Weddings are an expensive occasion and formulating a budget for the big day is difficult. There is just so much to consider – the venue, the honeymoon, the place settings – and let’s not forget the all important big white dress. The difficulty in establishing and managing a budget comes with the struggle to draw the line with regards to what the maximum amount is that you are willing to pay.
Even if you have a generous budget allocated for the big day, of course you are going to want to save money where possible. This article reviews several smart and innovative ways to save money while planning your wedding:
Create Your Own Invitations
Invitations can be a big expense when you have a large guest list but it’s actually incredibly easy to create your own invitations. That doesn’t mean that your invitations will be an amateur affair, by working in conjunction with a professional print company, you can design your own bespoke templates for a decent price. You can then choose from a variety of paper types and print finishes in order to completely customize your design. In a similar vein, you could also create your own menu cards and wedding favour packaging to reduce costs.
Consider the Date of Your Wedding
Did you know that you could save a significant amount of money (to the tune of around 30-50%) by shifting the big day to another day than a Saturday. Sure Saturdays seem convenient but a Friday or a Sunday wedding can prove to be much more cost effective. If you are worried about friends and family getting the time off work to attend, then just make sure that you give them plenty of advance notice! Similarly, a wedding that is not held in the peak summer season can save you money also. Rather than hosting your wedding in the height of summer, have it just a few weeks before the season begins. This way you still enjoy pleasant weather and you save some money in the process. Win!
Cut the Guest List
Ouch! Did we really just go there? Yes we did and for good reason. If you are serving meals and drinks at weddings, the total amount can equate to quite a lot. If you allow around $50 per person, then as you can imagine, there is a significant difference in the final cost between a wedding that hosts 200 guests and a wedding that hosts 150.
Besides, is it really absolutely necessary that Bob from the marketing department attends? You’ve never really liked Bob all that much anyway and you are sure that he won’t get all offended if you tell him that your wedding is going to be an intimate affair with a small guest list. Not only does cutting the guest list save on food and drinks costs, it also saves you money in numerous other areas too -i.e reducing the amount of favors and centerpieces needed, etc.
Don’t Serve a Main Course
Since when did it become so obligatory to serve a fancy chicken or fish dish at weddings? You can always omit the main course and supply your guests with hor d’oeuvres Instead. Similarly you could skip the champagne toast, or choose not to have a free bar at the reception (i.e. people will pay for their own beverages).
Consider a Newbie Photographer
Getting professional wedding photos created is considered a must have for the majority of weddings. You want to be able to look back at this day for years to come and you want the photos to be in stunning, crystal clear HD resolution rather than taken on simple digital cameras by family members who are likely to get their fingers right in the shot of the photo! Since there is such a high demand for wedding photographers, the prices can be high, but don’t lose hope on being able to find a photographer on a budget.
Contact photography companies in your area and see if they have any apprentice Photographers working for them. They will still be skilled, but it’s likely that they will be charging a fraction of the costs as an introductory rate. Alternatively, look for amateur photographers in your area who offer paid services from time to time. You can ask to review their photography portfolio prior to committing so that you can be certain you are happy with the quality.
The Big Day
This is one of the biggest days of your life so of course, you want it to be special and you don’t want to cut corners. However by the same token, you don’t want to blow all of your life savings on the wedding alone, when you will have additional expenses to consider as part of married life such as getting your family home ready for children and saving for kids college funds.
By taking these tips into consideration, you won’t spend the first year of your marriage repairing your credit and just getting by. You can still have a beautiful wedding – this is just the more financially smart way to do it!
