Today we have a guest post from Hope, who got married to her lovely husband Mike in August 2010 at the Disneyland Hotel.  Hope comes bearing some really great budget advice for all you Disneyland Brides out there (myself included!), so prepare to take some notes and learn from someone who has “been there, done that.”

(All photos by  Nataly Lemus Photography except top photo by Root Photography)

Top 10 Budget Tips for Disneyland Weddings

1) Use what you already have to decorate! We used my snow globe collection as centerpieces for our tables and some Disney collectibles for cake table decor.

2) Skimp on the ceremony decor! As our imaginations soared and our savings dwindled, we decided to cut back on ideas for literal interpretations of “Sleeping Beauty” and kept things simple. We chose to incorporate a “Briar Rose” look for the ceremony and stayed true to the greenery and browns of the woods by leaving the Rose Court Garden virtually undisturbed. (Just some petals lining the aisle.) Since we were spending most of the time at the reception, we chose to splurge on colored linens for the tables. We chose the colors Fuchsia and Purple for the reception décor and for touches here and there. Purple because it’s regal and it is Maleficent’s main color and Fuchsia because of the uplighting of the castle at Disneyland and because it represented Aurora. We felt those colors were as rich and bold as the palette Eyvind Earle used in the backgrounds of the film. Plus, they’re my two favorite colors! We thought it all looked nice and it didn’t cost us a fortune.

3) DIY where you can or ask creative friends for help! Our artistic friends created, printed and sent out our invitations for us and created our table names and escort cards as a wedding gift and I made a simple newsletter program for the ceremony and printed them at home for cheap.

4) Skip the fancy bridal store accessories! Yes they’re gorgeous, but you’re seriously only wearing them once (unless you plan to clean your house in your tiara). I purchased my necklace and hair flowers on Etsy for a fraction of the cost of a veil and tiara at a regular bridal store.

5) Hit up the Outlets for your attire! Mike scored a great deal on his suit by purchasing it at a Suit Outlet and we both purchased our shoes from discount shoe stores.

6) Custom isn’t always more expensive! My “Fairies” had their dresses made by a seamstress for under $100 each which is way less than what traditional bridesmaid gowns cost at regular bridal shops. Plus, they were made of breezy cotton which means that they can wear them again! (Seriously, one of them already wore their dress out to a brunch meeting!) If you can’t find a seamstress then consider buying “off the rack” at a discount department store. Just give your gals a color family to stay within and let them find their own dresses. It will save you the trouble of having to pick the dresses yourself and I’m sure they’ll appreciate investing in a gown that they ACTUALLY want to wear.