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An inexpensive wedding does not mean that you need to sacrifice all of your dreams. You can have a budget wedding while still including the things that mean the most to you. Read on to learn how to plan a cheap wedding.
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An inexpensive wedding does not mean that you need to sacrifice all of your dreams. You can have a budget wedding while still including the things that mean the most to you. Read on to learn how to plan a cheap wedding.
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Introduction
- Whether you're looking to save money as a matter of principle, trying to save so you can buy a house sooner, or just have very little money to spend, it's possible to have a lovely wedding for less than the national average of $20,398. You need to determine how much you have to spend, decide what's most important to you, and allocate your available funds accordingly.
Step 1: Create a Wedding Budget
- If you and your fiancé are financing the wedding yourself, this will be the first major financial discussion of your married lives. If the bride or groom's parents are contributing, they need to be clear on how much they can afford, and then the couple needs to decide if they can contribute anything additional. While discussing dollars and cents may seem crass when planning such a romantic event, it's important to understand how much money is available up front so you can allocate it to the items that are most important to you.
Step 2: Think About Your Wedding Priorities
- A wedding is a very personal event. No two brides, and no two grooms, have the same values. For some, the venue might be critical, for others it might be the music, or the ability to have a formal sit down meal. Brainstorm with your partner all the things you'd like to include in your special day, and then rank them in order of importance. You can then take the budget you came up with in step 1, and allocate the money to the most important items.
Conclusion
- Your wedding should be a reflection of who who are as a couple, and what's important to you. Working through the trade-offs involved in planning a wedding with limited finances will help you define what is essential, and will ultimately add to, rather than detract from, the specialness of your day.
Step 3: Frugal Wedding Tips
- To make your budget stretch farther, you'll need to be creative. These tips will help you save money on your wedding.
- Consider having your wedding and reception in the same venue. This may not be practical if you are having a religious service, but will save you the costs associated with the religious location, as well as the costs to decorate two locations, and the costs of transporting the wedding party from one location to another.
- If another wedding is occurring at the church or synagogue on the same day, considering contacting the other bride to coordinate on flowers, runners, and the like, so that he decorations can be used for both ceremonies.
- Plan your wedding during December. Churches are already decorated for Christmas, and reception costs are usually lower during the "off season".
- Consider an outdoor wedding. Although you'll need to rent a tent, tables, chairs, and a dance floor, you'll save on decorations, and alcohol. You can purchase your own liquor, and hire students to bartend.
- If you want a large wedding, consider limiting food to appetizers, and having a cash bar. If you're set on a sit down formal meal, consider limiting the guest list.
- Limit the number of attendants. This will save on the costs of the rehearsal dinner, flowers, gifts, and limousines.
- Using a sentimental dress worn by your mother, grandmother or sister and having it altered is cheaper than buying a new gown.
- Print your own invitations on high quality paper, and include an email address for an RSVP, rather than stamped self addressed envelopes.
- Call local music schools to hire a student band. The music will probably be as good or better than professionals, at a lower cost.
- Select seasonal flowers.
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