Ms. Zappone says she has observed a shift toward shorter guest lists since the start of the pandemic. “I always say invite who you love and want to hang out with and share your moments,” she said, “and save the extra guest-count money for the things that matter to you.”
Those savings could go to “wow factors” like ice cream trucks and photo booths, she added.
The money the Ansells saved from their downscaled wedding went toward a down payment on a house. “And we’re still going on our honeymoon,” said Mr. Ansell, a software developer.
Book a Low-Cost (or Free) Venue
Todra Payne, 56, and Paul Emberger, 49, of Berkeley, Calif., married on April 3, 2023, at Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens, a nonprofit spiritual center in Los Angeles. The center had not hosted a wedding before, but eagerly obliged when Ms. Payne inquired about having her ceremony there. The cost was $250.
“I’m a writer, so we also considered bookstores, which make me so happy,” Ms. Payne said.
After the ceremony, which was webcast to more than 100 family members and friends, the couple and seven guests dined at Figaro Bistrot, a nearby French restaurant. Along with the $500 lunch, the pair paid $200 for champagne and $180 for a cake.
Edgar Masangkay, 47, a chiropractor, and Jan Consuelo Masangkay, 38, a surgical nurse, married on Feb. 8 before 20 guests at Albertson Wedding Chapel in Los Angeles, which was founded by the Rev. Alex Franco in 1974 as an alternative to Las Vegas chapels.
“We looked at the website, and I was like, ‘Heck yeah, everything’s already prepackaged,” said Ms. Masangkay, who wasn’t interested in wedding planning with her demanding work schedule. Like the Ansells, the Masangkays are new homeowners “because we were able to save so much from our wedding,” Ms. Masangkay said.
