Some weddings are incredibly extravagant, and they can cost the bride, groom and their families a very large amount of money to host a memorable affair. However, many brides and grooms are planning a wedding on a budget. There are some expenses that are essential for any wedding, but there are many areas that can be scaled down so that you can save money. If you are preparing a wedding checklist and budget to guide you through the next few months, consider focusing your attention on these important points.

Estimated Wedding Costs

There are substantial variations in the total cost of a wedding. These variations depend on where you live, how many people are invited to the wedding and the various decisions that you make while planning your wedding. These are some reasonable ranges to consider for a more affordable wedding:

  • Ceremony and Reception Venue: Free to $3,000 or more
  • Wedding Attire: $500 and up
  • Catering or Food: $10 per person and up
  • Flowers and Decor: $100 and up
  • Entertainment: Free to $3,000 or more
  • Wedding Cake: Free to $500 and up
  • Wedding Car Hire: $500 to $1000
  • Photography: Free to $300 and up
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Remember that you can save a substantial amount of money on many of these expenses if you make wise decisions. For example, you can ask a friend to make a wedding cake, to be the photographer or to be the DJ. These are some other exceptional money-saving tips to consider.

Create a Guest List

One of the most significant aspects of wedding planning that can affect most areas of your budget is your guest list. Consider that the number of guests who you invite will affect the ceremony and reception venue, the cost of decorations, the amount of food that you need to provide at the event and more. If you are creating a wedding budget checklist, consider limiting your guest list to only close friends and family members. Remember that an intimate affair can be just as magical and memorable as a much larger event, but it may cost significantly less money to host.

Find an Affordable Reception Location

The next aspect of your wedding budget checklist to turn your attention to is the reception location. You could pay a significant amount of money for an elaborate or popular reception location, but there may be much more affordable options available. For example, rather than pay for a reception hall, you can host the event in a public outdoor location if possible, such as a park. You could also host it in your own backyard or in the backyard of a close relative. This simple step can dramatically reduce the cost of your wedding. Some reception locations require you to pay for their own catering service and other types of services, and this can limit your ability to control your budget. Choosing a non-commercial setting is a wonderful alternative.

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Hire a Wedding Car from a Reliable Company

Many car rental websites have a list of vintage or classic wedding cars that you can rent so you can transport you in style on your wedding day. Wedding car hire prices vary depending on its mileage. The average wedding car hire cost is between $500 to $1000. Don’t forget to inspect the vehicle for comfort and safety prior to using it.

Choose Your Wedding Time Carefully

When you pull out the calculator to analyze wedding costs and to prepare your budget, remember that the wedding time can affect how much food you should provide to your guests as well as what type of food they may expect. For example, if you have the event in the middle of the afternoon, guests may only expect appetizers and snacks. On the other hand, if your event passes through lunch or dinner time, they may reasonably expect you to serve them a full meal at your event.

Make Your Own Items

When saving money is your top goal, remember that you have many options available for saving additional money. For example, rather than pay for decorations for the guest tables, pews and other areas of the ceremony site and reception location, you can make your own decorations. You can also make your own foods ahead of time, make a bouquet, prepare party favors or gifts and more. When you make your own items through your creativity and craftiness, you could enjoy similar or even better results in comparison to paying someone else to do this work for you.Planning a wedding on a tight budget can seem like a daunting and even impossible task. However, you can see that there are many ways for brides, grooms and family members to save money on wedding-related expenses. When you are preparing your wedding budget checklist and are getting ready to use a calculator to crunch numbers, these tips can help you to actively plan for your big event. Remember to adopt each of these money-saving techniques into your efforts in different ways. Through these techniques, you can save money without sacrificing the quality of your event.

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