3 Easy Ways to Save on Your Wedding Without Compromising Your Vision
Looking for easy, straightforward ways to save on your wedding, without compromising your vision? Inflation has affected the housing market, your grocery bill, and now, your dream wedding day. Last year inflation rates rose to their highest levels since the 1980s. It’s a major downer, especially when you’re looking at it through the lens of planning your once-in-a-lifetime, best day ever!
Planning your wedding during such an uncertain time can be a tricky guessing game. I't’s natural to question each and every item purchased and vendor service booked. Add that to the fact that you are paying deposits for goods and services that won’t be used for another year (or two!) and it becomes a delicate dance of budgeting, percentages, and Googling your way into a massive bout of anxiety. Stop that by the way! Yes, it’s true that the average cost of a wedding is still climbing because of demand and inflation. However, you can absolutely still have the wedding of your dreams without sacrificing your dream vision scenario!
We have three easy ways for you to do that, in the post below!
Slash Your Guest List!
Reducing your total guest count is by far the quickest way to scale back on your overall budget. Can you cut 15, heck even 25 guests? If so, that will translate to fewer chairs, tables, meals, bar & beverage services, and floral arrangements. The list goes on and on, but you get the idea! However, deciding who to axe from your guest list might be a tough decision for you & your partner. There are a few quick ways to make it happen:
The first is to make the decision to have a child-free wedding. Oh, the controversy, we know! Do your best to make recommendations on local babysitters. I have two young children and I’m constantly providing my clients with lists of vetted babysitters. If that’s not an option, most large cities have nanny programs that provide background checks and can send someone to the hotel or air BNB.
The second is to eliminate “plus ones”. Just be sure to think through your guest’s experience before you axe their girlfriend of three years. Start with those who are knowingly single, and consider who else they know at the wedding. If your 22 yr-old cousin has been dating a guy for two months, but you know that once she is at the wedding she is surrounded by other young single cousins, aunts, and uncles, she will be fine. Conversely, if everyone in your wedding party is married except one person, give them a date so they don’t feel like the odd person out. Use common sense to be as respectful as possible.
Finally, rank your guests. Sounds harsh, but it must be done. Immediate family, close bff type friends, close family, close friends, family friends, co-workers, and so on. Once you have your potential guests listed in each of these categories it should become crystal clear to you who will be cut. And if it’s not, ask yourself if those co-workers on your guest list have even met your fiance yet, or if your wedding day will be the first time. And those cousins in your “close family column”, when is the last time you spoke or hung out with them outside of a major family event?
2. Forgo Classic Traditions That Don’t Resonate
If you are an ultra-modern couple and you want your wedding day and overall experience to reflect your personalities, you can probably ditch a few of the more “tried and true” wedding day traditions. We’re looking at you garter toss, bouquet toss, and that cake-cutting set from “Things Remembered”! Just, no! If those items and traditions were only on your list because you felt like you were supposed to have them on your wedding day, we arre giving you permsission right now to cut them faster than those co-workers on your guest list!
There are a few other classic traditions you can cut back on to help you save on your wedding while sticking to your vision!
Have your photographer and videographer leave after an hour of dance time. If you’re scaling back the budget, you don’t need a 10 hour photographer package. Stick with the basic package and work with your photographerto make sure there is enough time for them to get the highlights of the evening. They don’t need to hang out till midnight just to get the exit shot.
Pass on boutonnieres for the wedding party. They never look good after an hour anyways.
Consider other desserts besides a tiered wedding cake. If you want to incorporate a traditional cake cutting into your wedding day you can have a small “cutting cake” prepared for you and your partner. Dessert service is an amazing way to save on your wedding while still presenting your guests with fabulous choices. Hello, donut wall, cake pops, and if you’re having a summer wedding; a popsicle or gelato cart!
Cut the getaway car. Couples are shocked that the fancy getaway cars are $600+ to rent for the end of the night. It’s really just there for a photo op. Super hard pass! Talk to your photographer about other exit options or talk to family members about borrowing a vehicle. We’re willing to bet that an uncle, cousin, or close friend (ahem-one who made the final guest list!) has a sweet ride that they’d be happy to lend.
Nix the welcome bags. Okay, yes it is lovely to check into a hotel and receive a beautifully curated welcome bag with weekend itenerary. However, expect to pay at least $3/bag to have your hotel distribute them to your guest rooms. I’ve seen fees as high as $15/room. Again, that’s just for delivery. You still have to buy the cute gable boxes, mini Tito vodkas, Topo Chicos, chips, sweets, etc. It adds up fast. Ditch it if you’re pulling in the budget reins.
3. Weekday Weddings
Look, we’ll be honest with you here; not all wedding vendors will offer discounts for weekday weddings, but your venue is a big expense and I can’t think of a single venue or hotel that doesn’t have some version of tiered package prices for the day of the week. Talk to them about the season to determine what is considered off-season. It varies from place to place. For example, The Driskill and Bob Bullock do a ton of winter and summer weddings because there are few large venues that accommodate ceremony and reception indoors. You may have better luck negotiating with them for a spring or fall wedding. Conversely, venues that are primarily outdoors (such as Laguna Gloria or the Greenhouse at Driftwood) prize their good weather weekends in the spring and fall.
We love the vibe of an amazing weekday wedding and we’ll tell you why. First, you will have a much easier time booking your first choice vendors for a weekday wedding. From venues to planners, photographers, and floral designers you’ll find that these vendors typically fill their calendars 1-2 years in advance. They have to protect those dates with higher “minimums” and have less flexibility as a result.
Also, if you give your guests plenty of notice, it’s an amazing excuse for them to take a “long weekend”. Friday weddings, we’re looking at you! How much more at ease and relaxed will your guests be knowing that they took some time extra time off to be there for you on your special day? And yes, we know that’s asking a lot of your guests, but hey, that’s why Save the Dates were invented!
So in summary, you will have to make tough choices, but if you keep your eye on the prize (the experience of you and your fiancee) you won’t have any regrets!