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It's no secret, weddings are expensive. Actually, they are beyond expensive. Weddings equal expensive no matter which way you go about it.
When you're just starting to plan your wedding, the very first decision that should be made is what your total budget is. Knowing this will later determine a variety of decisions for you later on down the road. For example, what your venue will be, what type of meals you'll serve, etc.
What is the next best decision you can make after determining your budget that will actually help you stay on budget?
Your total number of guests.
The fact is, no matter which way you put it the less guests you have the less expensive your wedding will be. It's all a numbers game. The less guests you have, the less meals, invitations, centerpieces, favors, etc. you'll be needing. Knowing this gives you a much better and more realistic chance of actually staying within your budget.
After determining your budget and your total number of guests you'll be inviting, it's then a bit easier to figure out where you can splurge and where you'll have to cut back. It also gives you a better perspective in determining the sort of event you want to have and realistically what you can afford. This method not only helps you save money and be budget focused, it can also help you actually afford higher end items should they be important to you.
For example, let's say you have an average bridal budget of $29,000. Let's also pretend you have crazy, expensive tastes. According to this budget your catering should fall in the $4,000 range not including the cake (depending on which calculation tool you use). So if you wanted to have your wedding at the Creme de la Creme wedding venue which charges $200/head for catering, you could still afford this on your budget granted you have a small wedding of around 20 people. Having only 20 people will also keep your other costs down as well. As another example with the $29,000 average bridal budget your invitations should be around $400. Guess what? If you only invite 20 people you can have those crazy silk box invitations that cost $20 each and still fit in your budget.
But then again if Mom and Dad insist that you'll actually need to be inviting 200 guests, that means you'll have to keep your catering costs at around $20 a plate. Your invitations would then have to come to only $2 each. You'll have to produce more invitations, centerpieces, etc and therefore might have to reconsider what style and quality of the items you are looking for to best fit within your budget.
So overall, when starting to plan your wedding, always remember that the easiest way to save money and get the quality items you are looking for is to consider the number of guests you invite. After all it's just a numbers game.
