A TikTok-famous wedding photographer who planned her own nuptials says these cost-cutting tips can save you money

• A wedding photographer who is popular on TikTok for sharing wedding tips planned her own nuptials.
• Shayla Herrington told Insider there are a number of things couples can do to keep costs down.

An Arkansas photographer who makes viral TikTok videos offering insights into her career says that planning her own wedding allowed her to pick up cost-saving tips.

Shayla Herrington, 22, shares wedding stories and advice with her audience of over 268,000 followers on the platform. On July 24, Herrington married her partner Dustin Crowder and planned the nuptials herself.

She told Insider that the process taught her how to lower costs to suit a smaller budget. She said that the easiest way to do this is to be selective about your guest list and have a smaller wedding. If a smaller ceremony isn't possible, she mentioned a few other tactics to help keeps costs down.

A post shared by Arkansas Wedding Photographer (@shaylamherrington)

Cakes with multiple tiers are expensive. Opt for a single-tier cake instead.

Herrington said a three- or four-tier cake is not a necessity and often becomes quite costly: "People go really expensive on their food. What we did was we had a one-tier little cake for us to cut," she recalled.

"It was super cute and had flowers around it and a little topper. We cut the one-tier cake and had sheet cakes in the back," she said, adding that serving the sheet cakes made with the same recipe proved cheaper than having a tall cake, and guests didn't notice any difference.

According to Wedding Wire, the average wedding cake costs $500 in the United States, but Herrington said even choosing cupcakes to go with a one-tier cake makes a difference. She also emphasized the importance of patiently shopping around rather than going with the first vendor who gives you an estimate.

Another great way to save is by using artificial flowers and reselling them

Herrington said she used real flowers for her bouquet, but any other florals in her wedding were artificial. As a result, she minimized waste and still got to enjoy some fresh flowers.

"I was actually able to resell them after because they were fake. I recouped all the money I spent on buying the fake florals," she said, adding: "That's another great way to save money for anyone wanting to cut costs."

Try a service that delivers multiple wedding dresses to your home

Bridal dresses are arguably one of the most important yet costly aspects of a wedding, but Herrington says there are ways to avoid breaking the bank while still looking great.

"Wedding dresses don't have to be over $2,000," she insisted.

"There are sites online now, like BHLDN, where you can have wedding dresses sent to your house, try them on, and send the ones you don't like back," she advised, noting that these dresses are often under a thousand dollars and you don't have to go to a boutique to find them.

Don't book your photographer for more hours than needed

Herrington said she sees lots of people hire a photographer for a full eight-hour day when they often need half that time.

She said: "I just had my photographer come in at the very last part of me getting ready. We did some fake getting my hair done and makeup shots, so he wasn't there all day."

She streamlined the types of photos she wanted from the day to focus on detail shots, the ceremony, portraits, and the reception where they were cutting the cake.

She added: "He was only there for four hours, and we got all the pictures that we wanted."