With the popularity of wedding-based reality shows like “Say Yes to the Dress” and “Four Weddings” on the rise, people’s expectations for their own wedding can become a little warped. How many of us have tens of thousands to spend on our own wedding? Or in the case of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, tens of millions? Is spending that much really what it takes to have your dream wedding?
There are plenty of ways to cut costs on a wedding without having to sacrifice the comfort and enjoyment of your guests. Here are some tips to help make your dream wedding possible while being budget conscious!
• One of the biggest money drainers in the wedding world are venues. Here’s where your connections will come in handy. A good place to start is with any friends who may have suitable backyards. Or even ask their parents. If you do have to rent a space, sometimes the difference between indoors and outdoors are negligible. You should have an air conditioned or heated tent for outdoor weddings, as well as outdoor restroom facilities for your guests. These costs can easily match the cost of a venue rental.
• With rentals there are always cheaper options. You can rent linen for $150 per table or you can rent linen for less than $20 per table. Chairs vary in price and type from rental company to rental company; there are choices for $75 per chair or under $4, it depends on the bride’s choice.
• Give your guest list some real thought. Of course, cutting people is a tough decision. When you’re planning a wedding you want to invite everyone as does your mom and his/her mom. The average cost per guest for a wedding is $150-$200 per person. When you consider that cost, I believe cutting the guest list becomes a bit easier.”
• Food is one of the biggest things someone remembers from a wedding, so the catering is tough to skimp on. One trendy way people are feeding guests nowadays is by hiring food trucks. Typically, they run about half the cost of a caterer, but the sheer variety of trucks and the diverse cuisine they offer means you won’t be skimping on the deliciousness.
• If you’re not careful, hiring a photographer can shatter your budget. An easy way to save on capturing the memories on your big day is by asking a friend with a nice camera to take photographs. Cellphone cameras have come a long way too, so as everyone takes photos throughout the evening, be sure to ask them to email them to you or set up a Dropbox online where they can all be stored.
• Try to be reasonable when considering the things you want for your wedding. You can splurge (within reason) on one or two things. Save where you can on other items. For the most part wedding favors are a waste of money. Think about how many wedding favors you’ve actually kept and enjoyed using, if you’re like me, you’d probably say none.
• Pick in season flowers, out of season flowers are very expensive and unnecessary!
• When considering your linen, rent a nice napkin, your guests touch their napkins all night, they will have a better experience with nice napkins. Then you can spend a little less on table linen.
• With other rentals, like chairs, tables, chargers and other décor, weigh your options and pick the best items for your overall theme. If you polled most wedding guests they would say the wedding was great if the food and DJ/band are great.
Not everything is essential. In the end, it’s about the two of you celebrating and sharing the love you have for each other with your family and friends!
