Welcome back to Money & Matrimony! The monthly series where I look at the intersection of spouces and spending, and try to demystify the financial nuisances of nuptials. Basically help you make budgeting and spending money on your wedding easier!
The reason I started this series is because I wanted to create a space that looks at the financial facts of getting married without any smoke and mirrors. Which very naturally led me to this week’s topic.
Is A DIY Wedding Actually Cheaper?
Short answer: it depends!
Long(er) answer: keep reading.
As weddings started to kick back up again in our new normal, so often I would find myself speaking to potential clients who had a similar situation.
These were couples who had half of their vendors and pans handled for the wedding, but were weighing out the rest of their budget. Will it be worth it to move forward with hiring vendors etc for the entirety of the wedding, or will handling a certain amount ourselves help us with our budget.
Is it worth it to start with an average number? Not really! A recent survey from Zola looked at 3,000 couples and asked them about their budgets.
The largest percentage of similar budgets was about 28% of couples saying their budgets ranged from $10,000 to $20,000. But even with that said, budgets from the entire survey ranged from $5,000 to $100,000…or more!
Making A Wedding Memorable
In accordance with the often said notion that millennials love experiences over material goods, the Zola survey goes on to say that more couples in 2022 are willing to splurge a bit for a particular moments of their wedding if that leads to a more memorable experience for them and their guests.
So what can be done? Is a DIY wedding actually cheaper? Maybe if you DIY your table settings and your programs, that saves money to where you can splurge for the open bar. But, again, this is just balancing out for budget and might not necessarily save you money.
Seriously, How Can A DIY Wedding Save You Money??
Okay so (like any budget) it all depends, but here’s what you can consider!
The Friends/Family/Wedding Party Card
I come from a theatre background, including what I studied in school. This, of course, means that my friends are almost all theatremakers, other types of artists, etc. And what’s our common denominator but very small bank accounts!
When someone in the friend group got married, she had a very strong vision of what she wanted, but not a big budget to make it all happen.
As such, she went ahead and reached out to her close knit friends (and everyone in the wedding party) to see what strengths we had and how we could lend our services. With my calligraphy skills I created all the signage and place cards for the wedding.
Talk about DIY! Her budget was able to stay very small thanks to the generosity of her friends.
This is not an uncommon approach. Many couples have found ways to utilize the skills and talents of their loved ones to save money on their wedding.
However, it's important to keep in mind that it can oftentimes feel weird asking for favors, and there are ways to exchange payment if needed (bartering goods or services) and in the end your friends are willing to help you make this an evening to remember. Just be mindful of where the line is between favors and free labor.
Look at All-Inclusive Packages
Listen, I’m a Virgo and I LOVE to customize right down to the last detail. And I’m saying that you shouldn’t feel like you can’t do that.
While it's tempting to customize every detail of your wedding, it's important to consider all possibilities for all-inclusive wedding packages. There can be times where the DIY wedding comes down to the minute detail and that can really add up in the end.
Wedding venues will create these packages to make a higher profit, but it’s also there to benefit the wedding party. It so often comes out less than figuring out each individual part of the wedding separately and that adding together.
So, from there, customize! Find an all-inclusive wedding package that works for you, and then see what's left that can be DIY'd by you (or your newly enlisted wedding party who is there to help).
This approach can help save you money without sacrificing your vision for your special day.
Hire A Professional Wedding Planner
For those who may not have a lot of friends with skills that could lend themselves to the wedding or are simply too busy with work or other responsibilities to take on the task of DIY wedding planning, hiring a professional event planner can be a great option.
Event planners have the experience and expertise to help couples navigate the complex process of planning a wedding. They can offer valuable insights on everything from choosing a venue to selecting vendors and managing the logistics of the day.
An event planner can help streamline the planning process, saving couples time and money.
What’s Your Experience?
Did you have a DIY wedding? What was your experience? Would you recommend? Let us know in the comments!
