Saving Money with The Knot

When I was newly engaged, I remember feeling so overwhelmed with all the planning that needed to be done that I didn't even know where to start.  Luckily, with a little research, I learned about the coolest website called The Knot.

It has everything you need to plan your big day, from real wedding pictures for inspiration, to a weekly checklist, to a guest book organizer.  They even have tools to help you register, create inspiration boards, and create a wedding website for your big day!  It saved me a lot of stress to be able to get emails from The Knot that not only reminded me what I needed to get done and when to do it, but gave me ideas on how to do it as well.

One of my favorite tools that The Knot offers is their budget calculator:

You simply input your budget, number of guests, and number of male & female attendants and it gives you a total of what you should be spending on each area of your wedding planning.  If there is an aspect on their budget plan that doesn't apply to your wedding, you can simply un-check the box and it will be left out of the calculation.  It will keep a running total for you and let you know how much you have left to spend every step of the way.  

I felt ridiculously overwhelmed with planning a $3,000 wedding but this budgeting tool really put it into perspective and helped me realize that my budget was achievable because it gave me a realistic view of where I could spend and where I needed to cut back.  (If I went over budget on my dress, I just knew I needed to save money on the reception center, etc.)  It's safe to say that if I never discovered this budgeting tool, I never could have stayed within my budget for our big day.

If you are a bride feeling overwhelmed with the cost and planning of the wedding, no matter what the budget, I strongly recommend starting a profile on The Knot.  Just head over there & explore your options!  There is something for everyone and it will make your wedding planning go a lot smoother.  Not only will it help you get your dream wedding for less money, but there are tons of other amazing tools on there that just might give you inspiration to help you have the perfect big day that you deserve. 

*I was not compensated for this post, I just really like their website!*