Planning a wedding can be an extremely expensive undertaking. Its not unusual for a regular wedding to cost into the tens of thousands of dollars. For many people, this amount of money can equate to an entire years salary. Theres no denying that this can seem an extremely large amount of money to spend on a single day. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep your wedding budget under control if you dont want to spend your life savings on your wedding.
One of the major costs of a wedding relates to the guests you invite. Dont forget that youll have to pay for seating for each guests, as well as food and drinks. Each wedding guests can easily cost you a hundred dollars. Invite more than a handful, and this amount can add up extremely quickly. Try to keep your guest list down in order to save money. Decide on a maximum number of invitees, and cull accordingly. Pick out only your closest relatives and best friends. Its your wedding, after all, and you shouldnt feel obligated to invite somebody you dont care deeply about. If you feel bad about not being able to invite someone, call them and explain the situation. You can always host a small casual event before or after the wedding in lieu of inviting them on the actual day.
When wedding planning on a budget, note that venues can also be a major cost. Special wedding venues will cost a lot more than other venues that can simply be booked for a wedding party. Consider whether you really need to have your wedding in a special reception center. Consider having your wedding reception in a restaurant instead. Not only will your guests be able to indulge in great food, but youll find that your booking fees are far less than they would be at an exclusive wedding reception venue.
Another place where you can save money when youre wedding planning on a budget is on wedding bridesmaid dresses. Consider renting a bridal gown, or even buying one second hand. If you dont want to do this, see if you can pick out a gown that you can wear again with some alterations. Wedding dresses can be a huge expense if youre only going to wear them once. The same goes with bridesmaid dresses. See if you can hire them, or even have your bridesmaids buy their own dresses that meet certain guidelines in terms of color and length. They dont need to match perfectly for everything to look great on the day.
Another place where you can save money when wedding planning on a budget is the cake. Multi-tiered cakes can cost hundreds of dollars. Think of all the time that goes into making multiple cakes, and then decorating and icing them. Consider purchasing a sheet cake instead. You can have a small cake in your reception area for viewing, while the main cake can be hidden in the kitchen until its time to serve the cake. Buying a sheet cake and a separate small wedding cake can actually save you quite a bit of money.