How to Save Money on a Wedding: 5 Simple Money-Saving Tips

Weddings are expensive. Period. If you’ve put off planning your wedding because of the price tag attached to it, you’re not alone. The good news is that there are ways you can cut costs and still have the wedding of your dreams. Here are 5 simple ways to plan your perfect wedding without breaking the bank.

The number of people attending your wedding will determine how much you’ll have to spend on food and alcohol. It can even affect the cost of the venue since places with bigger capacities will often cost more.

Comb through your guest list and try to only keep the people who matter the most. Remember, your wedding day is a day to celebrate YOU; it’s not a day to spare feelings by inviting hundreds of people you don’t really know.

You can have an affordable wedding surrounded by the people you care about the most, or you can have an overly-expensive wedding surrounded by people you may not even know in a year.

While this is one of the harder tasks for couples to complete, it’s often a necessary one.

When most people start wedding planning, they assume their wedding will be held on a Saturday evening. What they don’t know is that most venues offer steep discounts for weddings held on a Friday, Sunday, or weekday. Even having your wedding on a Saturday morning could save you hundreds of dollars.

A Friday or Sunday wedding works easily if most of your guests are local or live within close driving distance, but it gets more difficult when people have to fly in. Weigh the options and decide how many people can attend if you choose a non-Saturday wedding.

To go beyond that, it can be even cheaper if you have your wedding during an off-season. Summer weddings are more common, making the venue options more expensive. Not only would a fall or winter wedding be more unique, but it could also be cheaper.

Instead of the traditional “chicken or beef” entree options, try serving BBQ or having a food truck cater the wedding. Traditional, venue-recommended vendors will likely charge more than your favorite mom-and-pop restaurant.

To save on alcohol, buy the drinks yourself and hire someone with a liquor license to serve your guests. But not every venue will allow this DIY option, so make sure to ask about it.

This couple spent only $700 on food for their wedding, and they ended up having leftovers!

Many brides sell or give away their leftover centerpieces and decorations after the wedding is over. Scour sites like Tradesy or Bridal Garage Sales for vases, fake flowers, picture frames, and more. You’ll likely find all the decor you need for half the price. Once the wedding is over, you can resell the items to recoup most of the cost.

Not only will this save you time by not having to register anywhere, but it will also serve a much greater purpose than a brand new toaster or candle holder will. Think about the monetary value of all the presents couples receive at their wedding.

Now think about what you could do with it… You can put it towards paying off the debt from your wedding, a down payment on a new home, furniture, etc.

Now you know five simple ways to cut costs on your wedding. The next step is figuring out the best way to pay for it if you don’t have enough cash on hand.

Many people opt for a personal loan.

Start by using SuperMoney’s personalized loan offer engine to get prequalified offers from leading lenders. You can also check out our personal loans review page to compare rates and terms of each lender.

Happy wedding planning!