Many couples dream of a beautiful wedding. However, what they may or may not know is that couples who pay for extravagant weddings continue to pay for it long after they’re married. The average wedding and associated costs can average $26,000, and unless you’ve been saving for a while, this will lead to instant debt. Though you may be under some undue pressure to plan the most magical event, finances really need to be taken into consideration.
The truth is, you can plan a memorable wedding without spending a ton of money. Here are four ways to cut your wedding costs while still creating a day you’ll treasure forever.
- Wedding Décor
The wedding décor is what sets the tone for the ceremony and reception. Things like flowers, candles, and wedding sparklers, for instance, help to compliment the wedding theme. Obviously, you don’t want to skip out on decorating your wedding and reception hall, but there are ways to do so more affordably and sparklers are a sure hit! Sparklers for weddings can be one of the cheapest items you purchase the entire weekend and become the most memorable. Wedding sparkler exit photographs help capture that fairy tale ending to your wedding night. When purchasing sparklers for weddings we recommend going with either 20 inch sparklers or 36 inch sparklers. Choosing longer wedding sparklers is crucial for an extended burn time and to create an archway setting as the newlyweds walk under the shower of sparks!
- Make your own – There are a lot of simplistic wedding décor options that you could create on your own to cut down on costs. Purchase synthetic flowers and vases to make centerpieces at the reception, buy votive candles and holders and place them around the church, or even use photos of you and your spouse in frames to place around the room to give the guests something to look at.
- Buy décor online – Online shopping will almost always produce more affordable results than trying stores in your area. Check for affordable wedding décor options like sky lanterns, decorative bubbles, sparklers, and more. You can purchase in bulk and save yourself some time and money with wholesale sky lanterns. Sky Lanterns for weddings are becoming a major hit for the romantic moment they create. You can either set off sky lanterns with just the newlyweds or choose to incorporate the wedding party. It’s best to plan using sky lanterns or wish lanterns right before the sunset to help capture some truly awe-inspiring moments. You can even have your wedding guests write wishes and congratulations before you set the sky lanterns off into the night sky! Or can even go the extra mile to help with savings and create your own homemade sky lanterns, however most online sky lantern companies now offer 100% biodegradable to help the environment.
- Music and Entertainment
No wedding reception is complete without a few love songs and jams to dance to. However, a wedding DJ can cost several hundred dollars while a full-on band can cost you anywhere from $1500 to $2500. When you haven’t even factored in food and attire yet, spending this much on entertainment might not be ideal. Here are some more affordable solutions:
- Do it Yourself – Instead of hiring someone to play music you can create your own playlist and be your own DJ. The bride and groom can come up with a list of songs they enjoy and play them from a radio or their mobile device with a portable speaker.
- Ask a school or church – While professional wedding bands might cost a lot of money there are other bands and musical groups that would be willing to perform for a lot less. Consider asking a local school if their orchestra, marching band, or choir can perform at your wedding. If not, consider asking your church choir to do a few numbers for you during the reception.
- Wedding Attire
The bride, groom, and bridal party are supposed to stand out from the crowd on the day of the wedding. So, it’s only natural that you’re going to spend a bit more of your budget on attire. However, with wedding dresses costing thousands of dollars and tuxedos and bridal party dresses also costing a fortune, this can get out of hand fast. Here are some better options:
- Consider Something Different – Wedding fashion is truly changing and brides and grooms are not dressing traditionally anymore. If you don’t want to spend a ton on a dress and tux, you can consider alternatives. For instance, if you’re getting married in the summer, the groom could do a nice linen short set and the bride can do a sundress.
- Rent or Borrow – Renting and/or borrowing a wedding dress and tux can also be an option for the entire bridal party.
- Food
What’s a reception without something delicious to dine on? With the average cost per person, you could easily spend thousands of dollars on food at your reception. Here are other options:
- Ask Family – Ask your family members to prepare dishes in lieu of gifts to prepare for the reception. You know you’ll like the food and it won’t cost you a penny.
- Consider different reception type – You can also cut the cost of food by having a different type of reception. A cake or cocktail reception, for instance, would not require full meals, therefore saving some extra money.
Weddings can get out of hand if you’re not carefully monitoring your spending. While you want to be able to create a day that you enjoy, you don’t have to go broke doing it. Hopefully these suggestions will give you ideas on how to save money for your special day. Now with all the money you’ve saved you can use it on your honeymoon.
