More brides and grooms are paying for or contributing to the cost of their wedding than any time before, meaning they have to stick to a budget while still having the wedding of their dreams. So how can you have the wedding you want while sticking to a wedding budget?
Plan Your Budget. The most important thing you can do for your wedding budget is plan early. Review your financial situation to determine how much you can realistically save between now and your wedding date. If your family will gift wedding funds, discuss how much they will be contributing, what they will contribute to and when you can expect the financial support. Knowing their timeline for contribution will help you to manage the cash flow required for deposits and payments of wedding services.
Prioritize. One of the biggest mistakes brides make, is not prioritizing their wedding budgets. If you have your heart set on great wedding pictures. This allows you to cut other expenses as necessary to keep that element. (Click here to learn about other top wedding mistakes.) You should also consider other elements that are low priority and cut them immediately. Most people won’t notice if you don’t offer personalized cocktail napkins and matchbooks, but your budget will be better off.
Choose one location. There are multiple benefits of combining your ceremony and reception location. In addition to the convenience, you can reduce the cost of multiple venues, transportation and decor.
Be selective with invitations. It’s a difficult task to decide who makes the guest list “cut”. With the average wedding reception cost per person of $100, this can be a budget saver though. Most couples have a “B list” to add as the responses come in.
Reduce the number of attendants. Each person standing up in your bridal party is a dear friend – and an expense. While you may not be paying for their attire, you will purchase their flowers, attendant gift, transportation and more. Consider limiting your bridal party to siblings and closest friends.
Bundle services. It can be a huge savings to bundle multiple services with a single company. Centerpieces, attendant’s flowers and ceremony decorations with one florist. Invitations, wedding programs, and personalized stationary with one printer. (Click here to learn about bundling DJ, Photography and Videography with Mike Staff Productions.)
So where can you make more affordable choices that go unnoticed by guests?
Reception
- Cut the guest list. This will save money on catering, invitations, guest favors and centerpieces.
- Think off-peak season and save thousands!
- Consider a Friday wedding – or Sunday for even bigger savings.
- Have bigger tables so you need fewer centerpieces and tablecloths.
- Shop the off-season for extra decor — get red vases on sale after Christmas and pretty pink ones after Valentine’s Day.
Flowers
- Use more greenery than flowers.
- Swap out costly flowers
- Stick to just one or two kinds of flowers.
- Buy flowers that are in season.
- Include non-florals, like lanterns, mirrors and candles in your centerpieces.
Food & Drink
- Skip midnight snacks.
- Shorten your cocktail hour to a half-hour.
- Offer beer, wine, and a signature cocktail instead of a full bar.
- Skip the champagne toast.
Cakes
- Order a small one or two-tiered cake and then supplement cake with a larger sheet cake (hidden back in the kitchen).
- Keep the add-ons simple.
- Use fresh flowers, not sugar ones.
- Reuse ceremony flowers for the cake table.
- Skip exotic fillings like guava and mango.
Stationery & Favors
- Get single-page invites to save on postage.
- Give out one favor per couple.
- Make your cake the favors.
- Have favors double as escort cards.
- Make your own menu cards, escort cards, and wedding favor packaging.
Photo, Video & Music
- Hire a photographer who will give you a copyright release which will save printing costs.
- Hire a single maned camera videography team.
- Hire a DJ who can do both the ceremony and the reception.
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What budget friendly ideas would you add? Leave a comment below or on our Facebook fan page.
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