I will be the first person to tell you that when it comes to budget weddings and cutting costs*, I’m most definitely NOT your gal. But if you ask me to tell you how much to expect things to cost… now that’s a different story!

The thing is, a good deal of the information that is out there about cutting costs and what will save you money on your wedding just isn’t always true.

 One of the common things that I see all the time is that if you want to save money on your wedding, you should look for ways around hiring a professional. Some of these suggestions include hiring a college student who is just starting out, having a family member handle things, or just plain out foregoing a vendor or two. If you ask me, these are sacrifices- and sacrifices that you really don’t have to make. Your wedding day won’t ever happen again. You want to look back on your wedding with joy and happiness, not regret and disappointment. And more times than not, when I hear stories from brides who are disappointed with something about their wedding, it comes down to whether or not they hired a professional.

Now, I know that for some, hiring experienced wedding professionals might seem like it’s going to cost a lot of money. But in my personal experience, and from what I’ve heard from others, hiring professionals can actually SAVE you money on your wedding costs! Yes, you read that right… if you spend just a little bit more, you can end up spending less in the long run. Here are a few ways that this can be done:

Image by Kappen Photography

Professionals will tell you what you need and what you don’t need.

From telling you, “No, you really don’t need to buy that,” to recommending something that will get you the best bang for your buck, a true professional will let you know what you need or what you don’t need.

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From Stephanie A. Smith Photography: “I had a bride who was under the assumption that she needed photography coverage from the moment she started hair and makeup until the very last minute of the reception. I chatted with her further and told her how its not nessecary for me to start photos right as they are getting in the chair for hair and makeup. Let’s face it, it’s not the most flattering of photos when we have just rolled out of bed with no hair brushed or makeup on. I also informed her that unless she was doing a sparkler exit she wouldn’t need photography coverage until the end of the reception. Since most receptions last 4 – 5 hours, towards the end there isn’t a need to capture that very last moment {plus, everyone looks like a hot mess after 5 hours of an open bar}. I told her save those photos for the iPhone snaps and not the professional. So instead of her needing me for 10 hours, I told her we would be able to capture everything within an 8 hour window and have the ability to extend one hour at the end if she needed. I’ve also talked to clients about the need for a second shooter. Sometimes, there isn’t a need for one for the entire wedding. Sure it’s really nice to have two shooters for the entire wedding however to help with a costs talk to your photographer if there is any price difference in bringing a photographer in for a 4 hour window instead of an 8 hour window. I think its pretty crucial to have a 2nd there for things like pre ceremony, ceremony and cocktail hour, but towards the end of the night {reception dancing} the primary shooter should be able to handle the candids on the dance floor.”

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Relationships go a long way.

Experienced professionals all have relationships with other professionals, and sometimes, if you tell one vendor that you have been referred by another, they will do their best to work with you on what you need. This could be “throwing something in”, or maybe even giving a little bit of a discount- it depends on the professional, and I’m not saying to expect it, but it’s the truth that relationships go a long way when you’re using professionals.

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From Leigh Pearce Weddings: “For me, as a planner, it is the small ways I save them that really add up. For example, photographers will offer an extra hour of shoot time or an engagement session, or my favorite Etsy vendors will offer complimentary shipping or 10% off. These are not looked at as discounts but as perks of having a planner! I make my creative partners’ lives easier and they know my brides are always awesome to work with, so it is win-win for everyone!

From j.woodbery photography: “Even though we have an extremely saturated market here, I have a very close knit of vendors who I recommend. Usually if we send brides to one another and if we know we are working together, if the bride has budget concerns we’re okay to budge a little on the budget. Referrals between our close group can go a long way!”

Image via At Last Weddings + Events

Professionals can warn you of budget draining decisions.

If you’re about to spend more than you need to, a professional can steer you in the right direction, and prevent you from wasting your budget on something that may have otherwise completely drained it.

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From Amanda Ready of Atlanta Event Studio: “I had a bride that hired me JUST before she was about to book a venue. She was dead set on that venue, but I told her that there was no way she was going to be able to have her wedding there and stay in budget. It was going to push her about $10,000 over. Ultimately, she was able to use that quote to work an awesome deal somewhere else, and was able to stick to her tight budget.”

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Professionals have experience working with other vendors and venues.

They can explain things to you and shed light on certain costs, which may result in you being able to save money!

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From Flaire Weddings & Events: “There is a venue in our area that requires clients to use the venue’s in-house vendors. For EVERY vendor that you choose to bring in, you are charged at $500 fee. The fear of the fee works well, and most clients don’t budge from that list. But what they don’t realize is that they are paying that $500 to the venue, one way or another, because what they are doing is providing quotes from their providers that have significantly been marked up. So, for every client that I work with at this venue, we ALWAYS use different vendors. Yes, they pay a fee to do so, but they ALWAYS save more money than the fee, usually enough to cover my fee as well, so it’s a win win. As an example, for a great DJ in my area you’ll pay between $800 and $1500. This venue quoted DJ service from their in-house provider at $2200. So even though we had to pay them $500 to bring in our own DJ, at $1000, our DJ still represented a significant savings and did a fantastic job. Similar savings can be had in categories such as floral, decor and cake.

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There are of course countless other ways that hiring a professional can actually save you money on your wedding, but the examples above are all real stories, and I only had a limited number of them. So wedding professionals, I invite you to please share any of your own stories of how you saved a bride money in the comments below! And brides, you too! If you hired a professional and are aware of a way they helped you save money, share below!

*If you are looking for information about budget weddings, check out my friend Jessica’s site, TheBudgetSavvyBride.com!