Weddings are oh so expensive. With the average wedding in the United States clocking in at over $25,000 it’s safe to say that weddings cost a pretty penny. With that said, I know a lot of couples whose wedding budgets were less, even far less, than $25,000.
So what is to be done? You want the wedding of your dreams. But you may not have thousands upon thousands of dollars to spend on it. And with over 40% of couples saying that they spent more on their wedding than they planned to, it is important to have a plan upfront on how you will save money on your wedding.
But that still leaves you in a bit of a predicament. You want your dream wedding. You want to plan a day that you will remember for the rest of your life. One that is as special as your relationship. But you know that you will need to cut things out, or find less expensive options, for some things on your wedding to make it fit within your budget. But what things should you splurge on, and what things should you save on?
Here are 5 things to save on with your wedding:
1. Wedding Planner
You absolutely do not need a wedding planner to help you with your wedding. With the average wedding planner charging over $4,000 for their all inclusive packages, most of us just don’t have money to throw away on a wedding planner nowadays.
But the good news is, you can absolutely do everything on your own that a wedding planner would have done for you. You can pick out your own colors, find a florist, hire a deejay, pick out a menu with your caterer, etc. Planning your own wedding will not only save you thousands of dollars, but I think that actually makes it more fun!
2. Invitations
So many of us spend hundreds of dollars on our wedding invitations. We get all of the fancy bells and whistles, with each one of those upgrades adding more and more to the cost of our invitations. But there is no need to get the fanciest engagement announcements, wedding invitations, and thank you cards.
Let’s face it: the majority of your wedding invitations are going to end up in the trash after your event is over. And really it’s your reception that everyone will end up remembering. They won’t remember how fancy your invitations were. They won’t remember if you had the fancy confetti, or the beautiful ribbon, or the matching thank you cards. They will remember your reception, your dress, and the food they ate. So save the money on the things that your friends and family will actually remember. Get simple invitations (or even make them yourself!), and save the extra money for other aspects of your wedding and reception.
3. Decorations
Yes, your guests will absolutely remember how beautiful your reception was. But that is what they will remember: how beautiful it was. Not if every inch of the place was covered in flowers, or if you had the top of the line vases, or if you used paper lanterns instead of silk ones.
Do decorate. Do emphasis beauty in your decorations, and decorate your wedding and reception with a theme that you will love. But don’t feel like you need to spend thousands of dollars getting all of the nicest decorations, and don’t feel like you have to go overboard with decorations. A simple, intimate reception is just as beautiful as an elaborate one.
4. Linens
Linens are another thing to absolutely save money on. Please don’t purchase brand new tablecloths, napkins, chair covers, etc for your wedding. There is no reason for you to have to purchase these things for an event where you will only be using them once. You can rent all of these types of linens for your wedding, and just like with other types of wedding rentals, you can save hundreds to thousands of dollars on your wedding just by renting these items instead of buying them for this one-time event.
5. Venue
Lastly, try getting creative with your wedding reception venue. The wedding reception venue is usually the most expensive part of a wedding. But the truth is, you absolutely don’t need to spend the thousands of dollars that it costs to rent out a reception venue for your wedding.
Wedding receptions that are held in churches, parks, backyards, or even homes can be just as beautiful and special as ones that are held in event venues. So do yourself a favor and save the money on this one. Use that money to go on a great honeymoon instead!
This article was written by Nicole, a writer for BBJ Linen. They provide rentals of exquisite cloth table linens, exclusive chargers, and chair covers wedding.
