How to Save Money for Your Wedding
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You’re engaged, and now you’re ready to plan the wedding. However, because you and your fiancé are paying for it, you’re concerned about how to save money for your wedding. Thankfully, there are many ways to save, including crafting and sticking to a budget, and putting away savings starting now.
In this article
Set your date as soon as possible
Whether you want a long engagement or you plan to get married sooner rather than later, setting your wedding date now establishes the timeframe you have to save the money you need to cover all your wedding costs. Also, the wedding date itself can play a role in how expensive the wedding could be. As such, when choosing a wedding date and time, keep these tips in mind to save you money:
- Saturday is the most expensive day to get married, so choosing any other day of the week can result in wedding savings.
- Fall dates are the most popular, which makes them more expensive than getting married during other seasons. Spring is the second most popular.
- Holiday weddings, especially Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day, are some of the most expensive days to get married.
- Evening weddings are the most expensive events so choosing a time earlier in the day could knock some dollars off the price of your wedding day.
Use Quicken Loans to Get a Personal Loan
- If you're tight on cash right now, you may want to consider getting a personal loan. A personal loan is a loan that you can use for just about any purpose like: paying off other debt, renovating your home, or family needs like a wedding or adoption.
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Set your budget—and stick with it
Weddings can be expensive. According to The Knot 2021 Real Weddings Study, the average cost for 2021 weddings was $28,000. Therefore, it’s important to set a wedding budget as soon as possible so you know how much money you will need to pay for your big day. There are many ways to keep your budget in check by allocating more funds to the elements you are most passionate about and spending less on those things that are not as important to you.
Wedding dress
If you’re like most brides, your wedding gown is your No. 1 priority—and why not? If you have a clear idea of what you want—dress style, designer, embellishments, etc.—and do not want to compromise on that vision, set your budget for your wedding dress and shop within that limit. That being said, you still may be able to find what you want while saving money. Try these tips to buy your wedding gown at an affordable price:
- Shop trunk shows. Many designers host trunk shows (events where they showcase their new designs) at local bridal boutiques. Brides who purchase a dress during a trunk show often receive savings on their gown.
- Shop sample sales. Bridal retailers typically place sample gowns—the dresses they order for customers to try on in store—on sale at deep discounts when they are clearing out inventory to bring in new dress styles.
- Shop the clearance rack. Check the clearance racks at your local bridal store for beautiful gowns at discounted prices.
- Shop local consignment and thrift stores. Many brides are selling their wedding dresses at consignment shops or donating to thrift stores at rock-bottom prices.
- Shop online marketplaces. Many brides also are listing their wedding dresses for sale online, so look around to see what’s available.
Flowers
Your wedding flowers are more than just your own bouquet. This includes the wedding party’s flowers—bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages for mothers and grandmothers, floral accents for flower girls, etc.—as well as floral decor for the wedding ceremony, centerpieces at the reception, and any greenery or other floral accents in and around the wedding and reception venues.
To keep floral costs down, choose flowers that are in season for the time you get married. Off-season flowers (for instance, tulips during the fall) are more expensive because they have to be brought in from growers outside your local area. Your florist can provide a full list of in-season flowers to help you choose what you want for your wedding.
Another option to keep floral costs down is to use artificial flowers. If you’ve always dreamed of a gorgeous cascading floral bouquet of fresh flowers, do it. Then choose artificial flowers for other decorations, such as pew decorations, reception centerpieces, and the flower girl's floral crown. Artificial greenery also is a great way to add floral accents to your venues without spending a lot of money.
You also can repurpose your flowers throughout the event. For instance, the floral arrangement that sits on the table behind the officiant at your ceremony can then be used as the centerpiece of your gift table at the reception.
If you have a talented family member or friend, they can put their DIY skills to the test to create some of the floral arrangements you want.
Wedding venue
Depending on where and what they are, your wedding ceremony and reception venues can take a big chunk of your wedding budget. Popular sites like the city botanical garden or expansive ballroom at a high-end hotel will cost more than your local church and fellowship hall. When choosing these locations, look for something you both will love, but won’t stretch your budget more than you can afford.
Wedding invitations
For many brides, budgeting for wedding invitations doesn’t just include the wedding invitations. They also want save-the-date cards, RSVP cards, thank-you notes, place cards and table number cards, and other wedding stationery items. You can order these from your local stationery store, but for more budget-friendly options, shop online. There are many vendors such as Etsy and others with styles and pricing for all budgets. Also, decide if you really need extras like save-the-dates or seating place cards. Skipping these items can help keep your budget in check.
Another way to save on wedding invitations is to trim your wedding guest list so you don’t have to order a lot of invitations. Or, depending on how high-tech and modern you are, you could set up a free wedding website from one of many providers, send save-the-dates through the site, as well as have guests RSVP online. This way, you could include those items, but without the cost of having them printed.
Food
Food is another item that could take a big share of your wedding budget. Hosting a cocktail hour with appetizers followed by a catered sit-down meal will cost more than a buffet. Likewise, providing an open bar (which you pay for) is more expensive than having a cash bar, where guests buy their own drinks. In addition, having steak instead of chicken will be more expensive.
