With a recession looming, planning your upcoming wedding can be a massive budgetary challenge. Not only is the stock market looking grim, but rampant inflation has caused gas prices to hit all time highs. Of course, as a young budding couple, these events are trivial and things will be brighter on the horizon. However, planning a wedding during an economic recession is definitely not something to be taken lightly! Fortunately, there are some simple tips and tricks to help you maximize every penny. From where you have to how you put it together, here is everything you need to know.
Limit Your Guest List Size
One of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce your costs is by limiting the guest list size. Not only does this eliminate the expense of meals and drinks for the people you leave out, it also enables you to choose a smaller venue. Smaller venues typically cost far less than large ones. So, the difference between having 200 guests and 100 guests can be very meaningful in terms of saving cash. Obviously, you don’t want to exclude grandma or that favorite aunt you have. However, it also means that you should skip inviting that friend from college you haven’t seen in ten years. Balancing your desires and reality will help keep your budget in check and allow you to still have the wedding of your dreams.
Skip Buying Flowers
Flowers, although beautiful, are one of the biggest money suckers in a conventional ceremony. If you are planning a wedding during an economic recession, they are an absolute waste of money. Obviously, you’re going to want real flowers for your bridal bouquet, boutonnieres, and corsages. However, decorating your venue with long stem roses is a completely unnecessary expense! Instead, consider finding a substitute that checks all the boxes without costing a small fortune.
Many brides settle on paper flowers or wood roses that look great but cost a fraction of the price. In some cases, you can save thousands of dollars by creating your centerpieces from alternative options versus buying real flowers! In the end, you need to balance the “look” with what you buy to make it happen. But trust me; there are beautiful options that cost much less than buying real flowers for every single table.
Embrace the Natural Decorations at Your Venue
Decorations are another huge cash drain that can easily be overcome with some ingenuity. Many brides opt to make their own decorations versus paying top dollar to buy them at a store. However, the best course of action is to focus on the decorations that already exist in your chosen venue. For instance, many people choose to get married in a garden. In this scenario, you can embrace what the gardens give you and just add a few things to tie your theme together. Similarly, a hunting lodge will be filled with taxidermy and rich wood. The same thing applies; just embrace what you already have.
Obviously, there are some aspects that you have your heart set on that won’t be possible without making a purchase. However, if you target your money correctly, you can choose just a few items that will tie your entire theme together. In the end, this can save your thousands of dollars if executed correctly.
Choose Inexpensive Favors that are Actually Useful
Wedding favors are a big expense that you simply can’t avoid. Since your guests made the big trip out to support you at your nuptials, the least you can do is give them a small token of appreciation in exchange. However, some people go completely overboard and “sell the farm” to impress their guests. If you happen to be extremely rich, all the more power to you. However, for couples planning a wedding during an economic recession, we need to be a little more measured.
Consider choosing a favor that hits on all the important aspects without breaking your bank. The keys are to show appreciation and make it blend with the overarching theme. However, I like to take it a step further by making them part of one of your reception activities! My personal favorite option is wedding sparklers because they can be added to any centerpiece design. Moreover, they can be used for your sendoff line, photos, or just to have a great time. For every dollar spent, sparklers are the best favor to have when planning affordably.
Have the Ceremony and Reception at the Same Venue
Lastly, and probably the biggest factor, is the venue on which you end up settling. All too often, people choose a separate reception venue from where they hold their ceremony. While that can sound spectacular, it adds a whole slew of logistics and expenses to the mix that can easily be avoided. For instance, many people don’t consider the cost of shuttling people between the two places in their budget. Additionally, you now have to pay for two space rentals instead of just one! If you are planning a wedding during a recession, that can be extremely brutal.
Instead, try to find a place that can house both events. This will save you time, money, and a whole lot of headaches trying to make everything jive. I’m not asking you to sacrifice your vision; I’m just trying to illustrate that a little creativity before you start planning can really go a long way.
Key Takeaways
Overall, you need to make sure that your celebration lives up to everything you hoped and dreamed for. If having real flowers is at the very core of your soul, then by all means, make it happen. However, substituting things like sparklers and combining your venues can be helpful when planning a wedding during an economic recession. Just make sure to consider everything you choose carefully and balance your desires and the reality of your checkbook. If you do, you can easily cut unnecessary costs without sacrificing the greatness of your event. Good luck and I hope it ends up being the wedding of your dreams!
