Planning a wedding can be a lot of fun and a time to enjoy with family and your significant other. Planning a wedding can also be quite stressing and expensive. All one needs to do is pull up google on your browser and search the word ”wedding”. The word itself adds to the cost of nearly everything. Planning a wedding on a budget is possible with so due diligence and some planning.
However, there is plenty you can do and still have a beautiful wedding, at a reasonable cost.
Whats Your Style
The first thing you should do is determine the style or theme of wedding you wish to have. Do you like the rustic theme? Want a wedding on a beach? Once you have the style down you can begin to put the pieces together.
A place to have your wedding is usually the biggest challenge and the most important thing to consider, reasonable cost venues will book up much faster. It’s nice to be able to have the nicest venues that specialize in weddings and have the manpower to help setup and cleanup, however, you can find many outdoor areas, local beaches, government owned parks, fire halls, and church halls that usually will accommodate wedding parties and for a much lower upfront cost. When we had our wedding some of the restaurants and hotels that had venues had rents of $10-15,000, and you had to use their catering services, housing, photographers, and had limited time you could actually use the facility. We ended up renting our local fire hall and its commercial kitchen facilities for $400 total. Checkout our post on finding the perfect wedding venue.
What to Serve Your Guests
Food is always one of your largest costs of an event like a wedding.
Whether you want a full course meal or finger food, again, makes a huge difference in what you’ll have to pay. The time of day the event takes place will also determine the kind of food you’ll likely have at your reception. If a full meal is preferred, then you need to look at many caterers offering many different meal options to compare. Cost per plate sounds reasonable until you start adding up the amount of people you expect to attend. If you want just finger food or snacks you may be able to get that included with your wedding cake.
You can save money wedding cake itself by having cupcakes instead, as many couples are choosing to do.
Where are You Getting Married
The venue you end up choosing, you may or may not need to provide the decor. The full time wedding venues will most often have decor, tables, chairs, etc. that is included with the facility. However, many places do not. The extras add up so be sure to figure that in your anticipated costs. Tables and chairs for both the wedding and the reception if it’s not at the same location. Are you getting married on the beach and then having the reception at another location?
If you’re planning a rustic wedding outdoors or in a barn, straw bales will work well in lieu of chairs.
How to Decorate
Decor can be made yourself or rented locally to save costs. Mason jars, and vintage items add a nice cheaper alternative to use as decor for a country style wedding. You’d be quite surprised how creative you can get when your on a budget.
Finding Additional Information
There are thousands of ideas can be found online to help with ideas. Look no further than Pinterest for the latest trends and DIY advice.
Your dress doesn’t have to be thousands of dollars for something you’ll wear once (hopefully). Many brands that offer lower cost options are just as nice as their expensive counterparts. When shopping for a dress be sure to checkout the smaller dress shops and local businesses and not just focus on the popular destinations. Most of the time the smaller shops are more willing to work with you when it comes to finding that custom option you have in mind. While not always cheaper, most are more willing to help you find your perfect idea at a lower cost.
Just because your on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice or enjoyable wedding. Even if your able to afford it, do you really want to spend more than you need to? Saving money on the wedding will let you keep more in the bank for something else down the road.
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