Wedding preparation can be among one of the most stressful times in your life. It’s not just a case of separating warring family members or remembering the names of various cousins you need to invite, what really makes it stressful is simply how much your average wedding costs.
And who wants an average wedding anyway? You’re, probably, hoping you’ll only do this once so why go for second best? Unfortunately even small scale weddings can set you back an awful lot of money but don’t panic with a little bit of research and some hints from lifestyle bloggers, you’ll be saving money without compromising on your dreams.
The best thing you can do before you commit to anything is carrying out some research. Don’t, at this stage, have any fixed ideas. Keeping an open mind is going to save you money in the long run and will allow you to let your imagination soar. Go with it and see how you can make your special day a completely unique one.
The biggest expenses, of course, are wedding venues and the food bill. Often part of the same package, this can set you back thousands and on occasion it’s questionable if you’re getting the best value for money.
Shop around, visit venues and see what’s on offer but also do your own research by talking to friends or asking online for reviews of venues. Then think a bit more widely about the type of venue you want. Does it have to be in a hotel or could you find a great function room in a bar? How about a marquee or a hall somewhere picturesque that will provide a beautiful backdrop for photos but won’t charge the earth.
And speaking of photos, how are you fixed for a professional photographer.? While you do want to have photos you can frame and look back on you can do worse than asking a photography student to do the job or asking friends and relatives to take the candid snaps and just employ a professional for the group photos. You might also consider just asking for the CD and not requesting he or she prints and mounts them for you in an album, saving money.
Weddings are the time when you need to start calling in those favours, got an aunt who used to be a florist? Get her on board with the buttonholes and bouquets. The same goes for food. If a sit-down meal at a hotel is starting to feel a little bit out of your reach then consider hiring a cheaper catering company for your alternative venue and ask your baking mad cousin to make the cake.
Get at least three quotes and make sure you go for a tasting session to make sure that the food is up to your standard. While it’s traditional to feed all-day guests twice at a wedding, a simple hog roast or sandwiches and a buffet is perfectly adequate for the evening sitting.
When it comes to clothes, again think widely around the subject. If you choose to go out of season with a beautiful winter wedding you might find the dresses you choose are slightly less expensive, as is the wedding itself.
Image from Pixabay
You might be considering putting some money behind the bar for the evening celebrations, which is a generous offer but make sure you take advantage of anyone with a van who can take you on a run over to a French hypermarket to stock up on cheaper wine and champagne for your day guests’ tables. Just be sure to find out how much your venue or catering company charges for corkage and work out if their deal on alcohol is any cheaper.
When it comes to the often forgotten costs, it’s things like wedding stationery that eat up the money. This can be helped by a talented friend or relative who can design your invites for you and even with the additional printing you’ll discover it’s still cheaper than the more formal approach. The added benefit of this is that you will have stationery that reflects much more of who you are and is unique to your style.
Just because you’ve chosen to do things independently and decided to stamp your own character on your wedding preparations, it doesn’t mean that you’re compromising in any way. If anything, you’re making your wedding day something everyone will remember for a long time and what’s more when you think of the day you said your wedding vows to your beloved, you’ll know you did it your way and who could ask for anything more than that?
