Every year, the average cost for a wedding jumps a few thousand dollars, which can easily make your fairy tale moment turn into a nightmare.
According to The Knot, the latest polling of more than 13,000 couples from across the country reveals the national average cost of a wedding at $35,329.
Despite the rising costs – many grooms- and brides-to-be are still finding ways to say, “I do,” without the debt.
Central New York engaged couple Deanna Briscoe and Steve Pereira are getting married in July.
The couple has set their budget at $22,000, but they’re staying focused on ways to cut cost without cutting quality.
Although, they plan to cover the majority of the costs, they talked to family members to see how much money everyone would be contributing before setting the final budget.
Starting to spend on plan’s for the big day is one of the biggest mistakes couples can make, according to The Knot.
Another, “must do” in the planning process is setting the maximum number of guests you plan to invite before making any decisions, especially decisions that require a non-refundable deposit.
Deanna says the guest list is topped at 150 for their wedding.
“I’ve always wanted a very classic wedding, romantic but not over the top,” Deanna said. “Very understated and simple.”
Deanna says she and her fiancé are “practical” people and know that their wedding day is indeed just that – one day.
“You have the rest of your life to live, so you don’t want to go crazy on one day and then not have a house, a car or honeymoon afterward,” Deanna shared. “You want to be realistic.”
Mother-of-the-bride Wendy Briscoe, is also looking closely at the numbers.
“I’ve been saving for this event for many years in hopes of making a financial impact on that with them,” Wendy said. “I think sometimes you can never really save enough but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to stay within a budget.”
Trimming and tailoring the budget began as soon as the planning discussion began.
“We decided on each piece and what our magic number was for each piece. Sort of researching, OK, how much did other people we know spend? What’s the industry standard?” Deanna said. “And then are we willing to go to that standard or stay just below that.”
Staying organized through the planning process goes hand-in-hand with staying on budget.
Deanna created a bridal binder stocked with vendor contracts, contact information, the guest list and magazine clippings with ideas for the wedding.
“The first thing I did was actually include a list of what you need to do and when you need to do it to help myself stay focused,” Deanna said. “A lot of the magazines had the same timeline.”
Deanna recommends other brides buy a few bridal magazines – she says the small investment pays off with ideas and even savings.
“They have Wedding Paper Divas, they have Minted. You can actually go on their website and some of the wedding magazine will give you a code, so if you really like what you see on the website – the magazine will give you a discount code,” Deanna shared.
Nearly half Briscoe-Pereira budget is going to the reception at Ventosa Vineyards in Geneva which includes the venue, drinks, dinner and cake-cutting fees.
Deanna says she was set on choosing a buffet-style dinner for the reception because she thought it would be less expensive than a plated dinner.
However, crunching the numbers revealed some unexpected savings.
“I thought it reduced the cost because you only have to pay for a certain number of dishes, they refill it — everybody’s happy,” Deanna said. “My fiancé sat down and did the math, and judging by the maximum number of guests we had actually found out that a sit-down dinner was less expensive than a buffet which really surprised me.”
Deanna says that even if each guest chooses the most expensive dish along with having access to the open bar, the plated option is still cheaper than the buffet.
Plus, she says many of their guests have dietary restrictions or prefer vegetarian options. Deanna says the plated-dinner option offers more choices for their guests.
The couple is also dedicated more of the budget to their wedding photography. They’ve chosen to have two photographers for the big day, but they will not be hiring a videographer.
“They’re capturing those moments when you’re in them and you’re heart is racing and you’re saying, ‘I do’ and the whole thing is sort of a whirlwind of color and sound,” Deanna said. “You not really paying attention to every minute detail – you want a photographer to be able to capture that.”
What you wear is captured in those memorable photos – making Deanna’s choice for a bridal gown an important one.
Deanna’s mother is a seamstress, which means more savings.
The prom dresses manchester can easily be one of the most expensive purchases you’re going to make for your wedding, but it’s also one of those items you’re going to use once, so setting a strict budget or figuring out ways you can use it again is recommended.
“We have shortened dresses before,” said Gina Bush, owner of Bliss Bridal in Baldwinsville. “This one bride wanted to wear it on her anniversary every year but it was a really big dress with a big train so she came in and we did tea-length for the dress so that she could wear it. It is fun when that happens.”
More than anything, Deanna says it’s important to not get ahead of yourself in the planning process.
“You have to be mindful of what’s really important,” Deanna said. “Do you want to have one day with a big blowout?”
Because Deanna and her fiancé asked other couples about their weddings – they found out about HoneyFund.com – free site that allows you to register your honeymoon trip.
Instead of buying flatware, towels or kitchen dishes for the couple, they’re hoping their 150 gifts will consider buying from the honeymoon registry to help pay for dinners or excursions for their trip to St. Lucia.
“What we really need is time away and time together so that’s really the greatest gift someone can give us – time to enjoy out honeymoon,” Deanna said.
The couple says they have also found some added savings by “asking around” within their family to find relatives and friends who have a tie to the wedding industry.
A family member is doing bridal hair and makeup on the wedding day and another friend, who is a DJ, is cutting a good deal for the couple’s wedding reception music.
Making their own save-the-date cards also saved the couple money.
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