Wedding Cost Saver – Buying in the Off Season

How to Snag Discount Bridal Goods on a Tight Wedding Budget

Jul 30, 2009

Wedding Day Savings from Off Season Shopping, Kameleon007

The cost of getting married continues to skyrocket, but the discerning bride and groom can stretch those dollars and create a magnificent event at a fraction of the cost.

If a wedding couple adopts the word “off” as their new best friend, they can accomplish wedding day miracles. Weddings are usually planned months or even years in advance of the big day, and during that time, the use of “off season” shopping can fill the event coffers with a cornucopia of great bargains.

Cheap Wedding Decorations

When shopping for décor items for the ceremony or the reception, the key to shaving costs is to shop just after the existing season. If the marriage is to be in the fall, shop for fall items just as winter begins. If it is to be a spring wedding, hunt for spring items at the beginning of summer.

Retailers routinely close out seasonal items just before or just after a season has passed, and some discounts can be as deep as 75% to 90%. This is especially true for holiday weddings. After-Christmas sales can be a bonanza for the bride and groom planning a holiday wedding in the next year. Other holidays also experience the same sell-off period once they are over.

Cost-Saving Bridesmaid’s Dresses and Fabrics

Bridesmaid’s dresses lend themselves to buying when the time is right. As long as the wedding party has been confirmed, dresses can be purchased. If this happens during a retailer’s “off season” sale, the savings can be tremendous, and the quality of the dress needn’t be sacrificed.

There are not enough style changes in a year or so to worry about a dress becoming outdated, so buying early should cause no concern.

If the dresses are to be custom made, “off season” sales at fabric stores can be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The prices of fabrics are severely discounted at certain times of the year.

Fabrics are well utilized at weddings. Chair coverings, bows and sashes, table coverings and decorations all incorporate the use of fabrics. Buying wedding day dry goods in the “off season” can save a bundle.

Inexpensive but Perfect Wedding Party Gifts

Saying “Thank You” to bridesmaids and groomsmen with a gift is traditional and a sincere way of expressing the bride and groom’s appreciation. But a large wedding party can mean a very large outlay of cash.

Watching for “off season” sales of gift items can drastically change how much money must be spent. The bonus of that smart shopping is that better, more expensive gifts can be given while spending what would customarily be spent on lesser gifts.

Unique Gifts for the Bride and Groom

Brides and grooms often exchange special gifts with each other. If there is something extraordinary that one or the other covets, that gift can often be found in an “off season” sale. Gifts will be no less heartfelt if they’ve been purchased at half their price.

How to Find Perfect “Off Season” Sales

It’s not enough for the bride and groom to wait for advertised sales. The smart wedding shopper needs to be proactive.

The list. Signing up to be on the email or snail mail list of retailers has its benefits. There are often “pre-sale” days for list customers that provide an opportunity to shop the biggest selection of sale items. Signing up with multiple retailers is the best way to take advantage of their marketing. After the wedding is over, removal from the lists is easy.
The outreach. Another way to broaden the search is to enlist friends and relatives in other cities, or even other states. Almost all major retailers now have an online presence. If a particular something is advertised as being on sale in New York, but the bride and groom are in California, chances are good that the item can be found on the retailer’s website. Checking it out online then making arrangements with the friend or family member to snag it at the sale price, can work miracles in stretching a budget. Sales are often regional, so increasing the shopping base increases the opportunities.
The insider. When a bride or groom frequently shops at a favorite store, it’s possible to strike up friendly conversations with retail staff members. These store workers are often privy to what will be on sale and to when the sale will begin. Just a normal conversation during a shopping trip can provide shopping inspiration and food for thought.

Embracing the “Off Season” Experience

Wedding preparation is traditionally a slow process, and the savvy bride and groom will use that extended time to their financial advantage. The cost of getting married doesn’t have to mean sacrificing something else the bride and groom want or need for their new life together.

More money can be left in the piggy bank if wedding day shopping is “off season” smart.

Additional wedding planning ideas:

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