Tips for getting Married on a Budget
Weddings are a big business these days. Mention to a wedding service provider that you are planning a wedding and watch their eyes light up with interest. There are a myriad of pitfalls along the wedding planning path, and it is so easy to get carried away and find yourself going way over budget. Remember as you go about planning your wedding what the end goal is. You will be no less married if you do it within your means, than if you go twenty to thirty thousand over budget. You are much better off having the money in your pocket to enjoy married life with, than to be struggling to repay loans. Who wants that kind of pressure on a new marriage? The day, while an important and joyful celebration, is simply a gateway to the rest of your lives.
Tip #1: Consider all options
Be open minded when considering your venue and style of your wedding. There are many options out there aside from the typical church wedding and hotel reception. Getting married on a beach or in a park might suit your taste better. Perhaps you would prefer a fresh flower in your hair rather than an expensive lace veil. My cousin got married in a registry office wearing her grandmothers wedding dress and afterwards had an outdoor blessing and huge party at her parent's house. The day was relaxed, intimate, and generally a roaring success. We will be getting married abroad, and hope that it will be just as successful.
Tip #2: Create a budget
Before you start contacting vendors, decide what your budget is. Be realistic about what you can save and do not rely upon contributions from friends and family unless they have been explicitly promised to you already. Decide now what is really important to you in terms of venue, guest-list, and they type of day and create your budget according to what you are prepared to spend to achieve that. Now divide the budget in half. In an average wedding, this figure is what you will spend on the cost of the venue, food, and drink. Now divide that figure by the amount of guests you would like to have. This is what you can spend per person. Knowing this figure prior to speaking with venues and caterers is invaluable. If you find that your budget is unrealistic and cannot raise it, you then have to make the difficult decision to postpone, cut the guest-list, or change your expectations. Maybe, as in our case, you might even have to do all three. Remember that it is better to be preparing for what you know you can afford than to have to cancel at the last minute because you have been unrealistic.
Tip #3: Open a joint savings account
From the time you get engaged, or even beforehand if possible, you should have a joint wedding savings account. From your budget, you will be able to figure out how much you need to save weekly or monthly. Set it up so that the wedding savings leave your current account as soon as you are paid.
Tip #4: Avoid the Jones'
Keeping up with the Jones' is one of the major enemies of a low wedding budget. Do things your way, the way you can afford to do them, rather than the way your neighbour/cousin/friend did them. Table decor does not need to be expensive to look well. A single bloom from the local supermarket in a tall glass vase and some scattered petals can be extremely effective without costing the earth. Wedding favours are not compulsory. Homemade wedding favours such as toffee, cookies, or personalised packets of seeds add a beautiful individual touch. Remember that the expensive wedding band that everyone loved at the last family wedding is not the new minimum standard. The guest-list is YOUR wedding guest-list for YOUR day and you need to make that clear from the very beginning. Your parents or in-laws may want to invite their friends or distant relatives. Make it clear to them that they will have to pay for any guests outside of your list, and give them a guest quota so there is no difficulty with space at your venue.
Tip #5: Make enquiries by email
Keep control of your phone bill by making the majority of enquiries by email. That way you cut phone costs and have a clear record of whom you contacted when, and what they said by way of reply. This is particularly useful if getting married abroad, or even just outside of your own area code.
Tip #6: Call in favours
Do you have a friend who sings beautifully? Can your sister bake an amazing cake? Is your Aunt a wonder at flower arranging? Does your neighbour own an amazing car? Does your mother have a beautiful set of pearls? Ask friends and family if they would help you pull the day together as their gift to you. Most will be honoured and delighted to share what they can. The feeling of goodwill will add to a fantastic atmosphere on the day and it will save you money.
Tip #7: Haggle
Be tough with your suppliers. Yes, they may be lovely to deal with, but this should not make you feel guilty about haggling. Remember that they stand to earn a lot of money from you, and they more than likely have a haggle allowance worked in to the price. Always ask for their best price, and then push them to do better. You will be surprised how much people are prepared to drop in price. Be imaginative with your haggling. If you cannot get money off, then try to get more for that price.
