i don’t have money for my wedding
Here’s the scenario: You’ve saved little by little, year by year to have the wedding you’ve always dreamed of. You had money for your fabulous wedding, and everything’s all set. Then the pandemic happened. Your wedding date kept getting pushed back, almost 2 years now. You lost your job during the pandemic. You’ve been on government money for a long time, and slowly but surely, you’ve spent most your savings just to get by. Now that the pandemic is over, and everything’s slowly going back to normal, you are given a date to push through with your wedding and reception. But the problem now is that, you don’t have enough money now to spend on what you’ve dreamed of.
Should you still go through with it?
I think most people would, just to avoid all the hassle of cancelling and dealing with the stress of telling everyone that it’s off. Some couple might say, “Let’s just get this over with.” The question is how.
There are so many ways to go through with it, the number one way is to use credit cards or get any form of loan to pay for the rest of the expenses. Of course being in debt is not a good way to start off a marriage, but the reality is, a lot of couples do that in the hopes that the money they will get from the guests at the wedding will at least cover some, if not, all of the expenses they incurred at the wedding. That is not a good way of thinking, but that’s what most couples do. The biggest problem with that is you don’t know for sure, if the money you’ll get is enough to pay for everything. Plus, instead of having some added money on your savings after the wedding, you might end up with nothing and a little bit of debt. You can’t really depend on the money gift to cover for anything. Think of the money gift as a gift for you to start with your marriage, not to pay your debt.
Here are 7 ideas to minimize costs if you don’t have the option to cancel:
Reduce your number of guests by half. Go over your list of guests and try to simplify and reduce. Stick with the family and closest friends only. If your list is already like that, go over it one more time and see if you can still remove other people.
Uninvite extended family. This is related to number 1. By extended family, I mean boyfriends/girlfriends of friends and family. You can also choose not to invite kids or ask friends not to bring a Plus 1.
Call the venue, if it’s a hotel, and tell them of your situation. Chances are, they’ll help you find a smaller reception area in their location, and a cheaper option for your food package.
If you can totally cancel the venue for the reception, cancel it and try to find a cheaper venue or maybe do a backyard wedding instead. I know it seems impossible if there’s so many guests, that why the number 1 option is to reduce the number of guests. If you have to pay for the ceremony venue, cancel it and just find an outdoor area in a park that is free and do your ceremony there.
Forget about the flower package and do your own flowers. Order bulk flowers from a wholesale store and do the bouquets yourself.
“DIY” your wedding decorations. If you look at Pinterest or even Tiktok, there are so many ideas you can copy there that cost so little.
Cancel the DJ package, and just ask one of your friends to “DJ” at your wedding reception. With the technology right now, you can easily organize a music library for your wedding with an App. Just rent a few speakers and lighting, and that is enough. You will save hundreds of dollars, compared to hiring a professional DJ for the party.
I’m sure there are so many other ways to reduce your costs. You just have to make a list of what you were planning to do, look at it, and see if you can remove it or change it for the cheaper option. For me, I think the best option is still to postpone and reschedule. That way you can regroup. You can save money again, and have the wedding you dreamed of eventually.
Just remember that there is no shame in letting people know that you penny pinching on your wedding. I’m sure your friends and family will understand if you let them know that you are uninviting them or that the venues have changed. Everyone has gone through so much financial strains during the 2 years of pandemic that it is so relatable.
