The average cost of a wedding these days is more than $28,800. That is a pretty frightening number, especially when you consider it does not even account for the honeymoon. Perhaps you are planning a wedding for later this year. How would you like to spend significantly less money? It is possible, with the right knowledge and frame of mind.
You do not have to spend a small fortune just to have a memorable wedding. You would be surprised how far a little bit of imagination will go. Here are some tips that could pay off big on your wedding day:
Hire a Concierge – It might seem as if hiring a personal concierge is an extra expense that you do not need to incur. However, stop and think about this: how many times do couples spend more money than they need to because they have poor planning skills? A concierge is an expert planner and organizer. He or she is someone who can save you a tremendous amount of money by putting years of planning skill and experience to use.
Make Your Dress – The idea of making one’s own dress is scary to a lot of brides-to-be. It is actually not as hard as you might think. If you do not know how to sew, splurge on some throwaway $1 per-yard fabric and put together a couple of practice dresses. Even five practice dresses and your main wedding gown will be significantly less expensive than an off-the-rack gown.
Gifts of Services – You likely have friends who could provide many of the services you plan to pay for. If you are inviting those friends anyway, why not ask them to provide a service rather than buying you a gift. You can use friends such as photographers, DJs, caterers, etc.
Potluck Reception – One of the more radical ideas is one your friends and family are likely to appreciate the most: forget the formal reception at the fancy restaurant in favor of a potluck reception at a local church or park. People love potlucks. It is an opportunity for them to just relax and enjoy themselves. What’s more, you do not have to pay for the expensive open bar in order for your guests to have fun.
Off Season – The spring and summer months are the busiest ones for weddings. That also makes them the most expensive months as well. You can reduce your costs significantly by getting married in the “off-season” between late November and late February.
Right Perspective
The key to an inexpensive wedding is to keep everything in the proper perspective. Yes, your wedding will be once-in-a-lifetime event if all goes as planned. And yes, you do want it to be memorable. Nevertheless, it should be memorable for all the right reasons – because people had a wonderful time celebrating your wedding with you – not because of how much money you spent and how fancy you made it.
In the end, what people will remember 20 years from now are the shared experiences of your wedding day. They will remember the conversations, the jokes, and all the quirky little things that went wrong. They are not likely to remember the $100 per plate meal you provided.
There are many other ideas for an inexpensive wedding we could share with you. Too many, in fact, to list them all here. We would be happy to help you with the planning and organization phases of your wedding and reception. It is what we do best.