For most couples, the sky is not the limit for their wedding budget. One of the necessities of planning a wedding on a budget is prioritizing in order to stay within the bounds of a reasonable budget. Where will you save money, and where do you want to spend a little extra? Smart couples who choose to purchase high quality, affordable engagement ring sets often find that they have a little extra cash to make other parts of their wedding even more special.

1. Honeymoon

Planning a wedding on a budget can be a challenge, especially when it comes to planning a memorable trip to start your life together as a married couple. A little extra money in the honeymoon budget can fund more luxurious hotel accommodations, travel to a more exotic destination, more gourmet meals, more expensive champagne, or even extras like a couple’s massage or a hot air balloon ride.

2. Photography

For many brides and grooms, their wedding day is a whirlwind. They may not even remember to eat, and they may have trouble remembering specific moments from their special day in the years to come. Having an excellent professional photographer and / or videographer is important to preserving wedding memories for a lifetime. Whether you prefer formal portraits or the style of photojournalism, having wiggle room in the budget allows you to choose the photographer that best fits your style. Some creative couples even choose to rent a photo booth for fun candid shots of their guests.

3. Music

Some couples are happy to play a mix CD at their reception or even to have their iPod on shuffle. For others, it is important to have the funds to hire the best local band to play live music or to have their favorite DJ taking song requests from their wedding guests at the reception. Still others wish to hire a string quartet for their stroll down the aisle rather than relying on the church organist. If you decide that music is important to you as you are planning a wedding on a budget, then choosing to spend less money on an affordable engagement ring set could give you the room in your budget to cater to your musical tastes.

4. Food

Weddings that take place around meal times make it necessary to serve your guests more than just cake. Some brides and grooms are happy with a small buffet with a few different food choices. Other couples wish to host a sit-down dinner with expensive entrees and fine wine. The amount of money you spend on wedding food can vary widely depending on your taste, the style of your wedding, and the head count. If you decide that you want to serve a steak dinner, then find other places to be frugal in your wedding budget in order to save money to pay the caterer.

5. Style and Appearance (Especially For the Bride)

It’s up to you, as a bride, how glamorous you want to get for your big day. You could splurge on a wedding gown that makes you feel like royalty, or invest in a professional hair and makeup artist. To save on the hassle of transporting your bridesmaids to the salon, and to take care of their hair and makeup as well, you might hire a stylist or two to come to the hotel the morning of the wedding. Instead of buying your bridesmaids gifts, you could treat them to manicures and pedicures the day before the wedding. Cutting corners in other areas of your budget allows you to invest in those that mean a lot to you.

What would you do with the extra money left over from your wedding ring budget?

Photo Credit: Mindaugas Danys