A wedding can be one of the most magical days of your life. All of your closest family and friends join together to celebrate the love between you and your future spouse. It is the day that marks the beginning of your marriage, and many men and women start dreaming of their wedding day as children. However, weddings can also be a major expense, and it can be difficult to afford and rationalize spending so much on one day, even such an important one.
In 2021, the national average cost of a wedding was $28,000, however, this price can be significantly higher depending on where you live and what you choose to include in your special day. When people get married at a younger age, they aren’t always established enough to have an extravagant wedding. A wedding shouldn’t force you into bankruptcy in order for you to feel like it was special.
You should be excited about your wedding, so cutting costs where you can will reduce the stress you might feel about it. Making small changes to the time and venue can have a real impact on the overall cost of your wedding.
Have Your Wedding Off-Season
The wedding off-season usually lasts between November and April, mostly due to less ideal weather conditions. However, getting married during these months can actually save you a lot of money. Hotels and venues usually lower their rates when we move out of the peak wedding months, so having a January wedding could cost you and your guests a lot less money in the end.
Having your wedding in the colder months also gives you an opportunity to consider less traditional wedding themes and aspects. The summer months may allow for warmer weather, but a winter wonderland theme can be refreshing and fun in comparison to all of the other weddings your guests have attended. Something like a build-your-own hot chocolate bar also makes a lot more sense in the winter.
Speaking of themes, if you love Christmas, a winter wedding is a wonderful time to have a Christmas-themed wedding. Many churches and venues will probably already be decorated in red, green, and gold which can save you money on decorations. Many churches already have poinsettias and other Christmas flowers lining their pews, so you could skip the floral bill altogether.
Have Your Wedding Early in the Day
Having a Sunday brunch wedding instead of a dinner reception can save you up to 30%. Just because your wedding takes place during the day doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be fun. A midday wedding can have all of the good food, dancing, and music that you love. You and your guests will still have a great time, and you won’t be out late into the night.
Choose Your Venue Wisely
One of the easiest ways to save money is to host your wedding ceremony and reception in the same venue. With one venue you only have one place to decorate, and you won’t have to pay for transportation from one place to another. If you are having a winter wedding, this may actually benefit you and your guests, because you won’t have to worry about venturing back out into the cold to get to the reception venue.
Keep in mind that a hotel, banquet hall, and other traditional venues are not your only option for the ceremony. For example, having your wedding in Central Park is free, minus a small $25 fee you can pay to ensure no one rides their bike through your ceremony. If you are interested in a non-traditional location for your wedding, try to think of your favorite places and inquire as to whether you’d be allowed to host your wedding there. It never hurts to ask!
Roni Davis is a writer, blogger, and legal assistant operating out of the greater Philadelphia area, who writes for a bankruptcy lawyer in Philadelphia.
