Pent-up demand from the pandemic, combined with inflation, has driven up the cost of the average wedding to more than $27,000, according to market research firm The Wedding Report. I’m in the midst of my own wedding-planning journey, treading water in a sea of decisions with my fiancé. But in the several months we’ve been engaged, I’ve learned some strategies to control the cost of what is quickly amounting to the most expensive day of my life.

How to Cut Costs on Wedding Planning

Cut down on guest numbers
During the pandemic, couples were forced to reduce guest counts and that trend has held — even as the threat from Covid has subsided. “The pandemic really forced a lot of people to take stock of what actually mattered about their wedding and determine who was most important in their lives to be there to celebrate with them,” says Jessica Bishop, author of The Budget-Savvy Wedding Planner & Organizer. And slashing the guest list is the number-one way to cut the costs of a wedding. “For every guest you invite, that’s an invitation, a chair, a meal, a place setting. Or for every eight to 10 guests, it’s another table with another linen, another centerpiece,” Bishop says.

Consider sharing costs more equally
Couples should also consider how wedding expenses will be divided. “Traditionally, the bride pays for most of the wedding and the groom pays for a few other things,” says Lizzie Post, co-author of Emily Post’s Etiquette, The Centennial Edition. “But for well over 20...

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