Paying for your wedding, whether it’s large or small, is almost always stressful and expensive. If cutting the guest list and reducing costs isn’t trimming your budget, you’ll need to find other ways to fund the big day.

You could get a part time job to cover wedding expenses, you could take out a small loan or borrow cash from family or friends. Many couples are getting creative with their funding options.

Sponsors

Some couples even look for wedding sponsors, including asking major corporations for financial help. One Ohio couple asked sponsors to fund their ceremony and reception. The result? Wedding comps and deductions, including a reduced price for the gown and free invitations. They only paid $5,000 for a $30,000 wedding!

Not all the sponsorship requests work out though. This groom asked Southwest Airlines to sponsor his wedding but the company graciously declined by sending him well wishes and a box of in-flight snacks like peanuts and pretzels.

“If you’re not feeling like you have the funds between you as a couple and your parents to have the wedding you want, then you really may want to look at scaling down somehow,” says Mister Manners, Thomas P. Farley, an expert on matters of contemporary etiquette and founder of WhatMannersMost.

These days local and national vendors want to build their business through positive reviews and mentions on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Yelp. So if you can get freebies or discounts for writing positive reviews online about the product or service, should you go for it? Maybe, maybe not. But if you decide to take the sponsorship deal, don’t be boastful.

“Be discreet about it,” advises Farley. “Remember the occasion is not about trying to throw yourself a million dollar wedding by getting everything done for free and going whole hog with it. But if budget is tight and you can get some essentials sponsored for a plug, that’s a nice way to go.”

Use social media, your wedding website and your wedding programs to thank sponsors or promote their business or services. Don’t post signs all over the party, such as “cocktails provided by X Restaurant and Bar” or “The Bride’s gown courtesy: Y Bridal Shop.” This is a wedding, not a commercial.

Crowdsource Funding

These days, movies, creative projects and life adventures can be funded through grass roots fundraisers, known as crowdsourcing. Sites like Kickstarter have made this type of fundraising a mainstream concept.

The message? “That lack of funds doesn’t stop anybody to share a great moment of their lives,” says Nelson Olavarrieta who with his wife co-founded an events funding platform, Celebrate Plus. “A platform for friends and family to share their support to the ones they love.”

Log onto other funding sites like Go Fund Me and Go Get Funding and you’ll find lots of couples raising money for their weddings and honeymoons. Couples register for free, write a blurb about their upcoming wedding and list what they want and assign monetary amounts supporters can contribute. Then they promote their fundraiser through social media and wait for the donations to come in. The fundraising campaigns can be large or small, including contributing hundreds of dollars to pay for a photographer or donating a few bucks to finance the overall event.

While the fundraising sites are free, they do charge a processing fee. Go Fund Me for example charges a five percent fee, a two-point-nine percent processing fee and $0.30 per each transaction.

Getting your friends and family to donate cash for your wedding may seem like a cool and very modern way to finance your wedding but etiquette experts aren’t impressed by the trend.

“You don’t want to be asking for anything,” says Farley.

Financial Support from Family & Friends

Asking friends and family to support your event is an etiquette no-no but that doesn’t mean you can’t accept their support if they offer it.

Often family or friends may want to contribute to your day for a lot of reasons. For example, an aunt who doesn’t have any children of her own might want to financially support your event or a wealthy cousin may know your financial situation and simply want to help.

For example, if your grandmother wants to pay for your gown or your uncle wants to pay for the open bar, it’s OK to let them do so. Be sure to thank them for their generosity.

Be gracious about accepting unsolicited family support but don’t ask for more backing than is offered. Asking a relative for financial help puts them in a difficult situation. You don’t want it to seem like a sponsored occasion, which will leave guests feeling sour.

“You’re turning a wonderful event for family and friends into something that feels very corporate and tacky,” says Farley.

Appreciate all the financial support you get but don’t get bogged down by the concept of a dream wedding.

“I don’t think happiness equates to spending tons and tons of money on your wedding, especially money you don’t have,” says Farley, who explains it’s not worth going “into the red to get wed.”