For those who have been married before you know just how expensive a wedding can be. If you are about to get married then you are probably realizing quickly just how much more money you’re going to need than you thought originally. The good news is, however, that there are plenty of things that you can do to save money on your wedding. Here are 3 simple tips to help you avoid breaking the bank on your special day:
- Make the food yourself- Just about everything that goes into a wedding can be really expensive and the food is no exception. Depending on where you go your food can range anywhere from $12/person all the way up to $150/person. If you want to save yourself some serious cash on your wedding then you should consider making the food or at least a portion of it yourself. Even if you can only make the dessert you should still be able to save a few hundred dollars in total costs for feeding everyone.
- Use a home for the reception- One of the biggest expenses that is associated with getting married is the venue for the reception. If you are tight on cash or just want to avoid spending excess money all together, then you should consider using a friend or family member’s home as the venue for the reception. It is not uncommon at all for a couple to have their reception in someones backyard and with the right planning and preparation it can look really beautiful. You’ll want to take time to figure out the layout of the yard and where you want all of your decorations to go so that there isn’t too much of a scramble on the wedding day. Having a reception in someone’s home can save you thousands of dollars on the overall cost of your wedding.
- Design the invitations yourself- When it comes to planning a wedding and saving money, one of the best things that you can do is design and mail the invitations yourself. If you have your wedding planning or another design company do the work for you, it could cost you a small fortune. Instead spend sometime looking for a template that you really like online and then use an image that you create or even a picture of you two to design the cars. You should be able to add all the text that you would like to describe the details of the event onto the card itself and you can also find nice envelopes to send them out in. Going this route will mean that you will have to spend more time creating the invites and sending them out yourself, but the savings are definitely worth the extra work.
Unfortunately, year after year happy couples overlook the value of saving money on their wedding and spend more than they can handle. Remember that your wedding should be a celebration of your love and not just an excuse to max out your credit cards.
Micah is a freelance writer for bankruptcy attorney Benjamin Skinner who is dedicated to helping people who are facing more debt than they can handle.