Three Ideas For Wedding Money

by Allie
(Colorado)

My fiancee and I are getting married for the first time at age 40 so we each have a household full of stuff.

We could not begin to keep everything and find places for it in our new home so we had a big garage sale and agreed all proceeds would go towards wedding expenses.

It's amazing how willing and motivated you will be to clean out and get of stuff when you are helping fund to your wedding!

When all was said and done we had over $1400 for our wedding. My goal was 700-800 dollars so I was thrilled.

I was willing to negotiate with people on prices (it is a garage sale after all) but I would tell them I was selling things to get money for my wedding. I spoke with everyone who came on a personal level and joked around with them when they wanted to low ball me on a price.

I had had garage sales before but suddenly my motivation had changed - now I was in it to actually make money - not just get rid of stuff.

If you joke with people and personalize your reasoning with them along with making them feel as if they are getting a great deal you will be amazed at what you can get for that ugly little bookshelf you have hated for the last 8 years!

If you are not comfortable (or don't want to do all the work) of a garage sale you can donate your items and get a great tax break for donated items.


What we didn't sell we donated. We took pictures of everything we gave to the ARC and Goodwill and got receipts for our truck load of stuff.

You may be surprised at what the IRS is willing to give you for donated goods. Make sure you keep an accurate list of items because you are responsible for itemizing each item on your taxes.

If you time it right you can use your tax refund (boosted by all of your generosity) to help pay wedding expenses.

My last idea is to really think outside of the box on how to save money for wedding items.

Here is my example: I live in a area with a lot of prisons. These prisons have various educational options for inmates. They do everything from fish farming, to dog training, to greenhouse/floral arrangement training.

They offer these skills/goods at very low costs since they try to be as self-sufficient as possible. The labor is practically free and they have low overhead. This results in a significantly reduced cost for the consumer.

Don't be afraid to ask around for crazy ideas you never knew existed to save money on your wedding. I'll bet you can find something to help you out. Consider using college students to play music at your wedding, using the local beauty school to do your hair/make-up, or be like me and buy your flowers from a bunch of prisoners who are learning a new skill!

Be creative and think outside the box!!!!