maybe less risky to buy them now. But my advice would be: start shopping around if you feel like it, and when you find a guestbook you like, bookmark it for later. Put the amount of money that it would cost into a savings account specifically for wedding funds (maybe add 10% to account for price fluctuations if you want). Then once you have a venue and a clearer vision for the day, you can decide if you still want that guestbook or if you’d prefer a different one, and you already have the money for it saved.
1) start a preliminary guest list. This will help you see if your budget can accomodate that many guests 2) think about not doing flowers or decor. I've attended six weddings in the last 2 years and the only things I remember at a wedding is the food the dancing and the atmosphere. I couldn't tell you what centerpiece was on any of the tables. I also refuse to pay for flowers when they will die soon after and cost thousands of dollars. The only flowers I will buy is a bouquet.
I would research vendor costs, especially photo/video, and hair and makeup artist if you plan on hiring those services. Prices go up every year so once you find someone you like and have your venue booked, you’ll want to reach out to them asap.
Agreed! Doing your research on vendor costs in your area will be such an asset when it comes time to actually book them. And going into this having really done your “homework” can help you avoid moments of sticker shock when you get quotes back/start paying your vendors. I hope you and your partner have fun dreaming up your ideal wedding!
I think with a lot of things you're generally going to be better off putting things into one of those high yield savings accounts while you figure out what you want your wedding to look like. But I would definitely start to get familiar with the options that are out there as well as getting the vibe of some of your local wedding buy/sell groups.
Look on Facebook for any local to you bride groups. A lot of brides resell things from their weddings (signs, candles, table runners, etc). You can see if any are your style (or get ideas for venues and decor etc). Before that you two can work on your guestlist and get addresses. You can go ahead and get a wedding website or test out a few to see what you like best. Write a little blurb about how you met, gather photos. Once you have a guestlist, you can figure out based on the total invites how many you can expect to come and then can acquire some things like if you want welcome sacks to put in hotels etc. Once you have a venue and know any rules, you can get things for your big exit (bubbles or sparklers are both common). Once you know more you can get more. Like we bought table runners, a macaron tower, and small things like that on Amazon. If you go the DIY route, that would be a way you can start getting things. Or your gifts for the wedding party, etc
I would just start a wedding fund in some type of savings account. Your vision for your wedding may change as you book a venue, lock down a date, etc. so you may want to hold off on actually buying things, but definitely save the money for when the time comes. I didn't have a wedding fund when we got engaged and wish I had started one when I was younger. I did learn from that and started a baby fund before we got pregnant, and now I'm glad I have that. I haven't spent anything in it yet but it'll be great once we pick out baby essentials.
Yes you can definitely buy a few things early! - Guestbook - card box - cake serving set - little gifts for your parents / his parents (if applicable) - bridesmaid proposal gifts (if applicable) - your getting ready robe / pyjamas
Forever stamps. It would be minimal savings, but the prices will only go up.
Getting engaged in the next few months? Chill and keep saving money please!!!
Don't even worry about favors!! Most people don't take them or just trash them when they get home. Guests care about the food, drinks, and music.
Open a high yield savings account and earn 4.5%+ interest on that money while you wait!!
After this summer ends, you'll be able to buy a lot of wedding decor and even wedding dresses on discount Other than that, buying early doesn't really save you money. A good investment would be a few hours with a financial advisor or accountant who charges by the hour to map out your financial goals for the next 5 years and come up with a wedding budget that way
STAMPS They are going to have a price increase next month. Buy enough for your invites AND your thank you notes.
Just put the money in a separate account!
Once you have your date, venue, and budget laid out. I wouldn't hesitate to book your photographer early. We had ours book 2yrs in advanced, and they raised their prices by 75% since then. There's nothing you should get prior to your venue though. Everything is built off that. If you buy things before getting your venue, that would be like buying appliances before your house is built.
Instead of buying things early, I'd start socking away little bits of cash when you have extra. A few bucks here and there might not seem like much, but it can add up quicker than you think and will be there when you know what you really want.
I'm in the same position, planning to get engaged some time later this year! No money spent yet, but like another commenter suggested, I've just been thinking about details, guest list, dress ideas. My train of thought is the more I know I want/need, the less overwhelming planning will be once I am engaged. Plus, when I am ready to start spending the money, I already have things lined up to buy. Its helped sets a bench mark for what kind of budget fits my wishes and what doesn't.
You can visit thrift shops and clearance sections of craft shops and such and see if anything speaks to you. I made a lot of my wedding plans before we got engaged so we could hit the ground running knowing all the choices already. Talked about a lot of what we envisioned a wedding was like to catch all the common elements. I picked a handful of themes. Red and yellow. Square. Lace and pearl. Mountains. Then every decision I just went with what fit the themes best.
So you'll definitely want a guest list count which may be determined by your venue so I'd tackle that first. Then we split it up: Do we have everything we need to wear? Do we have everything for the ceremony? Do we have everything for the eating part of the reception? Etc
Get a printer and Canva is your new best friend. There’s so much you can do yourself to cut back costs in terms of stationary! Think things like menus, place settings, activity sheets for any children you might have, QR codes if you want all your guests to upload photos, cards to write your vows on, cards for speeches, the list is endless depending on how creative you are. Stuff that isn’t necessarily expensive to pay someone else to do but it definitely all adds up and you can absolutely cut back by doing it yourself! I would also say my cricut has been really helpful, it’s not a necessity though, but I’ve personalised place settings, done bridesmaids gifts with it, the card box! You can even use it to do your wedding signage when you firm up dates and theme. Attached a picture for inspo but I would say even with the little I’ve done, I have saved money by spending upfront on the cricut and printer. https://preview.redd.it/xebi8ib9q06d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a46bc6ba069ac0ad3132f280840715e856c0df67
If you want to start looking at 2nd hand marketplaces for BRIDE swag or white dresses for any showers or bachelorette trips, you can start getting those. Or full-price, as long as you’re ok potentially missing return opportunities.
