Ways to Plan Your Muslim Wedding in A Budget
A wedding ceremony is one of the most critical moments of anyone's life. Therefore, everyone wants it to be perfect, and you may find it necessary to arrange an extravagant event. If you live in the U.S. and are trying to plan your big day but are having trouble budgeting, don't worry; it's still possible to have your dream wedding even on a shoestring budget. Within your finances, you can certainly plan the best events. All you need to do is prepare things logically and adequately.
However, in today's world, pulling off something like that can be expensive. According to statistics from 2019, the estimated cost of a typical marriage ceremony in the United States was $28000. Is that a lot? Well, here, you will find a few ways through which you can plan a lavish yet budget-friendly wedding ceremony.
Chalk Out Your Total Wedding Budget
The first thing you should do is communicate with your fiancé and family and decide what kind of wedding you want. Whether you desire a simple Islamic wedding or want to do something unique for the occasion, you need to have a budget. It is essential to finalize your spending limits so you don't end up broke after the wedding. Sometimes people don't think it thoroughly beforehand and spend more on unnecessary stuff than they are supposed to. It creates disturbance and an imbalance among the whole preparations. So it's always better to stay a step ahead!
Keep the Event Intimate
Try limiting your guest list to close people only. That’s the most effective way to cut out unnecessary money payments. The concept may sound crazy, but it does work. For this, you need to consider the folks without whom your wedding would not be possible. They can be old school friends, family, or coworkers, just got to be a bit picky with all of them. A shorter guest list means lesser food, seating, tables, and everything in less, which makes you spend money.
Put Some Thought in Choosing a Venue
You can have your nikah ceremony at the masjid and then plan something exciting for your walima day. Organizing two events might suck up a lot of your budget. For your walima or reception, you should choose a place closer to your home (saving transport expenses). Or you can also your house's backyard (if it’s big enough) or a neighbouring farmhouse for your intimate and small wedding. If you throw your wedding in a proper big hall, it can be very costly and account for a significant amount of the total bill. Plus, you’ll have to wait months to get a single reservation in there.
Crafting Your Own Event Decoration
It is not difficult to give any place a beautiful look. You can also do that to your wedding venue. If you decorate your venue yourself with a bunch of friends, you won't be worried about hiring a decor agency. Nowadays, there are a number of DIY backdrops and other charming wedding accessory tutorials available that you can use. For example, decorating your own nikah pen or setting up the stage, etc. If you are worried about managing the time, not a problem at all! You can prepare some essential décor stuff weeks before your marriage, so you don't have to do much when the time comes.
Think of a Budget-Friendly Outfit
As all eyes will be on the pair, so you must look best at all times. The wedding dress is as important as the ceremony itself. So don't go cheap on it but also don't pay a lot for a single dress. As you also know, formalwear is really expensive nowadays. To stay within the budget, the couple should try finding cool yet less expensive outfits. Some brides also alter their mother's wedding dress, which not only puts meaning into it but also doesn't make you pay a lot for it.
Avoiding Having Multiple Functions
Of course, Muslim weddings are not supposed to be for one or two days. However, if you keep it limited to a two or three-day event, rather than a week-long celebration, you can definitely save a lot. Some people turn one-day festivities into multi-day affairs just to keep it going, but this can significantly impact your expenditure.
Enlist Your Skillful Friends
Try to find out what your friends or acquaintances are skilled at, such as management or singing, so you can make them cooperate. Maybe, someone is good at baking, or someone is an expert in LA Muslim wedding photography, just hit them up. This will make the wedding planning more enjoyable as you'll be having your buddies around, plus it will also help you manage the finances.
A Cost-Effective Menu
Serving delicious food at a wedding is very important. However, you should not go up and beyond with it. Try keeping your wedding menu modest but tasteful. Add a few dishes your guests love, serve them sweets and cake, do it all, but just make sure it doesn’t go out of the budget. Estimate the need for food that'll be enough for your attendees, so you don’t have excessive at the end, plus, don’t put extra money into it too.
Shopping from Sales
The bride and groom might take advantage of bargains when shopping for their wedding. Wait till the sale season begins. During the off-season sale, you can acquire many pricey items for a sensible rate, allowing you to save a great deal of money that could be put to better use elsewhere in the arrangements.
Say No to Brands
When shopping or planning anything for the function, avoid branding. It’s a myth that only brands can provide quality. Try looking for local services that are small in scale but offer and provide service to individuals. Determine what service they can render and how you would like them to perform on your big day. When it comes to budgeting, obsessing over brands can get you in a lot of difficulties.
Invite Your Peeps Through Internet
Sending invitations to guests through the internet is a good idea to save money, time, and effort. You can easily design an online card with all of the necessary embellishments and send it to the invitee. This would not only save you money but will also save you time, as visiting everyone and inviting them would take a lot. You can print some paper cards and give them to those who are super-close. You may save money by making homemade cards, which look pretty fantastic but is a good option only if you have plenty of time on your hands.
Don’t Get Caught Up in Trends
Some people are obsessed with the ongoing market styles. They try doing everything that is currently trending. It can be really expensive to do so. For example, pulling off customized themes and décor or using entrance glitter, etc., is unnecessary and expensive simultaneously. If you really want to follow trends, try doing them on a small scale on your own. You might also involve some of your friends to help you do it.
Selecting The Photographer
A skilled and well-known photographer is essential for any wedding. People spend a lot of money on hiring a pricey one to capture the incredible moments of their big day, which adds a lot to the wedding cost. As a result, it is preferable to choose a reasonable photographer or a newcomer for your LA Muslim wedding photography. They will cost less, and you will save a substantial amount of money left in your pocket.
In a Nutshell
While being married is a joyous time to honor, it is important to think of the future too. It's more vital to start your new life together on a solid financial basis than it is to have a certain number of guests or a certain sort of flowers. A happy-ever-after event can be aided by properly planning your budget and working together to save for your wedding, so you don't wind up in debt or broke. Hope the ways mentioned above can really help you save money and enjoy your wedding to the fullest too. So go and plan a perfect wedding, serve delicious meals, have stunning LA Muslim wedding videography, and have a blast!