Some people dream about their wedding for many years. Long before you meet the person who you intend to marry, you might think about the event itself. You may pick out a venue, think about what you’ll wear, and consider who you’d like to attend.
However, when the day comes that someone proposes to you, or you propose to them, you may find that you don’t have as much money as you imagined at this moment. Unless you come from a privileged background, you might have limited funds to put toward your blissful day. If so, you’ll need to get creative with what you do with that money.
We’ll talk about some ways you might save cash on your wedding day right now.
1. You Can Trim Down the Guest List
Before we get to ways you can save money on your wedding, we should mention that you might want to do a free person search on your partner. If you’re head over heels in love with them, but you only just met them, you can do one of these background checks with one of the companies that offer them. A free person search engine can reveal a lot about an individual, and you might discover some things about this person that you didn’t know or suspect.
Assuming you’ve vetted your fiancée and not found anything that could potentially halt the wedding, you might sit down with them and talk about who you want to attend. The more people you have, the larger the venue you must secure. More people also equal more food, place settings, a larger cake, etc.
If you cut down on any distant relatives or anyone else you might think doesn’t need an invitation, that will cut down on the wedding’s cost. It will also probably feel intimate and special if you don’t have a whole crowd there when you say your vows.
2. You Can Use Family Heirlooms
The wedding dress, the suit the groom wears, or anything along those lines can cost a lot of money. If you get a high-end clothing designer to create your outfit for the event, that could easily cost you thousands of dollars.
You don’t necessarily need to do that, though. Maybe you have a family wedding dress that your grandmother or mother passed down. If you like the dress and it fits you well, you might want to wear it. A groom can do the same thing with a suit if there’s an appropriate one in the family.
Ask the family about any heirlooms like these that you can wear or use. You’ll save money when you do, but you’re also connecting to the past and your family’s heritage in a meaningful way.
3. You Can Marry in Your Backyard or Somewhere Else Appropriate
You might choose to rent a big banquet hall or somewhere equally expensive for the wedding and the following festive dinner. However, you can often save money if you select an outdoor setting that you don’t have to rent.
For example, if you have a big backyard, you can marry your fiancée there. You might also marry in a public park, or anywhere else you don’t have to rent in advance.
If you trimmed down the guest list, this is an even more attractive prospect. You won’t have as many people, so you won’t need as large of an outdoor space for your special day.
4. Use Family Rings
You can spend even more money on the engagement and wedding rings than you did on the dress or the groom’s outfit. You should talk to the family before spending thousands of dollars on rings, though.
Maybe you have a family ring that you can wear. You might have one that a relative passed down. It may have a colorful history or some stories behind it.
Again, you’re saving money if you wear family rings, but you’re also connecting with your past. If you’re the sentimental type, that might appeal just as much as the financial savings.
5. Marry at the Courthouse
If you don’t invite anyone and simply marry your fiancé at the courthouse, you save the most money possible. You can have a party later, and the in-laws can meet each other later.
If you do this, your special day remains all about the two people committing to one another. It’s nice to commit with no one else around to make this moment about them.
