Tips for Saving Costs for your Wedding in Chicago
No matter what your ideal budget is for your wedding day, it is always ideal to try and figure out how to not break your bank. Often, couples are met with sticker shock when it comes time to start searching for vendors because they typically don’t have any experience in the field and know the current average costs for wedding vendors. While it is definitely important to find reputable vendors that are actually familiar with the industry, it is always the goal to spend as “little” or reasonably little as possible. While wedding planning, here are some ways to figure out exactly what you will need for your wedding day and what things you can cut to help save a few bucks.
Figure out a Realistic Budget
The first thing to actually figure out is how much you are absolutely planning on capping your budget at to make sure you work within a budget that doesn’t make you have to take out any loans. If you’re unsure how to come up with a number that makes sense for you, head to this blog post about how to find your realistic wedding budget and plan for how much you want to spend in each vendor category as well.
Plan your Priorities
Now that you have your budget broken down for the average wedding with our budget spreadsheet, now is the time to sit down with your soon-to-be spouse and figure out what is most important to you both for your wedding day. Do you really want to make sure the dance floor is packed all night but you’re afraid your family won’t dance much? You might need to allocate more money for a band instead of a DJ. Do you really want intentional time on your wedding day with your partner? You’ll likely need to add more hours for your photographer to stay for a first look. There are a lot of ways to ensure you have the wedding of your dreams, but it’s important to know which vendors are going to help you with that. If you love a certain venue more than anything else, maybe try getting married in their “off season” where the costs are lower.
Eliminate Irrelevant Items
After you’ve determined those priorities, you can start finding areas to cut costs that don’t mean as much to you. If you mainly care about having a beautiful space, spend at the venue and florist and plan for a buffet instead of a plated meal or a DJ instead of a band. If you care more about you and your guests having a good time, find an amazing DJ and skip all of those welcome signs and other signage you don’t need. There are many vendors that are not linked together that you can splurge and save on where you are willing to make cuts.
Talk with your Coordinator about Cutting Costs
Your coordinator and other vendors will be able to tell you quick ways to cut costs if they are items that you don’t care about cutting too! For example, we will always recommend cutting the guest list to people that really matter to you first. If that’s not an option, we can definitely find other areas such as limiting the bar to wine service during dinner instead of an open bar or changing the amount of hours you have your videographer. We have heard all of the tips and we are happy to share them with you if you need extra ideas!
Unfortunately, if you try and find too many vendors that are cheaper, you’re going to sacrifice the overall quality on your wedding day which is always a risk. There are always other ways to cut some costs since weddings can be expensive, but it’s important to understand you usually get what you pay for! If you need any other advice on how to budget for your wedding day or where to cut costs, you can reach out to us here to help you find ways to still have a wedding you love without breaking the bank.
