[September 2009] We’ve all dreamed of our wedding day since we were little and expectations are high, but a glamorous wedding does not necessarily mean an expensive wedding.
Budgeting for a wedding is a difficult task so we’ve put together some tips that will help make your wedding everything you’ve dreamed of without having to re-mortgage the house!
If you don’t have the time to plan your big day on your own, we recommend you use a wedding planner. Wedding planners are well practised at achieving your goals and managing your expectations within your budget.
For those of you who have time to do things yourself, here are a few tips on how you can save!
What you can do yourself?
Invitations: Many of us are ‘photoshop pros’ these days and a simple design is all you need. Or if you are quite crafty, make your own cards. Local crafting shops can provide everything you need.
Seating cards: Based on the theme of your invitations, you can create a seating list for the entrance of your venue with ease. Again local craft shops can help with materials and not only is this inexpensive but you can decorate them just the way you want.
Napkin Holders: A great idea for napkin holder is to place the menu on them. You can choose elegant paper and print the menu on them from your pc. This can be folded into squares, triangles or circles around the napkin.
Flowers: You can create a breathtaking bouquet and corsages without working up a sweat. Use your favourite flowers and add some ivy and other smaller flowers or leaves to decorate your bouquet. Round this off with some crinkle paper and cutting the stems of the flowers.
Wedding Favours: There are so many different ideas for wedding favours and many of those you can do/make at home. Finding a little box that you can decorate is a good way to start and then depending on the budget, decide how to fill it. Chocolates, nougat, sweets or bath salts, the possibilities are endless and so are your savings.
Where you can save money?
Venue: It’s lovely to get married in season, but having an Autumn or Spring wedding is just as wonderful and the venue may be less expensive than in the height of Summer. Another money saver is to utilise the venue’s garden for taking photos and hosting the marriage ceremony. Killing two birds with one stone!
Photographs: Photographers can be very pricey, but it’s very important to ensure you pick someone that’s going to give you the photos you want and deserve. Shopping around can help you save as the packages vary dramatically.
Food: A buffet is often more cost effective than a plated menu, so find out what your options are before booking a venue. Often the food and venue go hand in hand. Another tip is to have a brunch or lunch wedding instead of a dinner reception.
Wedding Cake: A favourite option these days is to have the wedding cake as dessert. Gone are the days of a traditional fruit cake covered with marzipan, try something new like a tower of individually portioned cupcakes that your guests can tuck into after you’ve ‘cut the cake’.
Wedding Attire: Renting a wedding dress has become a very popular option to save thousands in your budget! And these days you can rent stunning dresses that will fit like a glove. Don’t forget you can also rent bridesmaids dresses and the groom and best man’s suits.
Music and Entertainment: A DJ is more cost efficient than a live band and the variety of music is wider as well.
Guest List: This is the hard part, deciding who to invite and the longer your list the more expensive it all becomes. Try and make your guest list suit your budget. These days people understand the expense of a wedding and it’s just impossible to invite everyone you know!
Things not worth compromising!
Budget: You need to set a budget you can afford and sticking to it will give you peace of mind and less stress!
As a general rule your wedding budget could break down as follows:
- 50% on the reception including food and drink
- 15% on wedding outfits
- 10% on flowers
- 10% on photography
- 5% on entertainment
- 10% on everything else including stationary, fees, gifts etc.
- Allow a 5% to 10% contingency to your final figure for unforeseen expenses.
Honeymoon: No wedding is complete without a honeymoon. If you plan on a hotel or guest house reception, negotiate on accommodation (some venues include a night in the honeymoon suite). Plan your honeymoon far in advance, to ensure you get the best deal.
Rings: Having your ring made is definitely more cost effective than buying one off the shelf as you can choose from various grades of diamonds and whether you want gold or platinum. Ensure you decide on something that is special to you as you’ll be wearing it forever!
Wedding Day: Even though you might have comprised along the way, your wedding should be everything you are expecting and more. Ensure that all is in order before the big day so you can enjoy the most important day of your life!
Now that you have some ideas on saving you can go ahead with planning your special day »
Remember your budget is the key in planning and you can have the most amazing wedding within your means.
Did you know? A Little Wedding Cake History... In medieval England, wedding guests traditionally brought their own wedding cakes to the big day and attempted to stack one on top of the other to form a multi-tiered collection of cakes. The bride and groom would then try to kiss each other over the whole stack - if they were successful and managed to kiss without the cakes toppling over, it was said to be a sign of good luck and prosperity!