There’s no hiding from the fact that weddings can be expensive. A wedding is usually the biggest event any couple will host in their lifetime, and while some couples will be lucky enough to have family help with the costs, many couples will be paying for all of the expenses by themselves. If you want to save money on your dream wedding, there are many different ways to do it without sacrificing quality. One way to save money is to use a wedding planner.
A wedding planner will help you save money by using their expert skills to advise on budget friendly themes and décor to make the most of your budget, by accessing vendor discounts, and most importantly by making sure you avoid costly additions that can happen when you’re caught up in the thrill of planning.
While it may seem that using a wedding planner will only add an additional cost to your budget, most professional wedding planners will be able to show you how to save at least as much as their fee in the long run. This is because they know what vendors charge for services, so they can negotiate lower prices or even give you freebies. They also know which vendors offer discounts, and where to find them. By doing this, they can help you plan the best wedding that fits within your budget.
Here are our tips on how to use a wedding planner to save money:
Decide Your Budget Before Hiring a Wedding Planner.
The decision on how much to spend on your wedding will drive all of the other following decisions you and your future spouse will make when planning your wedding, so it’s important to get this discussion completed early. Having your budget decided will help you when you speak with potential wedding planners as they will have an idea of what can be done to fit your budget. It will also be a good way to eliminate wedding planners that won’t work out for you, as you can focus on finding one who enjoys making the most of a budget and getting the best wedding for the cheapest price.
It can be difficult to pin this budget number down at first, so its important to sit down and discuss this with your future spouse. You will need to discuss how the wedding will fit within your other financial goals, such as buying a house, planning travel or planning for children. You will also need to discuss whether you will have any family help to pay for the wedding costs.
For more info on how to decide your wedding budget, see our article here, and get access to our free budget planner tool!
Prioritize Your Wedding Budget For The Most Important Items
When you have decided what your wedding budget will be, discuss with your partner what are the most important items to you both for the big day. This can sometimes be a difficult discussion, as you each may have different ideas on what makes a wedding day special. You may want to prioritize spending on a luxurious meal, or expensive flowers, where your partner may prefer to prioritize the budget on a top tier photography package or a large guest list. One of you may want a destination wedding, but the other prefers a more traditional wedding ceremony. Its important to try to talk to each other and compromise, to make sure you both get some of the things you are wishing for.
For items that are not important to either of you, these can go right at the bottom of the list, or even be crossed off all together!
Once you have your budget in priority order, this will make discussions with your wedding planner much easier, as you will already know which things you will be prepared to cut out, or on which to spend more of the budget.
Choose A Wedding Planner Who Enjoys Working To A Budget
When you start talking to potential wedding planners, make sure to mention your budget, and let them know it’s important you stick to this number. A good wedding planner fit for you will be with someone who will enjoy this challenge and will be upfront with you about ways to create an amazing budget-friendly wedding.
Here are some questions to ask potential planners:
Ask About Their Experience With Weddings In Your Price Range.
A good wedding planner will be able to tell you quickly if they have experience working with various budgets, and if they don’t, they’ll be honest and say so. Don’t be afraid to ask if they have worked with couples in your budget range before, because if they haven’t, then they probably aren’t going to be a great fit for you. You want to find the wedding planner who will see this as a great challenge, not a burden.
Ask Them How They Would Spend Your Budget.
Your wedding planner should try to understand clearly what your priorities are, and want to work towards your dream wedding vision. To make sure you are on the same page about what is important, ask them to explain how they would spend your budget to achieve your vision, and where you can make adjustments to the budget items to get the most value possible.
This way, you can see if you’re seeing things the same way, or if its not a good fit.
Ask Them What Is Included In Their Package.
You should always ask about what is included in their packages, and what isn’t. Some packages include everything from wedding invitations and rehearsal dinner to catering and clean up, while others only include the services you require. Make sure you understand exactly what is included in the package, and what isn’t, so you can plan accordingly, and make adjustments if necessary.
Make Sure They Have References And Recommendations.
It’s always best to do your research when hiring anyone. Ask around to friends and family, and find out if anyone has had any bad experiences with a particular wedding planner.
Also, check online reviews for the planner you’re considering. There are tons of websites dedicated to reviewing wedding vendors, and you can usually find plenty of information there.
Ask potential wedding planners for testimonials from their previous clients, particularly if they’ve had a similar budget to yours. A good wedding planner should be happy to share information from their past clients.
Ask Your Wedding Planner Where You Can Save The Most
When you have selected your wedding planner, ask them to review your prioritized wedding wish list alongside your budget plan. They will be able to advise you on which items you can reduce budget spend with a more affordable option, in order to increase the spend for other wedding expenses. This will help you save money, without compromising on anything that matters to you and your future spouse.
If you have an idea of where to start cutting back, but need some guidance, ask your wedding planner to give you examples of how they helped couples in your price range to save money.
Use Your Wedding Planner’s Vendor Contacts to Maximize Your Budget
An experienced wedding planner will have access to a network of professional wedding vendors. They will have access to discounts and special packages not open to the public, so be sure to use these!
It is in this area that your wedding planner will really save you the most, as they will be able to match your priorities with the perfect vendor at the right price. For example, if fresh flowers or fancy table centerpieces aren’t that high on your list, they will be able to advise on vendors that specialise in smaller cost effective packages. Or, if photography is putting the biggest strain on your budget they may have access to a special package with a photographer they know will produce high quality work at a lower price point.
With these decisions you are able to rely on the wedding planners’ first hand experience with vendors over longer time periods, so they can recommend those who they know consistently provide quality services.
They may also be able to get you access to exclusive vendor-only events such as bridal shows, workshops, and seminars. If you attend one of these, you could learn something new, and even meet vendors you otherwise wouldn’t have known existed!
Ask Your Wedding Planner To Be Your Budget Police
When you get into the swing of wedding planning it can be easy to get caught up in all the details, and lose sight of your original vision, and budget. Before you know it, little additions that seem very small begin to add up and push your budget number upwards.
Your wedding planner will help you to think more critically about these late additions and to decide whether you REALLY REALLY need them or not. If you do need them, your planner will be able to suggest ways to cut costs elsewhere, or negotiate better prices for the additional expenses.
In short, your wedding planner will act as your budget police, helping you to keep your eye on the ball, while ensuring that you don’t go overboard with unnecessary spending.
Calculate What Your Time Is Worth
Most of us will plan our wedding alongside all of the other commitments we have in our lives. Work, family, study, exercise, all of these things still need to be taken care of while we plan our big day. When you start planning and realise how much there is to do, it can feel like another full time job on top of everything else.
Using a wedding planner will allow you to focus on what matters most – your future spouse and your wedding day. You’ll be able to delegate to them all of the tasks that don’t require your full attention, freeing up valuable time to spend on preparing for your big day, or on the life that will still be going on around you. This will let you arrive at your wedding day with a lot less stress having to worry about all of the details.
Hopefully now it will be clear how you can actually use a wedding planner to SAVE money for your wedding day, even if you’re planning a budget-friendly wedding. By using a professional wedding planner you can access the best advice on how and where to save on your budget, while making sure your planning journey is as stress-free as possible.
Don’t forget that its possible to plan your dream wedding on any budget, even as little as $5,000! Read our article here to see how!