Customizing your wedding budget isn’t easy. Weddings are the biggest party, you have never hosted a more expensive party.
To budget, you need to balance your savings, maintain a detailed spreadsheet so you can go through the planning process, prepare for unexpected expenses, and make meaningful cuts if you go over your overall budget.
It’s hard, we know, but putting in the time and energy now will help you live happily ever after.
Here’s how to save a wedding budget that you can stick to.
Choose an Off-peak Wedding Date
Did you know that choosing an off-season wedding date can save you some money on your wedding?
It’s a simple fact of supply and demand. The most popular months for weddings are booking faster and more in demand – so many venues charge a premium for the most desirable dates.
Find an Affordable Wedding Decorator
Need affordable wedding decor? Look for decorative items in your neighborhood or at thrift stores in your area to build your collection. It’s great for centerpiece vases, fibers, or other accents to brighten up your look.
Consider Not Having Brunch at Your Wedding
When it comes to your wedding budget, the reception usually takes up a fraction of your total expenses. Most of the reception costs come from your food and drinks, so thinking outside the box when it comes to recipes is a great way to save money.
One of my favorite ideas? Plan to pull off brunch at your wedding! This idea is not only a good way to save some money.
Create Your Own Entertainment
A wedding DJ or band is great for getting everyone on the dance floor, but if you and someone in your family consider themselves musicians, you can do it yourself. If you have a large library of music, you can make a wedding party playlist – remember, it’s all about the music!
Hire a Wedding Planner
It may sound confusing to hear that you can actually save money by spending more.
Investing in a wedding planner allows you to benefit from their years of experience and expertise in the industry. Remember that wedding planners work with budgets for a living – it’s what they do best!
Choose a Venue that Requires Minimal Styling
The venue is one of the biggest wedding-related decisions that will affect your event and your budget. Your wedding venue isn’t the only theme for all your upcoming photos.
Your platform will also play a huge role in the tone, cost and logistics for your big day. If you want to plan a debt-free wedding, make sure you choose the right venue for your big day.
It’s better to spend a little more on a nice platform that doesn’t need extra styling. This allows you to save money on furniture, flowers, lighting and other styling details.
Use the Same Venue for the Ceremony and Reception
Another is simpler, but it saves you shipping and decorating costs. You can move flowers from the ceremony room to decorate the reception area during your cocktail hour, saving on floristry costs and you can avoid two-stage rental fees.
Guests don’t have to travel from one place to another, which means you don’t need to organize mass transit and fewer of them get lost.
Book your Wedding Photographer for Shorter Hours
At the end of the day, your photos will serve as a lasting memory of your wedding and you want them to be great. Finding a Wedding photographer that suits you and a style that appeals to you is important to make your images beautiful.
A professional photographer is definitely worth the investment, but consider a photographer who knows how to work shorter hours.
Consider a Day of the Week, not Weekends
If you’re looking for a way to keep your wedding costs down, choosing a day other than Saturday is a great way to cut costs on everything from the venue to the flowers. As Saturdays are wedding booking days, and Fridays and Sundays are becoming more popular, you can often make a deal to choose a different day of the week.
Go for the Buffet
If you prefer a more relaxed wedding day, why not opt for a buffet style meal? Casual dining is now very popular and the options are more sophisticated, less expensive.
One way to reduce your catering costs is to serve buffet-style food, where guests help themselves to food instead of waitstaff sit-down style. Depending on the size of your wedding and your food choices, choosing a buffet over a sit-down meal can save you money.
