It’s not easy planning for a wedding when you’re on a shoestring budget. It’s even more challenging when the price tags say otherwise. DO not allow yourself to get stressed as you planned your wedding. Start with the simplest means of saving money and work your way up. A few known tricks will make the process much easier and give you a memorable wedding experience.
These simple cost-cutting measures will ensure you have the best meals, alcohol, and favorite wedding dress without having to sacrifice much. Let’s start planning your wedding and save you some money, shall we?
- Elope with your partner
Not that we would want you to consider this, but it’s also an option and probably the easiest way to cut costs. This begins with you not having a wedding at all which has its negatives. One being, you won’t have memories with friends, family, and coworkers. Your parents won’t get to walk you down the aisle. You also won’t get to dance at the reception. Also, your family and friends might get really mad at you for making this decision, but it will save you a lot of money. Once you elope with your partner you can spend the money on a honeymoon and focus solely on each other.
- Buy an affordable ring
You don’t have to buy an expensive ring if you don’t have the money. It also shouldn’t stop you from getting married to your partner. Rather than spend on precious metals such as diamonds, opt for options such as plain rings or silver wedding rings. They are cheaper than diamond rings. It also doesn’t mean that buying an affordable/cheap ring won’t make you happy, on the contrary, it’s the vows and meaning attached behind the wedding rings you exchange that count. The wedding rings Dublin website is a good starting point.
- Ask for help/favors
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or favors from family and friends. If you have friends that have skills that would be of help, reach out. They may be willing to provide these services to you for free or at a cheaper cost. You may have a friend that knows how to sing, be an MC, or a DJ. Ask them. Even better, someone from your family may be talented when it comes to baking, contract them to bake your wedding cake and they could give you this offer at a discount.
- Cut the cake early
A trick that most people don’t know is that cutting the cake early saves a lot of money. How? When you cut the cake early the photographer also takes photos early and even the videographer allowing them to wrap up their work and charge you less money. If you take your time, it allows them to hang around doing nothing and end up charging you for an extra hour or two which shouldn’t have been the case.
- Don’t be traditional
Initially, most people start with the more traditional setup of how a wedding should be when they’re planning. However along, the way, they discover that sometimes all this costs too much and may even be unnecessary. Don’t fear to let go of certain traditions and try out new ones. For example, instead of renting a huge place around town, ask if you can use your friend or neighbor’s backyard or the beach. This will save you thousands of dollars while still being able to give you the perfect wedding.
- Reduce the invitations
Did you know that a lot of money goes into designing invitations? All the custom calligraphy and gold engravings are way too costly especially if they are many. Instead, check out already made invitations on Etsy that are affordable. Once you find a design you love, personalize it with your names and wedding information and have them printed out for $50 or $100. You may even make your invitations with the help of a friend or two then find someone good with calligraphy to do some touch-ups.
- Invite fewer people
It’s not a lie that inviting fewer guests saves money at any function, most of all weddings. It’s a tough decision to make because you’ll probably hurt some people’s feelings in the process however it needs to be done if you’re to save money. Trimming your wedding guest list from 100 to 50 people might save you around $5,000. Ensure to tell the guests that plus one’s won’t be allowed it, if the invitation says one guest only, that’s it.
- Consider crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing has for long been used as a means to pull in more money for couples that want to save money. You may be able to get some good money from family and friends. Contributions can be made in form of cash or directly pay towards what’s needed i.e. tents, food, the wedding cake, DJ, and the likes. With this cost-cutting measure, you won’t have to use all the money in your pocket as everything has already been take care of.
- Leave out the wedding planner
Wedding planners help coordinate work for you before and during the wedding. They can save you a lot of time but a hefty cost. Their coordinating services cost between $1,500 and $3,000 or less. However, if you take on the role yourself, you may even do a better job. Your family and friends can also help you with a few tasks if you ask.
- Start saving early
Start saving early a few months before your wedding. Cut back on the lunches, breakfast, and shopping. That way you can begin to stash your savings that will be helpful. Come up with a strategy and save say $800 per month and you’ll be grateful. Even if it’s as easy as cutting out $10 per weekday, it makes a huge difference.
Last words……….
These simple cost-cutting measures have been proven to save lots of money for couples planning to have a wedding. They are all about making up your mind and even steering them away from the norm. So, buy affordable wedding rings, cut back on invitations, invite fewer people, and, consider crowdsourcing. It will save you a lot of money.
