Tying the knot and tightening the belt
By ELENA GRIMM egrimm@daily-chronicle.com
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| (Beck Diefenbach – bdiefenbach@daily-chronicle.com) |
Instead of hosting an expensive rehearsal dinner the night before their wedding, Pete and Michele Sostakowski invited friends and family over to snack on pizza and veggie trays.
It was one way they were able to trim costs without sizing down their big day.
Married on May 2 in Sycamore, the couple stuck to a $10,000 budget; the trick was doing as much on their own as they could.
"Planning is key if you're doing things yourself," said Michele, a 33-year-old pediatrician. Michele hand-made invitations, and instead of hiring a disc jockey for the reception, music blared from speakers connected to a laptop computer for the 30 in attendance.
Locally and nationwide, weddings are shrinking: The average number of invited guests in 2008 was 128; 2009 figures show that number has dipped below 100, according to the Association for Wedding Professionals International.
"That's one way the bride can save money without jeopardizing too much is reducing the number of guests," AFWPI director Richard Markel said. And that savings can add up quickly because venue costs – including space rental, food and bar – comprise about 50 percent of the total wedding budget, he said.
Wedding costs have been steadily rising and peaked last year with a $28,000 price tag, on average; Markel predicts that figure will drop at least $5,000 this year.
Howard and Donna Petersen have also noticed that weddings are downsizing. They've hosted hundreds of weddings over 15 years at the Chapel in the Pines near their Sycamore home.
Elopement packages – with a maximum of 12 guests and one hour to rent the chapel – are selling at a higher rate than the full wedding package, which allows for 100 guests, Donna Petersen said. Last year, about one-quarter of all weddings at the chapel were elopement-sized.
The cheapest package is the most popular pick for couples who have hired Amanda Burdick, who runs a wedding-planning business, La'di Events, out of her Sycamore home.
The No. 1 request is Burdick's "day-of coordination" – where Burdick works with couples two months before the wedding day, and is on hand to make sure all runs smoothly. Her two other packages include services such as budget planning and theme development.
"For those who are on a budget, what I see is more do-it-yourself projects," she said.
Trustworthy relatives can take over invitation and videotaping duties, for instance. Flowers are also an easy area to save: Burdick suggested buying from a wholesaler and doing the arrangements; Petersen said she's noticed more fresh cuts at local grocery stores being picked up for the big day.
At first, DeKalb newlyweds Jonathan and Erin Nyczaj worried about cutting the guest list from 110 to 50. But in the end, "everyone understood," 28-year-old Erin said – and the couple enjoyed the more intimate, relaxed conversations.
By playing iPod playlists through a karaoke machine, printing off pre-made invitations from Wal-Mart and halving the guest list, Erin estimated they saved up at least $4,000 from a wedding that had a final cost of around $7,000. They also used local vendors to save on mileage fees that are often tacked onto the bill.
Waste happens in "the little stuff," Petersen said. Frilly table centerpieces and frivolous wedding favors can be easily scaled back.
"Weddings can be so simple," she said.
And having one venue for both wedding and reception can cut out transportation costs – for both the wedding party and guests.
But some expenses should not be slashed, wedding planners and newlyweds agreed: Particularly, photography and the venue should not be compromised.
Having a professional photographer was important to both Sostakowski and Nyczaj because pictures are what will be remembered, they each said.
"It was all about priorities," Nyczaj said. "What is the most important thing to you and where can you spend the money?"
Five cost-cutting tips
1. Limit attendants to save hundreds on boutonnieres and bouquets.
2. Avoid a Saturday night wedding, when vendors typically charge their highest rates.
3. Pick a two-for-one venue for the ceremony and reception to save on site fees and transportation.
4. Simplicity can be a nice touch – whether it's decorations, invitations or floral arrangements.
5. Leave the decorations and table centerpieces to creative friends or relatives.
Source: www.brides.com
