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How to Plan a Wedding on a Budget

VWB Blog 2 years ago 5

The good news for those planning a wedding right now is that the average cost of a wedding went down to under $20,000 in 2020. Prior to that, it was almost $30,000 in 2019.

But the bad news is that, with the COVID-19 pandemic (hopefully!) coming to an end, the average cost of a wedding is expected to go back up again soon. It won’t be long at all before couples are paying $30,000 or more for weddings.

That being said, you should know that you can plan a wedding on a budget if you would like. You just need to make sure that you take the right approach to doing it so that you’re able to piece together an affordable wedding.

Want to know how to do wedding planning without breaking the bank? We’ve got some ideas for you. Continue reading to see how to map out the most frugal wedding celebration possible.

Begin by Coming Up With a Wedding Budget

If you’re going to plan a wedding on a budget, the first thing that you’ll need to do is decide what your wedding budget will be. You and your soon-to-be spouse should sit down and crunch the numbers to see what you can afford to spend.

For some couples, a frugal wedding might mean only spending $15,000. For other couples, a bargain wedding will be $500.

Your specific budget is going to help determine what you can do while you’re planning your wedding. It’s why you should kick things off by putting your wedding budget into place.

Create a Scaled-Back Guest List for Your Wedding

In addition to coming up with a wedding budget, you should also create a guest list for your wedding. And since you’re going to be focused on spending as little as possible on your wedding, you should try to scale back on how many people you invite to your nuptials.

This doesn’t mean that you should cross, say, your brother or your best friend off your wedding guest list. You will, of course, want them to be in attendance on your big day.

But you might want to think about leaving the guy that you used to work with 10 years ago or the old neighbor who used to live next to you three houses ago off your wedding guest list. It’ll help you to keep your wedding costs down while still surrounding you with the most important people in your lives.

Look For a Wedding Venue That You Love That Won’t Cost a Fortune

Booking a wedding venue is going to be one of the most expensive aspects of planning a wedding. But that doesn’t mean that you have to let it bust your wedding budget.

After you have a scaled-back guest list in place, you should look around for a wedding venue that isn’t going to cost an arm and a leg. Don’t be afraid to look high and low (and in some strange places!) for a wedding venue that will work for you.

Having a backyard wedding or a wedding that is held in a non-traditional setting might be your best bet. It’s going to trim your wedding spending down to size and make your wedding costs so much more manageable.

Think About What the Most Important Aspects of Your Wedding Will Be

As you plan a wedding on a budget, you’re going to have to pick and choose which aspects of your wedding you’ll want to earmark more money for. With this in mind, you should consider which aspects will be the most important to you.

If serving delicious food is something that is high on your priority list, then you’ll want to work the cost of a wedding caterer into the mix. You shouldn’t be shy about spending money in the areas that are important to you and your significant other.

Shop Around for the Most Affordable Wedding Vendors You Can find

Outside of hiring a caterer for your wedding, you’ll also need to invest in other wedding vendors. This will typically include a photographer, a DJ, a florist, and more.

Because you’re going to be working with a tight wedding budget, you don’t want to just choose the first wedding vendors you can find. Instead, you really want to shop around to make sure that you’re able to find the most affordable options around.

You might be able to save yourself a nice chunk of change by going with one set of wedding vendors over another. You might also be able to nix certain wedding vendors if your budget won’t allow for you to hire them.

DIY Wedding Decorations, Favors, Etc. If You Can

Are you a crafty person? If you are, then you might want to kick around the idea of DIYing some of the different decorations, favors, etc. that you’ll put out at your wedding.

It might not feel like this would save you very much money. But these things can add up quite a bit when you buy them in stores.

You could be looking at saving hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars by DIYing as many things as you can. It’ll make it so much easier for you to plan a wedding on a budget and actually stick to it.

Plan a Wedding on a Budget and Still Have It Be the Best Day of Your Life

Just because you have to plan a wedding on a budget doesn’t mean that your wedding can’t still be everything that you ever wanted it to be. It just means that you’ll have to work hard to make it extra special without going way over your budget.

Use all of the different tips found here to throw an affordable wedding. It’ll end up being a day (and night!) that you won’t ever forget.

Get your hands on more wedding planning tips and tricks by reading through everything else our blog has to offer.

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