There are a lot of tweaks you can do to your menu, your serving style, and the beverage options that could save you big on your budget. One example is getting married early in the day and serving brunch instead of dinner.
Your wedding cake is another item you may not want to compromise on to save money. That’s all right. Start by choosing and pricing out your wedding cake, and build your food budget from there. That way, you can be sure you get the cake you want by sacrificing other food items, such as a dessert bar, that may not be a must-have for your reception.
Wedding decorations
Wedding decorations are more than just flowers and ribbons. There are table linens, chair covers, candles, and maybe even a tent. Decide which items you definitely want at your event, and look for ways to cut costs on getting them. For instance, does your church have linens you can borrow? Can you get the candles you want from an overstock store or on clearance at a home store? If you need a lot of rental items—chairs, candelabras, tent, etc.—will the rental company give a discount on a large order? Take time to shop around, and see what’s available to help you save money on your wedding.
Use Quicken Loans to Get a Personal Loan
- If you're tight on cash right now, you may want to consider getting a personal loan. A personal loan is a loan that you can use for just about any purpose like: paying off other debt, renovating your home, or family needs like a wedding or adoption.
- TrustPilot Rating 4.6 out of 5
- Connect with lenders for $0
- 100% online experience.
Guest experience
Wedding favors are a time-honored tradition, but they don’t have to be expensive ones. Pinterest is full of DIY wedding favors that won’t break the bank. Also, having a photo booth remains a popular activity at wedding receptions. This is super easy to put together. As with favors, Pinterest has a lot of DIY photo booth props you can print out at home as well as ideas for inexpensive backdrops.
Music/entertainment
It’s the age-old wedding reception question: Band or DJ? Either works. It just depends on what you want to spend on entertainment. Want an even easier way to save money? Put together a wedding reception playlist on your favorite music apps on your phone, plug it into an audio system, and you’re ready to hit the dance floor with your wedding guests.
Rehearsal dinner
The rehearsal dinner is a time to bring together both families and the wedding party—bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers, flower girls, ring bearers, wedding directors, etc.—to celebrate the forthcoming nuptials. Traditionally, if you have out-of-town guests who have already arrived for the big event, they are invited as well. You can make this dinner as high-end or casual as you prefer, which will dictate how much it costs.
Photography/videography
Having wedding pictures and a wedding video you can enjoy through the years is a must for many of today’s couples. When shopping for a wedding photographer, look at several portfolios to get a feel for the style of photos. The same is true for a wedding videographer. Ask for several samples of completed and edited videos. Compare prices and packages (how many photographers/videographers will be shooting the event, do you get edited or raw photos/footage, how many hours will they be at the event, etc.) to find one that fits your budget.
Tuxedos
Today’s tuxedos offer a lot of variety so you can find one that matches your style. Rather have a suit? Not a problem. There are many options so you can find wedding-day attire that not only matches your style but also your budget.
Wedding planner
Wedding planning is a lot of work. It requires a lot of attention to details, organization, sticking to deadlines, and paying bills on time. For some, this is not a problem. For others, it can be overwhelming and stressful. If you want to pass this work off to a wedding planner, make sure your budget reflects this as a priority.
Consider a destination wedding
If the costs of a wedding start to add up to more than your budget can handle, consider a destination wedding. Many locations offer wedding packages that include the ceremony, officiant, flowers, decorations, a cake, and even the honeymoon. The drawback could be a limited guest list, as not everyone you know will want to pay to travel to your wedding. But this could be a great option to have the wedding you want without draining your savings.
Use Quicken Loans to Get a Personal Loan
- If you're tight on cash right now, you may want to consider getting a personal loan. A personal loan is a loan that you can use for just about any purpose like: paying off other debt, renovating your home, or family needs like a wedding or adoption.
- TrustPilot Rating 4.6 out of 5
- Connect with lenders for $0
- 100% online experience.
Stash your savings in a high-yield account
To help you pay your wedding bills, set up a high-yield savings or money market account to store your cash until you need it. While these accounts won’t benefit you if your wedding is coming up soon, they could provide a few extra dollars if your wedding is a year or more in the future. An easy way to take advantage of this tip is to set up an automatic transfer from your checking account to your savings or money market account every payday.
Use cash-back credit cards
When booking vendors for your wedding, many will require a deposit upfront. Use a cashback credit card to earn money on that deposit. To maximize these savings, pay off the card as soon as possible so your cash back rewards won’t be lost to interest. Continue using the card to rack up additional savings, provided you keep it paid off. You don’t want to start married life with a hefty dose of credit card debt.
The bottom line
Paying for your wedding can seem daunting when you first look at the many wedding expenses associated with your big day. But don’t let that put a damper on your dream wedding. By setting and sticking to a budget, trimming expenses or choosing less-expensive options, and shopping around for the best pricing, you can have a wedding you both love and can afford.
Related: Tips for Managing Money as Newlyweds
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Writer
Karon Warren is a freelance writer who has covered articles in finance, insurance and health for sites like Reviews.com, USA Today, Healthgrades, among others.
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