There are some things in life that you know are going to cost you a lot of money. Some things like…college, cars, weddings, buying a house and children! Some of these things you have time to save for and some you don’t. Your wedding can be one that you save for, if you plan ahead or are engaged for long enough. My husband and I were engaged for only 5 months while on not so big incomes…so needless to say we didn’t save much during our engagement. And well, if we are honest, we didn’t plan ahead very well either, even though we knew the engagement was coming at some point. Tip #1, don’t follow my example!
Have you ever sat back and dreamed (or pinned) what your perfect wedding would be? Have you ever put a price tag on that dream wedding? Did you know that the National average wedding is around $28,000, excluding the honeymoon! And about 26% of couples take out a loan to pay for the wedding. Ouch!
Hopefully with some of these tips and facts you can learn to penny pinch here and there and lessen the financial burden of your wedding.
The biggest thing is simple. SAVE. Can it really be that easy? Yep. Start saving now. Is the engagement in the near future? Did it just happen? Start saving. You don’t have to be the “crazy lady” who has a HUGE savings account for a wedding to a guy that isn’t even in the picture yet. But, you can have a simple savings account you are just putting money into little by little. And if the guy is ready to pop the question then UP the savings. I wish now that I had started saving for our wedding once I knew Josh was the guy I was going to marry! Tip #2- SAVE! And just think, if you don’t spend it all on the wedding, then you can on the honeymoon!
Some major factors to the cost of your wedding are the month and day you get married. The least popular months to get married are January, March, April (avoid tax weekend), and November which tend to make them cheaper. The cheapest days of the week to get married are Sunday-Thursday. Also the time of day can also affect your cost. Having a morning wedding with a brunch or having a 2pm or 7pm wedding with just a dessert or cake reception will lower your cost. Tip #3- You don’t have to be traditional. Think outside the box.
If you are a crafty bride, why not make some of your own decorations. Pinterest is now the number one place to go for ideas. Pin ideas you like and then figure out how you can save money on those ideas. Maybe you can make them or you know someone who can. Tip #4- Get your craft on…or find someone who can!
Other ways to save money…
Check sites like Craigslist and local Facebook groups that sell wedding items. Plan to sell or resell items after your wedding. Even items you have made will sell. Tip #5- Be thrifty…shop around and resell when possible.
Another way to be thrifty and crafty is to use fake flowers, or depending on the season of your wedding, to buy them at a local Farmer’s market and make your own bouquets. It’s another chance for you to add more personal touches to your wedding.
You can also save money by borrowing a “get away” car instead of renting a limo. Or looking on deal sites such as Groupon to find deals for limos and party buses. Tip #6- Be resourceful.
There are so many ways to save money on your big deal. Just plan ahead, be crafty, creative, and/or thrifty and recruit friends/family to help. Think outside the box! The day is about you and your future spouse…make it a fun, debt free experience!
