Spring is just around the corner, meaning shorts, flip flops, sunglasses, and…wedding season! Okay, so this might not apply to everyone but there are loads of great personal finance lessons to be learned from wedding planning.  Last week, the Wall Street Journal reminded me just how much a wedding costs (now, and in the long run)!

Your $18,000 wedding? It may really end up costing you between $90,000 and $200,000. That $2,000 dress? Think: $10,000 to $22,000. The $10,000 food bill for your guests? Try $50,000 to $110,000.

That’s because the biggest cost of every dollar you spend is invisible. It’s all the money you’d accumulate if you saved it instead. Over long periods, this cost dwarfs the mere sticker price, often by a factor of several times.

Thinking about the long term rate of return (and compound interest) on the money you plan to spend on your wedding is worth a look.  It’s easy to cut corners and still keep the day special if you look at all the elements and find ways to save.

There are lots of great ways to budget your wedding and avoid lavish overspending.  Also check out TheKnot.com for some helpful thoughts on wedding costs.

Plan a wedding under $10,000, Ways to Save Money, or the most important, 10-Hidden Wedding Costs.

Do you have any cost-saving tips of your own? Share them in the comments.

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