The average cost of a wedding in the United States is well over $20,000. With that kind of price tag, many engaged couples choose to elope. But you don’t want to start out your married life with that kind of debt hanging over your head. There is an alternative to a court wedding or getting hitched by an Elvis impersonator. Have your dream wedding – but do it on a budget.
The reason most weddings get to be crazy expensive is because no one is really looking at the price tags or making a plan. You can still put on your perfect wedding – while sticking to your budget. It’s important to set an amount you can spend at the beginning of your wedding planning. Check out price tags and track your expenses as you go. To make life easier, just use these wedding planning tips from YourBeanstalk.com.
Prioritize your wedding
Before you start any planning or purchase a single thing for your wedding, sit down with your fiancé. The 2 of you should make a list of the top 10 things you want in your wedding and prioritize them. Compare lists and decide what your top 10 priorities are as a couple. These 10 things are what you guys want most. Don’t be afraid to spend a little more on them then on other things.
For instance, you agreed that the location, music, food and drink, flowers and cake were your top 5 priorities. Then you can cut your costs on tuxedos, wedding gown, invitations, etc.
Decide how much to spend
Once you know what you want to spend money on, figure out how much you have to spend. Make a commitment to stick to this figure. It’s hard to stick to a wedding budget when you see a beautiful dress that’s out of your price range, but stay strong. Remember, you’re wearing this dress for a day. As most brides discover, the dress can easily get destroyed in just one day.
Now you need to divide up your total wedding budget into categories. How much you’re allotting for your location, the cake, the flowers, the music, etc. If you need some help with this part, check out these websites and use their wedding budget worksheets:
Look in unlikely places
The way you stick to a smaller wedding budget is by looking for items in unlikely places. Take a Saturday, grab your bridesmaids, and plan out a whole day shopping excursion. Go to flea markets, thrift stores, vintage stores and consignment shops. You never know what you’ll find, and it just might be the perfect item at a great price.
Dollar stores and craft stores are great places to go to get ideas for centerpieces, party favors and invitations. These are usually pricey items that you can make yourself and save a lot of money.
Be creative!
If you can dream it, you can do it! So let yourself be creative and find new ways to do things. Not only will creative solutions help you stick to your wedding budget, you can create a wedding that is truly unique. Your guests will walk away saying, “What a great wedding – I’ve never seen that before!�? instead of “Oh, it was just another wedding.�?
Other wedding resources
There are a lot of websites out there that can give you ideas, help you plan and even save you some money! Check these out for great budget wedding ideas:
With the right planning and some commitment, you can have your dream wedding without putting yourself into debt.
