It’s no secret that inflation and the current economy is affecting everyone. From gas to groceries to travel, the price of everyday living is rising. And weddings are no different. Even though the cost of food, drinks, decorations and more are rising, it is still possible to have the wedding you have always wanted! You both will need to decide what is most important and what will make your wedding day special.
What is being affected the most by inflation for your wedding?
Alcohol – Low supply and high demand are contributing to the rise in price of alcohol. The biggest jump in price is for high end champagne, due to production limits, and bourbon, due to still catching up from the pandemic shutdown.
Food – food costs everywhere are rising – it is no different for restaurants and caterers when it comes to wedding food.
Travel – traveling by car and plane are both becoming more expensive with rising gas prices and airline costs this year.
Entertainment – during the pandemic shutdown, a certain number of DJs, videographers and photographers had to close up shop, so now there is a higher demand with limited options. The entertainment vendors that are still open for business are busier than ever and charging more to schedule so far in advance.
Wedding Attire – Some design materials are still on backorder and harder for designers to get their hands on, so the costs of wedding dresses and other wedding attire has risen as well.
Floral – the cost of flowers have definitely risen this year; roses that used to cost $.80 a piece are now as much as $3.00 a piece!
What can you do to work around rising prices?
The first thing you need to do is set a wedding budget and stick to it. This may be hard to do, but to stay on budget and start your marriage in a good place financially, you will need to make some hard decisions on where to save money. Here are some ideas for staying on budget and cutting costs.
Cut the guest list – when couples are making cost cutting decisions, this area is the first focus. Most couples calculate wedding costs per person, and the less people you have, obviously, the less the cost will be.
DIY as much as possible, including flowers – with flowers and decorations being so expensive, this is an area where couples can really save. You can still have enough décor to enhance the wedding without spending too much. Buying items secondhand, having family and friends help DIY flowers and decorations, mixing cheaper flowers with more expensive ones, or even using fake flowers are all money-saving ideas.
Get married on a day other than Saturday – some wedding venues charge a lot less to get married on a Friday or Sunday. Some couples opt to go this route and sacrifice an optimal day to save costs.
Don’t have an open bar – with the rising costs of food and alcohol, some couples are choosing to offer only wine and beer or maybe a signature cocktail. Guests still get to enjoy alcohol at your wedding without the high price tag of a completely open bar. 
Save on appetizers or cake – depending on the time of day for your wedding, another way to lower costs at the reception is to offer a variety of appetizers vs. a large meal. Also, you can often save money by setting up a dessert table with your caterer instead of purchasing an over the top wedding cake.
Invitations – another way to save—consider sending digital wedding invites instead of costly traditional paper invites. You will save on both the invite and the postage!
