Contributed by the Frugal Panda:
Planning a wedding can be an extremely stressful and costly endeavor. Weddings generate billions of dollars each year in revenue, with the average wedding costing over $20,000. But a wedding doesn’t have to be expensive to provide a wonderful experience. You can still have your dream wedding at a fraction of the cost. There are many ways to make your wedding less stressful on your finances so that you and your future spouse have more money to spend on things to start your lives together. Here are a few suggestions on how to cuts costs and still have a beautiful wedding.
General
Set a Budget: The first step to keeping your wedding spending under control is to create a budget. Decide how much you can spend and don’t overspend, not even for the delightful themed extras. A few dollars here and there can add up over time.
Prioritize Spending: There are some things that might be more important to you and your finance/e than others. Prioritize to spend more on things to truly matter to you and cut costs on things that aren’t as important.
Keep It Simple: One way to save money and your sanity is to simplify your wedding. Sometimes less really is more. Do you really need every one of those five-course dinners to enjoy your special day?
Give Yourself Time: By giving yourself ample time to plan, you won’t feel rushed at the last minute and forced into using services and products that are more expensive. By having more time you’ll be able to shop around for the best deals, and not get stuck with what’s available at the last minute. Plus, if you have a credit card that accumulates airline miles or points for travel, you’ll have time to use this card so you can use the rewards to cut prices on your honeymoon travel.
Clothing
Shop Second Hand: If you’re not dead set on having a new dress, you can often find great dresses at consignment shops, on eBay, or in the classifieds. These dresses, in all but the most extraordinary cases, have only been worn once and a second-hand dress can provide a great money saving alternative. Or, if you’re looking for something more meaningful, ask a family member if they have a dress you can wear. It will be sentimental and help you save some money.
Rent Your Dress: For those who aren’t hung up on keeping their wedding dress for future generations, renting can also be an option.
Consider Evening Gowns: Who says a wedding dress has to be one that was made especially for that purpose? Often an evening gown purchased off the rack in a department store (especially on sale!) can be just as elegant and considerably less expensive.
Shop for Samples: It’s commonplace for bridal shops to have sales to clear out their remaining stock of each year’s wedding dresses in a sample sale. Get out your phone book and call your local bridal shops to see if and when they hold sales. It might take a little more planning, but you can get great deals on designer dresses this way.
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