How to Choose a Low-Cost Location to Save Money on Your Wedding

Location is key when planning a wedding. The venue of your wedding is often one of the larger pieces of the financial pie associated with your big day. Selection of that location can be very expensive, but there are ways you can save money so your marital life doesn't begin in the red. Here are some steps to choose a low-cost location to save money on your wedding.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• budget
• guest list

1. Decide with your fiancé which day you want to set the wedding. Be flexible with the date, as you don't want to rule out any venue that may already be booked for that date.

2. Create a tentative guest list to give you and your fiancé an approximate number of people in attendance. You will want to at least have an idea of the amount of people when searching for venue options.

3. Explore different ideas for venues outside of just the traditional locations. For a spring, summer or fall wedding, look into local parks or nature centers that only require a gathering permit to reserve.

4. Look into asking if a friend or family member has a house or a section of land that could potentially host a wedding. Be creative; don't let yourself get stuck in the mentality that a wedding has to be held at a certain place. You could discover something unique to you and your fiancé that also happens to save you a good deal of money.

5. Compare the creative ideas you and your fiancé brainstormed, and see which would be the most feasible considering the amount of guests you plan to invite, and how much each will cost.

Tips & Warnings

• Some banquet halls and ballrooms offer the venue, catering, bar service and music as part of one overall price. Look into this to see if it is a better option for you and your fiancé in terms of cost.
• Create some kind of payment plan if someone you know has offered his/her house or land to host your wedding. You will still be able to get the location for far cheaper than what the market would bear, but you want to give your friend or family member something for the effort and trouble.
• Be sure to obtain permits if you plan to serve alcohol at a community park venue. Some places won't allow alcohol to be served.
• Don't sacrifice integrity for a reduced cost. You will want to maintain the quality of the day and the event, so don't suggest something your fiancé will be uncomfortable with telling his/her family about.