We’re smack in the middle of Autumn and a number of lovebirds are tying the knot these days. It’s more common for people to get married in spring and summer but some prefer to have a fall wedding.
There are quite a number of reasons why a fall wedding is something couples should consider. The most popular reason is the amazing colors of autumn. A garden wedding is even made more beautiful by the colorful autumn leaves. Just imagine what the wedding photos would look like. It’s also not that hot compared to a summer wedding so the bride won’t have to worry about melting makeup while the groom will not be drenched in sweat.
You can also go for a more rustic romantic theme for your wedding. By definition, rustic is simple and plain. It also relates to the countryside. This means you can have a simple fall wedding in your homestead without spending that much.
The Know 2016 Real Weddings said the average cost of a wedding in the United States has reached $35,300. In New York, the average cost is a whopping $88,176, according to ValuePenguin.
It’s not really necessary nowadays to have those grand weddings unless you’re getting married to a royal prince. You also don’t have to spend $5 million on an engagement ring (we’re looking at you Jay-Z) or $7.5 million to have the Rolling Stones as your wedding band. If celebrities like Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are going the simple route with their holy matrimonies, so should you.
Fall Wedding Venue
In traditional weddings, couples get hitched in a church, which may cost a bit. You can nullify this expense by getting married in a garden or in the hallway of a farmhouse, which Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart did in 1945.
A fall wedding in a farm is the perfect example of a romantic and rustic celebration of love. If you live in a homestead or own a farm somewhere, you already have the perfect venue for your fall wedding and reception.
Wedding Dress
To many brides, the wedding dress is one of the most important things about the whole occasion. If you want to make it more personal, make your own dress.
Of course, no wedding would be complete without the wedding rings. Again, you don’t have to splurge on this one. Look for cheaper options.
Guest List
The more people are invited to your wedding, the bigger the expense. Be like James Bond actor Daniel Craig and Academy Award Rachel Weisz, who only had four guests at their 2011 wedding. Better yet, do a Matt Damon, who wed Luciana Bozan Barroso with only one person in attendance, the bride’s daughter from a previous marriage.
Catering
Your expense on food will depend on how many guests you have. The more guests, the more food you need to pay for. That is if you’re hiring the services of a caterer.
If you really want to not spend that much for your fall wedding, prepare the food yourselves. Ask close family and friends to help out in cooking and preparing all the food. If you or any of your loved ones are great cooks, you can opt for the local restaurant nearest you. A family-owned restaurant will almost always be glad to be a part of someone’s love story. Just tell them everything they need to know prior to the wedding date so they can prepare everything in advance.
As for your wedding cake, you can always make your own. If you don’t know how, there are baking lessons and wedding cake decorating classes online.
Wedding Invites
Your cheapest option is to just call and invite people. Make your own invites if that’s a little too informal for you. If you have a printer, all you need is paper and a design. You can also check out online stores who provide wedding invites for cheap.
Wedding Decorations
This is where you can skimp out a lot. Instead of going full flower power, you can go for cheaper options. Do a combination of real flowers and origami ones, for example. You can even use fake flowers for your DIY fall wedding. Remember, flowers, as nice as they are, will wilt and die eventually after cutting them.
If you follow Little People, Big World, you may know about the DIY wedding of Jeremy and Audrey Roloff. The Roloff patriarch, Matt, is a talented woodworker and made some of the things used for the wedding with his own hands. He made the seats for the wedding ceremony, for example.
If you don’t have the woodworking skills, you can opt for an even cheaper option of using straw bales and wooden boards, blankets or wedding quilts as seats for your guests.
Wedding Gifts
It’s nice to receive gifts. No one can doubt that. But what’s even nicer and frugal is if you ask family and friends to provide their services or share their talent instead of giving you a wedding gift. Do you know a friend who does a great job with their photos? Ask politely if they can be your official wedding photographer. A family member has a band? Ask them to play on your special day. If you’re friends are professionals, offer to pay part of their fees. But remember, ask if you’re really close with the person you’re asking favor from.
A fall wedding on a budget can be beautiful. You just have to be creative. Besides, what’s more important than the wedding itself is what happens after. The couple has the rest of their lives to fill their marriage with love and more love.
There are lots of other ways you can celebrate an important event or holiday without breaking the bank. Visit the Gentleman Pirate to learn some of them.
And if one or both of you have two left feet, don’t fret. You can take online dancing lessons so you can own the dance floor on your wedding day. Learntodance.com offers a Social Dancing Crash Course that will teach you ballroom dancing and how to be a confident dancer.
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