The average wedding these days costs over $30,000, so having the wedding of your dreams without breaking the bank might seem like an impossibility; however, if you know just how and where to nip certain costs in the bud, it is more possible than you might think. Use these tips as a starting point, and spend some time thinking about similar ideas. You will be surprised how easily one idea can create another. 

Pare Down the Number of Guests

This is probably the most obvious way to save on your wedding, and it is low-hanging fruit because it is usually done fairly easily. This is even more so the case during Covid. If you are worried about offending someone who is right on the edge of being on your final list, you can take solace in the fact that people are used to having social events taken out of their schedules because of the pandemic. 

Even if you have always dreamed of having a giant wedding, take some time to think about what you want this wedding to mean. Do you want it to truly be a celebration of your love or do you just want it to be a celebration? The more intimate and closely-knit your guests are, the more meaningful and intimate your wedding will be. 

Think Outside the Box of Traditional Venues

With a little digging (wedding blogs are a great place to start), you can find a bevy of brilliant ideas for inexpensive but fantastic wedding venues. You can find people pulling off incredibly unique weddings in venues that are not only less expensive but are also far more memorable than a traditional venue. Farms, gardens, and art galleries are just a few ideas to give you a feel for what cool ideas you can find with a little creativity and research. Community centers, libraries, and even cozy coffee shops can also serve as charming and budget-friendly options that reflect your personal style. By keeping an open mind and focusing on venues that hold sentimental or local significance, you can create an atmosphere that’s both meaningful and cost-effective. For more inspiration, you can pair these ideas with practical wedding budget planning tips to ensure every detail aligns with your vision without breaking the bank.

Nontraditional Stones

They say that a diamond is forever, but, if you think about it, so is every other stone: they are all billions of years old and will still be around a billion years from now. What is actually forever about a diamond is the bill you will be paying off for the next umpteen years. Diamonds have been marketed very well, but many people are now starting to feel freer to express themselves with unique alternative stones. Emeralds or rubies are popular choices because the splash of color they provide really allows you to customize your ring to match who you are. If you still like the look of a diamond, however, consider moissanite engagement rings since these can sometimes even outpace their far more expensive diamond counterparts in shine and clarity. Another huge advantage of Moissanite is that it is man-made and therefore far more ethical to use than mined diamonds. Even a humanely-run mine will still have an enormously detrimental effect on the environment. 

Take the Cost of Alterations into Account when Buying a Dress

When choosing your wedding dress, remember that the more layers that a dress has, the more expensive it will be to alter. Each one of those layers is like altering a whole different dress, so if you have several layers, the costs can get into the thousands of dollars. If you still really want a full look, you can see if you can achieve the same effect with a petticoat.

Another very important thing to remember about alterations is that you should almost never have the alterations done at the same shop that sold you the dress. These shops will almost certainly charge you far more than an independent seamstress would. An added benefit of using a small and independent business to make your alterations is that they will spend more time with you to make sure you are getting exactly what you want.

Consider Having a Friday or Daytime Wedding

The first thing to mention here is that neither having a Friday wedding or a daytime wedding is even an oddity anymore. Covid has caused such a backlog for weddings that more and more couples are finding that these nontraditional times are the only times available. That said, these weddings will be just as much fun while costing much less. The venue costs will tend to be lower, but, especially for a daytime wedding, the food and drink costs will also be far less. People drink less when the sun is up, and you can have a light catering service instead of a full multi-course dinner.