Now that wedding season is upon us, it can feel like all your non-rent income is going toward your friends’ big days. It’s important to support your fourth cousin, but how are you going to pay for it all? Here, we have a few suggestions that will slash some line items in your wedding spending. Remember, you need cash for your own big day. Some day.
1. Shop Your Own Closet
Source “new” outfits for every photo ops—think any showers, bachelorette outings and the actual wedding ceremony—from your own closet. A cocktail dress you wore ages ago can be the perfect base piece for the rehearsal dinner. Style it right, and you can wear one of your regular go-tos for well-documented wedding activities.
2. Rent Outfits
If the wedding calls for black tie, find a rental piece instead of opening a new credit card. Rent the Runway is a classic go-to, but explore other options (and friends’ closets).
3. Buy a Used Bridesmaid Dress (and Sell It)
Let’s face it. You’re never going to wear it again. Embrace it and find a discounted, gently used bridesmaid dress to call your own for a short time. Take good care of it and sell it to recoup more cash.
4. Help Book Reservations
Help the bride out by offering to do the research for the bachelorette weekend. Source deals via group discounts, favors, whatever. Maybe yachts are on Groupon, too? A little creativity can go a long way toward not depleting your checking account.
5. Host an Event
Offer up your place to host an event like a bridal shower or brunch. Place too tiny? Make it known that you’d love to do all the grunt work at someone else’s home. Guests will get to linger for some quality time as long as they’d like without being hassled out like at that fancy brunch place the bride eyed.
6. Keep the Party in Town
Save cash on a flight and hold onto a few of your vacation days by convincing the bride to keep it in town. Hit up that mixology bar you’ve been dying to try or plan a picturesque picnic in the park. You can get a little crazy in your own town.
7. Book an Airbnb
For the bachelorette party, shower and even the big dance. If other friends are visiting from out of town, go in together with the big group and live like kings for the weekend. Just don’t go all Guns N’ Roses on the accommodations.
8. Crash With Friends
Ask (nicely!) to stay at the friend’s place that stayed in your college town or happens to live near the wedding destination. Show up with a nice hostess gift in hand, tidy up after yourself, and cover the cab back home to be a good guest.