Frugal Weddings: Bonus Podcast Episode
Welcome to the summer of weddings. After a few years of delays, they're back, and they're more expensive than ever. So how do you plan a wedding on a budget? We asked Lindsay Weekes to share her insights.
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Plan a Wedding On a Budget
It might seem simple, to have a plan before you start, yet couples commonly overlook this essential piece. Create a budget. According to Lindsay, ". . . Sit down with your partner and say, what's my dream wedding. What do I really want?"
That conversation creates the guideposts for your whole event. Says Weekes, "Identify what you want, and then create your budget. And my advice when creating a budget is also to look at all the different pieces of the wedding and break up your budget."
She continues, "Typically a reception is the most expensive piece because you're talking about potentially, you know, a venue and food. So I would say that's probably the largest part. So that might be 60% of your budget. And then you can break up the other pieces. So your apparel. . .the dress and tux, if that's the way you're going, rings.
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Have Conversations About Money
Once you've made your budget, or ideally in the same general time frame, talk to anyone involved with your funding. This applies to partners and parents.
As Weekes said in the show, "You wanna have that conversation, which might not be easy, but you wanna have that conversation because, "Oh, we're gonna help with the wedding" is different than "I'm going to write you a check for $5,000. I'm going to write you a check for $10,000." Those are very different."
Reduce Wedding Costs Wherever Possible
Once you know the important parts, you can minimize other costs. Weekes said, "There are so many things like wedding invitations, for example, you could spend thousands and thousands of dollars on wedding invitations with parchment paper and hand calligraphy. Or you could . . . get cute wedding invitation online and have that sent and spend, you know, maybe a couple hundred dollars depending on how many people you're inviting."
The key to planning a wedding on a budget, it seems, parallels many of the choices we already make as frugal people. Create a plan. Have tough conversations early. Then cut the least-important expenses.
More About This Episode and Frugal Living with Jim Markus
To hear more expert interviews and episodes of Frugal Living, check out all four previous seasons wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow along on social media on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
Frugal Living is a podcast for smart consumers. How do you spend less and get more? The show, sponsored by Brad's Deals, features interviews, stories, tips, and tricks. Jim Markus hosts season five, premiering on May 24, 2022.
