Budgeting is vital in many aspects of life, but it is especially important when organizing a wedding.
I frequently remark that the best locations to seek for savings on recurring costs are accommodation, transportation, and food. This is because they are typically where you spend the most money, giving you the most room to make significant savings.
Weddings rank first among one-time costs. The typical wedding in the United States costs more than $35,000 (according to The Knot data from 2016). Yes, the typical wedding costs more than most new vehicles!
Do you know how much $35,000 would be worth after 40 years of investing (at a 7% annual growth rate)?
I do*.
$489,819!
That is why there is a great opportunity to arrange your wedding on a budget. And with your newly discovered savings, you may invest them and watch them increase over time!
*ha. Got it? Weddings… Anyway, read on to get some great wedding planning suggestions.
Congratulations, you’re engaged! While the media portrays wedding preparation as stressful, demanding, and expensive, it does not have to be. This article will provide you with the greatest suggestions and methods for arranging a wedding on a budget that you can afford–all without stress and overload!
There are more resources than ever before to help you organize your wedding. There are so many books, websites, and applications to explore that you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge and unclear where to begin. This is before you even consider the unwanted wedding advise from relatives and friends! How can you navigate the plethora of wedding information to get the finest stress-free wedding preparation tips?
To get started on your wedding planning adventure, simply follow the list of guidelines below. This easy 6-step plan will help you get from engagement to altar in a clear and orderly manner while staying within your budget!
Wedding Planning: Getting Started
First and foremost, you will want to get yourself organized. This is probably the first time you’ve planned such a large event, so having a handy wedding planning guide book is essential for completing everything on the to-do list. Pick yourself a decent wedding planner book to keep you on track.
The finest wedding planners and organizers usually include a wedding planning timetable and checklist, a list of chores to be performed, and questions to ask providers. This is especially significant because they frequently include a job list that you must complete month-by-month during your engagement. Knowing what you need to accomplish and when is half the fight when it comes to devising a strategy!
Look select a book with ample place for you to take notes, complete out worksheets, or record your discoveries. If you can’t find anything in your favorite bookshop, consider making your own. You can simply make your own DIY wedding planning binder out of a 3-ring binder, which you can add to throughout the process. There are several wonderful printable wedding planning templates available online that you can download and use for free!
The most essential thing is to discover a system that works for you. Your wedding organizer should be a spot where you can put all of the information related to your wedding planning for simple and quick access.
Define Your Wedding Vision.
After you’ve established your wedding organizational system, it’s time to decide what style of wedding you want. Sit down with your spouse and talk about the who, where, when, why, and how of weddings.
Who: Talk about prospective guest lists and try to estimate the amount of individuals you’d want to attend.
What: Discuss the style of wedding you wish to have. Formal or casual? Rustic or modern?
Where: Discuss the appropriate place for your wedding. Would it be in your hometown or a vacation wedding? Or perhaps you’d like to marry at a location that holds special value for you.Do you prefer indoor or outdoor events?
When: Consider what time of year would be best for you to be married. Have you got a favorite season? Do you have a specific date in mind for your wedding?
Why: Ask each other why throwing a wedding is essential to them. Why are you making the effort to prepare a wedding celebration?
How: Discuss how you want to feel on your wedding day. Excited and excited about a massive, noisy dancing party? Or be nostalgic and romantic with a quiet and small dinner party?
And finally, how are we going to pay for this thing?!
Calculate a realistic wedding budget with a wedding planner.
Setting a wedding budget before you start actively planning is essential if you want to have a wedding that you can afford. Though big media publications may show alleged average wedding prices throughout the country, don’t allow those figures affect you.
It is critical to establish an adequate wedding budget based on your own financial position. Focus on determining the amount that seems most comfortable, realistic, and attainable for you and your spouse, so you can plan a wedding that is true to who you are and what you value as a couple.
Consider all of the people who may be contributing, as well as how much you can save to add to the wedding fund during your engagement. Include whatever personal savings you’re prepared to contribute to the cause. This should provide you with a solid basis for your entire wedding budget as you begin to gather quotations and make arrangements for the big day. If anything, you should set a limit that you will not exceed under any circumstances.
If your final number does not match the sort of wedding you want, you may need to explore a longer engagement to save money. It’s all about figuring out what is most important to you and your spouse, which leads to the following point.
Determine your wedding priorities.
Once you’ve established a reasonable budget, one excellent strategy to plan how to use those monies is to define your top goals for the event. Consider what is most important to you and your spouse, and allocate your budget appropriately.
Essentially, you’re more likely to spend more of your budget on the things that are most important to you, and less on the things you consider less important. When listing your priorities, you should also consider the visitor experience. While you may desire your ideal designer wedding dress, it is a better idea to spend those cash on something that would benefit your guests, such as a comfortable and entertaining setting.
If you and your spouse enjoy food but dislike cake, you may splurge on catering from one of your favorite restaurants and offer Krispy Kreme doughnuts instead of a tiered wedding cake. Alternatively, if you’re the kind to party all night, you may spend a substantial percentage of your spending on wedding entertainment rather than floral design.
Each couple’s priorities are unique, so consult with your spouse. An simple method to accomplish this is to choose your top three priorities and then compare them. Budgeting for your wedding is an excellent first step toward marital compromise! Determine where you overlap and be prepared to negotiate a budget division that meets both parties’ needs.
Book the big things first.
Typically, you would reserve the highest-priority things first, such as your wedding location and photographer. Other popular early bookings include entertainment and food. Each of these tasks adds to the overall experience of the day, thus they should be prioritized on the to-do list.
It is also true that high-quality merchants prefer to book up far in advance. Book your top vendors early in the wedding planning process to avoid disappointment and grief.Knowing you’ve secured your top options ahead of time will offer you peace of mind and allow you to work on the lower priority things at a more relaxed pace.
Taking care of your larger investments first can allow you to be creative, conduct DIY projects, or look for alternatives to keep the remainder of your purchases on track and within budget.
Get Creative to Reduce Costs.
One fantastic method to save money on your wedding is to perform some DIY (do-it-yourself) crafts. Whether you go full Martha Stewart and DIY your wedding flowers or simply create your own reception playlist, doing these activities yourself will lessen the amount of specialists you need to employ and pay for.
There are several methods to save money on your wedding besides DIY. Even if you’re not the crafty kind, there are numerous money-saving wedding hacks to take advantage of, such as purchasing in-season flowers for your bouquets and centerpieces.
Another fantastic strategy to save money on wedding receptions is to restrict your bar options to wine and beer rather than having a complete open bar. Finding a location that allows BYOB is also beneficial to the budget since it gives you greater control over the pricing, quality, and quantity of your beverages.
Other inventive cost-cutting options include renting items for your wedding rather than purchasing new. There is also a rising trend of brides buying old wedding gowns online from previous brides at a savings of more than 50%!
Whatever your objectives or budget, these minor swaps and alternatives can help you save money. The good news is that these low-priority tasks aren’t as essential to you, therefore they’re certainly not worth worrying about!
Fail to plan, or plan to fail.
Finally, having a well-thought-out wedding preparation strategy is the greatest approach to avoid wedding stress. Get organized, have a plan, and stick to it. This plan works if you follow it! Happy wedding planning!
