How to Cut Down on Wedding Costs

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When you are young, you have little consideration for what your dream wedding may end up costing. As adults, however, factoring in student loans, 401Ks, and other responsibilities can really burst the bubble of how much your dream wedding will actually be. You don’t want to start your new life together by going into debt from planning your dream day, so here are some useful tips where you can learn how to cut down on wedding costs.

Cut Down on Wedding Costs in These Aspects

There are a number of details that go into planning a wedding. From the venues to the invitations, each element can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars! While you do not want to skimp on all these areas there are a number of ways you can significantly cut down on some of these costs.

Venues and Ceremony

First thing first, choose your wedding date wisely. Having your wedding on a Thursday night can save you up to 20% on your venue fees. If you want to have a weekend wedding, avoid Saturday nights, which are often the more expensive and popular options. Booking your wedding between December and March can also save you some on your venue since these are typically the off season times.

As for the venues, public parks and garden can be a much more affordable and romantic setting for your ceremony and receptions than a traditional venue. If you are going with a venue, try to find one that is all inclusive, or ask relatives/friends if they know there are places free or with discounts, which can save you on a wedding coordinator, ceremony fees, and additional extras that could add up to thousands.

Wedding Dress and Accessories

When shopping for your wedding dress, look at sample sales first. You can get the inside details to upcoming sample sales and trunk shows by signing up for wedding designers email lists. Also, consider wearing a wedding dress that’s in the family. The cost for alterations and cleaning can be more budget friendly than buying your gown at retail price.

How to cut down on weeding costs when it comes to your accessories? Borrow from friends or family members to save on costly pieces you will only wear once. This is actually a very wise try.

Flowers and Décor

When it comes to flower arrangements, you can save big by finding look-alike alternatives instead of using more expensive flowers. Ask your florist for suggestions on fillers to create an amazing centerpiece and how to imitate the look of specialty flowers with floral sprays. When it comes to centerpieces, if you are not having a sit-down dinner, they may not be necessary and candles can be sufficient enough to create a spectacular display. Choose shorter pieces that can save you 60% in your flower budget.

Reusing your ceremony flowers into your reception can also save you a significant amount. Your florist, again, will be able to help you create stunning arrangements that can go from the ceremony to the reception. So get along well with your florists!

Food & Drink

You can cut out huge amounts of spending from your food budget by opting for a buffet style dinner over a sit-down dinner. This allows you to cut out a lot of the additional server fees. When it comes to the bar options, avoid the hard liquor or at least top shelf liquor, instead, you can offer 2 or 3 specialty cocktails, house wine and beer that your guest can enjoy. Reserve the champagne for just the toasting hour instead of offering it all night long.

Wondering how to cut down on wedding costs when it comes to the cake? Well, keep reading. Instead of one extravagant cake, go with two separate cakes. Have one sheet cake with simple buttercream frosting in the kitchen to be sliced and served, and an elaborately decorated cake on display for you to cut into. The elaborate cake can be small, only one or two tiers, additional tiers are made from Styrofoam and decorated to match the rest of the cake.

Guests & Date & Invitations

Obviously, the fewer people you invite, the more budget-friendly your wedding will be. You can cut down your list by keeping it to strictly friends and close family member. Limit the plus ones to guests who have significant others. Throwing your wedding on a Thursday night will not only save on venue fees, but tends to result in fewer RSVPs who will be attending.

Do not be afraid to ask your talented friends or family members to help design invitations or create the stationery for your big day. Instead of hiring a designer, use a sample template that you can find for free online and design the invitations yourself. There are abundant choices for you!

Photography, Video & Entertainment

When it comes to wedding photography, how to cut down on wedding costs can be done in a number of ways. 

Go with a smaller wedding package at first with the potential to upgrade the pictures later, this way you can set some of your wedding gift money aside to buy prints or albums. Cutting out the second shooter and cutting back on time booked to go without the cake cutting and bouquet toss for smaller weddings can save you hundreds of dollars. You can ask your friends for help if you have talented ones.

For your wedding videographer, consider only having the most important moments captured, instead of hiring someone to be there all day where they will most likely just be filming the same people dancing. Hire them for the ceremony until just after the first dance. This way you get all the important moments without the unnecessary costs.

For music options, going with a DJ will be a cheaper alternative to a band and asking the venue to play some music during the cocktail hour can save you a couple hundred dollars.

People have so many creative and really helpful tricks to cut down the wedding cost. With the average cost of a wedding increasing each year, knowing how to cut down on wedding costs is necessary if you are on a budget. You can be more creative by considering these aspects, and if you have any excellent ideas, just share with us!