If you are reading this article, more likely than not, you are looking to keep your costs down for your upcoming wedding. Times are hard with increasing inflation, and weddings are not a place you usually find incredible savings. Everyone from your florist to your venue is likely raising their prices by 40% or more to cover their expenses. Supply chain problems didn’t miss this one. But that doesn’t mean you should start your marriage with a mountain of debt. The most important thing you can do as a couple is communicate, communicate, communicate!
First off: talk about what’s most important to you. Decide together what hill you will die on before you decide to budget it right out of the budget. Some couples can skimp on food but splurge on alcohol. Others want to sink their funds into a getaway wedding, while others might hit the courthouse and splurge on a fancy dinner with friends and family. If you pay for your wedding, YOU get to make it what you want. But first, you must decide what is at the top of the list and what can be cut. Decide together what is most important to each partner. Please respect each other’s choices and find a way to compromise so both parties get the event of their dreams.
Second, plan early. The sooner you get the high-ticket items out of the way, the easier your wedding planning will go. Some things will require saving up. Some things will have to be begged, borrowed, and stolen. Well, maybe not the stolen part unless your Aunt Mindy won’t miss her fig trees off her back porch that will make an excellent backdrop for your vows. The sooner you lock down venues, the more savings you will find. If you need to push your wedding back a year, do it! The early bird gets the worm, and you will often find savings by asking about off-season deals or scheduling something on a less obvious day. October weddings are just as pretty as June! Just sayin’.
Third, set up an emergency fund for your wedding. If you don’t use it, you put the money towards your honeymoon. Nobody ever said no to upgrading their plane tickets or adding a couples massage. But more than likely, something will go wrong, and you will need some extra money to cover it. Ensure you are prepared like a Boy Scout and not caught off guard!
Fourth: enjoy the process. Planning a wedding takes a whole lot longer than the actual day. So when you are in the thick of it with your partner, keep that in mind and make the best of it. You want to remember your wedding day fondly and not be reminded that you almost divorced each other while trying to get married. Compromise is king, and staying present is queen. Take deep breaths and forgive each other along the way when you disagree. Bridezillas are better in reality television than they are in real life. Why not start your union together as a team?
Fifth: Decide how much you have and work backward. Then take the essential items and subtract that from your budget. What’s left? Add your secondary items in and third, and fourth until you’ve figured out how much to a lot to each category. It’s not rocket science, but it isn’t simple math, either. But the bottom line is don’t spend more money than you have. If you have the mindset of “let’s go crazy, and we’ll just figure it out later,” that’s usually a warning flag that things will not get figured out later. Later will be a big negative that you’ll be paying for a long time. Be wise now, and your marriage will thank you later!
Sixth: Communicate with your vendors. If they know your budget up front and you’ve started the process early, you won’t be scrambling and paying rush charges. Sometimes your vendors can counsel you on more affordable choices that might even be better than the top-dollar items. Be kind and friendly with your vendors, and you’d be surprised how many will work with you to find a way to make your dollar stretch.
Lastly: hire us! A portable bar or margarita truck is much more affordable than an open bar in a hotel or restaurant and a lot cuter! We are here for you. Let us know your budget, and we’ll work with you! We love weddings, and we love our couples. Let’s do this thing!
Great tips! Thanks!