(Living)

The Surprising Pinterest Trends Making Weddings Cheaper

Few wedding planners are as cost-effective as Pinterest, which is why we highly value any lessons we can learn from the platform’s Wedding Reports. In their 2017 edition there emerged a surprising theme—current trends in the bridal realm are also, miraculously, easy on the purse strings. Here, how to save money on your big day while still being very en vogue.

@Lovelybride

How To Throw A Chic Party On A Dime

According to the report, pins featuring small or non-existent bridal parties are up 100%. More women are choosing to buck the 27 Dresses pageantry tradition and instead opt for keeping the focus on the main attraction—the bride and groom. As ladies who have been bridesmaids an embarrassing number of times, we can tell you that this choice can not only save money for all involved but also, sometimes, save your friendships as well.

Pins featuring personalized drink stations where guests can pour their own cocktails are up 50% this year, and they can save big money on the bartending bill. (Assuming, that is, that your friends don't self-serve to such an extent that it bankrupts you.) It appears that a lot of couples are also ditching traditional bar service and instead opting for food-and-drink pairings, which can bring down costs by allowing you to buy a couple of specific beverages in bulk as opposed to stocking a full bar.

Brunch weddings are on the rise, and for good reason—reception venues are much less expensive to book during the day. While we don't know if you'll have quite the same memories made at a daytime wedding as you would after dark, sometimes that can be a good thing—not every bride wants to see Uncle Joe do the worm on her big day, after all.

This trend is as time-saving as it is money-saving, with the extra cash in-pocket being a welcome bonus of the decision. Since most couples take time off work just to get married, it can be hard to also ask for vacation time for the honeymoon directly after the nuptials. For this reason, many newlyweds are opting for mini-moons—shorter, more local holidays to celebrate their new marriage— with plans of bigger blowouts in the future.