Are you getting married soon, and you’re looking for ways to save money on your wedding? Weddings are costly as you have to spend on feeding your guests, paying vendors, paying for venues, and lots more. Whether planning for a big or an intimate wedding, spending money is inevitable. The good news is, there are ways to save money on your wedding. The following tips on how to save money on a wedding will go a long way when planning your wedding.
1. Create a Wedding Budget
When it comes to how to save money on a wedding, a wedding budget should be the very first thing on your planning list. Think of your wedding budget as a financial blueprint that helps you stay focused on your wedding expenses without leaving room for overspending. Having a wedding without a clear plan will lead to going for tempting wedding options that can be skipped, which is not a good financial decision.
When planning your wedding budget, you can start by breaking your expenses into categories. You can break it into venues, guests, photography, outfits, and other important things. Once you’ve done this, assign a realistic amount in order of priority based on your total budget. Doing this gives you a clear sense of what goes into what.
2. Start Saving Early
Saving early is important when planning for a wedding, and it should be done months or years before the wedding. This will save you from taking out loans to fund your wedding. You and your partner can set up a savings account where you stack your wedding funds while earning interest on it.
There are high-yield savings accounts that offer great interest rates. You can also opt for savings apps that can help you achieve your goal of saving for your wedding with interest and cashback.
3. Host an Intimate Wedding
Not everyone loves a big wedding, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s one of the ways to save money on a wedding. An intimate wedding helps you focus on creating meaningful memories with the people that matter the most, rather than going over budget just to please a large guest list.
Having an intimate wedding means you have to trim down on your guest list. A smaller guest list means reduced cost on catering, invitations, rentals, and even going for a smaller wedding venue, which usually costs less.
4. Negotiate with Vendors
You don’t have to pay the exact quotation given to you by a vendor. An important strategy for how to save money on a wedding is by wearing your negotiation hat. Most time, couples assume prices are fixed and can’t be negotiated, but in reality, many vendors are flexible with their packages and can adjust to fit your wedding budget.
Don’t be shy about asking for discounts or requesting a bundled service to cut costs. For instance, you might go for a wedding photographer that offers videography, which helps you keep the number of vendors you are contacting to a minimum.
Before picking vendors to offer services for your wedding, you must compare prices and quality across different vendors, then use the information to your negotiating advantage. Another easier thing to do is be upfront about your budget; that way, you can find vendors that can work around it.
5. Rent a Wedding Dress
While many brides often look forward to getting a new wedding dress, it is important to know that wedding dresses cost a lot of money. If you’re on a budget and you’re looking for how to save money on a wedding, renting a wedding dress might be the right thing to do.
Many rental boutiques offer amazing wedding dresses and no! You don’t have to compromise on style. In fact, you might get a designer wedding dress to rock your wedding. Imagine walking down the aisle in a designer brand, looking all breathtaking. This means you get the glamour without financial guilt.
6. Don’t Use the Typical Wedding Venue
You don’t have to use the generic wedding venue before you get to spend forever with the love of your life. Looking into non-traditional wedding venues will save you a ton of money. Rather than city halls or hotel ballrooms, you can go for creative places like local parks, family backyards, vacation rentals, or even a cozy cafe.
Non-traditional venues usually have lower rental fees and flexibility compared to the ballrooms that you would be paying a huge sum for. All you might need is a small permit fee, approval from family members, or a small rental charge, depending on your location of choice. Some venues require little to no decoration, meaning you’ll be saving on wedding decorations at places like a lakeside dock or a scenic rooftop.
7. Use the Same Venue for All Your Ceremonies
Booking separate venues for your actual wedding and reception means paying multiple rental fees and even transportation costs. To avoid this, it’s a good idea to plan your ceremony around one venue. If you’re focused on how to save money on a wedding, then you should consider holding your wedding ceremony in a single venue.
Not only is it financially friendly, but it also makes logistics easier for you and your guests. With just a venue, there’s no need for you and your guests to shuttle between venues, which saves time, and even your guests will appreciate it.
Another thing using a single venue does for you is save cost on wedding decorations and rentals. The wedding flowers from the ceremony can serve as the centrepiece for the reception. Likewise, other rentals can be repurposed to fit the lineup of your ceremonies.
8. Target Off-seasons and Weekdays For Your Wedding
One good way to save money on a wedding is to pick your wedding date in the off-season, which is usually January, February, November, or December. Weddings during the off-season are generally cheaper than in other months. During this period, vendors are less busy and may even offer a discounted rate. Targeting off-seasons gives you better negotiating power since the demand for their services is low during that period.
Still on the perfect time to get married. Getting married on a weekday often costs less than on a weekend. So if you want a great deal on a venue, you can consider weekdays for your wedding. Aside from this, weekday weddings feel more exclusive, and with fewer couples competing for the same wedding date, you won’t be on the vendor’s waitlist.
