In the U.S., the average cost of a wedding is around $30,000.
For many, that's a pretty penny. The good news is there are a lot of little ways to save money on a wedding. It’s all about knowing your priorities and wisely allocating your wedding budget.
Making a list of your priorities and setting a budget should be step one of wedding planning.
With 35 years in the wedding industry, our VP and Lead DJ, Jay R, has rounded up a dozen expert tips to help you save on your wedding.
You have dreamed of the perfect wedding at the perfect place, but can you afford it?
We often see couples spend up to 80% of their budget on the venue and caterer alone, leaving little for the rest of the wedding. According to most experts, between 30-40% is the sweet spot for spending on your venue.
Look at your whole wedding vision before committing to a location. Ensure you leave enough money for the right entertainment, photographer, and floral/décor.
If your venue doesn’t come with tables or chairs, seek out, established catering companies and ask if they also provide these. Many will have acquired most of these and usually rent them at a discounted rate when you secure their services.
Plus, since they’re already coming to your venue, they often waive a transportation fee. They may even have their own linens!
If you consider holding your wedding on a Friday (or Sunday), you will have a 1) better choice of dates and 2) almost all vendors will offer add-ons or discount their prices on these dates.
Note: The only exception will be Sundays that fall on holiday weekends.
It may sound obvious but don’t invite people you don’t want at your wedding. If you’re stuck, ask yourself questions like:
If the answer is no to the questions above, leave them off.
Caveat: If your parents are contributing a significant amount to the wedding, you will want to work with them to make sure their top guest picks are invited.
Bar packages are often a great source of confusion.
A general rule: your reception should be an hour longer than the bar package you purchase.
For example, if you buy a 4-hour bar package, your reception will be 5 hours long. Most clients think that the bar package should last as long as their reception, but you don’t need the bar open the entire time.
Our Suggestions: Close the bar for a half-hour during intros, toasts, blessings, etc., then re-open, and then close again a half-hour before the end of the night. That alone can save you $1500 on average.
Yes, you read that right.
Guests attend your wedding to celebrate you and create memories, not so they can receive small gifts.
The perfect alternative is to do a photo booth (or the ever-popular Mirror Booth). Not only are the photos themselves a perfect takeaway, but all SSE photobooths include digital copies that can be treasured for years to come.
Save money by having an artisan cake for only the couple on display. Then, keep a large sheet cake in the back for serving your guests.
Fun Idea: Do a “Moms, Grandmas, and Aunts Cake Potluck.” Ask your beloved family members to bake their favorite cakes for you and you display them all on a table with signs saying “baked with love by Auntie Laura.” You can even include recipe printouts next to each one.
Not only are the recipes a fun takeaway for your guests, but it makes for a meaningful keepsake for you!
Centerpieces are a great place to control costs.
Lavish centerpieces can cost up to $500+ when you factor in natural florals and other rentals.
The truth is that your centerpieces are one the first thing that guests will forget after your wedding.
Not to mention, people want to be able to see across the table so they can socialize. The best thing you can do for your guests is light the room with a cozy ambiance. This can be achieved with uplighting around the room and a short candle arrangement in the middle of the tables.
Yes, chargers are pretty. But don’t you want everyone to be too focused on the lively conversation and delicious food to pay attention to what’s under their plate?
Much like the centerpieces, your focus should be on creating a fun experience where people are talking (read: looking up at one another) or out on the dance floor.
Skip the monogrammed napkins, cups, and matchbooks.
Put simply - Dispose of anything disposable!
You can reallocate these funds to personalize your guest book or other mementos you and your partner will cherish for years.
Get creative with how you look at your wedding “must-haves.” The reality is that most of the things you think you need aren’t required for an amazing night.
Think of it like this...
Set up a consultation today and we will walk you through these and more tips for creating an affordable yet incredibly memorable wedding.