{"id":4709,"date":"2013-07-17T07:11:10","date_gmt":"2013-07-17T11:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.123print.com\/?p=4709"},"modified":"2016-12-29T14:51:45","modified_gmt":"2016-12-29T14:51:45","slug":"how-to-plan-an-affordable-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/how-to-plan-an-affordable-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Plan an Affordable Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HowReceiving USA Today<\/a> updates on our iPhones that say the economy is doing better doesn\u2019t necessarily mean the positive financial news is reflected in everyone\u2019s bank accounts. Planning a wedding should be such a joyous time, but it can certainly add a lot of stress to the fiscally challenged. According to WeddingChannel.com\u2019s 2012 \u201cReal Weddings Survey,\u201dthe average cost of an American wedding is $28,427. That\u2019s quite a bill to foot! However, there are ways to cut costs and plan a budget-friendly wedding. How do you do that? Follow this guide.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Don\u2019t budge it.<\/strong><\/span> Perhaps one of the most important things to do when you plan a budget-friendly wedding is to create your budget with your partner and stick to it. Do this before you purchase anything. Also talk to each other about the one or two things that mean the most to you on your big day. If you stick to those must-haves and abide by your budget, no matter what that figure is, you won\u2019t have an issue with overspending.<\/p>\n

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2. Make some cuts.<\/strong><\/span> The best way to cut wedding costs is to whittle down the guest list to the people who you just couldn\u2019t get married without them being there. Do you need to invite those distant cousins just because they\u2019re family? No. Do you need to invite all of your work colleagues? No. Do you need to invite the close friends of your parents? No. You\u2019ll have a better event if you invite fewer folks rather than cutting corners on services and elements that you love. Cutting the guest list means you\u2019ll save on everything from flowers to rentals (like tables) to food and drink.<\/p>\n

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Personalize 123Print Sensational Seafoam Ceremony place cards for your budget-friendly wedding.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. DIY wedding programs<\/a>, place cards<\/a> and menus<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span> We\u2019re not talking Martha Stewart DIY here \u2014 that crafty-from-scratch business isn\u2019t for everyone! Instead of hiring a calligrapher or getting custom paper products from Etsy, which can get quite costly, choose paper items for your ceremony and reception that you can affordably customize yourself online. Look out for sales or free shipping opportunities at your favorite online retailer<\/a> to shave off some extra dollars as well. (Hint: Sign up for your favorite site\u2019s email list. This puts you first in line for special offers and wedding ideas.)<\/em><\/p>\n

4. Ease up on rentals.<\/strong> <\/span>Renting items can add up fast. Try to select a wedding venue that already has the basics in place, like tables and chairs, and then limit over-the-top items. Do you really need those antique vases for your centerpieces? Pick and choose wisely.<\/p>\n

5. Time it well.<\/strong><\/span> For one, don\u2019t choose a holiday weekend for your wedding. All aspects of it will be more expensive for you and also your guests. To cut venue costs, look at a Friday evening or Sunday wedding. Saturdays are clearly the choice days for weddings, but the off-peak days before and after will be cheaper.<\/p>\n

6. Look into alternative formats.<\/strong><\/span> There\u2019s no rulebook that says you have to have an afternoon to evening ceremony and reception. You can save some big bucks by thinking outside of the box. For example, you could have a mid-afternoon ceremony followed by a cocktail hour with small bites and forgo the expense of a big dinner. Or, you could have a morning ceremony followed by a yummy brunch. Your guests will support you in your choices, no matter if they are traditional or untraditional. And if mom\u2019s appalled at the thought, then add up the savings for her and she\u2019ll see the light.<\/p>\n

7. Register for your honeymoon.<\/strong> <\/span>There\u2019s a chance you already have all the kitchen and bath supplies you need. These days, more couples are living together before marriage than ever before and may have gone ahead and purchased the home goods. Instead of a traditional registry, you can register for a honeymoon and shave that hefty line item off of your wedding budget. Honeyfund<\/a> is one option that was created by a bride and groom who created their own honeymoon registry page just eight years ago.<\/p>\n

How did you save on your wedding? Post it on our 123Print Facebook<\/a> page, tweet us @123Print<\/a>, or write a note below to share your great tips!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Receiving USA Today updates on our iPhones that say the economy is doing better doesn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,13,14,15],"tags":[106,342,621,901,966,1243],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4709"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4709"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9933,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4709\/revisions\/9933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}