Take the stress out of planning your wedding by starting out with a budget. A wedding doesn’t have to be expensive to provide a wonderful experience. By doing some of the leg work now you can still have your dream wedding at a fraction of the cost. Enlist the help of your family and friends to source the venue, pick the invitations and help take care of the many details. Saving money now will put less stress on your finances so that you and your future spouse have more money to spend on things to start your lives together. Here are a just a few suggestions on how to cuts costs and still have a beautiful wedding.
1. Set a Budget: The first step to keeping your wedding spending under control is to create budget. Decide how much you can spend and don’t overspend, not even for the delightful themed extras. A few dollars here and there can add up over time.
2. Prioritize Spending: There are some things that might be more important to you and your finance than others. Prioritize to spend more on things that truly matter to you and cut costs on things that aren’t as important. This will also help you stick to your budget and not spend impulsively. You will appreciate the extra money you save when it comes time to buying your first home or taking a holiday together as a couple.
3. Keep It Simple: One way to save money and your sanity is to simplify your wedding. Sometimes less really is more. Do you really need every one of those five-course dinners to enjoy your special day? Survey your friends and ask them what they would have done without on their wedding day and you may just save yourself some money.
4. Give Yourself Time: By giving yourself plenty of time to plan, you won’t feel rushed at the last minute and forced into using services and products that are more expensive. By having more time you’ll be able to shop around for the best deals, and not get stuck with what’s available at the last minute. Plus, if you have a credit card that accumulates air miles you’ll have time to use this card so you can use the rewards to reduce your honeymoon travel costs.
5. Let Bridesmaids Wear Their Own Dresses: No one likes getting stuck with an expensive dress they’ll never wear again. And nobody wears their bridesmaid dress a second time except maybe as a Halloween costume. If you allow your bridesmaids wear their own dresses they’ll save money, and you’ll know that they’ll be comfortable wearing a dress they picked out. They will be happy. You will be happy. It is a win-win. You can pick a certain color to coordinate them all, or help them look more similar by purchasing matching wraps to go with the dresses. Check out J. Crew’s bridesmaid dresses for some ideas.
