8 Tips For Hosting A $20,000 Wedding For Much Less

Summer: the time of year where love fills the air and wedding invitations flood your mailbox. Typically the invitations portray the theme of the wedding and inform the invitee when and where the wedding will take place.  Over the past couple months, I’ve been getting a ton of invites in the mail seeing how I’m at that age where everyone seems to be getting married (except me, but that’s another topic all together).

Anyway, if you haven’t heard, the average cost of a wedding these days’ is about $24,000. When you consider most people getting married are around 26 and that bill doesn’t include the rings or the honeymoon – the fact is that weddings are freakin’ expensive. In most cases, the couples getting married have just finished paying off their college debt and saving for their new home. Sure, some families help take care of a wedding. But there are definitely ways to host a $20,000 for less… much less.

Below are 8 money saving tips to help alleviate the expense of a wedding.

Tip #1. Off season weddings are much more affordable than a typical summer wedding. Also, it would also help to cut costs if it were scheduled on a Friday or Sunday. Depending on the time of the year, certain places may be decorated in advanced which can also encourage savings.

Tip #2. The average guest list is 178 family and friends long. This is possibly where you can end up saving most of your money considering everything – outside of the ceremony – is dependent on the head count. If possible, limit your guest list to 125-150. A good rule of thumb here: don’t invite more guests then you can spend at least a minute of your time with.

Tip #3. It is important to capture the memories created during your special day with photos, but getting professional photos could be cheaper than you think. Find a family member with some photography experience, a friend that you graduated with that majored in photography, or a cheap freelancer. Chances are they are willing to donate their services as a wedding gift or for much cheaper than a professional.

Tip #4. Food is probably going to end up costing the most out of all the wedding expenses.  You may want to consider a buffet style meal instead of a sit down meal.  It may also be feasible to have the caterers drop off the prepared food and set it all up and then leave.  Or, if you’re really ambitious, do the catering yourself.

Tip #5. Wedding announcements and invitations can be found for FREE! There are a ton of services on the web that provide free personalized announcements which can be printed from your home computer. Use some theme colored ribbon to spruce up the look and feel of the card.

Tip #6. From my experience, I know how you ladies like to browse dresses in magazines and try on dresses at bridal shops like Alfred Angelo. The dress is always a pricey piece of weddings, but if you’re not afraid to wear last season’s fashions, hundreds of dollars can be saved by going with an older style dress.

Tip #7. Some marriages find it a must to have a live band at their wedding. Others may suffice with a DJ.  Good live bands can cost as much as $2,000 or more.  Instead, find a musically inclined friend that will do it for cheap or even free as a gift.  If you really want to go cheap, find a play list online and download the songs to your iPod and use an amplifier to play it. I’ve seen this done at many weddings recently and found it to be just as effective as a DJ.

Tip #8. Certain beverages at the wedding can be extremely costly. Instead of hosting an open bar, have a beer wagon and a wine bar. If your families aren’t big drinkers only have a glass of champagne for the toast or just cut it out altogether.

Choosing a Wedding Photographer

For many individuals, having a record of their wedding that is permanent is important, and they will hire a professional wedding photographer who can get the job done. Many people may be curious as to the costs of having professional level pictures taken.  Here is how the money gets divvied up when paying off these individuals.

Candid photos are pictures that are taken at the wedding and the reception, and these pictures are usually put together in an album for both the bride and groom.  Many of these candid photos we put together in albums which can be sent to friends and family, and this will actually make up a majority of the costs associated with wedding photography.

When you’re looking at spending $250 are more on an album made by designers such as Art Leather, Leather Craftsmen, or a similar leather bound album, the costs can add up quickly.  The pictures and the styles are permanently attached and the albums themselves are made of leather and will last a lifetime.

Most people don’t realize why they should go out and buy such expensive leather albums, but the truth is that 10 years down the road, vinyl will eventually destroy or at least degrade the quality of most photographs.  If you’re serious about preserving your wedding memories it is a good idea to go for a very expensive model of wedding album which will preserve a photographic record of your wedding forever.

Digital options are also prevalent in the photography marketplace today, and you may want to choose these as the photographs can simply be printed directly onto the album itself.  This makes an excellent selection for wedding guests who you don’t want to spend $500 on.

The portraits themselves, such as those of a bridal portrait, also factor into wedding photography costs.  Bridal portraits are usually taken about four to six weeks before the wedding itself starts.  Some individuals decide that they also want to have an engagement portrait taken and a sitting fee and a developing charge will usually be assessed.

The session fee covers the photographers time for the session and the print charges are the costs it will take to edit, develop, and assemble the pictures.  So how much does an average wedding photographer cost?  Fees range widely depending on professionalism, but in a rural area, you are looking at around $600 and in New England fees may be upwards of a few thousand dollars. Shopping around is advised to find the best deal but remember that you will usually get what you pay for and if you want quality then you had better be ready to pay up.

To discover additional info about Wedding Flowers check out my Wedding Cake Designs web site.

Finding Right Wedding Photographer

You have spent a lot of time and money planning your special day. You have taken great pride in the kind of wedding you are going to have. One thing you will want is your special day recorded for all time.

Pictures of your wedding and reception are something you will treasure for the rest of your life. You want someone taking those pictures who know what they are doing, and how to get the memorable shots.

Professional vs a Friend?

Most brides and grooms face this decision. They have a friend who loves to take pictures as a hobby and offers to take their wedding pictures as a gift. Saving money is something everyone wants to do, but there are some places you shouldn’t scrimp on. Your wedding photographs are one of those things. Unless your friend has a job as a photographer, hiring a professional is the best choice. Professionals will have the best equipment and have the knowledge to get the right shots. Read more