Planning a wedding is so much fun that it can be easy to lose your mind. You splurge here, spend a little there, and before you know it, you’ve committed yourself to a wedding that’s beyond your means. With deposits placed and final payments in sight, this can be a very scary situation for the bride or her parents. Find out what steps you can take to save your wedding when you run out of money.
It’s very, very easy to end up planning a wedding that costs too much, especially since the planning can stretch out over many months. When you’re only paying a third to a half of what things actually cost, it can be easy to lose track of the grand total. For some families, it’s not until they get closer to the wedding day and start adding up all the final payments due that they realize they can’t cover their bills. This is a horrible situation for any family. What do you? Cancel the wedding? Rigidity of your suppliers? Charge admission to the reception? No no and no.
The first thing to do is to have a frank discussion with the wedding venue and vendors. Explain your situation and ask them how you can resolve it. Be clear with them that it is important to them that your bills are paid so that no one thinks that you are trying to avoid paying what you owe them. Perhaps the florist would be willing to reduce the size of the centerpieces to reduce costs. Or you could skip the expensive extras, like crystals in the bouquets to match your crystal bridal jewelry. The photographer may allow him to downsize or have him come alone for the ceremony and during the cutting of the cake, instead of taking pictures from before the ceremony to the last dance. As long as the vendors haven’t spent money on your wedding supplies, they may be willing to renegotiate your contract.
As for the location of your reception, call the event manager immediately and make an appointment. Work out your finances before the meeting so you have a clear idea of the difference between what you owe and what you can actually afford. If the gap isn’t insurmountably wide, it might be possible to get creative with the wedding menu to reduce the balance (again, this would need to be before anything has been ordered for your reception). Choose less expensive entrees and appetizers, substitute imported French champagne for sparkling wine, or switch from a full open bar to wine and beer only. In some cases, this will be enough to bring your balance down to what you can afford.
If you still can’t pay what you owe the place, you’ll have to consider more drastic measures. Could you change the time of your reception from an evening wedding to a brunch? You could save thousands that way. Another possible solution is to change the wedding day from Saturday to Thursday or Sunday. Sites typically charge less for non-prime days and may be willing to let you make a change to save the day. While the idea of changing your wedding date may be hard to swallow, remember that she will still look just as beautiful in her wedding dress and pearl bridal jewelry on a Thursday as she would on a Saturday.
Finally, forgo any extras you haven’t yet committed to buying. You can have a wedding reception without favors, just like you can have a ceremony without a soloist. Cutting down can be hard, but finding a way to save your wedding will be worth it.
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