If you and your soon-to-be spouse are looking forward to having a wedding, that’s great news! Choosing to be together and start a family is one of the most beautiful decisions you’ll ever make as a couple. However, preparing for this one-in-a-lifetime event can entail a lot of planning, especially when it comes to the financial costs involved. This is why you should learn the best ways to cut wedding costs.
Although having a wedding can be expensive, you can choose to not break the bank. At the time my partner and I were preparing to get married, we decided we weren’t going to allow the cost of the wedding to pull down our finances. So what did we do? We wrote down over a dozen ways to have a cheaper wedding, and they all worked!
Thankfully, you are about to learn these same tips and strategies that helped me to get married on a budget years ago. Let’s check them out!
24 Ways To Cut Wedding Costs Without Looking Cheap
If you spend your entire savings to host a wedding, what would you fall back on when it’s time to start a family or cover major household costs? You have to be smart by learning brilliant ways to cut wedding costs. Here are some tips to help you:
1. Skip The Unnecessary Florals
Cutting out unnecessary stuff during your wedding is one way to reduce costs. Begin with the floral design. As long as you aren’t planning a lavish wedding, you don’t need all that flamboyant floral arrangement and greenery on your welcome table.
Although these nice touches can make your wedding more colorful, you don’t need to include them in your budget. It’s funny how your guests may not even remember the details. So, why bother?
2. Pass On The Drone
This is one of the ways to cut your wedding costs.
You don’t need to be obs#ssed with having aerial shots. Besides, have you thought about the location you’re getting married in? Are drones allowed to fly in the environment?
Ponder on these questions before spending a ton of money to hire a drone. If you are bent on having a simple set-up, you’ll realize you don’t even need it.
3. Skip The Raw Footage
While planning on how to make your wedding incredibly romantic, you may want to get raw footage from your videographer. But bear in mind that this would attract additional costs. So here’s the thing—it’s best you just ditch the idea.
You may want the raw footage hoping to find hidden gems and fun moments, but don’t forget that a good videographer will pull out the best parts of the shoot to use for the final edit. So if your wedding budget is tight, there’s no harm in skipping this little detail.
4. Check Steak Alternatives On The Menu
It’s important to think outside the box when you’re being presented with pricer items on the dinner menu. Most couples would want to have a steak on the menu. But if you’re willing to save costs, you should consider other cuts of beef.
For example, flank steak is a much cheaper option you might be interested in. You can also include proteins such as chicken, pork, or quail on your menu. If prepared correctly, they can be quite elegant on the plate.
5. Use The Standard Invitation Size
This is another little way to keep costs down when planning your wedding ceremony.
Instead of choosing a square or a weird shape, go with 5×7, which is the standard invitation size. Doing this will help you save on the postage used to mail your invites.
If you aren’t comfortable with this idea, another option is to use a save-the-date postcard. This doesn’t require expensive postage as well.
6. Consider Vintage Items
Yes, you want your special day to look all “fancy” and glamorous. But one of the ways to cut wedding costs is to shop in your own home and ask families and friends for some décor items. By borrowing vintage items from family members, you’ll save a bit of money.
There’s no shame in wearing your mother’s veil or your grandmother’s earrings. Truth be told, these vintage touches can make your wedding look quite special.
7. Cut The Guest List
If you’re looking for things to cut from your wedding, check the guest list.
Many wedding industry experts have considered this as one of the smart ways to reduce costs.
Your budget may not be able to provide the best experience for 200 guests, but it could be perfect for just 100 guests. The best line of action in this case is to cut the guest list. You’ll then save on meals, rentals, centerpieces, and other stuff.
Truth is, you can’t actually invite every single person you’ve known all your life to your wedding. Just make a list of those who really matter and plan with that.
8. Skip Save-The-Dates
Are you making plans to send physical save-the-dates? You don’t need this if you really want to cut down on costs.
You should understand that many of the guests who are planning to attend your wedding already know the date. You don’t need to waste that paper. But if you are still interested in doing this, you can opt for a virtual version or simply create a landing page with Canva.
9. Considering Specialty Cocktails
During my wedding, we couldn’t afford to stock a full bar. So we decided to have a few specialty cocktails on offer for our guests. Beer and wine were planned for as well. We served this throughout the night and realized we didn’t need to splurge a lot of money arranging a full bar.
You should consider this if you want your guests to be taken care of on a budget.
10. Don’t Hire Two Shooters
Anyone telling you to hire a two-person photography team for your wedding isn’t giving the best advice—since you’re trying to save costs.
Why do you need two shooters when you aren’t planning a “large” ceremony? One skillful shooter can cover prep and cocktail hour, and you won’t even notice. This is one of the little-known ways to cut wedding costs.
11. Forgo Top-Shelf Liquor
You may be wrong if you think your guests need top-shelf spirits to have a great time at your wedding celebration.
For instance, if you want to get gin for your guests, you don’t need to purchase Bombay Sapphire. Although you probably desire the good stuff, save costs by stocking your bar with affordable mid-range basics. This can save you up to $4 per drink.
