On average, a to-be couple spends more than $20,000 on just the day of the wedding itself! That’s serious money! In this article, we’ll detail some great ways for you to creatively save money on your wedding day. The focus will be saving that money, without compromising style or quality. After all, you want to remember your wedding for a lifetime, not be paying for it for a lifetime!
Book Your Wedding on a Weekday
Most of your expense goes into booking the venue of the wedding, so it’s better to start planning beforehand to save a lot of money by playing smart and finding inexpensive wedding venues for you and your partner. Traditionally, most of weddings take place on Saturday, which is best for the schedule of most guests, particularly if you plan on having a lot of out-of-towners. But, if you’re looking for a discount from the venue then you may want to consider a weekday wedding. Weekday weddings are less in-demand, and it’s likely the venue will give you a reduced price. Drop us a message to inquire about weekday rates.
Opt for a Shorter Reception
There are some venues which will charge you by the hour. This might not be the best deal for you. If you want to save some money and still get the best out of your wedding, then consider reducing the duration of the reception by one hour or two. It’s unlikely that your guest won’t even notice it, particularly if you had planned on going long into the night anyway. As an additional bonus, you’ll pick up savings on wedding services like the DJ, band, videographer, and photographer if your contracts with those vendors are based hourly.
Go All-inclusive at an Inexpensive Wedding Venue
It’s clever to choose an all-inclusive package, as opposed to hunting for each and every service on your own. Inexpensive wedding venues with more services to offer mean an overall lower price for you and additional savings in time and headache of coordinating multiple vendors. For example, our venue provide wedding catering, cakes, and decoration. In addition, our wedding coordinator service partners closely with local photographers, videographers, bands, and DJs.
Combine Ceremony and Reception Venues
Consider a venue that can provide both a wedding ceremony and reception. Using the same venue for both events may earn you a discount on one or the other (or both)! Be careful, though. Make sure the facilities are right for both settings. Don’t compromise on quality.
Over-renting Space is Out of Fashion
Consider how many guests are likely to attend your wedding. You may have invited Cousin Tim in Vancouver, but is likely to attend? Why waste your money by renting more space (and paying for other services), that won’t even be used? Make a realistic estimate about how many guests will attend your wedding based on likelihood of attendance of each guest (not the total size of the guest list).
Search Local for an Inexpensive Wedding Venues
You may have already noticed that venues with similar services, accommodations, and even catering can vary wildly in price, depending on their geographic location. Big city venues as well as beach front property command a high premium. So, consider the value of that location when making your decision. Is on-the-beach really a must have? Inexpensive wedding venues can save you more than $10,000 and still give you the experience of a lifetime.
Consider an Independently-owned Venue
One of the best ways to find inexpensive wedding venues is to avoid venues in large corporate hotels. Corporate venues will attempt to up-charge you at every turn, and lack the charm and attention to detail you’ll get with a smaller, independent outfit. Independent venues will compete harder for your business because their reputation matters more to them than the large corporate chains. And it shows! People love us! Read our reviews on WeddingWire for more!
The Power of Negotiation
Consider negotiating when making wedding plans. Do your research first. Search for inexpensive wedding venues in your area. Make sure to visit the venue in person to get a good feel of the space. Remember that you should not necessarily mention that you are looking for inexpensive wedding venues, because some vendors will inflate their pricing just because the event is a wedding. (We never inflate our catering pricing based on the type of event. See our wedding catering for more information.)
Consider Your Priorities
It’s a good exercise to run through all of your priorities rather than thinking about anything else. Are you looking for a casual wedding or a classic, traditional wedding? What are your must-haves that are not tied to your venue selection? If you can sort out what you absolutely must have, you can budget out those items first, which will leave you a resulting budget for booking a venue. If all this is discussed first, with your wife- or husband-to-be, then it will be much easier to make your selection when shopping an inexpensive wedding venues.
Go Off-season for Inexpensive Wedding Venues
If you’re getting married off-season, then no doubt that you’ll be saving a good amount of money. In the off season of weddings, venues may be willing to give you a considerable markdown, as there may not be as many competing bookings. And plus, you may also get a discount on other wedding services like catering, decoration and entertainment. So if you most for your money, consider planning your wedding off-season.
These are some of your the best options for a wedding on a budget, seeking inexpensive wedding venues. Overall though, it’s important not to sacrifice your must-haves. Don’t compromise on quality, and trust your instinct if a deal seems too good to be true. To learn more about our pricing and availability, drop us a message now.