Few days have quite as much weight on them as your wedding day. Both because of the emotional significance and the physical weight of all the money you spend to make it happen.
Hey, it’s understandable. It’s you and your spouse-to-be’s big day. Of course, you want to make it special. But special doesn’t have to mean going into deep debt. Our tips and tricks for saving money on your wedding will help you take some of the weight off tying the knot.
Choose an Off-Season Wedding Date
Since most people value having balmy sunshine on their wedding day, most weddings happen between late spring to early fall—from June to September. Because of that, prices for venues tend to skyrocket during these seasons. Choosing an off-season wedding may squelch your plans for an outdoor wedding, but a wintery wedding surrounded by snow is still striking and will save you immensely.
Get Creative With the Venue
Even during the off-season, some of the more popular venues can get pricey. But breaking from some of the more conventional choices will be less expensive and create a unique experience everyone is sure to remember. Here are a few off-the-beaten-trail venue ideas:
- National Parks
- Cafés
- Museum
- Aquarium
- Renaissance Faires
- City Halls
- Bed and Breakfast
If space permits, you can keep it small and do it in your own backyard or on a friend’s property. A potluck-style family dinner will add a homey touch to the wedding.
Rent Your Wedding Clothes
We tend to feel very sentimental about our wedding clothes. We have lofty ideas of saving our dresses for our daughters to wear or giving our tuxes to our sons.
But here’s the thing: wedding clothes go in and out of fashion just like normal clothes. There’s a strong chance your future kids won’t actually want to wear them and a stronger chance you won’t often wear them either. Don’t worry. It’s possible to alter rented tuxedos and dresses, so you’ll still look wonderful on your big day.
Pro-Tip: Go Local
Still hung up on the idea of not actually “owning” your wedding clothes? You can still save money by skipping out on big-name boutiques and going local. Shopping local for your tuxedo will usually save you both money and the hassle of shipping or traveling far distances. You can even thrift dresses and suits at some consignment shops.
Your wedding is a big deal, but it’s not as big of a deal as you, your spouse, and all the loved ones that will surround you on that day. The goal of finding ways to save money on your wedding isn’t to cheapen the experience but to make the experience more possible for you and your loved ones.
