Get married on a budget in Toledo or anywhere else
TheKnot.com says that the average wedding cost in Ohio was $25,000.00 in 2021. But what if you don’t have enough money laying around when you get engaged to buy a a midsize SUV? Can you still have a beautiful wedding? Yes! Northwest Ohio offers many budget-friendly wedding venues and vendors that don’t sacrifice elegance and beauty.
My wife and I were married on a shoestring budget over a decade ago, and to this day, we are often told that our wedding was a favorite of many of our guests. How did we do it? We focused on character and uniqueness.
The expensive wedding options are expensive because so many people are doing them. The same food, the same caterers, and the same time slots are taken up year after year after year. Its hard for couples without the same budget to compete. Have some confidence to step off the beaten path and trust that your unique taste will be enough to set your celebration on fire.
Here are some suggestions:
1) Determine 2-3 things you can’t live without
Have you dreamed of fillet mignon for your dinner entrée? Did you watch a movie in your teens that showed an arbor covered with a certain type of flower? Establishing some cornerstone elements will show you where you need to invest your money to have a day that will be memorable to you. It will also give you a starting point when thinking about the rest of your design. On a budget you can’t have a little bit of everything. Instead, have the most important things all the way.
2) Determine 1 or 2 things unique to you and your spouse to highlight
If you truly come up with some unique things, things that are special to your and your spouse, then other people won’t be doing them. Less competition often means less cost. My wife and I decided that we wanted to have a morning wedding. Because this preference was unique to us, we didn’t have to compete with other couples. Our caterer, ceremony place, and reception venue all gave us great rates because they could still book other events.
Even if your unique ideas are not cheap in and of themselves, they will create impact points for your guests. These impact points can take the pressure off of you from having to provide some of the more traditionally expensive options. When we reminisce with people who were at our wedding, they often remember our “wonderful” breakfast buffet.
3) Don’t be afraid to make cuts
If you determine what you can’t live without, and you focus on what’s unique about yourselves, then you will be confident about what is important, and therefore also, what is less important. Then, don’t be afraid to cut out what doesn’t matter. You know that you wont sacrifice the ultimate character of your special day.
