RALEIGH, N.C. – Get your dancing shoes ready! Weddings are expected to make a return to pre-pandemic levels, according to Business Wire.

Despite tough economic times, the study says most couples don’t plan on cutting back on their wedding budget.

Meredith Radford with the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina says the No. 1 way couples can save money is by planning.

“Make sure you start planning early and that way you have time to research businesses for things like your vendors, your venue, the band or a DJ…” Radford said. “All of those things you want to make sure you have plenty of time and that you look at multiple options.”

The other way to save money is to be flexible about the date of the big day.

“Some people have been thinking about the exact time they want to get married for years and years, but that’s another reason why you really want to start early and don’t necessarily be tied to a certain date because you don’t want to get locked in with a venue that you end up not being happy with because you went with the first one that you found,” Radford said.

She recommends keeping in touch with vendors periodically before the wedding date.

As for scams or red flags, Radford says rental scams can be a big problem with weddings.

“During wedding season, rental scams are an issue all the time, especially online booked things,” Radford said. “So, you always want to make sure you’re using reputable websites that you can trust that have that https or secure in their URL.”

Altogether, before booking, she recommends making sure that the vendor has good reviews and that you’re getting what you’re paying for.

Once that’s all squared away, sit back and enjoy marital bliss. Congratulations!