Wedding is one of the biggest financial challenges that we face throughout our lives. And lets be honest, we all start planning and saving for it since the day we get engaged to our partner. On one side of our brain, we think that it is the most special day of our life. And in the other side of our brain, we think that it will also cost a lot of money, and I don’t have that huge income to back it.

And to be very honest, in this situation, spending $10,000 just as the location fee will be a dumb idea. So the idea of a wedding in a wine country is already out of our heads. And for anyone who is in this situation, I have only one advice. Learn the skill of having a balance between your priorities, and your needs. Cut out other things that will just add some fancy to your life, or things that wouldn’t make a difference if you cut them off. So here are some tricks that allowed me to save more than $21,000 on my wedding costs:

Don’t Be Rude, But Be Polite And Firm

This is what I remember after negotiating with the venue coordinator. I had booked the place for the Friday evening, because that was when my wedding was planned. But next day she called me to inform that she made a mistake, and had double booked the place for that time.

So instead of telling her that mistakes happen, and that it is okay. I firmly told her, that I was disappointed by that, and I should book the place somewhere else. What happened next? She booked the place for me for Saturday evening, and cut $50 from the cost of each guest.

I had planned for 230 guests that evening, and that means, I have already saved $11,500. So if your vendor has made a mistake in your planning, you have an advantage there. All you have to do, is firmly and politely express your disappointment, and you’ll usually get what you want.

Why Buy, When You Can Borrow

This is another important thing that you should remember. Veils are something that can always be re-worn, because it is a one size fits all. So why pay for a new one, when you actually can save $50 by just borrowing it from the previous bride, or maybe contacting your vendor whether they have any contacts that would lend you a veil.

Why Hire When You Have Friends?

This idea was first brought up by my fiance. It occurred to me that I have a friend who has already officiated several weddings in the past. So why not call him instead? We did, and he saved us $500 that is the usual cost of an officiator. And even though he agreed to marry us for free, we decided to give him a gift that is worth $250. But that’s completely okay, because he has already saved us $250.

Also, instead of hiring those costly musicians, my friends have a great talent in writing songs. He asked them to perform at our wedding, and they saved us a whopping $750.

Look Closely At Those Contracts

You will easily opt to resist reading all those long and detailed contracts, because they simply look boring to you. But you should never do that. Those contracts are meant to be read, so that you know exactly what you are agreeing to. Another thing you should never forget, is to bring a photocopy with you, so that it becomes easier for you to refer to it in the future if needed to.

My vendor told me that they would charge an extra $180 to use two colors in my wedding invitation. And I was quick to point out in the contract that I can use an many colors as I want to, because my invitations were digital. This saved me $180, but if I hadn’t read that long and boring contract, I would have no choice but to pay that extra money for no actual reason.