Planning a wedding can not only cause a lot of stress, but it can also cause a huge dent in your bank balance. Weddings can be expensive, and unless you take active measures to keep the costs down, you’re going to see your budge spiral out of control.
These are our money saving tips for when you’re planning a wedding, there’s no reason why the most special day in your life can’t be cost-effective in places.
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Opt for tech
Sending out invitations for your big day can be a costly experience, and that’s even before you’ve headed to the post office to buy your stamps. You can always choose the technology option and create an invitation online and email it out to your guests.
Another way to keep costs down when it comes to invitations is to make your own, not only will this save money from having them professionally made, but you’ll add a personal touch to your day too.
Keep going back to your budget
It can be easy to keep on adding in little things here and there, but they soon mount up and take a big chunk out of your budget for the day. Write everything down and make sure you account for everything.
Get creative with the cuisine
Whilst a three-course meal might be the standard option for a wedding breakfast, there’s no rule to say you can’t think outside of the box. Why not choose something a little different and save a whole load of money along with that, quirky options include pizza vans and hog roasts. A recent wedding we attended just had canapés to start, one course for the meal which was pie and chips, then served sausage barms and chip cones in the evening, and dessert was their wedding cake. Not once was hunger an issue, and it was much less formal and rigid.
Set your price for your dress
Have a price in mind when you’re shopping for a wedding dress because it can be easy to get caught up in the beauty of the all the tulle. Be honest about your budget when you go into shops as well, because if you exaggerate it to make it sound better, you’ll only end up being shown a dress that you love that’s way out of your price range.
What might surprise you is the beauty and the range of wedding dresses that are available on the high street these days too. Don’t discount it instantly, have a browse and see if there’s anything that fits the style you’re looking for.
Choose a different day
When it comes to choosing a date for your big day, Saturdays are often considered the tradition. But you can save thousands by getting wed on a weekday or Sunday instead. Sundays can be a great option if they’re followed by a Bank Holiday too. You’ll be amazed by how much of a discount you can get by not booking your wedding on a Saturday.
Would you really miss a wedding cake?
Another expensive element of the wedding day is the cake, and it’s expected because you have the standout moment where the couple cuts the cake and everyone cheers. But will it actually be eaten? If you’re not planning on getting the cake cut up and shared on the evening would it not be better to get something that’s easier to dish out to gets in fear of it getting wasted. Donut towers are definitely a trend at the moment and they’re great because you can grab and go, plus there are so many different flavours to be had.
If you’d like to still do the ceremonial cake cutting, then look to designs like the naked cakes which are still beautiful but a lot less decadent than some designs.
Say yes to any help you can get
When people offer their help in any way when it comes to your wedding, don’t be quick to deny them. You never know you could save a tonne of money. There could be great bakers amongst your friends and family who could create a cake for you, a person willing to do your hair and makeup, someone could be the DJ in the evening. Not only will you save money, but you’ll get them involved in your day and they’ll cherish that forever.
Consider what you really need
Pinterest can be a great hub of ideas when it comes to your wedding day, but in actual fact there’s a lot of unnecessary things that you might not actually need. Think about the logistics of your day, do you really need a wedding car if you’re going to be in the one venue all day, is a popcorn bar going to get eaten, is a DIY cocktail bar a real necessity?
Cull the favours
Wedding favours can be a cute aspect if they can be eaten or drunk on the day of the wedding, when it comes to keepsakes it’s likely they’re going to be left behind or thrown out in the coming months. Don’t waste money on the things people don’t really need, instead put that money to good use somewhere else. We’re pretty sure your guests aren’t going to notice if there are no favours on the table.
Don’t dismiss the supermarket
While it might be custom to head to specific designers for your wedding day accessories like flowers or cakes, there’s nothing to suggest that you can buy them in your supermarket. Marks and Spencer have some gorgeous wedding cake options, or you could buy smaller ones and stack them up for something a little different.
There’s nothing to say you can’t buy your wedding flowers from the supermarket either, if you’ve got a keen eye for arranging flowers, then put together some of your favourites without the heavy cost of going to a professional florist.
If you really don’t want flowers you don’t have to have them either, it’s a choice that’s completely up to you.
If flowers are non-negotiable for you, look at what’s going to be in season when you wed, choosing those that are in-season will be a cheaper option to those that aren’t.
How many bridesmaids?
Whilst you might want all of your favourite ladies stood by your side on your big day, it’s going to cost an arm and a leg to dress them all, hair and makeup, as well as the thank you gifts too.
Instead, keep the numbers down for bridemaids, because if they really mean that much to you, they’ll be at your wedding regardless. You can get them involved on your big day by asking them to read, another can be a witness for you, and you could buck tradition and even ask them to do a speech.
The same goes for the groomsmen
If you’re having to cull the amount of women you have by your side, the same should go for the groom. There’s no written rule that the groom and his men all have to wear the same suit, so don’t if you don’t want to. You could even choose a suit colour that everyone is likely to have, such as navy or grey.