NEW YORK — For many couples, a large budget is required for their big day.

On average, weddings today cost couples tens of thousands of dollars.

“The biggest cost is usually the venue, which accounts for about 37% of the total cost,” says Esther Lee, deputy editor of The Knot.

To save costs, newlyweds Nova and Reemo Styles got creative: They treated their wedding as a concert and charged their guests admission to the celebration.

“And I said, ‘People go to a Beyoncé concert because they know they’re going to have an experience. Let’s pressure guests and sell tickets to a wedding,'” Nova said.

“I thought to myself, ‘Honey, people aren’t going to come,'” Reemo said.

People came, but there was also some resistance.

“‘I would never spend money on tickets.’ ‘I don’t care.’ ‘Who do you think you are? Jay-Z and Beyoncé?'” Nova recalled.

Tickets, which cost $333 each, gave guests a seat on a double-decker bus and a 12-hour adventure in New York City.

Their strategy saved them $70,000 in wedding costs.

Other couples deviate from the traditional scheme to save some money.

“We’re seeing an increase in brunch weddings,” Lee said.

Some, like Courtney and Alex Quist, opt for an earlier celebration rather than the traditional evening event, trading filet and fish for pizza and mimosas.

“I would say we probably saved about $40,000,” Courtney said.

“We had a beautiful wedding, a fantastic reception and the people we love and care about most were able to be there, so I wouldn’t change anything,” Alex said.