A. You thought the same thing.
B. You fear what a cheaper wedding would look like.
C. You won't have the wedding I always dreamed of and resent it (or him).
D. You realize that your combined income does not total the amount someone has spent on their wedding.
What can you do? How can you pull off a decent, not-cheap-looking, wedding that was well under $5,000, well under the reduced cost of $10,000.
The is a real example of a budget a couple had initially, then the reconfigured budget that was much more realistic.
ORIGINAL BUDGET:
Wedding Dress $500 to $1,000
Photography $1,000 to $1,500
Rings $500
Church $500
Reception Hall $1,000
Reception Food $1,575 to $3,500
Cake $300
Flowers $100 to $300
Transportation $250
Tux $200 to $300
Officiant’s Fee $100
Wedding Party Gifts $100 to $250
Make-up & Hair $100 to $400
Bachelors/Bachelorette Party $250 to $500
Rehearsal Dinner $250 to $400
Honeymoon $1,000 to $2,000
Invitations $200 to $400
Marriage License $80
GRAND TOTAL $8,005 to $13,280 (based on 70 guests)
NEW BUDGETt:
Wedding Dress $200
Photography $250
Rings $150
Church n/a
Reception Hall n/a
Reception Food $875
Cake $150
Flowers n/a
Transportation $150
Tux $150
Officiant’s Fee $25
Wedding Party Gifts n/a
Make-up & Hair $30
Bachelors/Bachelorette Party n/a
Rehearsal Dinner n/a
Honeymoon $500
Invitations $20
Marriage License $80
GRAND TOTAL: $2,580 (based on 25 guests)
At first glimpse it seems rather drastic, but given the fact that she was graduate school student, not working full-time he worked in social services, and neither of their sets of parents wanted to pitch in, for this couple this was much more realistic. In the end, they ended up not getting married (not because of the budget lol), but there are very good things that came of this budget adjustment:
1. It reduced the amounts of guests.
You are probably wondering why in the world this is an advantage, but one of the first keys to cutting your wedding costs is to cut your guest lists, This couple's original guest list had 130. About 35 of that amount were children. The groom to be immediately eliminated the children. Secondly, they eliminated non-family members, which brought down their number to 70, which was definitely doable. Finally, they narrowed it down to immediate family plus the wedding party which brought them down to 25. Twenty-five people at even $30 a head would be well under $1,000. You might think: well what about all of the important people? The key is to really sit down and invite those who mean the most to you, not people you may not even know in five years.
2. A smaller headcount opens the doors for restaurants, uncommon spaces, and expensive venues.
Some reception venues have a very low capacity, which is great for extra small weddings. Because the you have less people, you can spend up to $50 without breaking the bank, allowing for a very elegant reception at a ritzy place that you would have not have been able to afford with a much larger group. Another added bonus is that sometimes the smaller spaces have a much lower minimum purchase requirement than a bigger place, if any at all.
3. It creates an intimate environment.
With this couple the groom wanted a small, sweet, elegant, intimate wedding to begin with, while the bride wanted a big celebration that was elegant but cost effective. She realized the reality of the situation and compromised. They were both able to sleep at night realizing that they didn't need to go into debt.
4. You don't have to worry about parking.
You now have access to those awkwardly located places that are in the middle of a busy city or that have limited parking (which is rampant in all of Philadelphia and other major cities). Your guests could carpool and you will probably save a ton on parking, if you don't receive free parking or valet.
5. Buffet or Sit Down––either one works.
There is no big deal about what type of meal it should be since either way you will save on having to hire additional waiters/attendants for your small group. You also may be able to save a great deal on the alcohol by simply ordering a few bottles of wine, rather than having an open bar for a couple hundred people.
6. Less Invitations and favors/gifts
You can either go all out in this area (especially if many of your guests or couples or families) or simply reduce the cost.
7. More time to Spend with Your Guests
Instead of wasting precious eating time thanking each of your guests individually for their attendance, you will now be able to actually dine with them if you so desire.
8. Save on Entertainment and/or sound system
Unless you plan on cutting the rug with your small group, you can forgo a dj/band/musician(s) and simply settle for background music.
9. Save on your Cake
You may be able to save a hefty amount on your cake since it is only feeding a small amount, or forgo the cake and instead opt for cupcakes, the dessert tray, or skip the cake altogether. If you aren't having all of the other festivities like tossing the bouquet, the first dance, garter toss, etc., then no one is going to look for a big to-do with the cake.
10. Save on photography
If you have a short ceremony and do all of the "fancy stuff" (cake cutting, first dance etc) at the very beginning of the reception, you will probably save a bunch in your photography fees––instead of 5 hours of coverage, you will have more like 2-3 if you can find a photographer willing to compromise. You can also always do your wedding portraits AFTER the big day. Just think, you won't have all of the nervousness and stress after the big day. You can just relax and enjoy one another, which makes for better pictures.
So the bottom line is a HUGE savings all around. Plus, if you still want to go all out, you reap the benefits of marriage AND get to save for a bigger celebration, the one that you do want, in the near future.
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Marquita Bell is the founder and product developer for The Body Buffet and lead photographer for Divine Image Photography. When she isn’t making soap or editing pictures, she is practicing more simplistic, sustainable, natural, greener living from food to spending habits. She loves sharing her frugal and simplistic adventures in hopes of inspiring others to improve their overall health and wellbeing for themselves, others, and the environment. In her spare time she enjoys refuting the term tree-hugger (how her best friend labels her) and explaining how she likes to “flirt” with veganism.
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