Planning a wedding this year? Well then, 2017 is sure to be an exciting time! While preparing for a wedding can be a joyous time, it can also bring about some stress as there are many decisions to make and steps to take before you make it to the big day.
Planning a wedding can also be financially-overwhelming, as the cost of every personalized detail you choose can quickly add up. With that being said, if you are getting married in 2017, here are 4 ways to tie the knot – without breaking the bank.
1) Plan, Prioritize & Budget
Fortunately, with some additional planning and thoughtfulness, there are ways you can save money on a wedding. First and foremost, it is a good idea to sit down with your partner and list your top wedding priorities. This part of the process can help you identify which aspects of your wedding may be the most important to both you.
This can then help you narrow down which wedding expenses you may exclude from your wedding and/or plan to devote less money to as these areas may be the ones that are most important. You will then also want to research the costs associated with these types of wedding details.
Furthermore, this gives you more insight into how much money you will need to save towards your wedding. At this point you also want to take a closer look at your finances and what you can realistically afford. Remember throughout this planning process, you will want to stick to a budget in order to help you to avoid significantly exceeding your financial means.
2) Curtail the Guest List
While this may prove to be a challenging task, if you do want to lessen your overall wedding costs, then limiting your guest list may be a good way to do it. The more people you invite the higher the food, the drinks, and the overall reception costs will be. Since many wedding caterers or reception halls will charge a fixed amount for example for 100 guest, they might then charge per person for any guests over this amount.
Therefore, if you can narrow down your guest list, this can certainly help to lower these costs, as inviting a 100 guests versus 150 can make a big difference. In the end, a good rule of thumb to help you curtail your guest list, is to think about not inviting more people than you anticipate actually being able to spend a minute of time talking with on your wedding.
3) Take on a Do it Yourself Approach
While there may be many instances where it is better to have someone else provide certain services and other wedding aspects, there will however be areas where you can save money by doing some of them yourself. Do-it-yourself (DIY) projects have become very popular over the years, and with so many ideas floating around on sites like Pinterest, for example, for those planning a wedding they can also participate in this process in this way.
Some of the DIY projects that relate to weddings can include, invitations, decorations, and even flowers. Taking on this part of the wedding – with the help of family and friends can lessen the expense you might otherwise see if you left this up to the wedding/reception hall organizers themselves. Not only does this allow you to personalize your wedding, it ultimately can help you to save some additional money towards your special day.
4) Reduce Wedding Attire Costs
Another method of reducing your wedding costs can include taking into account where you can save on wedding attire expenses. Of course, the wedding dress is likely to be the big wedding wardrobe purchase, however from tuxes to shoes and other accessories, these costs also have the potential to blow up your wedding budget. On the other hand however, there are various ways you can lower these costs and stick to your budget.
Back to the gown – there are various opportunities where you can buy a wedding dress for less. Some of these may include discounted wedding attire locations, as well as purchasing a dress online from sites such as eBay. Additionally, if you are opting for a more casual wedding then a non-traditional wedding gown may also be a suitable option for you. From the tuxedo angle, perhaps a set of nice suits will also do the job and save you some big dollars. Moreover, the bridesmaids and groomsmen are also likely to thank you for this choice as well.
In the end, if you can do with lowering the amount of money you spend towards these areas, you can perhaps then afford to spend a bit more for the other aspects of your wedding that may be more pricey overall. While these parts of the wedding may help you save, there many be others that make sense to you as a couple that you will also want to look into.
Again, looking back at the first point, you and your partner will want to prioritize the wedding features that are most important and affordable for you. Alternatively, some other areas where you could look at saving money can also include, the music, the wedding location – and yes, even the alcohol.
If you are at all worried about accumulating too much debt and starting your married life off with the possibility of bad credit, then taking some extra time and considering ways you can save on your wedding, well the better chance you will have to save more money.
When all is said and done, you want to enjoy your wedding day, with the weight of financial concerns far, far from your mind.
