You’ll remember your wedding for the rest of your life. But with tasks ranging from finding the perfect wedding dress to choosing a caterer for the reception, the costs can add up. However, you can still have a memorable ceremony by planning your wedding carefully and knowing how to cut wedding costs.
Your bridal party will be a significant factor when determining your final wedding costs, especially if you don’t have a large budget. The following tips can help you reduce the overall cost of your wedding so it meets your requirements and remains unforgettable.
After reading this article, be sure to learn about affordable wedding locations to continue formulating the perfect wedding plan.
8 Ways To Cut Wedding Costs
Elope!
Eloping is one of the easiest ways to save money on your wedding. By skipping the traditional wedding experience and its associated costs, you can save thousands of dollars. Additionally, eloping offers other expense-related benefits, including:
- Cheaper venue options
- No invitation obligations
- No catering requirement
- The ability to celebrate on your own time later
- Fewer overall expenses
Keep your guest list small
Your bridal party has a large overhead and can quickly add up to an expensive wedding. Nearly every aspect of your ceremony depends on the number of attendees. Catering needs, venue size, wedding favors, and invitations can become costly if your wedding has many attendees.
Planning your wedding ceremony with only a handful of guests is a great way to keep costs down — however, this may exclude some people. An affordable way to ensure everyone who wants to attend your wedding can is to hold a video conference during the ceremony. That way, everyone can watch from anywhere in the world, and you won’t have to pay outrageous expenses.
Cut corners where possible
Your special day is about you and your partner. The extra expenses for optional items such as custom decorations or wedding favors can add up quickly. Cutting corners and finding more affordable alternatives, or skipping them altogether, helps reduce your wedding expenses significantly.
Additionally, finding low-cost alternatives to catering, hair, and makeup, and officiants will help you save money. You might know an ordained minister or someone who loves to cook and is willing to help for significantly less than a professional service. Ask your friends if they can lend their talents and abilities to make your wedding day special.
Stay organized to cut wedding costs
It’s wise to start saving for your wedding ahead of time. Adequately planning helps you get the most out of your money. Your future can be reason enough to reduce wedding expenses before the day arrives, and staying organized is an excellent way to know how to plan for these expenses.
Consider your upcoming wedding and post-wedding plans. If you plan to go on a honeymoon after your wedding, it can help to have a modest ceremony so you and your new spouse can spend more time alone together. Keeping a record of all wedding expenses will help you identify where you should spend less.
Rethink your invitations
Fancy wedding invitations are beautiful but usually unnecessary. Invitations with engravings, luxurious decorative elements, and high-quality ink can run you several hundred dollars. Making your own invitations takes a little time, but you can get a beautiful result for considerably less money.
With social media being such a prevalent aspect of modern life, it isn’t a bad idea to send Facebook invitations to your wedding guests instead of ornate physical cards. Digital wedding announcements not only promote your wedding but also give invitees an easy way to RSVP and add the event to their calendars.
Get a sheet cake
An elegant wedding cake is another costly, avoidable expense. While a towering cake may look good, the detail that goes into making it comes with a hefty price tag. Choosing a small cake and getting an additional sheet cake for guests can reduce your expense total.
Additionally, other options are available if you want the aesthetic a tiered cake brings but don’t have the budget for one. Buying a fake cake with a top layer of real cake will fool guests and help you avoid a significant catering bill.
Plan for hidden expenses
While most wedding expenses are apparent, hidden expenses can also contribute to the final cost. Knowing how to cut wedding costs may require research into your county’s marriage laws and ceremony requirements. Hidden fees to consider include:
- Wedding license fees
- Wedding commissioner expenses, including tax
- Venue insurance tax and fees
- Liquor license fees
- Attire changes
By planning for all fees, you reduce your chances of going into debt. Having a list of hidden expenses also makes it easier to cancel unnecessary services or readjust your budget.
Make unconventional choices
Many brides imagine a gorgeous summer wedding at a country club or extravagant hotel. While these dreams are attainable, they require a large budget, usually in the thousands of dollars. Avoiding traditional wedding plans is key to saving money — especially if you plan the wedding yourself.
A wedding in an unconventional location may have lower prices than a traditional venue. The wedding off-season from December to March is also prime time for a more affordable ceremony as there is less demand for wedding professionals and venues.
There are many low-cost alternatives to traditional wedding features. Between decorations, flowers, and even your wedding dress, you can easily take the road less traveled. Opting to wear a relative’s wedding dress or picking wildflowers for flower arrangements are excellent ways to save.
When you’re looking to have your dream wedding ceremony in Atlanta, GA, it doesn’t have to break the bank. When you know how to cut wedding costs, you can hold a wedding that is both affordable and meaningful. Take this article as a guide to cut your wedding costs and maintain a ceremony you’ll never forget.