Weddings can be one of the most beautiful times of your life, but they can also get outrageously expensive quickly if you do not plan. Here are a few tips to help you plan on a budget.

Most research regarding the subject indicates that the amount of money spent on a wedding does not indicate how likely the wedding is to be successful. What is a more telling sign is how much the couple were able to spend on the honeymoon. 

Although weddings are for you and your partner, they are also in large part for the family of the betrothed. 

Honeymoons are a wondrous occasion you and your partner get to consummate your lifelong bond; learning how to save a little on your wedding so you can spend a little more on your honeymoon does not sound like such a bad idea now does it?

Top Ways You Can Reduce the Cost of Your Wedding

Weddings can become costly if you have expensive tastes, and even if you have affordable tastes but are not mindful of how you are spending money. There is a massive amount of pressure and society to have an extravagant wedding. One of the first steps of reducing the eventual cost of your wedding is to realize that extravagance is not necessary if you do not feel it is necessary.

• Ask a Family Member to Take Photographs for You

Wedding photographs can be one of the most significant expenses of your wedding day if you hire a professional photographer. Although they are capable of getting some glamour shots that are worth it in some instances, many times professional wedding photographers are overpriced photographers who put the word wedding in front of their job title. If you have anyone that is decent with the camera and you do not have any plan for professional quality photos on your wedding day. In that case, there is nothing wrong with opting to use some amateur talent if you know of any.

• Opt for a Less Extravagant Venue

Where you hold your wedding reception will, in large part, determine the eventual cost of your wedding day. The venue is typically the place where you spend the most money on your wedding, and following that is the food.

In some cases, people tend to spend as much as it costs to buy a home to hold a venue for their wedding day. 

• Have Your Wedding During the Off-Season

If you are unfamiliar with the wedding industry, you might not know that there is a time of year that it is more popular to get married. Most couples get married in the early months of summer when it first starts to warm up before it gets too hot outside. 

Knowing this, many people in the wedding industry will increase their rates around this time due to increased demand for their services. You can take advantage of this by acting conversely and reserving your wedding reception for the time of year when it is the least busy in your local area.

• Put More Money Towards Your Honeymoon

Your honeymoon will be what you make of it. Putting more money towards your honeymoon will show you the person you love that you want to spend money on them and not just on appearances. You can go to any place that you desire and make memorable experiences along the way. Come up with a game plan on where you plan to adventure on your honeymoon before the big day.

• Have a Nontraditional Wedding

While there is always the pressure to hold a traditional style wedding in a church with the traditional style wedding gown and holding the traditional style wedding reception today, it is becoming more and more acceptable to have weddings however you please. Some people opt to get married at the courthouse and not hold a reception at all. How you express your love to the world is a matter that is only between you and your partner.

Save Up Ahead of the Big Event

At the end of the day, your wedding is a special event, and there are just certain compromises that you may be unwilling to make.  If so, implement a savings plan and tighten your budget to make sure the money that you really want to spend is there for the big day.   Some easy ways to save money are

• Canceling any unused subscriptions
• Spending more time in the kitchen – ditching dining out and coffee shops for home-cooked meals and coffee from home
• Making a shopping list when you go to the grocery store
• Implementing energy-efficient tips to lower your Ohio Edison bill
• Work on your willpower to say no to online shopping

Conclusion

Start saving early, decide what is crucial to you on the big day, and look for less costly alternatives to anything that is not essential.  Use these tips, and you will create great memories that will last for a lifetime.