Weddings these days are bigger and more expensive than ever. The average wedding budget is $30,000, and oftentimes, the couple has to shoulder much of the financial burden themselves. This can lead to taking out loans and starting your marriage in a mountain of debt. While your wedding will likely be one of the most memorable and meaningful days in your life, that doesn't mean you have to spend all of your life savings on it. Here's a look at why weddings have become so expensive.
Social Media Pressure
These days, social media can determine what you do and why you do it. For example, think of the times you have looked for inspiration on decorating for a birthday party or have looked for matching costume ideas for your family. The same is true for weddings. Not only can you find unique and creative ideas for a wedding, such as a doughnut wall, but you also may feel the pressure that comes from wanting to have a memorable wedding and being able to show it off on social media.
Imagine how often you have encountered a wedding post, whether one of a friend's or a stranger's, in which everything looked and seemed perfect. That may pressure you to create what you consider the perfect wedding. Of course, once you start worrying about that, the price of your wedding will naturally go up as you add more potentially unnecessary things to your budget, such as walking on water as you walk down the aisle or transforming an indoor space into a botanical garden.
Large Guest Lists
Most people want to invite just about everyone they know to their wedding. This includes family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and perhaps people you haven't seen in years. This increases the list, and many weddings have a guest turnout of over 100 people. When you factor in the size of the venue, amount of food, and amount of alcohol (should you choose to serve it) you will need to have, it's no wonder the cost grows exponentially.
While it's important that you invite the friends and family actively involved in your life, don't feel the pressure to send an invite to everyone on your Facebook friends list. Many of them won't be able to come anyway, and the ones that do likely will make little of an impact on your big day.
Hiring a Wedding Planner
Nowadays, it is not uncommon for couples to hire a wedding planner to assist in planning and managing the big day. Part of this is because weddings are more extravagant than they have ever been, but this is also because many couples are getting married at an older age, meaning they are often busy with their career and don't have the luxury of taking a lot of time off to plan their wedding.
Wedding planners can be handy for ensuring everything stays organized and runs smoothly, but you may have luck asking a trusted friend or group of people for help. Whether you pay them for the service is up to you, but don't be afraid to ask for help from your wedding party and other people you are close with to take the burden of planning off of you without spending a fortune hiring somebody.
While your wedding is likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you don't need to go into massive amounts of debt to make it the perfect day. Consider what's important to you, and don't worry about it being over the top. The fact is, what matters most is your friends and family watching you commit to spending the rest of your life with your partner.
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