These days, it’s impractical to have an extravagant wedding. In 2018, the average wedding in Indiana cost roughly $31,996. While there’s nothing wrong with cashing out exorbitant amounts of money to have a breathtaking wedding, you can certainly cut back your spending to keep the price reasonable.
The key to planning a great wedding is knowing when to splurge and when to scrimp. Understandably, some elements of your wedding will be non-negotiable — and that’s okay. Where you compromise is entirely up to your personal preferences. But, being a little stingy with spending on some aspects of your wedding won’t cheapen how it looks — if you know how to execute it right. With that said, we’ve gathered a few frugal tips to help you rein in your wedding costs and avoid going over budget.
DIY your wedding invitations
Your invitation is the first peek your guests will have of your wedding, so getting it right is crucial. However, wedding invitations often have a hefty price tag on them — a special wedding invitation package often marks up the actual price of the materials and labor costs. Additionally, wedding invitations are usually designed ornately and this can easily push the costs to an unreasonable range.
Luckily, you can DIY fancy wedding invitations from scratch. While this may eat up a bit of your time, there’s nothing like having full control over this aspect of your wedding. What’s more, you can even employ the help of your friends and family, and make crafting your wedding invitations the center of a fun-filled pre-wedding gathering.
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Bring your wedding playlist to life
Another wedding staple that can leave a huge dent on your finances is hiring a live band or a DJ. While hiring a DJ is a lot cheaper compared to a live band, you can further mitigate your spending by preparing your own wedding playlist in advance. To do this, you should first have a clear view of how your wedding program and reception will go. When you’re done mapping out the wedding traditions that you want to do during your wedding program, you can start splicing your wedding playlist into one big audio file. That way, you can just leave it playing and in the background while a family member or a friend regulates the volume and the playback.
While this eliminates the need for a DJ, you should keep in mind that creating your own wedding music won’t work unless you have the correct equipment. Figuring out what quality live sound equipment you need, is easy enough as there is so much available nowadays. You’ll need a media player, power amplifiers, equalizers, and a mixing deck. These will allow you to sufficiently tinker with the audio that plays in your wedding without adding more people to your wedding payroll. Most of this equipment will be available to rent as well, saving on costs.
Dazzle your guests by wearing something old
Not everything needs to be brand new when it comes to a wedding. While it’s incredibly unorthodox, more and more brides are starting to rent and buy second-hand wedding gowns in the name of sustainability. Wedding dresses take up a chunk of the wedding budget — especially if it’s a bespoke dress that requires numerous fittings and consultations. Grooms can also look dapper while flaunting a pre-loved wedding tuxedo. If you decide to go vintage on your wedding attire, make sure to have it altered to your size so you’ll look your best.
All in all, how you want to spend your wedding budget is entirely up to you. But, it’s important to keep in mind that high costs don’t automatically mean that your wedding will look exactly how you dreamed it to be. Most times, it’s best to play it smart and choose to splurge on the wedding elements that will leave you with physical mementos of your big day.
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