My sister is getting married and asked me to be her maid of honor for the wedding. Here are some tips that I learned that helped me save money.
1. Set a budget
Set a budget with how much money you can afford and feel comfortable spending. Being at a wedding can have a lot of expenses. So make sure that you can financially afford to be at the wedding party. I set a budget of 500 dollars for myself for any wedding-related expenses. This had to include the outfit, hair and makeup, accessories, bachelorette party, and the wedding gift.
Here is a breakdown of my expenses.
- Dress 150
- Hair 100
- Makeup 0 because I am doing my own makeup
- Shoes
- Bachelorette Party 154
- Transportation 0
- Lodging 0
- Wedding gift 50
Total of 454 dollars
2. Hair and Makeup: Do it yourself
I chose to do my own makeup and only have my hair styled professionally done to save money. I then paid 100 dollars to have a hair stylist do my hair. My sister researched hair stylists to find the right one to fit the everyone’s budgets and needs.
3. Bachelorette party: Keep the bachelorette party local
For my sister’s bachelorette party we decided to go to a paint bar and stay at a hotel overnight. I tried to choose a sort of central location to make it easier for the bridesmaids that were driving a farther distance. We did save a lot of money by not going out of state and choosing to stay local.
4. Shoes and accesories: I used shoes and accesories that I already had
For the shoes, my sister said that we could wear tan open-toed sandals to the wedding. I already happened to have a pair of tan saltwater sandals and I decided to wear them to the wedding. I have had them for two years and they are really good quality. I saved money by buying a kids size versus the adult size of the sandals.
Then for the accessories I am going to use a small purse and jewelery that I already own.
5. Outfit: I got to choose my own dress
My sister let me and the bridesmaids choose our own dresses as long as they were blue and were a certain length. This is not something that every bride does but it can help save money by allowing people to spend what they can afford on a dress.
6. Transportation:
I saved money on transportation by carpooling with my sister to the bachlorette party. I gave her money to help pay for gas. Then for the wedding my mom said that I could ride with her to the wedding,
7. Hotel: I stayed at a vacation rental with my family instead of the wedding location hotel
My mom rented a vacation rental for a week and we made a vacation out of the wedding. She also invited our immediate family to stay if they would like. This was cheaper than staying at the beach resort hotel because we had more space, a kitchen, and a washer/dryer.
I recognize that my situation as a maid of honor is different than others. This is my first time being at a wedding party and being a maid of honor. People may have different circumstances where your budget needs to be adjusted and that’s okay.
But Liz what about the bridal shower? We did not throw a bridal shower due to a multitude of reasons including people living far away and scheduling. But I helped make sure that my sister was still showered with love and appreciation.
If you have been in a wedding party before what was your experience like? Is their anything that you would do differently?
