Planning An Affordable Wedding

To plan an affordable wedding takes time and detailed planning. With the cost of an average wedding being around 30,000 dollars, cutting back can be done with taste and preparation. Planning a wedding without planning can cause a lot of stress and can place a heavy burden on a new couple just starting out their new lives together.  When planning an wedding your special day,  inexpensive wedding planning is possible without making obvious or disastrous cut backs.   Here’s how.

By dividing the basic costs of the wedding up into specific priorities your wedding planning becomes more affordable.  Buying good wedding planning books is a good idea, but knowing your limits beforehand can save thousands of dollars. It is necessary to sit down with your partner and talk about the various planning details and access the costs.

Here are some of the most important things to consider.

• How many guest you are wanting to invite
• How many people in the wedding party
• Where you are going to have the wedding
• Where you are having a reception
• Music, photography, and video

How Many Guests You Are Inviting to Your Wedding

Got wedding planning books?  The major costs in a wedding boils down to how many people are invited. The number of people invited to your wedding impacts the food you choose, the size of the wedding cake, the size of the room to choose or hall to have a reception in, and the costs of invitations to send out.  Trying to keep your wedding costs low and to a minimum will be determined by how many guests you invite.

How Many People In The Wedding Party

By keeping this simple and to a minimum, the wedding party can be as small as one and as large as 8 or more. Consider the costs of the dresses, tux rentals and if travel is involved. Will you be paying for the gowns and tuxedo rentals and what are you willing to spend on all of the favors for the wedding party as well as the mother’s, father’s and special guests. These are very important costs that can creep up on you and cause the costs to run rampant.

Location of the Wedding and Reception

This too can cause wedding costs to sky rocket. How many people you are inviting is the factor at some reception halls and many charge on a per person basis.  Try to find a place that charges a fee based on hours used or find a location in a church or school. Many places will charge a smaller fee or even a donation.  Sometimes, friends or families have gardens or outdoor areas they can rent out if the location is acceptable to you and your partner. Try seeking many ideas and suggestions as this may help bring the costs down significantly and will aid in your search for an inexpensive wedding.

This also coincides with food and drink costs and the vast majority of cost of a wedding will fall into this category.  Do you want to have a sit down formal dinner? You will need to consider wait staff and setting rentals. Would a dessert bar be more affordable and appropriate?  How about an open bar? Costs of house and premium brands need to be thought of as well.  Some consider a dinner for family and out of town guests to a before the wedding dinner, and a dessert reception afterwards. There are many ways to plan this to make your wedding more affordable.

Invitations, Decorations, and More

Significant costs can be cut if you find ways to do some of the costs yourself. Invitations can be done with a simple template online, or at a local office supply store. The results can be amazing and yet affordable.  Wedding halls, church receptions are also other ways to trim the budget by finding a close friend that seems to be creative and budget worthy. Supplies for these simple decorations can be found at a local craft store or a large super store. Finding a friend to do this for you can be traded for the wedding gift and a nice fee. You may be surprised that some people will be honored that you considered them and will jump at the chance. Make sure you share your budget with them as well and sketch out a few plans. Remember, keeping it simple does not have to say that you are cheap but that you have class.

Music, Videos and Pictures

Music costs and photographer costs can range from the hundreds to the thousands.  Whether choosing a live band, quartet or DJ can significantly affect the wedding budget. Consider some things “outside of the box”.  Were you in a high school band or do you know someone that can play the violin? Again, these are great ideas for cutting costs yet also adding great memorable value.

Photography is something you need to choose carefully when planning an affordable wedding. Cutting back here, without knowing the expertise or reputation of the photographer will cause many years of bad memories. Your pictures are something you will show your kids, your friends and will provide a great time of reflection. To have bad wedding pictures or camera’s breaking down or even photographer’s not showing up can be disastrous.  Even so, have friends and family take pictures during and after the ceremony in case the photographer misses a shot. Many people are buying disposable cameras and asking guests to take pictures of the reception. These can be very funny and allow the bride and groom a peek at some of the activities that they will have missed otherwise.  Choosing a good photographer is something you will want to spend money on.

In conclusion, a simple, yet classy wedding with the help of knowledgeable friends can save thousands of dollars. When planning an affordable wedding, pay attention to the details and sticking with them will help both partners to not go overboard.