Saving on Wedding Tips from a Wedding Consultant, Part 1

Here are some thoughts on saving on wedding expenses from Pam Tremble who runs Scrapbooks by Pam. She received her certification as a professional wedding consultant from the ACPWC in the mid-1990’s.  During the six years that she ran her own wedding planning business, she helped to plan over 50 weddings.

According to The Bridal Association of America, the average cost of a wedding in 2005 was $26,800 with a guest list of 169. Here’s the breakdown they give for the total expenses you can expect with a budget that nears $30,000.

• Attire -- $1,841.00
• Ceremony -- $2,337.00
• Favors & Gifts -- $1,104.00
• Flowers -- $1,136.00
• Jewelry -- $1,739.00
• Music -- $922.00
• Photography & Video -- $2,659.00
• Reception -- $13,692.00
• Stationery -- $809.00
• Transportation -- $563.00

Total: $26,802.00

While planning weddings for other people I saw firsthand the wasted money that brides and grooms spent that went unnoticed or unappreciated on their big day.  Couples often get so caught up in the frenzy of planning their wedding that they forget how much money they might be throwing out the window.  I’d like to share some moneysaving tips to cut expenses while planning a beautiful wedding. 

• Cut the Guest List.  The above average wedding cost is based on a guest list of 169.  Consider cutting the list down to only include the people in your lives who are most precious to you.  By reducing the number of guests you invite, the following areas of your budget will be reduced: favors/gifts, flowers (centerpieces), reception and stationary.  The “Reception” line item above indicates you’re spending $81 per guest for just food and location.  If you keep the same menu and facility but cut the guest list down to 100, you’re saving $5,589.

• Pick a Different Day.  It is reported that you can save up to 25% off your wedding bill just by switching your wedding to a day other than Saturday.  The typical Saturday afternoon wedding followed by a full-blown sit down meal reception with dancing and drinking is the most expensive option.  Why be typical? A Friday night wedding with hors d'oeuvres and a signature cocktail would not only save you money by booking your facility on a different night of the week, but also the pared down menu would save money off the cost of a full sit down meal.  Or maybe a Sunday afternoon followed by high tea, cake and champagne? 
• Cut the Cake.  Custom wedding cakes are expensive with a price tag ranging between $8 to $25 per serving.  Even if you choose a mid-range cake for 100 guests you’ll pay as much as $17 per slice of cake.  Yes folks – that’s $1,700 for a cake that will be gone by the end of the night!  A popular option is to have a beautiful wedding cake on display that has several fake layers --- so the large bottom two layers of the cake are actually Styrofoam decorated with the same frosting as the real layers - and the top two layers are regular cake for the ceremonial cutting of the cake.  (Or just order a smaller cake that is only big enough for the bridal party only.) Then when the cake is ready to be served, a less expensive sheet cake is served from the kitchen and the guests are none the wiser.  This trickery could save you as much as 50% -70% off the price of a typical cake.

Click here to read part 2 of this series.

Comments

[Meta]

There are so many spending traps to fall into. Just remember the whole point of the day. There's nothing wrong with spending a little money if it's something you'd really like, assuming you can afford it. But the whole industry is driven to make more money, so they suggest buying everyone in your wedding party a gift, groom's cakes, and an endless number of ridiculous things. You can be frugal, but I think it's much smarter to just be sensible (e.g., 10 bridesmaids?!?). Frugal helps, too ;-)

[Katy Raymond]

If you have HyVee groceries near you, they provide a fine cake bakery for a very affordable cost. We ordered sheet cakes, plus a smaller three-tier main cake. Total served (this coming Saturday!!) will be 275 guests. Total price for the cake: $414.00. Many brides are now using wholesale flower companies and spending several hours the day before the wedding (with their bridesmaids or other helpers) assembling simple bouquets. We used flowerbud.com. We ordered a total of 240 stems (mix of calla lilies and tulips) for $420.

We are expecting 300 guests for a catered hors d'oevres reception, with dancing (no band, though) and no alcohol (the bride and groom don't drink). We'll come in at way less than half the national 2005 average. Way less. And the wedding and reception are in a beautiful venue, an historic building in downtown Kansas City. I know everything's cheaper in the mid-west, but nice affairs can still be had for reasonable $$ if you're willing to focus on the things that matter and let some of the little "won't be remembered" things go by the wayside.

[Angie Hartford]

There is something very wrong with a society that has an average wedding cost of over $26,000. Remember: if you've got the bride, groom, officiant and witnesses, it's Mission Accomplished. You got married. The rest is, honestly, optional. Nobody, repeat NOBODY, needs all this stuff. It's ok to want it, to spend on it if it doesn't strain your budget and makes you happy. Just don't try to foist it off as a necessary expense.

[Kristen Mader]

Where does this woman get a mid-range figure of $17 per cake slice?! That certainly does NOT apply everywhere; major metros/cities maybe (Sylvia? Duff?) but I know plenty of very talented cake decorators/designers who charge less than even her $8 per slice low end figure. I think it's misleading to indicate that it's 50-70% cheaper to add styro layers and have kitchen cakes in the back. The styro layers still have the decorator's talent used on them, even though they are two layers that don't have to be baked and filled. But large pcs of styro costs a decent amount too. And unless you want your sheet cakes to look like someone's lunchtime snack cake, time and skill are applied to those too to make them similar to what the guests THINK they're getting. I think using styro layers are fine for when you want a larger looking cake, but don't have that many people to feed. Jmo...

[Denise]

I agree with Kristen. I am a professional wedding cake designer. Most of my wedding cakes range in the $4 per serving range. Certainly not anywhere NEAR $17 a serving.

As for dummy cakes....I see this all the time and wonder who came up with it is cheaper? It is the SAME on the outside - and that is really where the money is at. I can buy the ingredients for a 14" round cake for about the same as the styrofoam costs so there is NO savings. I still have to ice and decorate the cake dummies and the supplies and time involved for that are THE SAME. As for buying cheap cakes at the grocery stores...sure you can do that and it will also taste just like grocery store cake! One of the most expensive venues that I deliver to here said that the last three cakes that were delivered to their site were from Grocery stores chains. He said they had to hustle the bride over to the cake to cut/take pictures BEFORE it fell over. He asked me to do his children's upcoming wedding cakes and there is a reason. It looks good, doesn't fall apart, and tastes good. Great cake costs money to make - butter and buttermilk make a cake taste WAY better than oil and water. As with ANYTHING...you get what you pay for!

My biggest saving tip is forgo the liquor - that is where the money just flows.

[Amy V.]

I agree with Kristen and Denise. Where I live there are some talented cake-decorators (own their own delicatessen) who sell their cakes at $5-6 per slice and I know of a lady who caters from her home who sells her wedding cakes at $3 per slice. I live in Lakeland, Florida.

[Carrie]

I had to chime in as well about the cake. $17 for a serving of cake?! I've never heard of that, even in a high cost of living area. We got our custom cake for $4 a serving which had cheesecake and some unique flavorings that would not be available from a store.

You get what you pay for, but you don't have to spend $17 a slice. That's crazy.