$15,000 Wedding Budget in NJ? Tips for Keeping Costs Down

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For those just finding this blog, here is a recap of some NJ wedding budget-slicers that worked for keeping our costs down, and can work for you, too!

 

Marry in off-peak season. More and more savvy brides are forgoing the June wedding in favor of a beautiful fall or even winter wedding, when the prices come down a bit. Each season offers its own, festive backdrop to set the scene for your day. A friend of mine got married in February, and there was fresh snow on the ground for her photos... absolutely breathtaking!

Buffet dinner instead of tableside service. A buffet dinner really isn't such a bad thing at all! You get multiple dinner selections, so guests can try everything. People can take as little or as much food as they like, and go back for seconds. A buffet dinner is an easy way to feed kids who don't require their own plate. 

Forget the flowers. Unless you know someone who works in the florist business and can snag you some posies at a pretty price, this is probably the first thing to turn down in the interest of staying within budget.

Discount DJ. There are many ways to lower costs on music for your wedding reception. Hire a small, local band instead of an established wedding band. Hire a DJ instead of a band. Take a chance on an amateur DJ instead of a "wedding pro." Trust a friend or family member to hook up an iPod and some speakers.

Skip the favors. We opted to not have wedding favors for our guests, and I don't think anybody seemed to mind. In fact, I think half the time people either don't appreciate, leave behind, or (sad to say), the wedding favor that you invested good money on and carefully selected, ends up in someone else's garage sale bin. Sad, but likely true.

Snag a secondhand wedding dress. The options for a secondhand wedding getup are limitless. You can hit up the local thrift stores like Salvation Army or Goodwill. Or better, go for a dress that hasn't been handled quite as much – find a seller on Ebay, Craigslist, or one of the used wedding dress sites (you can find a list of them here).

Shop an estate sale for your rings. This includes the engagement ring, if you haven't already purchased one. You can find estate rings at your local jeweler; at antique stores; at online shops where people refurbish vintage/antique jewelry; on Ebay, or even in your family. With a bit of creativity, you can even take a family heirloom ring to a jeweler and have it resized, or add your own stone/other creative accents, for less than you'd pay for a new engagement ring or wedding band.

There are many more ways to save money and stick within a $15K NJ wedding budget. Follow along on this blog, and especially check out this post, The Average Cost of a NJ Wedding vs. Budget Wedding and How You Can Save or Cut Corners, for more details!