Getting Married On A Budget: Best Ways To Save Money
Data from Bankrate put the average wedding at $30,000 in 2022, and it’s believed to be higher than this in 2023. This includes the cost of ceremonies and receptions, meaning you could pay the same for a wedding as you would to put a deposit down on a decent house.
Author:Paolo ReynaReviewer:James PierceNov 30, 202316.3K Shares308.5K Views
Do you know how much the average wedding costs?
Data from Bankrate put the average wedding at $30,000 in 2022, and it’s believed to be higher than this in 2023. This includes the cost of ceremonies and receptions, meaning you could pay the same for a wedding as you would to put a deposit down on a decent house.
While this is clearly the most special day of your life, sometimes it’s good to be a bit realistic. A large chunk of that thirty grand could be better spent elsewhere. As mentioned, it could help you buy your first home - or possibly go towards getting a new family car.
That’s why more and more couples are trying to get married on a budget. It’s not easy - the average price speaks for itself here - but there are ways to save money throughout the wedding planning process. If you’re keen to slash the costs of getting hitched while ensuring you have a special day, here are the best ways to save money:
Avoid Peak Wedding Season
Did you know there is a wedding season? This is when most people look to get married, usually because the weather is the nicest. Peak wedding season falls between the start of summer and the beginning of all. Couples want to get married between May and October because the weather will be sunny or you might just catch a glimpse of the gorgeous golden fall leaves.
On the one hand, you should have nicer backgrounds in your wedding photos and don’t have to worry as much about bad weather conditions. On the other hand, you’ll pay an extortionate amount for your wedding celebrations. Venues charge high prices during the peak season because there’s so much demand for weddings.
Therefore, you will save money by avoiding this season. Get married any time outside of the wedding season and venues suddenly offer much lower rates. Seriously, you could save thousands of dollars by doing this one trick alone! Instead of a summer wedding, why don’t you get married on Valentine’s Day? It’s in the off-peak part of the year yet still holds romantic significance.
Oh and one other thing - weekdays are cheaper than weekends for obvious reasons. This means the cheapest time to get married is outside the wedding season on a weekday.
Keep Things Small
Downsize everything at your wedding and it becomes far more affordable. We’ll begin with the guest list - how many people need to attend your wedding? You’d love to invite hundreds of people to share the special moment, but the costs add up.
Research from The Knotdemonstrates that couples who invited 50 or fewer guest spent around $14,400 on their wedding. That’s already way below the average, and it’s ten grand less than couples who invited between 51 and 100 guests. These weddings cost around $24,600 while weddings with over 100 guests cost closer to $40,000.
It’s not rocket science; the more people you invite, the more you need to spend on virtually everything. You’ll need a bigger venue, you’ll need more food, you’ll need more wedding favors, etc.
Save a fortune by keeping your wedding small. Only invite close friends or family so you can have your wedding in a small and intimate setting. While you’re at it, get a smaller wedding cake made! Massive cakes look cool but almost always end up wasted. You’re throwing money away, so make a cake that’s big enough for every guest to have a slice, and that’s it. You can still have a really nice wedding cake without it being ten tiers tall.
Find Affordable Entertainment
If you want to save as much money as possible, create your own wedding playlist and play it through some speakers. Granted, this makes the whole day lose a bit of its sparkle, but there is still another simple way of saving money.
Live bands are brilliant, but they’re also super expensive. They come with a lot of equipment and charge very high rates for weddings. Save money by using a DJ hire company like Fizz and Grooveinstead. Pay a flat rate for a DJ to attend your wedding and mix loads of fun songs for you. It can provide better entertainment as they’re more likely to take requests so your guests can play classic songs or tunes that mean a lot to you.
Ultimately, people make a wedding entertaining. You don’t need to spend a fortune on a live band or find a venue with a stage. Hiring a DJ can save hundreds of dollars yet still provide a brilliant experience for everyone.
Be Thrifty With Your Clothes
You want to look your best on this special day, but should you spend a fortune for less than 24 hours of use? You’re never going to wear a wedding gown or wedding suit again, so think of ways to be thrifty when finding your outfit.
Consider renting your clothes instead of purchasing them or finding pre-owned items. Check online for the latest sales and try to get a discount on everything. If you’re super lucky, see if your mother still has her wedding dress. It might fit, and you get a lovely dress for free. This could then be passed down to any daughter you have in the future, making it the start of a stunning tradition.
Try to avoid paying full price for wedding attire as it is so unnecessarily expensive. Look to use smaller brands as well and support local designers. This at least means you’re helping out the little guys instead of spending a fortune on designer brands.
If you took an even deeper dive into wedding costs, you’d uncover a multitude of ways to save even more money. But if you’re looking for the best ways to make the biggest savings, it’s in these four areas. Get married outside of peak times, keep your wedding small, avoid spending loads of money on live bands, and be thrifty when purchasing your wedding outfit. This will help you slash the cost of your wedding down from the average of $30,000 and possibly under ten grand.
Paolo Reyna
Author
James Pierce
Reviewer
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