Tips to Avoid Overspending on Your Wedding

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Planning a wedding can run the emotional gamut; from exciting and fun, to stressful and overwhelming. Usually, as the costs start adding up, so does the stress. Overspending on weddings can be easy to do, but there are also ways to cut back.

Not overspending on your wedding can even help reduce stress further into your marriage, leaving you with smaller bills to pay down the line. It can also allow you to spend more on that honeymoon you’ve been dreaming of.

  1. One of the easiest and most common ways to avoid extra wedding costs is by trimming the guest list. More guests equals more money for food, additional wedding favors and can even force you to have to spend more to rent a larger space for your reception. Try crossing off those not-so-close friends you’ve really only communicated with on Facebook and haven’t seen since high school, for starters.
  2. Having a budget in mind and setting amounts for various portions of your wedding will go a long way toward limiting your costs. Once you’ve hit your max in one area, move on to the next. If you continue to look, you might talk yourself into spending more on another option that you may not really need.
  3. Try creating a list of your must-haves and your would-like-to-haves. Start by planning for your priorities, such as the food. If you start by picking out extravagant center pieces, you may not have as much money for something important at the end. You’re more likely to justify spending more on a priority at the end than you are spending extra on something not as important, so avoid that scenario.
  4. Wedding favors don’t have to be over the top, but you also don’t want to waste money on something that your guests will probably just leave behind. Most guests will appreciate something simple and personal. This can even be a great way to put your crafty side to work or to enlist the help of Pinterest.
  5. Champagne toasts seem like a great idea, but the truth is most people will use whatever they are already drinking for a toast. A champagne toast can easily run you an extra couple hundred dollars on the low end. That’s quite a bit for something many people won’t even use for the toast, especially if you’re already paying for an open bar.

Of course you want your wedding day to fulfill your dreams, but having a plan and budget and sticking to them can help keep your dreams realistic, less stressful and affordable. Try not let other people’s ideas or expectations influence your decisions too much. Things can get out of hand quickly so stay organized and focused, and enjoy your wedding!