If you dream of one day having a fairytale wedding perhaps on the beach in some exotic locale, you’ll need to accept that fact that it’ll cost an arm and a leg for that kind of pomp and circumstance.
In the United States, the average cost of a wedding is $26,444, though many spend south of $10,000. Of course, this doesn’t include the cost of the honeymoon. Meanwhile, north of the U.S.-Canada border, the average cost of a wedding is in the neighborhood of $31,685.
Fortunately, you don’t have to spend tens of thousands of dollars – money that would be better used to help buy a home for you and your spouse-to-be – on a wedding. So what follows are some handy tips for planning a wedding on a tight budget. It’s actually easier than you may have thought.
Budget
The first step to planning a wedding on a tight budget is to budget. Yes, you and the one you want to spend the rest of your life with must create a realistic budget and then devise a way to see it through.
Venue, Food & Rentals
According to one source, the biggest cost of most weddings comes down to the venue, food and rentals. While the average wedding cost in the U.S. is $26,444, an average of $11,784 of that amount is allocated to venue, catering and rentals. How to save money? First, consider cheap options for a venue. Some churches will charge next to nothing or you might be able to host your big day for free if you know someone with a spacious backyard for an outdoor wedding. Second, you can cut out the substantial cost for catering by having family and friends contribute and prepare the food. Third, you can consider borrowing from friends and colleagues rather than rent equipment or other things for your wedding. Follow these tips, and you can save big.
Watch the guest list
While it may be tempting to invite everyone you know for your big day, you can’t do that and not overspend. Planning a wedding on a tight budget means not over-inviting. So sit down with your spouse-to-be and decide on how many people you can afford to invite on the budget you’ve set. After you’ve done that, avoid the expense of those fancy, pre-made invitation letters by making them yourself. Granted, your special occasion means a lot to you and to your friends and family and you can have a little of everything if you plan it smartly. You want personalized invitations or save the dates, sure go-ahead. Just make sure you find the most economical options and have a manageable guest list
Enlist volunteers
It can cost a pretty penny if you hire a wedding planner, a photographer, a band and other professional help. In order to save money, you should try to get as much volunteer help as possible. That way, you can make your wedding special without having to worry about opening you credit card statement post-wedding.
Go easy on the flowers
Don’t go bonkers on the flowers as the bill can add up really fast if you’re not careful. Instead of giving your bridesmaids each a luscious bouquet of flowers, why not give each of them a single long-stemmed rose?
Final Thoughts
Planning a wedding on a tight budget is very much possible. Just by using the aforementioned recommendations, you can save a lot of money on your wedding. So instead of focusing so much money on a one-day event, you can show some restraint on your wedding day – which will leave you with more money in the bank after you and your partner have walked down the aisle and said your “I do’s.”
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