Wedding Fever - Keeping it Within the Budget

Over the past couple months, my life has been consumed by pre-wedding celebrations - Stag & does (or buck & does, jack & jills, or 'socials' for the Manitobians), showers and bachelorette parties. I am now in the midst of the season itself; two wonderful weddings over and five left to go!

After all the tears and photos, cake and dancing, I am waking up Sunday mornings smiling for my friends' milestone occasion, then bracing myself for the next weekend's affair. It's not the challenge of finding the right thing to wear (I have great friends with great dresses), it's the attention to budget that is really testing my shopaholic's inner strength.

Knowing I would never get through July on the positive end of my budget without some strict parameters, I started the jars (see earlier post). I also budgeted out every last 'wedding cost' for the month, or so I thought. What I am realizing however, is all the 'extras' I hadn't accounted for - stag & doe tickets for other friends, dinners en route, cards, and emergency 'fix-it' supplies when my hair/dress/other falls down/rips/breaks. My miscellaneous jar isn't that big!

Looking for frugal gifting ideas that don't come across cheap takes some effort. I was ultra impressed at last night's celebration by this creative wrapping. Such a simple idea, yet it looks so charming! If this were my wedding, I'd be so impressed with the presentation that I'd likely pay less attention to its contents!

While I'd like to make my own cards at least, I have not found the time, so I've resorted to the dollar store. Truthfully, Dollarama does have some cards as nice as Hallmark, and as long as the cash is inside, does the card really matter after all?

With another bachelorette and wedding upcoming next weekend, I'm committing to finding more ways to save without sacrificing style. I'll let you know how I make out. Also, watch for a post with some of my "Naughty & Nice" bachelorette plans. In the meantime, let me know if you have any wedding-saver strategies, funky gift ideas or similar.