9. Go For Digital Invitations
Going for digital invitations rather than printouts will help you save money on your wedding. Doing a physical invitation, especially for a big wedding, will incur lots of costs, which include design costs, printing costs, envelopes, and stamps. A single wedding invitation costs anywhere from $3 to $10 per guest. Imagine having 100 guests, now calculate how much you will be saving from boycotting traditional paper invitations.
You can save money on invites by going digital with it; you only have to pay the designer, and that’s all. In addition to saving money on your wedding, digital invitations are more convenient for both you and your guests. You don’t have to go through the stress of mailing or handing out invites to each guest.
10. Simplify the Menu
While catering is an integral part of any wedding and can take the bulk of your wedding budget, simplifying your wedding menu can help you keep costs under control. Skipping expensive foods without sacrificing quality can save you tons of money. A thoughtful, streamlined menu can be just as memorable.
You can go for buffets, family-style dinners, or themed food stations as they are cost-effective than plated meals. Let’s not forget beverages. You can skip the champagne and expensive alcohols when serving beverages during your wedding reception. Rather, offering a signature cocktail and a few wine options is the best way to go if you’re exploring how to save money on a wedding.
11. Don’t Print Programs or Menus
Printing hundreds of programs, menus, and table cards is not a good idea if you want to save money on your wedding. Ditching physical programs or menus for one large display board with a touch of decor is a better alternative. Another alternative to paper programs and menus is making a digital version and sending it to your guests via email. You can also make a wedding website for your guests to access all the information they need about your wedding.
12. Get a Small Wedding Cake
While wedding cakes are symbolic and great for pictures, they can be pricey, especially for big cakes. If you still want to follow the tradition of cutting a cake and also want to cut down on wedding expenses, you should get a small, beautiful wedding cake for you and your spouse.
In addition to a small wedding cake, you can get a more economical plain cake or dessert bars for your guests. When going for wedding cakes, go for cakes with delicious flavours as tastes linger more than the size of the cake. If you’re keen on how to save money on your wedding, then don’t sleep on this hack.
13. Skip Wedding Favours
Wedding favours are thoughtful, no doubt, but the truth is if you’re looking for how to save money on a wedding, then you should skip them. Most of the time, these wedding favours may end up forgotten on the table. Wedding favours cost between $3 $10 or more. Multiplying that by the number of guests, you’ll realize how much you will save on skipping wedding favours.
Rather than spending a huge sum on wedding favours, focus on giving your guests a memorable experience. Lean more towards a great meal, lively music, and heartfelt memories; they will definitely appreciate it.
14. Have a DIY Photo Booth
Taking photos is one of the best ways to seal moments from a memorable experience like a wedding. Instead of paying for a customized photo booth, you can go for a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) photo booth. Doing this will help you save money when planning for your wedding. All you need a DIY decor, such as a creative backdrop, flowers, balloons, and string lights, where you and your guests can take pictures. With DIY, you can personalize your photo booths to suit your wedding theme. This is more fun as you take unlimited photos with your guests while you make lasting memories.
15. Reduce Personal Expenses for the Wedding
Aside from paying for the venue and taking care of your guests, personal expenses are an extra expense often overlooked when planning a wedding. It’s easier to get carried away when planning for your big and of course, as the couple, you are the star of the day. While you might be carried away by personal spending, especially the bride, you might need to reconsider that spa treatment and pre-wedding events.
Rather than splurging on spa treatments, you can start a skin care routine at home months or weeks before your wedding. Likewise, instead of signing up for a gym membership to stay in shape, you can opt for home workouts or free online yoga classes. By reducing your personal expenses for the wedding, you will save a reasonable amount that can go into other wedding expenses.
16. Don’t Hesitate to Get Help From Family and Friends
One of the best-kept secrets of how to save money on a wedding is by tapping into human resources, in this case, your family and loved ones. Many family and friends are willing to help and contribute meaningfully to your big day; all you need to do is let them help.
There are chances that you have friends and family who can help with catering, music, photography, decoration, and lots more. Having loved ones who can do this can drastically reduce your wedding expenses. You should note that asking for help does not mean you’re being cheap; it means you value your loved ones and you are happy that they can contribute to your big day.
17. Go For a Staycation
Honeymoons are a big part of a wedding, and it is often overlooked when planning a wedding budget. While it is true that a honeymoon can be expensive, it should not be skipped. If you are looking for how to save money on your wedding, then you should skip vacations for honeymoons and plan for staycations instead.
Staycation means no flight expenses or complicated itineraries, and it’s a great way to get romance on a budget. Just book a luxury hotel in your city and explore nearby attractions. Doing this makes your honeyoon more affordable yet memorable.
Wrap Up!
There you have it, 17 tips on how to save money on a wedding. When planning for a wedding, it’s easy to get lost and, at the same time, overwhelmed by the financial cost of the ceremony. With proper planning and help from loved ones, you don’t have to take wedding loans or drown in debt. Remember that at the end of the day, your guests won’t remember how much you spent on your wedding, so own the planning process and save yourself from extra expense.
