More Money-Saving Wedding Ideas

Wedding Hair

I didn’t spend the morning going to a salon to have my hair and makeup done, but it turned out beautifully. My good friend Jodi (my flower girl, Jada’s, mom) has been doing hair for her daughters’ dance events and was willing to do mine for me! Although my hair is somewhat curly on its own, the extra curling made it look fabulous!

We spent about an hour curling and hair spraying, although it wouldn’t take as long for someone with thinner hair than me. Mine is super thick! We had two curling irons going and we had fun chatting as my hair got curlier and curlier!

So, if you know someone who is handy with a hairbrush, curling iron, straighter (or whatever tools needed for your desired wedding hairstyle) they will most likely be willing to play a special role in your wedding day! And Jodi, if you’re reading this, thanks again!!

Make up

Let me start off by saying I am NOT a makeup person. Before the wedding, my usual morning make up routine consisted of a bit of eye shadow, clear mascara, and some cover up for my lovely allergy-induced dark circles.

About a month before the wedding, my mom and I took a trip across town to a makeup store. A nice saleslady gave me a demonstration (and sales pitch, of course) on what kinds of makeup would complement my skin tone and ensure good-looking pictures. We ended up with a few of the items she showed us, such as a foundation, powder, and blush, but the rest I bought at target for MUCH cheaper. I found the same 3 shades of eye shadow from Covergirl. 4 months later, it’s not even close to being used up. I also bought my eye liner at Target. My mascara, I ended up forgetting and having to borrow from a friend! Over all, I think it turned out pretty nice.

CAKE!

There aren’t enough words to describe how incredible our wedding cake was! My friend Tori made it for us; she works at a local cake shop. She was kind enough to give us a generously discounted price. We had a smaller sized cake to display and cut. The rest was supplemented in sheet cake. This really helped cut the cost. We had 2 flavors to choose from: chocolate with raspberry filling and vanilla with chocolate Bavarian cream filling. A.Maze.Ing. I bet you’re craving cake now, aren’t you?

It was decorated beautifully, she was able to create exactly what I envisioned. We went with buttercream instead of fondant for the outside. This actually cost less than fondant and was just as gorgeous.

If you want a professional cake without the professional price, I’d recommend contacting a local college that has a culinary program. I’d bet that they could put you in contact with a student baker that would be willing to make your cake at a discounted price.

*Photo Credit: Willow Lane Photography