Reduce the Cost Without Reducing the Quality
We can all agree that weddings are not cheap. As a matter of fact, they are an event that people often have to budget for over many years. According to a recent study by the popular wedding website The Knot, the average wedding now costs around $31,000. That’s a huge number! Especially considering newly married couples have so many other expenses to worry about such as a down payment on a home, new cars, and let’s not forget the honeymoon! While there are a number of websites and blogs dedicated to showing you how to save money on your wedding, I have a few tips that are not mentioned in most of those. Keep reading to see how you can save money on your wedding without sacrificing anything.
Have Your Wedding on a Weekday or Off-Season
All brides dream of having a beautiful outdoor wedding, delicious food, an amazing photographer and videographer, and the most gorgeous dress they can find. When they see the bill for this order, they usually panic at the total cost. Their first instinct is to think of what they can eliminate. What do they really need… Ultimately, cutting costs means cutting quality. So why not find a way to have all of those things, but at a lower price? A large majority of vendors offer hefty discounts for weekday (Mon-Thurs) or off-season (October-April) weddings. Check out this blogpost from BrideBox that goes into more detail about exactly when best times are to have a lower-priced wedding.
Attend Local Bridal/Wedding Shows
Not only are bridal shows a great way to meet wedding vendors in person, but they also offer a one-stop shop for your wedding needs. Most importantly, the prices you encounter at a bridal show are often highly discounted. Vendors generally pay a good deal of money to showcase their work at a bridal show, and as a result, they want to get bookings. Oftentimes, they will offer specials or large discounts for anyone who books them at (or soon after) that show. This is a great way to find vendors and get the best price they will offer. Some good bridal shows to attend in the Seattle area are The Northwest Bridal Showcase, One Love Wedding Show, or the Seattle Wedding Show.
Book Your Wedding Vendors Early
Not only is it important to book your vendors early to ensure they’re not already filled for that day, but it usually results in a lower cost. It’s common for wedding vendors to introduce their new prices at the beginning of each year. More often than not, these prices are increased from the previous year. If you already know the date of your wedding, it’s not a bad idea to secure your vendors at their previous year’s rates. You’ll get cheaper prices, and you will get much of the planning out of the way well before the wedding.
Do Your Research
When looking for your venue or vendors, make sure that you’ve done enough research to know you’ve made the best choices for your wedding. Go past the first page of Google because there may be a better option on page two. Find the vendors that fit your budget, but also fit your style. And once you find them, take some time and talk with them so they know exactly what you want. Ask them if they’re able to customize packages so that you’re not paying for anything that you don’t need or won’t use. The bottom line is this: You shouldn’t have to sacrifice anything to get your dream wedding. Have your wedding cake, and eat it too.
Hopefully these tips will help you on reducing the cost of your wedding without reducing the quality. For more information, or more blog posts, check out my website!