Wedding cupcakes have become a popular choice for couples these days. Not only are they far more affordable than the traditional wedding cake but they’re also convenient to serve to guests. You can save extra expenses on the wedding cake itself as well as the cake cutting fee (usually $1 per slice!).

The cupcakes are usually displayed on a beautiful cupcake tree and decorated to match your wedding theme and colors. Something to bear in mind when decorating your cupcakes…don’t get too carried away. Wedding cupcakes can be as expensive as traditional wedding cakes when the decorations become too elaborate.

If you are on the traditional side and you want to have a cake to cut into with your groom, you can still have cupcakes…just add a miniature cake on the top tier (like the one pictured here). You’ll still be saving a considerable amount of money while keeping with tradition.

Check out these adorable photo stamps! I just had to share this with you (if you don’t know about photo stamps already). This is a great way to personalize your invitation envelopes. Imagine putting one of your engagement photos on a stamp. Or a picture of you and your fiancé as kids…a monogram…or even a special quote. These are just a few ideas…the possibilities are endless.

PhotoStamps.com makes it so easy to create your own photo stamps. They even let you preview your photo stamps like my example here. You can further customize your photo stamps with the frames and colors they provide. I chose a standard thin orange frame for mine. Then you select the appropriate postage and you’re done! The stamps are $18.99 for a sheet of 20. You won’t be saving any money here but I just thought these photo stamps make such a cute addition to your invitations.

When I first got engaged, I was giddy as a school girl. I was immediately on the search for my dream wedding gown. Before I had done some proper research, I thought I’d have to shell out at least a couple thousand dollars for a single dress I’m only going to wear one time in my life. I guess over the years it’s been ingrained in my head that if you want a wedding dress, you have to pay big bucks for it, right? WRONG! Here’s a list of ten simple ways to save loads off the original retail price of your wedding gown.

1. Buy your dress from a reputable site online. Online bridal stores have much lower overhead than your average bridal salon. They can afford to offer lower prices for the same gown. Just be sure to review all their policies.
2. Find the gown in a less expensive material. Often times, wedding gowns come in a variety of fabrics. Opt for the more affordable option such as the taffeta rather than the silk.
3. Find out if the designer can make your dress with fewer embellishments. Hand-sewn beading is extremely labor intensive and results in high prices. If you can do without some of the decorative pieces, don’t be afraid to ask for it.
4. Negotiate! Even if you go to a full service bridal salon, don’t think the price on the tag is the final price. Always negotiate. Ask the retailer if they do price matching. If they won’t budge on the price, ask if they can throw in some accessories such as a veil or a tiara.
   
   

5. Consider a pre-owned wedding dress. These gowns are generally in good condition at about half the cost. Most have only been worn once, just like you will only wear your wedding gown once. These gowns will need to be professionally cleaned and altered but will be good as new at a fraction of the cost. After the wedding, you can resell the dress and hopefully get most of your money back.

6. Buy from a sample sale. These dresses are the ones brides try on at bridal salons. When the gowns from the new season arrive, they put the old samples up for sale at a discounted price. Because of the high traffic, they will require professional cleaning and alterations.
   
7. Search for sales and promotions at bridal salons and department stores. Put yourself on mailing lists or sign up for newsletters at your local bridal stores to be notified of upcoming sales.
8. Go to a bridal outlet store. You’ll be surprised at the selection.
9. Purchase a new or used gown on eBay. See my post on how to find the best prices on eBay.
10. Make sure to order as close to your size as possible to avoid unnecessary alterations. If you’re on the shorter side (like me), ask if the dress comes in petite. You can avoid extra hemming costs.

We all know it’s important to find a qualified photographer to document the most important day of your life. Well seasoned wedding photographers come at a hefty premium and the affordable ones are lacking in experience. It’s all about finding the right balance…someone with enough experience at the right price.

I had contacted no less than 50 photographers before finding ours. It really was no easy task. During my quest for the perfect photographer, I realized that most of them were willing to work around your budget. I must say that was a nice surprise! They’ll do whatever they can to get your business. Just be honest with them from the beginning. Tell them how much you’ve budgeted for a photographer.

I’ve found that you can easily bring down the price if you take out prints and albums from the packages. Just ask for the digital negatives and print them yourselves. I like to get professional prints at SmugMug.com. The prints look amazing! You can even make your own wedding albums just like you would an engagement guestbook. Check out my post on creating an engagement guestbook.

If you want to save even more money, ask for unedited images. Although very few photographers will give you digital negatives straight out of the camera. Most of them want to put their own touch to the images. However, you will find some photographers who are willing. The pictures may look less polished but it might be worth the savings. If you find that there are a few pictures that could use some professional editing, FotoFix.com will do it for about $0.99 per image for basic editing.

Another solution is to ask for fewer hours. If the package includes an 8 hour session, ask them how much for 6 hours. It might not make a huge difference but a little bit of savings here and there will soon add up.

We were lucky enough to find a team of photographers who are just starting out professionally but truly has talent. Their prices were low to begin with and they were still able to drop their price by providing us with unedited images without any prints or albums…just the digital negatives and their expertise in documenting our special day.

When I finally decided which dress was “the one,” I called several bridal salons to find the best pricing. During my inquiries, I discovered that my dress came in two types of fabrics: silky taffeta and Godavari Silk. Godavari Silk was the material I had tried on at the bridal store. When I found out the price for silky taffeta, I was ecstatic! It was $300 less than the Godavari Silk!

But I was a little skeptical. What if the fabric is cheap looking? There was only one way to find out. I went to another bridal shop that carried the same dress in silky taffeta. Not only was the fabric more beautiful than Godavari Silk, it was much, much lighter and had a beautiful sheen to it. It made Godavari Silk look like dull, heavy drapery. Haha! In the end, I came out with a gorgeous dress and I was instantly $300 richer. I was the happiest bride on earth!

One of the latest trends is a guestbook filled with your engagement pictures. I love this idea because it displays your fun and creative side while sharing your engagement photos with your guests. Your guests will appreciate this since most of them will never get a chance to see these pictures. Also, it gives them a chance to write a personal message to the couple, rather than simply signing their name on the line like in traditional guestbooks. You’ll end up with an inexpensive keepsake you’ll cherish forever.

Most online digital photo printing companies now offer photo books. These photo books come in different bindings, soft and hard covers, and different materials. They come with several templates and styles to fit your occasion. I like this personalized cover photo book at PhotoWorks.com. There’s also a similar photo book at SmugMug.com. It’s as easy as uploading your photos and choosing a template and dragging and dropping the images into the preferred position. After you finalize and approve the album you’ve created, the printing company will then print your work of art. And that’s it! You now have a beautiful, personalized, guestbook for you and your guests to enjoy.