3 strategies to save $$$ while creating your wedding budget | With this Ring...
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By Amanda Allsbrook of Magnificent Moments Weddings
When planning your wedding, there are so many categories to consider that the fun can quickly become overwhelming! A wedding planner can help you at any point in your process to determine where you should spend those budget dollars in a way that will reflect the wedding you always imagined. Keep in mind the number of guests you plan to have will greatly affect your overall budget. But there are some tradeoffs you can make to help make your wedding a better reflection of you and your couple style.
Let’s talk about the top 3 budget busters and how you can save. The budget considerations are all very intertwined and related to each other!
Venue and Catering
These two items oftentimes are grouped together, and for good reason. You decide on a space to rent and they have a caterer you must use. The venue and catering for your guests are THE most expensive part of a wedding, after all this is where the wedding will be held and what everyone will eat. The more guests you have, the more the food costs. If you keep the cost around $100 per person, including beer and wine, you are doing very well! If you want to have a signature cocktail or an open bar, add even more per person. So just think about that for a minute. If you have $100 per person and you have 100 people, that is $10,000 right there just in food and drinks. That is a lot of money that adds up very quickly!
The tradeoffs for the venue and catering are very difficult, but if you think outside of the box they can be done! Let’s say you are more of a laid-back couple. You could have a smaller backyard wedding at your house, saving you the cost of the venue. You could also have it catered, but just have heavy appetizers for dinner. The time of the wedding is going to be an important factor in determining your reception costs. If you have a reception in the afternoon, you could serve light refreshments instead of a full course dinner. The biggest thing to think of when it comes to your venue and catering is that it is a reflection of you as a couple, whether that be rustic, traditional, modern, or any other adjective that describes your style. Then try to think about a guest’s perspective and the things you like from any weddings you have attended. Try to make your guests feel welcome for coming to celebrate this momentous occasion with you.
Flowers
Flowers are the next biggest expense on most wedding budgets. On average, a bouquet for the bride is $150 and for the bridesmaids, $100. If you have 8 bridesmaids and groomsmen, your Mom, his Mom, and you, your budget for flowers is already over $1000 and you haven’t even discussed centerpieces yet! An average wedding floral budget is around $7000 for flowers, not including any unique flowers.
You can save some more money in the flower department by thinking about different table centerpieces and ways to accent your wedding décor. You can use greenery, which can go a long way in making a statement! You can utilize vases with water and floating candles to add more dimension to your wedding day. You need to really think about the types of flowers you want in your wedding. Maybe you really love orchids. Instead of having them everywhere, just have them stand out in a beautiful way in your bouquet only. If you are not concerned with amazing floral arrangements, your money may be better spent on something that is uniquely you or your amazing venue, such as a food truck or a portrait artist.
Décor/Extras
The next largest expenditure for a typical wedding is the extra “stuff” to make the wedding all your own. Every couple wants to tell their story and really show off their couple style. This is a great thing! Maybe you are really into a certain type of food, like cheeseburgers and love a local food truck. Hiring that local food truck is a way to make your wedding day unforgettable to your guests.
This category ties directly into your venue. You can spend less money overall if your venue is a reflection of the couple style you already have. For example, if you are not into water (beach, lake, etc.), having a venue at a yacht club where their décor is all about boats is going to cost a lot of money to pull away from that theme. You can save some on the flowers and go all out for a huge photo booth or a real life artist to have guests up and mingling. The options to reflect your style are endless, just keep your budget in mind.
Your wedding day should be a great experience for you and your guests! The best way to make that happen is to keep true to yourself and your couple style and remember to have a great time. Cheers!
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