Your wedding is one of the most special moments in your life, that you will look back on for years to come. However, there are also wide range costs that go into getting married, as you’ll need to choose a venue, a florist, a caterer, not to mention wedding clothes. Therefore, it’s important to have a plan to save for them and avoid setting yourself or your family back financially. When it comes to planning your wedding, you will find that every little detail counts and it may be overwhelming trying to stick to your plan. Below you will find a list of effective strategies, you can use to save money for your wedding without compromising on quality.
Set Up A Wedding Budget
Setting up a budget can be helpful, as long as it is realistic and workable. Getting your wedding budget right begins with a discussion about the type of wedding you want to have. It’s important to sit down and think about the overall vision for your wedding. For example, you’ll need to determine whether you’re envisioning a big and elegant wedding or something casual in your family’s backyard. Take a look at how much you have in savings and determine the amount you’re willing to put towards your wedding. Once you have created a budget, it’s important to track your spending and ensure you stick to it.
Consider Unexpected Costs
Planning a wedding often comes with unexpected costs, which may need to be paid as quickly as possible. If you don’t have enough time to wait for a lender to conduct credit checks, you may look at no credit check loans. However, it might be useful to look at this guide from Sunny to find out what you should look out for when it comes to emergency loans without a credit check. In general, when considering an emergency loan for your wedding, make sure that it’s at an affordable rate and has a repayment period of manageable amounts every month.
Host An Off-Peak Wedding
We’re all familiar with a traditional Saturday wedding day, but this often means that venues can charge a premium. To save a significant amount of your budget, it’s best to choose an alternative day of the week. Typically, Fridays and Sundays will be reduced in costs, while Monday to Thursday venue hire will cost you a fraction of a Saturday wedding. Although it may seem unconventional at first, you can get a real bargain. However, remember to give plenty of notice so that your family members and friends can arrange time off work, if necessary.
Create Digital Invitations
Paper wedding invitations are undoubtedly beautiful and impressive, but they can take a big chunk out of your budget. This is because you’ll need to consider the envelopes, RSVP cards, and postage stamps that come with them. If you look at the number of your invitees, you’ll realise how this can add up. Therefore, it may be preferable to send your invitations digitally via a wedding website, as this will not only reduce overall costs, but you can also track RSVP’s online. This way you can streamline the entire process and easily connect with your guests while saving some extra cash.
Choose A Low Key Venue
It may be helpful to think outside the box when it comes to selecting a wedding venue. Not only will the hiring costs be much cheaper, but you’ll also have much more freedom to decorate it. This will allow you to spend extra money on furniture, flowers, lighting options, and additional styling. Moreover, destination weddings may even be more affordable to plan, as you may be able to bundle the wedding and honeymoon together. However, if you’re considering an international destination wedding, be sure to look at the cancellation and refund policies for venues and vendors to avoid disappointment.
Look For Wedding Deals
Keep your eyes peeled for seasonal sales on wedding-related items, that can help you cut down on some of the costs. For example, you may want to consider shopping for a pre-loved wedding dress, that you can find on a range of online marketplaces or in charity shops. This means that you can snap up your dream dress for a fraction of the cost, knowing that it has only been worn once. When buying wedding-related items on sale, remember to check their return policy in case you need to replace something before the big day.
Revisit Your Guest List
Your guest list is one of the most important factors, that will directly influence the cost of your wedding. Therefore, if you’re struggling to lower your wedding costs, it may be worth reconsidering your guest list. This means that it may be best to host a smaller and more intimate wedding instead of a full-blown celebration to save on food and drink. Take a look at your guest list and consider whether you have included some guests out of obligation or you have been too generous with plus ones.
Choose Local Suppliers
Many of your vendors will charge you for their time, which often involves transportation to and from the venue, as well as pre-wedding visits and meetings. As a result, travel times can quickly add up to additional labour, if you choose wedding suppliers that are based far away from your area. Therefore, to save on these costs, it’s recommended to choose local suppliers. Not only will this reduce transportation costs, but they will likely be familiar with your venue, meaning they can offer unique insight thanks to their previous experiences.
Take On A Few DIY Tasks
There are plenty of DIY tasks that can help you save some money, if you have time to spare. For example, you may consider doing your own floral arrangements. To keep a laidback look with your table flowers, you can scatter wildflowers in jars and bottles. Also, if having a decedent wedding cake was never your dream, you can easily replace it with a homemade version which will taste just as good but cost much less. Moreover, a band or DJ can be a huge expense, so you may want to create your own playlist with the help of your guests.
Minimise Your Bridal Party
A large bridal party can result in considerable costs, when compared to an intimate party of two or three. From bouquets to makeup costs, there will be plenty to consider. The same goes for groomsmen, as they will each require their own suits and accessories. Having fewer bridesmaids and groomsmen means that you’ll spend less on outfits and you can get them involved in different ways. As a result, you may want to consider minimising your bridal party on the day and celebrating more with your friends on your hens night.
Extend Your Planning
As much as you may be looking forward to getting married, it’s possible that you find it hard to compromise on many of your wedding details. Therefore, it may also be worth considering pushing back your wedding date and extending your planning timetable. As a result, you’ll have more time to save, prepare, and plan, which will ensure that you won’t have to make any sacrifices along the way. This will also allow you to work out your priorities for the day and identify areas, that are worth investing in and other aspects, which you may be able to cut completely.
