A Thrift Wedding

Thrift means to spend money carefully and not wastefully. Although "thrift" can mean different things to different people to me, thrift means being smart when making purchases and using creativity to save money. I do not think that thrift means cheap. Thrift means smart, quality, eco-friendly. Thrift is buying a reusable water bottle instead of wasting money on plastic bottles. Thrift is making a delicious vegetable soup out of leftover vegetables. 

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When Mr. Thrift and I got engaged, we didn't know exactly what we wanted to do for our wedding. When the excitement of the engagement began to bring us back down to earth, we came us with a list of things we knew we wanted our wedding to incorporate. It had to be a small, intimate wedding. It had to be outside. It could not break the bank. 

Mr. Thrift and I knew wanted a small wedding more than anything else. They idea of celebrating our matrimony with 200 guests, while perfect for some, did not appeal to us in the least. After writing down a list of our close family members, friends, and a few family friends and mentors we came up with a list of 60 guests.  60 we could do. It seemed like a substantial amount of people for a decent sized party, but small enough that we would feel as if we were truly surrounded by those closest to us. 

Getting married outside was something we knew we had to do. We are nature lovers, and although Mr. Thrift and I come from different religious backgrounds, we both share a deep spiritual connection to our planet. Although we  both love a good trip to a bustling city, we constantly find ourselves drawn to the outdoors. Having an outdoor ceremony can be complicated, especially in a state that loves precipitation as much as Florida, but this was a challenge we were willing to take on. 

And lastly, Mr. Thrift and I knew that above all, we did not want to spend a ridiculous sum of money on our wedding. While we both have been blessed with the financial help of our parents, we didn't feel right cleaning out their pockets either. After a lot of research, we knew that we could have the type of wedding we wanted for under $8,000, less than half of what the average American wedding cost in 2008. Mr. Thrift and I are both very passionate about keeping our wedding budget low, and we are excited about sharing the money saving tips we come up with throughout the planning process. 

Another thing we know about our wedding is that it will take place during one of the hardest recessions to face American history. Weddings in 2009 are going to be different than the weddings that came before them. We are no longer living in a country with a carefree economy. People are losing their jobs and struggling to pay bills. Spending thousands of dollars on aisle runners and cake jewelry isn't only unnecessary in times like these, it is impossible for most people. I know that more and more brides are going to be planning "thrift weddings," and although I typically pride myself on being unique, this is one trend I am very proud to be a part of. 

Are you planning a thrift wedding?How has the recession affected your wedding budget? Would you be having a budget wedding even if we weren't in a recession?