Wedding Engagement

The average wedding costs over $25,000. Try these money saving tips when selecting an engagement ring and planning your wedding.

• Engagement ring = $4,100
• Photographer = $2,600
• Music = $1,250
• Rehearsal Dinner = $1,200
• Flowers = $1,100
• Bridesmaid Dresses = $750
• Dress = $800
• Reception = $7,400

The expenses add up fast. Don’t feel like budgeting $25,000 for your wedding? Try these money saving tips when planning your wedding:

• Opt for Non-Traditional Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands – Familiar with the tip "you should spend two months' salary on the engagement ring?" Keep in mind those touting this are the jewelers. For most people, two or three weeks' salary will buy a nice ring. In addition, consider buying gems over diamonds, or find a relative has a diamond or heirloom wedding or engagement ring that is never worn. That relative may be willing to give it to you as a gift.
• Shorten the Engagement Time – The average engagement time is 16 months which provides more time to toggle over decisions and revise previous decisions which can often drive up the cost of the wedding.
• Get Hitched Off-Season or on an Off-Day – Get hitched during the off-season months being January, February, March and November and on any other day of the week other than Saturday. Many wedding service providers offer discounts for off-days, such as a wedding on a Friday or Sunday.
• Reconsider the Necessity of a Wedding Planner – Is this really necessary? If need be, you could hire a wedding consultant to help with specific items such as creating a detailed wedding day itinerary, a checklist of necessary items for the ceremony and reception, and coordinating the vendors. Or, appoint a friend or family member to serve as your wedding coordinator.
• Reduce the Number in Your Wedding Party – If you are covering the cost of the bridesmaid dresses opt to have just a few bridesmaids (the average cost of a bridesmaid dresses is $150).
• Make Your Own Wedding Invitations – There are a number of paper-stationery stores and websites available where you can find ideas for creating your own wedding invitations versus incurring the expense to have them printed. Ordering wedding invitations online or via a mail order catalog tends to be less expensive than ordering them from a print shop. Keep in mind that plain wedding invitations can be jazzed up with a hole-puncher, some ribbon and/or parchment paper to give it a more elegant look. Save money by using reply postcards instead of the usual reply cards with envelopes since postage rates for postcards are much less than the rate for stamping envelopes (remember - you must pre-stamp the reply cards for your guests!) Plus, by using postcards you also save the expense of envelopes. Simply print the response information on one side of the card, and your address on the other side.