You want your wedding to be a day to remember for all the right reasons, but costs can quickly spiral out of control. How can you have the big, beautiful day you’ve been dreaming of without spending the rest of your married life in debt?
Prioritise
The first thing to decide is which elements are most important to you. If you’re big foodies then you might want to spend on professional catering, or perhaps an atmospheric venue is an absolute must. You might need to fly a relative in from abroad or decide that you won’t compromise on a designer dress. Pick three or four top priorities to focus on and finance a bigger spend on those things by cutting back elsewhere.
Keep The Guest List Reasonable
You want a big wedding, but there’s big and then there’s blowing the budget big. Do you really need to invite your Grandmother’s next door neighbour? Don’t forget that caterers charge per head so one more person really does make a difference, and you can always invite her to the evening reception instead.
Embrace DIY
For a really personal day that reflects you as a couple, nothing beats unique items you’ve made yourself or that have been gifted by friends and family. If you’re a papercrafter then all the wedding stationary can be made yourself, your sister could indulge her Bake Off dreams by creating a showstopping cake and your bridesmaids might enjoy a girly evening making decorations over a glass or three of prosecco and some nibbles.
Cut It Out
Are there things that aren’t important to you, but that you feel you’re obliged to have? It’s your wedding so don’t spend money just because it’s what’s usually done.
If you don’t drink alcohol you could save a lot of money by making the wedding breakfast an elegant afternoon tea, rather than paying for wine on every table. Guests often leave favours behind so nobody will really mind if you miss them altogether, or you could have a sweet table that doubles as dessert. If you know that you’ll never wear a ring ever again then you don’t have to have one. If something has no special meaning for you and you don’t want it, then don’t have it!
Look Second Hand
From beautiful vintage lace to your Great Grandmother’s wedding ring, second hand doesn’t have to be any less glamorous. If a designer dress is on your “must have” list but the budget doesn’t really stretch, why not look at buying second hand or even hiring one. Most dresses are only worn once, and some are even bought as a backup and never worn at all, so you could find your dream dress for a fraction of the price.
Have A Late Ceremony
The earlier in the day you have your ceremony, the more you will need to provide in the way of food and entertainment. A morning ceremony, for example, might mean you need lunch, an evening meal and a late night buffet as well. If you have your ceremony in the early evening instead then you’ll only need to feed people once, and you won’t have to worry about afternoon entertainment either. Not only that, there will be plenty of travel time on the day so your guests might save on accommodation too.
Spend Where It Matters
If your guests are having a great time then they really won’t notice if the tables have simple decorations or there aren’t any favours. One way to help make sure the party goes well is to prioritise a great DJ. Request quotes from DJs in your area today.
