The average cost of a traditional wedding is around $35,000, depending on the number of guests, venue, and time of the year, among many other variables.
Now, it’s common for couples to prefer spending some of that money on experiences or simply saving it. So, if you’re looking for affordable ways to celebrate your wedding you’re not alone — but you are in the right place!
Here are 8 tips to make your wedding more affordable.
1. Be Mindful of Your Wedding Date
Did you want a classic late spring or summer wedding? If so, you should consider the fact that this will exponentially increase the cost of your wedding as this is a nuptial high season.
In this case, your best bet is to slide your wedding day forward or backward, as this may get you a significant discount at the same venue. You can combine this with a VPN to see if accessing the accommodation from another location helps change the price as well.
A cybersecurity tool like that can also protect your sensitive information. Because in case you’re wondering: “What can somebody do with my IP?”, the answer is – they can do a lot of malicious things! Better stay safe than sorry.
2. Stay and Get Married at the Same Place
Some couples pay up to $50,000 for their venue alone, and this doesn’t include accommodation.
An emerging trend to save money without sacrificing the venue is to choose accommodation that can also be used to celebrate your wedding.
A good option is to look at a fancier Airbnb and swanky hotels that are normally outside of your budget. You’d be surprised how affordable these can be compared to venues used exclusively for weddings, plus the cost of accommodation elsewhere.
3. Do Digital or Handmade Invites
Depending on the paper and finish, your invitations can actually cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
As an alternative, you can opt for digital invites and distribute them via email. You can also go for a do-it-yourself approach as well and make your invitations by hand.
If you have too many guests, you can always split it and do paper for local guests and digital for people further afield.
4. Choose a Seasonal Bouquet or Dried-Flower Arrangement
Seasonal flowers are more affordable because they bloom naturally, require less care, and look extra gorgeous. This means that they also represent a great way to keep costs low without sacrificing your vision.
Another option is to go for a dried arrangement that features baby-breath and other plants that showcase delicate pastel hues.
5. Explore Alternative Jewelry Like Handmade or Lab-Made
Some couples pay up to $6000 just for the engagement ring, and this is usually not included when calculating the average price of weddings.
This represents a great opportunity to save money, but the amount depends on your personal preference.
If you’re a fan of rustic jewelry and you like the idea of having this type of adornment for your wedding, then you can go for a handmade ring and accessories.
Now, if you like more traditional looks, you can still save a bit of money by opting for lab-made precious stones like diamonds. These are the same as natural-occurring gems but are often more affordable and sustainable than mined stones.
The Benefits of Low-Cost and DIY Weddings
Let’s take a look at some of the advantages of low-cost, do-it-yourself weddings.
- Avoid huge markups: Once you start booking your own photographer, catering, and accommodation, you’ll realize just how much of a markup that is on wedding planning and organizing.
- Spend your money elsewhere: It doesn’t matter if it goes into a savings account for later or immediately spent on experiences; organizing a low-cost wedding means that you\’ll be able to spend that money on other things you like doing.
- Have a dedicated wedding planner: Most wedding planners organize various ceremonies simultaneously. But, if you’re your own wedding planner, you’ll have a dedicated person fully invested in this.
- Involve your friends and family:
To Wrap Up
Saving money on your wedding is always good news, so we hope that you follow the steps outlined below to keep your costs as low as possible while tying the knot.
There are many steps you can take to reduce your nuptial expenses but still have the wedding you always dreamed of, like staying at a place where you can also celebrate the ceremony, sending DIY invites, sticking to seasonal flowers, or dry arrangements.
