Last year the average cost of a wedding in the USA was $33,391. That is a lot of money for a party but when you consider it as the single most important day of your life, for some it is justified. If your budget is getting bigger and bigger for your wedding day and you don’t have the money to match it, here are some tips on how to save for your special day.
Don’t tell all vendors it is a wedding
Some vendors just put the price up for a wedding. If you can manage to book a caterer for a party without describing what the party is, you may get a better price. We are not saying lie to the vendors, maybe it just doesn’t have to come up in conversation?
Borrow
So many of the special items for your wedding will never be used again. Ask around and see if you can borrow jewelry and other items to bring down the cost a little.
Go offseason
Wedding season is a thing and it makes it more expensive. Change the theme of your wedding so that you can book in off-peak times. A winter or autumn wedding is just as beautiful and less expensive.
Make it a buffet
The difference in price between a buffet and a served meal is staggering and at the end of the day, everyone gets served delicious food. So save some cash and choose the buffet option. If anyone is unhappy about it, then those are people who are not worth your time or money.
The bar tab
Save on the bar tab by reducing alcohol options for the main portion of the night, beer and wine only. Better yet just put some bottles of wine on the table and let people pay for whatever drink they want. Why is a wedding the one party where free drinks are expected?
Go minimal
Some weddings go for all the trimmings, others just a delicate touch. Both look incredible but the delicate touch tends to cost a lot less. For the wedding day, less can be more.
Scale down
You will have so many ideas for your wedding day but when applied to hundreds of people, the cost of anything becomes expensive. Instead of having ‘one for every table’ just have a small table near the entrance with a selection of favors if people are interested.
Choose the right number of guests
It may sound like having fewer guests means less money spent on the wedding. That is true but it also means you get less monetary gifts to pay off the wedding. Economists have done research on the ideal number of guests to turn a profit. Look into it in more detail and choose the right number of guests based on your location. You could end up making money.
The music
Wedding bands cost a lot of money, but bands don’t cost that much. What is the difference? Book student bands who will likely sound just as good. No need for an expensive DJ either. If you have Spotify it will do the trick.
Ask a favor
It is likely some of your guests are employed in the many tasks you need. Ask them to complete a task and in return, no gift is required. Have a friend who is a good baker? They could do your cake.
Move decorations
Do you really need to decorate each room individually or can you move the decorations from one room to the next? This is an easy cost-saving tip that works wonders.
Elope
If all else fails, cancel the ceremony and elope with your partner. You could have an around the world trip for the two of you for the same price.
