You’ve found that special someone, you’ve picked a date, and you’ve even started the painstaking process of planning your guest list.
The only problem?
You’re stuck on how to pay for a wedding.
From shelling out hundreds on a cake to plunking down thousands on your “dream venue,” how do people pay for weddings — and how can you finance your big day?
Keep on reading this post to find out.
From getting a side hustle to understanding what you actually want at your wedding, this guide will make things much easier on you both.
1. Consider Hiring a Planner
Between working, having some semblance of a social life, and running what seems like a thousand different errands each week, it’s normal to feel worried about how to pay for a wedding.
But, just like the marriage itself will be, paying for a wedding is all about sacrifice and compromise.
Hiring a wedding planner is also an awesome way to save. Yes, it might sound counterintuitive at first (especially when you see what they plan to charge you!)
But remember that wedding planners often have connections with vendors that can help you to score better deals on things like the cake, venues, and even that awesome band you’ve been dreaming of.
Plus, they’ll help to keep you less stressed on your big day.
2. Set your Priorities
Of course, if you really want to know how to afford a wedding, you need to make sure that you start by communicating with your partner.
Get out a piece of paper, a red, yellow, and green marker, and start by talking about the things that are the most important to each one of you when it comes to the wedding.
Maybe your future wife cares about the dress more than anything else, while you really don’t care about anything except the music. Mark your first priorities with a green marker, things that are important but not in the number-one slot with yellow, and things that you can really do without on red.
Often, weddings are expensive because the couple hasn’t taken the time to properly communicate about what the other person actually cares about.
When you both realize that you aren’t worried about things like over-the-top table centerpieces or personalized napkins? You can allocate that money towards the Bloody Mary bar you’ve always dreamed about, or the awesome photographer you want to capture your big day.
3. Understand Typical Expenses
When you’re saving for a wedding, you’ll also need to know exactly how much you should put away.
In general, you can expect to pay over $31,000 for your wedding. The venue generally ranges about $16,000, the band around $5,000 the photographer around $3,000, and the flowers about $2,500.
The price per person when it comes to catering lingers around $70 a head.
Also, be on the lookout for the infamous “Wedding Tax.” When businesses and venues find out you’re planning a wedding, they’ll often try to up-charge you, knowing you’ll agree to the higher price.
If you can, avoid telling businesses that it’s a wedding, instead just say a “celebration” or even “anniversary.”
Hey, if they’re going to try to take unethical advantage of you, there’s no reason why you should feel guilty about finding ways to get around it.
4. Look for Subtle ways to Save
Despite what you may have heard, it’s OK to look for ways to cut corners on your wedding day.
While we’re not suggesting that you slice everything but the wedding cake from your budget, the truth is that your wedding day doesn’t have to be a production to be special and memorable.
You can also ask your guests to pitch in (as long as the requests are reasonable.)
For example, do you have a friend that knows calligraphy?
In lieu of a wedding present, ask them to address your envelopes.
Do you really want to make your friends pay for bridesmaids dresses, or can they just all wear a dress they already own in a popular shade like navy blue or black?
Do you actually need a live band, or will a DJ or even an epic Spotify playlist suffice?
And what about the timing of the ceremony itself?
Often, daytime weddings are much more affordable than an afternoon or early evening option.
Learn more about how to make the most of a daytime wedding, including advice on how to keep guests entertained with cheap lawn games and a more affordable brunch as opposed to a sit-down dinner, on the Sparklers Online website.
There are tons of epic ways to party in the summer — without having to spend half your paycheck to make it happen.
How to pay for a Wedding: Wrapping Up
Sometimes, the stress of paying for a wedding can cause unnecessary tension between the couple, their families, and even their guests.
We hope that this post on how to pay for a wedding has helped you to understand how to set priorities, understand the potential costs, and look for ways to save.
At the end of the day, while weddings are stressful and can cause even the calmest of people to have breakdowns over something as small as a napkin ring, remember that it’s the marriage that really matters.
Pick the right person, and everything else will fall into place.
For more advice on how to find that special someone — and look your best on your wedding day and every day — check out our website.