How to Save Money on Your Wedding Cake

We got our wedding cake from a bakery in Somerville, NJ called The Dessert Plate. They're known for using simple, pure and delicious ingredients in their freshly made baked cakes, cookies and treats.

To be honest, I didn't put all that much effort into shopping around for the biggest bargain or perfect wedding cake. I Googled, found these guys, and their foodie philosophy resonated with my own, so I chose them. We didn't even show up for a tasting. We just trusted that they were good. What can I say, my husband and I are easy to please.

One of the main reasons I went with The Dessert Plate is that they're down the road from our wedding venue, which was the Somerville Elks Club on Union Ave/Rt. 28. They delivered our cake with no problem, so it was all hassle-free for us.

They also gave us ideas on how to bring the cost of wedding cake down. Rather than order a huge cake with lots of tiers, you can go with a smaller, display cake for the bride and groom, and then have the rest baked as a sheet cake which costs less money. We ordered a 2-tier cake, and I think a sheet cake and a half, to feed about 160 (?) people.

Our cake cost about $400, when all was said and done. But I will say, the bride who takes the prize for Best Deal on a Wedding Cake is my friend Maria, who paid I think $13 for her wedding cake. I'm not sure how she did this – will have to ask her!

Wedding Centerpieces on the Cheap

Here's a great solution for saving money on wedding centerpieces... just don't have any! HA! Seriously, though. While some people spend thousands on flowers for each table, other bride and grooms don't feel that strongly about it. So, if you're looking to keep wedding costs down, flowers can be the perfect omission.

Okay: so if you don't have flowers at your wedding, how are you going to dress up the tables? Lots of people do a candle centerpiece alternative. I happen to have a very talented friend who hand-paints flowers and other designs on glass. Her name is Laura, of http://laurasglassart.com. Laura painted a white rosebud wedding design on glass candle bowls for each of my tables, and we filled each one with rice and a cream colored candle.

At the end of the wedding, we gave them away to anyone who was interested. Mine is currently displayed on a shelf in my diningroom!

As an added bonus, my mother-in-law surprised us with Bride and Groom champagne flutes and water glasses, also painted by my friend Laura. They really added something special to the sweetheart table, and made the perfect wedding keepsake.

Why a Used Wedding Dress Gets You More for Your Money

The budget-savvy bride should have a price point in mind before she sets out to buy a dress. Mine was $300. I wrote that on my original, "wedding budget" Word document, and that's actually what I ended up spending – but I got two dresses for my money.

The first dress, I purchased at a bridal shop. It was a beautiful, designer gown that any bride would be proud to wear. I got it for a bargain due to a tiny flaw – someone's bracelet had caught in the folds of the skirt. I ended up changing my mind about the dress, because practicality won out in the end. Our son was two years old at the time, and the first dress was way more "bridal," as my dressmaker described it. Long, flowing skirt and train, sweetheart neckline with spaghetti straps or strapless. Just a lot of dress for a little mommy.

So: I went on Ebay to see what else I might find, and lo and behold there was this vintage dress, simple, more coverage over my "chubby" shoulders, and just to the floor which I knew would be easier to move around in, bend over, pick up my son and so forth. So I bought that one. When it arrived, I noticed that the rhinestone-bedecked top portion of the dress could use some cleaning. So with help from my handy mother-in-law, we got the dress to a wearable condition, and I had it altered to fit me.

I still have both dresses. But I plan to sell the one that I didn't wear, which is going to mean I will be well under my "budget" for a bridal gown!

Hopefully, you can have a similarly successful, "frugal bride" experience. Have fun in your hunt for the perfect wedding gown, and don't be afraid to explore some alternate options (like used), that you might not have originally considered.

Finding a Nice, Secondhand Wedding Dress

The budget-conscious bride doesn't want to spend upwards of a thousand dollars on a dress she'll wear once in her life. Thanks to the internet, it's easier than ever to find a wedding gown that, for any number of reasons, ended up on the used rack even though it's in near-perfect condition.

Reasons not to knock a used wedding dress:

A wedding dress can end up as secondhand even though it was never worn. How come?

Bride changed her mind. Sometimes a bride just decides that she likes another style of wedding dress better. So now she has two dresses to choose from. The dress she deemed unfit could end up being perfect for you!

The dress was on display. Maybe it was worn by a mannequin in the front window of some downtown bridal boutique. Maybe the dress was modeled for the designer's catalog. These are two scenarios that can seriously bring down the price point without affecting the quality of the bridal gown.

It's last year's design. Some fashionista brides wouldn't think of wearing a "last season" wedding gown. But other, more practical brides wouldn't mind this in the least. And in fact, an outdated wedding gown may just be more your style than whatever is being shown now.

Maybe the wedding was called off! Sure, some might be superstitious about wearing a dress from someone else's wedding that wasn't meant to be. Is this bad luck? You may think so... but think about the good karma you'll be bringing to the poor, unworn bridal gown who just wanted to be loved!

Where to find quality, secondhand bridal gowns:

Any small, boutique type of bridal shop. Talk to the owner and ask if there's a "downstairs" or back room where the lesser (but perfectly nice) dresses may be hiding.

Thrift stores. You may think "Halloween bride" in this case – but still, it never hurts to check out the merchandise at your local secondhand shop. Someone else's trash could be your treasure – yes, even a bride gown.

http://craigslist.org. Search your locale and surrounding towns. Most people will be up front about the story behind the dress. Go see it in person before committing to buy.

http://ebay.com. Some terrific buys can be found on Ebay for a used wedding dress. Just be sure to ask lots of questions and check the photos from every angle. Inquire as to whether there are any stains, tears or other flaws that you may not be able to pick up in the displayed photos.

http://preownedweddingdresses.com. Another great site where you can log in, explore a ton of great quality used dresses, and do specific searches for whatever size and style appeals to your taste.

There are many more great, used wedding gowns to be found online. Do a Google search to see what comes up!