Weddings can be very expensive events. In this day and
age where spending money is less, many people are choosing to postpone their
weddings or put off having one at all. If you choose to get married, I believe
it is an important day that should have a bit of money spent on it. Although
some people don’t see it as the most important day of their life, it is still
significant and a great way to celebrate your love with family and friends.
So you want to get married but you want to keep the cost
down? Here are some tips:
- Keep your guest list small: Do you really need your mum’s
hairdresser’s daughter’s cat there? No. You should spend this day with people
you are close to and who mean a lot to you and your partner. Keep trimming it
down until the most important people are there. It’s also much easier to
organise a wedding for 50 people rather than 200.
- DIY: There’s so much inspiration on the net these days;
free printables, DIY tutorials, etc, doing it yourself has never been easier!
Think decorations, bombinairre, stationary, etc. Lots of money can be saved by
making these things yourself, and it also allows you to add your own touch and to
make everything unique to you and your partner.
- Venue: think outside the box. Do you have to have your
reception at the most expensive place in town? Venues can be transformed by low
cost decorations, and at the end of the day your guests are there for you (and
maybe the booze...). Think parks, halls, local restaurants, etc.
- Day & Time: by choosing an off peak day or time
(think Wednesday-Friday or a Sunday) you can save lots of money on every aspect
of your wedding – the venue, photographer, vehicles, etc. Have you thought
about a casual brunch reception? This will certainly drive costs down.
- Photography: this is a very important element of a
wedding and a great way of capturing your memories. If choosing to have a
wedding on an off peak day, consider asking the photographer to only stay for
the ceremony and the pre-reception photos, rather than staying the whole day. Utilise
your guests and get them to take photos at the reception. A great idea is the
array of photo sharing apps there are for weddings now. If your guests are
using instagram, ask them to use your wedding hashtag (e.g. #abwedding). Look
for up and coming photographers that do just as good a job for a lot less
money.
- The Dress: there is a great website called
Light in the Box and they make wedding dresses to measure. The prices are ridiculously
cheap, but everything is excellent quality. Look for dresses that aren’t technically
wedding dresses (think White maxi’s, cocktail style, etc) and for bridesmaids
dresses that are a bit more casual and can be worn again after the ceremony to
increase their value. Or, if you’ve got some time, hit up some op-shops and see
what you can find.
- Bridal Party: keep it small. Choose only a few
bridesmaids and groomsmen to save money. Make your groomsmen’s button hole adornments
yourself to save money. There are heaps of great ideas on the net. You
bridesmaids don’t have to carry flowers either, they can carry clutches that go
with their dress; practical and much more valuable.
- Ask an event planner: they know what they’re doing,
they know where to get the cheapest things and the best deal. Don’t be afraid
to ask one for help!
But the most important advice of all is to have fun and
don’t lose sight of why you’re actually getting married; because you love one
another!
Does anyone have any money saving tips of their own for weddings or events in general? Let us know, we'd love to hear them!
