Would you pay $20,000 for a party? Your initial reaction to this question is probably “heck no!” but so many of you have or will one day. That ‘party’ is called a wedding.
Why has it become acceptable, if not expected, to spend so much money on a one-day celebration of a couple’s union? Many of you justify that it is ‘your’ day and the only one that will ever happen to celebrate you and your partner – for you to be the center of attention. But it is ONE day!
Do you know what you could do with that amount of money?
- Put a respectable down-payment on your first home;
- Pay down personal debt that would ensure a better quality of life in the long-term;
- Put your child through college or university;
- Buy a car, heck you could buy 2 cars with that amount!
Don’t get me wrong. Father Miser and I had a meaningful ceremony and a great party to celebrate our marriage, but we managed to do so without breaking the bank.
Here are a few of our cost-saving measures:
- My dress only cost $300: Shop around for your dress, buy off-the-rack and have it tailored after the fact or consider a second-hand wedding dress;
- I wore costume jewellery, which cost $20;
- We printed our own invitations and hand-delivered them to those nearby to save on postage;
- We catered Indian buffet for the dinner, costing us a whopping $10 per guest!
- We made our own wine and found a venue that did not charge a corking fee;
- We had mini three-tiered wedding cakes as the centre-piece for each table made by a a local woman who was just starting her own business;
- We hired a photographer who was newly breaking into the business and was willing to give us all digital files, thereby saving us on future prints;
- We compiled songs on cd as a gift to guests.
There are many ways to save on your wedding day. If you are resourceful and willing to put in a bit of time to save on costs, you can afford a beautiful celebration without suffering long-term financial consequence. Your wedding day is a time to celebrate but a bigger wedding does not make for a better marriage.
MM
love this post.. many, many friends are getting married this year so cost saving tips on the part of the guest would maybe be a good follow up post? between travel, showers, bachelorettes, brides maid dresses, gifts etc.. just attending can be seriously expensive.
Would also like to mention that a bride I know is saving her pennies by purchasing her dream dress second hand off kijiji (and will probably re-sell after her own big day). Her meal is simple and delicious: burgers. I think this less is more approach makes guests feel more relaxed and they have a better time anyway!
Happy to hear from you Sheila – and what a great idea for a follow-up post. In the meantime, you may like to read a guest post I did over at Money Rabbit about the financial hardships of being a bridesmaid.
I love this! I too bought my dress on consignment and budgeted $500 – after taxes it came to $499. We had a friend give us a wedding cake as a gift (her mom in-law made it). We also had a photographer who was new and gave us digital prints. Another friend was a member at a beautiful golf course and as a member was able to get us the venue for free. We had intended to rent a car to bring us home and ask a sober friend to drive but in the end my mom wanted us to have a limo so this too was a gift. We also saved by having the ceremony and party at the same place and having a friend (who is a minister) perform our ceremony. All for just under $10K that includes money donated by my family.
I still found the cost crazy but once we added food, DJ, tux rental and all the little things…
J.
The ‘average’ cost of a wedding makes me shudder. It’s a little scary how much people invest into one day of their lives. I love the idea of the small cakes for each table and CDs as favours.
Isn’t the average wedding cost $20,000? I hope not, I have 3 daughters. Plus they know the old man has deep pockets and short arms. But I realize I will probably be kicking in $5000 to $10000. Ouch!
I am sorry to say that “budget” weddings can easily reach $10,000 if you are not careful. From what I have seen, the AVERAGE is $15K-$20K, with some as high as $40k!
As a parent who plans to contribute to the wedding, it is all about managing expectations and keeping reality in check. Good luck!
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