We didn’t select the wedding venue I wanted.
The dome ceiling and large windows seemed perfect for our wedding, but the venue presented other problems. A ceremony in the lobby required a custom curtain to divide the space, or the open backdrop would look incomplete. Companies quoted around $3000 for the curtain, on top of a $20 per-guest premium. After a few days of deliberating, we selected my second choice, which was my wife’s first choice.
A wedding venue matters most in areas like price, capacity, and availability. No matter where you go, these banquet halls will provide beautiful spaces for any type of wedding. A dome ceiling, while unique, makes no impact on the final wedding experience. Don’t get swept up in the excitement of wedding planning and pay for something you don’t need.
You Don’t Need to Reinvent the Wedding Day Template
Banquet halls and wedding venues run hundreds of weddings per year. They perfected the template. Follow their recommended timelines and standard packages to ensure a smooth wedding day without paying for a planner. These packages usually include tables, chairs, and linens. Avoid paying for extras like fancy red table napkins. People are literally wiping their mouths and noses on them. The included linens are fine.
Instead, show your personality in smaller, low-cost items. Think about song choices, food options, or even wedding favours. For my wedding, we gave away a red dish that looked like a tomato. People still compliment me on it regularly. Guests remember the small stuff.
Marriage Is About More Than the Wedding Day
For one day, don’t rack up debt that will take months or years to pay off. That debt starts your marriage with stress instead of financial stability. I’ve been to weddings with enormous fireworks, choreographed dancers, and decorative indoor trees. One of my cousins topped all of those with a cake in the shape of an Xbox 360. That was different. Memorable.
Every financial wedding decision you make, big or small, matters. It all adds up. Here are some areas where we saved on our wedding day:
- In-house DJ – Saved $1,500 – Banquet halls charge extra plug-in fees for external DJs. We used an in-house company and saved a small fortune. They were great.
- Second venue option – Saved $6,400 – My first venue choice was about $20 per person more expensive than our second option. We had 170 guests attend our wedding, all of whom praised the food. No special curtains were needed.
- Uber Black – Saved $700 – A second limo would have cost $800 extra. Instead, we rented one and used Uber Black for me and my groomsmen. The ride was 20 minutes and cost about $100.
From just these three areas, we saved $8,600 by stopping to think of a cost-effective alternative. I didn’t even include savings from simpler flowers, rented suits, and Canva invitations. With the savings, we followed our wedding with an amazing honeymoon in Japan, where we watched the Yomiuri Giants play in Tokyo and a sumo tournament in Nagoya.
Weddings are about celebrating with family and friends. Focus on planning an enjoyable day, not one that looks best in photos. Our best photos and memories happened in a park – free. Happened while walking into the banquet hall – free. Happened while popping champagne at sunset – also free. Under an ordinary ceiling, we had one of the best days of our lives.
Money Method Tip: For every wedding expense, see if there’s a simpler or cheaper solution that nobody will notice.
