By Sydney Matthews | Staff Writer
It’s not uncommon for Baylor students to get engaged and quickly begin to plan the big event. Some students shared their advice in wedding planning and how to make the most of the celebration with a tight budget.
In 2023, the average couple will spend roughly $29,000 on their wedding, $1,000 more than what it was back in 2022. Prices have increased mainly because of inflation and the costs of goods and services rising. These prices depend by state and byv the number of invited guests.
Richards senior Mallory Mckeever got engaged in October 2022 and is set to get married in June. Throughout the last few months, she said she has been busy planning while also juggling classes and a job.
“You really have to pick and choose what you are wanting to focus on. We had to sit down and ask ourselves what we want to spend the most money on,” McKeever said. “My fiancé really wants to focus on having a good time and the venue being beautiful. I want to focus on fun gifts and had things I didn’t want to spare the budget on.”
Mckeever also said something she has noticed is how easy it is to get pulled into hidden expenses. She said this is a problem in the wedding industry and something all couples who are planning a wedding need to pay attention to.
Stem, N.C., senior Courtney Lefebvre said she is also getting married in June and has been planning her wedding throughout the last
few months.
“My mom has been helping me a lot with the planning,” Lefebvre said. “Something that has surprised both of us is how expensive it’s become and how even within a month span, a vendors pricing can completely change. Timing was really surprising in terms of getting the budget right.”
Due to COVID-19, a lot of brides are now choosing to have their reception parties they had previously placed on hold. Lefebvre said finding a vendor that fits her schedule and price range has been an unexpected challenge.
“My advice would be to stay patient; everything will work out like it’s supposed to. At the beginning, it feels like everything is going wrong when finding baseline vendors such as a venue and a florist,” Lefebvre said. “It’s very chaotic. But, as soon as you get the foundation going, everything falls into place.”
Mckeever also said venues are hard to secure and often the first step to the wedding process. The location of the wedding and its availability determines the theme of the event and also sets the date.
The biggest advice Mckeever said she would give to newly-engaged couples is to figure out a budget and keep in mind it won’t always be the most ideal Saturday morning event. She said she is having her wedding on a Thursday because it fits better with her budget. Finding a venue willing to do a Thursday wedding in her ideal time frame was not a big problem.
Lefebvre said even with the unexpected challenges while planning her wedding, she is so excited for the big day.
With her family’s guidance throughout the process of planning, Lefebvre said she is thankful to have them with her. She said she encourages everyone planning a wedding to seek support from the closest people to them.
