Weddings don’t have to cost the earth. We think they do and but in actual fact it is amazing where you can cut the cost. Compromise does have to be the key though, as of course if you are dreaming of a carriage taking you in your Vera Wang dress to an amazing vineyard with 200 guests, cutting costs might not be an option.

But for those of you who would like some ideas on areas where you can save a couple of dollars, I’vet put together my top 7 tips to show you how to reduce the cost of weddings.

1. Find your dream dress on a pre-loved wedding gown site or attend sample sales and get a seamstress to make the alterations.

Images and gown via Savvy Brides

2. Get married at a family or friend’s garden or holiday home. This will save on venue hire and give you the flexibility on how you might like to structure your day.

3. Upcycle sounds much better than recycle. Upcycling is the process of converting useless products into new wonderful imaginative things. Pinterest has so many fantastic ideas to help you take objects from around the garden and the house and convert them into vases, light shades and decorations.

5. See if there is an heirloom wedding ring you could use rather than buying a new one. A lovely way of keeping things in the family and remembering someone who may not be around any more.

6. Make your own invites, place settings and seat planner. Time to get creative and save some money by producing your own invites. You can make them simple or as over the top as the budget allows you. You can make them out of paper or look at emailing an invite online which also saves you money on postage.

Image by Akimbo via Framed Gilded DIY Table Numbers Tutorial

7. Make your own cake. Find that inner Donna Hay within and bake your wedding cake. You could bake cupcakes or different flavours on each tier. You can make them in advance and freeze them, just make sure you give yourself enough time to get them out and defrost them and decorate. Again Pinterest has some fantastic ideas to help inspire you. My mum made mine which was Carrot Cake, Lemon drizzle and traditional fruit cake. It was amazing!!

A word of warning though, if you’re not confident with your skills as a baker, best leave this one to the professionals. A wedding cake can be a bigger undertaking than you think and the last thing you need is to be having a meltdown that close to the wedding!

Ms Gingham says: Some great ideas! Whether you go for just one or the whole lot you’re sure to save a couple of pennies for important things like the bar tab!

About Paperless Wedding: We are Paperless Wedding. We are here to make couples weddings Eco-Friendly and save them money so more can be spent on the honeymoon!!