12. Cut Transportation Costs
Are you making plans to shuttle guests from the ceremony location to the reception venue? This would be a significant amount of money, and if it can’t fit in your budget, just cut it out.
This will save you thousands of dollars depending on the number of guests you plan on transporting. Besides, having your wedding ceremony and reception at the same venue would make the idea of transportation totally irrelevant.
13. Ditch The Escort Cards
Escort cards can add a beautiful touch to your wedding, but are not a necessity. You can cut them out if you want to save costs.
If you aren’t taking on a DIY project, you can have a stationer design one main setting character poster which you can use in place of escort cards.
Mind you, escort cards can cost around $3 each. If you are expecting guests of 100, you’ll spend $300. However, designing a poster shouldn’t cost more than $250. This means you can save $50 per hundred guests.
14. Lose The Linens
This is one of the smart ways to cut wedding costs.
Indeed, linens can give your wedding a stunning look. But remember that fancy stuff will always cost money. So, you don’t need to rent expensive linens. Instead, use a decorative runner to beautify the tables at your venue. This will work perfectly if the tables beneath are beautiful enough to be displayed. Otherwise, it’s ok to settle for a lower-end linen.
15. Consider Minimalist Bridesmaids’ Bouquet
You may choose to cut down on florals, but you don’t need to diminish style. With two or three large blooms, you can create bridesmaids’s bouquets that are minimalist yet beautiful. This is also much cheaper, unlike the usual option. It’s one of the simple ways to trim your wedding budget.
16. Ditch The Envelope Liners
There’s no denying that envelope liners are beautiful, but you might want to avoid them to cut down on costs. In fact, you should consider this if you have a lot of invitations to send.
If you want to spend less on invitations, use an unconventional outer envelope in place of an interior envelope liner. This may also be a fun way to surprise your guests.
17. Consider Other Days Of The Week
The first time I heard of a couple who got married on a Wednesday, I thought it was an Internet joke. But the truth here is that it’s not compulsory you tie the knot on a Saturday.
So why should you consider other days of the week? Getting married on a Friday, for example, can save you thousands of dollars on the venue fee. You can also choose to do it on a Sunday if you want all your guests to be present.
18. Explore Venue Options
So, let’s say you insist on getting married on a Saturday. Another smart way to reduce the cost of the venue is by checking for alternatives.
Venues are built differently at different locations to serve different events. Of course, the booking fees for venues will be different. So, check out as many as you can and compare the fees. You may find a cheaper venue that still meets the requirements of your wedding.
19. DIY Music Playlist
You can’t have a wedding without great music. But while it’s ok to hire a DJ to serenade your guests, you should consider creating your own playlist. Aside from the fact that this saves you money, it’s also an opportunity for you to curate a list of the favorite songs you’ve always enjoyed with your partner.
20. Consider A Second-Hand Dress
If you want to learn how to save money on a wedding, this is one of the major areas that needs your attention.
A brand-new wedding dress is a fantastic idea. If you can afford to purchase a custom-made dress, that’s even more amazing. But since we’re discussing ways to cut wedding costs, let’s be realistic! Getting a second-hand dress will save you a substantial amount of money. Aside from borrowing from a family member, this is a really nice alternative.
21. Get Help From Friends And Families
At the time my partner and I were busy planning our wedding, our friends and family members gave us cash gifts and other items to support the event. We didn’t ask for anything. It all came from a place of genuine love. But one thing to learn from this is that your relatives and friends can be quite supportive, especially when you actually solicit the support.
While creating the budget for your special day, don’t be too shy to ask for help. It’s one of the best ways to cut wedding costs.
22. Ceremony And Reception At One Location
Many wedding planners would suggest that you have your ceremony and reception at different locations. But remember their job is to help plan the perfect wedding, not cut down costs.
Make sure you use the same venue for both the ceremony and reception if you want to save money. Besides, if you want to repurpose decor or cancel transportation for guests, it would be incredibly easy.
23. Repurpose Ceremony Decor
Repurposing your wedding flowers and decor is one of the ways to save money on your wedding expenses.
Since the decors you have chosen for the ceremony are quite beautiful, you can get more value for your money by using them in as many places as possible.
For example, you can use florals from your ceremony venue to beautify the escort card tables. Your venue manager or florist may be able to help with the rearrangement.
24. Embrace DIY Projects
Choosing to do certain things all by yourself is one of the top ways to cut wedding costs.
From making your own decor to baking the wedding cake and designing your own invitations, there are different ways you can contribute to the success of your wedding without paying for anyone’s services.
Notwithstanding, remember to consider your skill, time, and budget when taking on DIY projects. Prioritize what’s most important to you and your partner, and don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need to.
Quick Summary: Little Known Ways To Cut Wedding Costs
Your wedding is a celebration of your love and commitment. It’s not a competition or an opportunity to impress others. So when it comes to ways to cut wedding costs, you must understand it’s for your benefit.
Reducing expenses while getting married won’t only save you money—it also shows how you can be prudent as a couple, managing your finances effectively in the future.
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