Controlling Wedding Costs

When you start planning your wedding, the costs can rise faster than you ever anticipated. Wedding planning takes nerves of steel and a certain ability to stay within the budget. Controlling wedding costs isn’t easy, but with a bit of creativity it is possible.

Start with total amount you are willing to spend. List all of the elements that are important for you to have at your wedding. Prioritize them so that if need be you can drop something off of the end of the list. It can be helpful to list these in spreadsheet form so that you can see what happens to your budget as you adjust costs.

Part of controlling wedding cost is to think about the future. Are you going to have any use for the items at the wedding after the wedding. Are you sharing gifts that might actually be used later rather than collecting dust? Are you making the most of the skills of the people around you?

Once you determine the basic necessities of the wedding, start scheduling meetings with people who have skills. Many of the decorations can be made instead of bought, but you only want to rely on people who actually show up at the meetings. Play on the skills of the people who love you. For instance, rather than buying flowers, have your friends with a green thumb bring in something and then combine them to make beautiful personalized arrangements. Having a fabulous wedding is not always about spending a lot of money. It can also be about incorporating the elements of the people you love. This also goes a long way toward making loved ones feel involved when they might otherwise be tempted to try and take over. Let your future mother-in-law brag about making the decorations for the tables. It saves you money and helps reduce costs!