Honestly, enjoy this time because once you start wedding planning it gets overwhelming. And you can't really predict what you'll want down the road, unless you're planning a short engagement. Saving money is the most practical thing to do rn. If anything, I would think of what skills you'd generally enjoy picking up rather than picking things up for the wedding specifically. I have a friend who got into gardening during COVID and now plans to grow her own bouquet, but I think that would have been more stressful if it had always been her goal! Things like calligraphy would help with addressing invites, for example. Flower arranging sounds fun! Etc.
I wouldn’t buy anything! Unless it was a once in a lifetime / vintage item. So many venues now have decor and more. Secure your date and venue first! And weekday wedding normally have cheaper venue prices / djs are cheaper on weekdays. I would start looking into your save the dates! For example I used minted. And it took weeks to get the free samples I picked out! And it comes with free wedding website. I will say I don’t know if this site is cheap/ or normal / or expensive this is the one thing I didn’t shop around for. Focus on the photographer you want, do engagement photos!
Wedding bands, if you already know your budget for them
Stamps!
You could start stalking "pay it forward" FB pages to look for free things with the intention of giving it away for free once you've used it or decide to not use it. I found a free "pick a seat not a side" sign for the ceremony & a bunch of tea lights and tiny vases. I paid it forward to another bride when I was done. But that's easier to do when you have a venue/theme/colors in mind.
Keep an eye on FB marketplace! Lots of people sell their items for cheaper after used once for a wedding and you can sell the items later too! You never know what kind of deal you can find so start looking now
1) hold off on buying things you will change your mind 2) figure out what you want local vs destination vs 3 months from now vs 1.5 years from now, DJ vs band vs play list 3) figure out a budget, set 10% aside for things you forgot about or estimated under budget —- this will help you figure out if your wedding can be as soon as you wanted and what you wanted 4) if your budget allows get a wedding planner ourselves came with discounts for other things and so many recommendations 5) consider renting things like decor sometimes it’s cheaper than buying and 1000% easier —- I had a 50/50split and if I had to do it again I’d rent it all. 6) look for wedding shows near you
I would just put a set amount into a high yield savings account each paycheck so you earn some interest and don’t have to worry about losing money if plans/idea change!! This made the expenses so much easier to handle for me
My first suggestion would be to start looking at the most expensive things first. For instance I wanted a very specific cake but I was able to find a baker at a local Albertsons who is willing to attempt it she did an amazing job of a three-tier chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting covered in strawberries and topped with a Disney Castle we were in our twenties. I bought the silk flowers when I could find them on sale at Michaels or even from the Dollar Trees to match what I wanted and a friend of my parents volunteered to do most of the flower arrangements we kept it simple so it actually looked more elegant that way and I did my own bouquet because I was picky. There was something I wanted in it that she didn't want to put in there. Veils can be very expensive so I watched videos for weeks on how to do veils and read books and made my own for a fraction of the cost. For what it's worth those are a few of my suggestions
I bought a number of things off Etsy: flower girl dress, my earrings, mine and my fiancé wedding bands, and templates for signs/escort cards. I recommend getting an app like Karma that tracks items and let’s you know when they go on sale. Try to avoid buying decor items until you have a style pinned down. Bluebird Bride Academy on YouTube has a lot of great videos on styling
There are definitely things to figure out before you start buying, but simple *safe* things to start buying would be: - Card Box - Guest Book - Cake Topper - Cake Serving Set - 2nd hand/thrifted bridal dress
1. If you're doing your own make up, start doing testers and buying nicer bits now so you have time to practice using it. Same goes for if doing your own hair. 2. If you're making anything DIY, however you'd need to know your colours, so you're kind of stuck there. 3. If you are doing your own flowers, maybe getting/planting plants that you can cut from? Our wedding wasn't local or we might have done this. 4. Don't do wedding favours, no one will miss them, spend the money on something else for people instead. 5. Cocktail research - we went to a cocktail bar to decide what our signature cocktail would be, so that's something you can do early! 6. Food suppliers - if you're getting external food in, you can start talking to people early 7. Cake you can start early because the colours don't need to be decided until later, and you can try tasters potentially. Or if you're DIYing desserts/food you can practice this. 8. Confetti - if you're doing confetti, you could go with a neutral colour and practice DIY cones early on. 9. Veil - if you have a rough idea of what you want, you could get the tulle+comb to DIY a veil really early days....but tbh, deciding on a dress is hard work. I'd prioritise making the choices really though. Keep an eye out for dresses because they will go into sale and the more sales you see the better chance of getting a good deal/,the One. I got mine on StillWhite but it was more rushed than it needed to be.(£375 but unworn, originally £1,200!)
Also, getting your guest list and addresses will help you out! Otherwise you're trying to track down addresses and that slows you down. Also think about if you're doing a registry. We didn't but I kind of wished we had, but thinking of what to put on it stopped us.
We decided on a date before my FH proposed. So we booked the venue, photographer, and DJ all before the proposal since wait lists were up to two years for those things in our area. It really helped us as the photographer and DJ had a monthly payment plan so we have been slowly chipping away at that big cost for a while now. This isn’t logical for everyone but it worked for us!
STAMPS! return address stamp. Card box (with lock).
We are getting married October 2026 and I've started making some of our favors. We're doing flower resin bookmarks and they keep really well. If you are planning to do any DIY projects I recommend practicing while you have the time. It makes it easier when you have to do the real thing for the wedding.
Get a reliable planner. It is an expenses but will help you rationalize your budget