Weddings are one of the most expensive life events. If you’re not careful, you might end up blowing your budget when you could have saved money. Here are six tips to help you cut wedding costs!

Give yourself plenty of time. If you give yourself at least a year to book things like your venue, photographer, and DJ, you have that much more time to shop around for the best price.

 

 

Figure out who is contributing. Perhaps it’s just you and your fiancé, or maybe your parents have offered to chip in. Whatever the case may be, finding out who is eager to contribute to your wedding is a good first step in calculating your overall budget.

 

Crunch the numbers. Based on your monthly income, how much can you both reasonably save between now and the wedding? How much, if any, can you responsibly pull from an existing savings account? Crunch these numbers and determine the exact amount you will need before the big day.

 

Estimate the guest count. The cost of a wedding is typically based on guest count. The number of guests in attendance will determine the size of your venue and how much food you will have to provide. Your guest count will generate the number of items you will need to pay for, which includes invitations, table and chair rentals, cake slices, and wedding favors.

 

Decide what is non-negotiable. Take some time with your fiancé to decide on a few must-haves for your big day. This might include an outdoor reception, a plated dinner instead of a buffet, loads of flowers, or a live band – whatever is most important to you. Sit down together and determine what you both really want. Let that vision dictate your budget.

 

Spread out the cost by using a club account with SeaComm. One of the biggest challenges for newlyweds is coming up with that much money all at once. All the wedding bills come due at the same time. Instead of going into debt, consider opening a SeaComm club account to help defray costs. Set up an automatic withdrawal from your checking into your club account, which will compel you to save! When the bills start coming in, you will have the money set aside.

 

 

Do you need help managing your money for the big day? Try SeaComm’s Online Financial Management service. This complimentary feature helps you to budget and track your expenses, and can be accessed through SeaComm’s online banking platform, NetTeller™. Click here for simple instructions!