Tip #8: Only pay for what you get
When negotiating with the venue, ensure that you get a reduced price for children. They will prefer a less adult-orientated menu in any case. If service of alcohol is included in the price you are given, ensure that you obtain a reduced rate for those who will not be drinking alcohol.
Tip #9: Location, location, location
Be sensible about where you locate your wedding events. If possible, have the ceremony and reception within walking distance of each other. Otherwise, you may end up having to arrange transport all your guests.
Tip #10: Buy local
Try your best to avail of local suppliers for your big day. A photographer who has to travel for two hours to get to your event, and possibly stay overnight, is going to charge far more than the photographer who only has to travel ten minutes.
Tip #11: Second-hand is a winner
In these recessionary times, there are numerous beautiful once-worn wedding dresses for sale by brides anxious to recoup some of their wedding costs. You might even be able to wear a wedding dress or veil that belonged to your mother or grandmother. Charity shops often have a stock of wedding dresses and some are still brand new. Oxfam actually have dedicated bridal shops across the United Kingdom and Ireland with dresses selling at a fraction of the price of dresses in bridal boutiques. There are also several websites specialising in the sale of pre-loved wedding dresses. Dresses are usually anything between 40% and 80% of their original price. Online wedding forums will often have useful buy and sell threads where you can pick up wedding accessories and outfits for the entire wedding party. Keep your eyes open for second hand bargains and your pocket will thank you.
Tip #12: Cut stationary and postage costs
The cost of wedding stationary was a real revelation for me. Personally, I feel that Save the Date cards are an unnecessary wedding expense dreamed up by some marketing genius, and so will not be using them. Instead, we are going to send them text messages and emails, and we are going to send invitations a little earlier than the norm. Postage is often a forgotten wedding outgoing. Where possible you should hand-deliver your invitations to cut down on this cost. Guests will appreciate that you called around to them in person. Instead of including stamped addressed envelopes and RSVP cards with your invitations, ask guests to RSVP by text, email, or on your wedding website. Use thank you cards as your place settings rather than posting them out after the event. If you are DIY inclined you can save a considerable amount of money by making your wedding stationary yourself, however be warned that it is extremely time consuming. We plan on having a wedding invite making weekend, pulling in as much help as we can and trying to make it as fun as possible. The company will make the time go quicker and many hands make light work!
Tip #13: Create a wedding website
Many websites offer a free wedding website service. My personal favourite iswww.sharedweddings.combut there are several others from which to choose. You do not need to be very Internet savvy to create a wedding website. Once you register you simply choose a template and add in the information where prompted. You can give all the necessary information about the wedding, create your guest-list, plan your budget, upload photographs, and set yourself a task list. Once your guests know about your wedding website they can log on and check for information about the day itself, get directions, send you messages, and even RSVP. Having this resource available to guests can save you a lot of stress as they can find most information they need on this and will not have to bother you with any questions.
Tip #14: Encourage guest photographs
Photography is an extremely important part of your wedding day. When all the fuss is over and done, photographs are all you have as a record of your special day. It is often suggested that the bride and groom should put disposable cameras on each table. While this is a great idea, developing so many disposable cameras can be quite costly, and you have no idea of the quality of the pictures. An alternative is to have a laptop in a quiet corner of the reception where guests can upload their digital pictures. Have it mentioned during the speeches and ask the bridesmaids and groomsmen to take turns to keep things running smoothly.
Tip #15: Avoid peak time
Weekends and summer months are the busiest wedding times. If you get married off peak, you will be able to save considerable money on the venue, and possibly with suppliers. Times such as Christmas Eve and New Years Eve will command an absolute premium, and you will find it extremely difficult finding florists, photographers etc who are willing to work.
Tip #16: Appreciate what you have
So maybe you cannot afford the dress of your dreams, your wedding car is a Ford Fiesta rather than a vintage Bentley, and you still cannot squeeze enough out of your budget to get the chocolate fountain you always wanted. Do not let stressing about the things you cannot have ruin the big day. It is important to keep things in perspective and keep in mind all the good in your life. You may not be wealthy, but you are marrying your soul-mate and moving on to the next exciting stage of life with them by your side. The happy marriage after the wedding day is what really counts so remember that.
