Here’s something the wedding industry doesn’t want you to know about: you don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to make a wedding special and memorable for you and your guests. What’s more, there’s no reason to feel bad about taking the frugal route to marriage.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning a frugal wedding:
Remember It’s Your Special Day
If there is something that another person thinks is an absolute wedding necessity, then they can have it at their wedding. Your special day should be stress-free and it should not put you into an unreasonable amount of debt if any at all. People should enjoy your wedding because it is a happy day for you. If someone is only willing to attend if there is a fine dining menu or an open bar at your wedding, then they may not have been friends with you in the first place.
Do Not Be Bothered by Unsolicited Advice
Learning how to deal with unsolicited wedding advice is an unfortunate necessity when it comes to wedding planning. People may have regrets from their own weddings or they may try to live vicariously through you. Wedding planning is best left to wedding planners and not friends or family members with lots of grand ideas and no experience in the field. Take advice graciously without starting arguments, but be sure to firmly maintain your boundaries as well.
That Money Will Be Well Spent on Your Honeymoon
Saving money is the practical and responsible thing to do in most scenarios, but there are some particular reasons that it is a good idea to save money when planning a wedding. If you want to take an extravagant honeymoon to an exotic island or destination city, you may want to save money when planning your wedding. Later on, you can spend this money on hotels, flights, tour guides, meals, massages, jetskis, museums, or whatever else you might like. A beautiful honeymoon can set the tone for a beautiful marriage, so do not feel guilty for wanting to have one.
Saving Money Helps If You Are Planning Big Things
Even if you are not planning for an extravagant honeymoon, there may be other things for which you need to save money. For example, you might want to have a baby soon after you get married. You also may be looking to buy a house as a couple or make another similar large investment. A wedding is just one day of fun. A relationship can be a lifetime of fun if you plan correctly.
Frugal Weddings Are Just as Special and Fun
Some high-budget weddings can be stuffy and uptight, with too many extravagant events scheduled too close together. Others can be gaudy and overdone, with decorations that clash and gowns that look like costumes. This is a good illustration of the fact that expensive weddings are not always the most fun or memorable. Do-it-yourself touches can be stylish and memorable. Mason jars, fairy lights, and brown paper can go a long way in creating an aesthetically pleasing backyard wonderland. After a few flutes of champagne, everyone tends to forget how much was spent on the wedding anyways. What is really important is that family and friends are brought close together in mutual celebration and joy.
Whether you will be getting married in a church, at a wedding hall, at the beach, or in your own backyard, you may find that a low-budget affair is calling your name. Planning a frugal wedding is a great way to avoid going into debt. It can also help you to save for your honeymoon and the future of your family. When thinking of reasons not to feel guilty about your budget-friendly wedding, keep these factors in mind.