Ways To Save Cash On Your Wedding
To have a champagne wedding on a Budweiser budget, you'll need to be creative, innovative and be ready to make some tough choices.
Manage those three characteristics and chances are you can pull off a great wedding, and keep more cash in your pocket.
Start that process with these tips:
Avoid Saturdays
Wedding reception costs rise on the weekend - especially Saturday. But if you switch the date to Friday, you can save up to 30% off your total venue cost. And, if you switch to a Friday offseason - say in March or November - you'll save even more cash.
Invite fewer people
Just shaving 10 people off your guest list can save you on wedding costs, as well. With the average per-guest reception cost about $71, that would save you $710 by reducing your headcount by 10 people.
Check for hourly rates
Do you really need a photographer on hand for eight or 10 hours? The same goes for a florist or videographer, as well. Instead, ask wedding service professionals for hourly rates, instead of day rates or flat fees, and don't stop asking until you find a good one who'll work with your hourly based budget. This tactic works especially well with off-season weddings, or weddings that aren't on Saturday, when demand for professional wedding services is much higher.
Get creative about wedding reception dining
With a per-head price of $71 for reception dining, forego the traditional three or four course sit-down dinners and ask about buffets or "station" meals, where a particular dining option, like pasta, potatoes, roast beef, or even cheesesteaks are laid out in stations at the reservation venue. Build a meal out of stations, or a buffet, and save up to 25% or more on wedding dining costs.
Have the ceremony and reception at the same venue
Increasingly, traditional wedding reception venues like country clubs and fine dining spots are also open to hosting the wedding ceremony. Bundling the two together can save on paying separately for a wedding ceremony spot and a reception venue. In all likelihood, you can negotiate a better price by having both at the same place and can possibly get a smaller fee for the ceremony if you stay on for the reception at the same venue.
Get Smart About Wedding Costs
Wedding planning is pressure-packed enough without having to shoulder the burden of a $30,000 wedding.
The fact is, you really don't have to dig so deep for a decent wedding experience, and the money saved can be put to better use, like for a lavish honeymoon, a down payment on your dream house or saving for junior's college education.
And you'll still have the memories of a great wedding in the process.
Go Figure
Some insurance companies now offer wedding insurance, just in case the caterer decides to file for bankruptcy and go out of business two days before the event, or somebody steals all the wedding gifts. You even can buy insurance that pays you if it rains or snows on the day of the wedding. Check with your insurance agent for an example of what's available.
We think everyone should save money whenever possible. Money saved really is money earned, especially when it's well invested.
If you're paying for or contributing to your child's wedding, remember that your donation buys you some say in how the money is spent. If she wants to hire limousines to transport herself, the groom, and the wedding party from the ceremony to the reception, and you think that some nice cars driven by special wedding guests will do just fine, be sure to make your opinion known.
If you're paying the costs outright, you can simply refuse to shell out for limos, despite the fact that your daughter is likely to be upset with you. Or you can offer to give her a lump sum that she can use however she wishes. Do point out, however, that if she hires limos and drivers, she'll need to cut back in another area.
Let's take a few minutes to think of some creative ways to reduce the cost of a wedding. We understand that you want your child's wedding to be beautiful and meaningful, and something from which she'll have wonderful memories for the rest of her life. If you can help her understand that bigger is not always better, and that less sometimes is more, you'll be ahead in the paying-for-the-wedding game.
Cut back on clothing costs. Your daughter will look as beautiful in a $500 dress as she will in one that cost $3,000.
Buy only a small, decorated wedding cake. This is the cake the bride and groom will cut and have their photos taken along side of. It will also feed the wedding party. The rest of the guests can eat slices of cake cut from large, plain cakes. They'll never know the difference.
Consider the timing of the wedding. Wedding caterers—the good ones at least—are booked a year or more in advance for Saturdays in June, and often charge more for their services during these busy times. The same caterers in November, however, may be looking for business and willing to give you a break on their costs.
Watch the alcohol. Wedding receptions traditionally are festive affairs, complete with cocktails, wine, and champagne toasts. Unfortunately, all this festivity comes at a high price. Be prepared to pay more for booze than you will for food at a wedding reception. If you can, supply the alcohol yourself. Many places do not permit you to do that because they make a lot of money on liquor. If you're having the reception outdoors, at your home, or in another private location, however, you probably will be able to supply your own refreshments. If not, consider limiting alcohol to a variety of beers and wines, and skip the champagne toast.
There are many ways in which you can reduce the cost of a wedding and still have a lovely, classy event that will impress your guests and create wonderful memories for your son or daughter.
Avoiding Temptation
We understand that your baby's wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event (hopefully), and that you want it to be perfect. We can't stress, however, how important it is to be realistic about how much you can afford to spend to make those dreams come true.
Some families have no problem putting out $20,000 or $25,000 for a wedding. Most of us, however, have to do some serious thinking and planning before we hand over that kind of money.
If you're going to be paying for, or contributing to the wedding costs, set a limit on what you're able to spend and stick to that amount. Do not yield to the temptation to add a first course to the wedding dinner, even if your best friend did for her daughter's wedding.
With careful planning and some well-placed restraint, you can help to give your son or daughter a great wedding. Don't, however, put your future in jeopardy to do so.
