It can be extremely hard to stick to a wedding budget, whether that budget is $5,000 or $50,000. While a beach ceremony traditionally costs less than a ceremony in an expensive venue, it doesn’t mean there aren’t things to watch out for. These 10 tips will help you stick to your beach wedding budget and have the beautiful wedding of your dreams.
1. Choose an Indoor Reception Venue
Although a beach wedding ceremony is usually less expensive than a ceremony held in a venue, a beach reception can be much more difficult to pull off. Guests need some sort of seating and tables to enjoy the meal, so this usually means that tables and chairs must be rented and brought in, along with tents to provide shelter. Along with the outdoor décor and other needs, this can get very expensive. Opt for a beachside hotel ballroom or a gorgeous waterfront restaurant, since most items will be supplied and included in the price.
2. Choose Laid-Back Beach Attire
If you don’t have your heart set on formal attire, opting for casual wedding attire can be a huge boost to your budget. Rather than tuxedos, have the groom and groomsmen wear slacks and a button-up, and instead of formal dresses, ask your bridesmaids to wear more casual cocktail dresses or even sundresses. The results can still be beautiful but you can end up spending thousands less!
3. Serve a Signature Cocktail
While it’s tempting to have an open bar for guests to enjoy, this can get quite expensive. If you’re trying to stick to your budget, serve a signature cocktail or a choice of 2 or 3 signature cocktails. These cocktails can be wedding or beach-themed, and can be created from a range of ingredients to please a wide range of tastes. This will let you avoid the significant cost of a full bar, but still provide guests with fantastic drink options.
4. Have a Bruch or After-Dinner Wedding
Food is one of the biggest costs when it comes to the wedding budget. You can serve less food and save more money if you plan to have your wedding after breakfast (so you would be serving brunch) or after dinner when guests are less hungry. Fantastic brunch menus featuring delicious choices can be quite impressive but still cost way less than a full sit-down meal or even a buffet dinner.
5. Skip a Few Professional Vendors
If your budget is really, really tight, you can shave down your cost by skipping a few of the professional vendors. For instance, rather than hiring a DJ, create a wedding play list. You can then have someone change the music to the correct song for important moments such as the father/daughter dance or the couple’s first dance as husband and wife. You can also skip professional caterers and go with your wedding venue staff or kitchen facilities to create the meal.
By using these ideas, you can significantly cut your wedding costs and will be much more likely to stick to your allotted budget! Do you have any fantastic tips for sticking to a wedding budget? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below!