Weddings are expensive, y’all. I’m currently planning mine, and it doesn’t help that it’s going to be in New York City on a Saturday in June (I know, I know).
While I’m a finance buff, it was important to me to get married in the city I love. During the planning process, I’ve learned several important ways to minimize costs as much as possible. Are you planning a wedding? Read on!
ASK ASK ASK
This is probably my biggest lesson. If you don’t ask, you won’t get. I asked for an extra hour of bar service, and got it for free. I asked for a discount on flowers, and my florist agreed to work together to bring costs down. I asked to have a third entree and additional appetizer added to our menu and, you guessed it, they were tacked on for free. ASK!!!!
DIY where you can
While my florist offered to handle the candle centerpieces I was looking for, I looked online and found just what I was looking for with a smaller price tag than florists were offering. I will have to unpack the candles myself and risk breakage in the mail, but to get around that I’ll be ordering the candles months early. It’s worth it! It’s worth tapping family for help as well- my Dad will be building the arch for the ceremony, and my aunt is doing much of the calligraphy for signs. Not only do these things help the bottom line, but they also add a personal touch to many parts of the wedding.
Long engagements help
By the time I get married I’ll have been engaged for over two years, and while that’s longer than most engagements, it definitely did help with costs. Vendors up their prices each calendar year, so the earlier you can book things like venues and photo booths, the better! Even booking in December vs. January helps.
Credit card bonus time
Planning a wedding has involved many credit card transactions, and I’m glad I applied for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card right when I started buying things for the event. Spending $4000 in three months to get the full 50,000 point bonus currently available would normally be pretty tough for me, but with wedding purchases it’ll be easy peasy. At least that’s one thing to ease the pain of purchases.
While my wedding will not be inexpensive, I’m proud of the little things that have helped bring costs down. Things like a low guest count can help massively, but with big families and large groups of friends, that can be extremely difficult (or at least it was for us- even getting to 125 people was painful).
When planning a wedding, think about what is most important to you, and what isn’t too important. Ask vendors for help, think about what you can DIY, and give yourself time to plan and save. Here’s some helpful links to get you started on your planning journey:
Create an Amazon Wedding Registry