Weddings don’t have to break the bank with the Budget Savvy Bride
Weddings are expensive. In fact, the average wedding in the US this year cost $25,631. With a venue, catering, flowers, entertainment, attire, gifts, decor, and photography, things add up quickly. Not sure about you, but most of us don’t have an extra 25k hanging around, so thank goodness we found Jessica Lehry Bishop and her blog The Budget Savvy Bride. Jessica’s blog not only shows us real weddings on a budget, it teaches us how to plan and not break the bank. Our favorite thing on her site is all of the cool, free printable she shares. Now hear from the woman herself…
Where I’m based: New York, NY
How long I’ve been blogging: I launched The Budget Savvy Bride in May of 2008, so about five years!
Blog basics: The Budget Savvy Bride is a valuable resource for any bride planning a wedding on a budget. We share realistic wedding inspiration from other real budget weddings, DIY Project tutorials, and tips and tricks to save money on various aspects of a wedding!
Other blogs I love: I’m a graphic designer by profession and I also design wedding invitations under my other business, Jessica Bishop Paperie, so I love the paper blog Oh So Beautiful Paper! And I also love The Everygirl.
My guilty pleasure: Glee! And pretty much any Broadway musical soundtrack.
Last thing I bought: This super cute Lauren Conrad dress from Kohl’s! (I used a coupon, because I shop savvy!)
What your best tip for planning a wedding on a tight budget? Decide what’s most important to you, whether it’s the catering or the photography, and set your budget around the larger ‘splurge’ items. There are many aspects of your wedding that are easy to save if you give yourself time to be creative and do your research by shopping around for the best prices!
What is the best resource to use if you’re planning a wedding on the cheap? Obviously, The Budget Savvy Bride! We are the ONLY wedding blog that organizes our real weddings by budget, so check out other weddings that were done for a similar cost and get real insight into how far your money can go!
What’s your favorite DIY project you share with your brides to enhance their wedding decor? We have SO many DIY Projects on The Budget Savvy Bride, but one of my favorites has always been tissue paper flower pomanders! I made these for my own wedding in 2009, they cost around $5 each to make and take a bit of time, but are a great way to get the look of fresh flowers for less (a fresh flower pomander ball would cost upwards of $30 each to make, and you wouldn’t have the freedom to make them months ahead of time like you do with the tissue paper!)
What is the most common thing you see your couples splurge on? Photography, definitely! At the end of the day, the photos are all you will have left to remember this day for the rest of your lives. It’s definitely worth the splurge to have a good photographer capture your day.
How do you become a budget savvy bride? I think one thing that we focus on at BSB is that we know that the wedding is just ONE beautiful day in the lifetime you’ll spend with your new spouse. We don’t believe in going into debt over a wedding because that’s just not the best way to start a marriage! Being budget savvy isn’t about being cheap, it’s about making smart decisions, getting creative, and spending only what you can afford. You CAN have a beautiful wedding without spending a fortune, and we can help you do just that!
