Planning a Wedding on a Budget

Getting married can be very expensive and the whole idea can be daunting. But there are many things you can do to cut down the cost and still have the most stylish and beautiful wedding of your dreams. Here are some tips to consider:

1. Wedding Venue – This is one of the biggest costs in your wedding budget but you will be happy to know that there are ways to bring down the cost:

a. Pick a wedding venue where you can hold both wedding ceremony and wedding reception in one roof. This will save you money in transporting guests and wedding vendors.

b.Find a venue without up-front hire charges. Venues with all-inclusive packages including food and beverage can often work out cheaper.

c. Pick a wedding venue that does not require a lot of wedding decoration for it to be beautiful so you can immediately save money on that front.

d. If you have the space, perhaps you can also consider getting married in your own back garden – this can be very romantic!

2. Wedding Date - Many wedding venues offer a slightly lower hire fee if you choose to get married on a weekday or during an off-peak season.

3. Wedding Guests – One of the quickest ways to cut down the cost of your wedding is by limiting the number of people you invite on your wedding day.

4. Lunch Wedding Reception – The packages you get for lunch are typically cheaper than dinner and you can save a lot of money by opting to have your wedding reception in the afternoon.

5. Wedding Dress – Find a talented up and coming bridal designer whose prices are more affordable compared to the big names in the industry.

6. Wedding Stationery – Creating your own wedding stationery is becoming more popular amongst brides these days – it’s fun and adds a personal touch to your wedding.

7. Wedding Music – Consider making do without a live band or DJ on your special day. Here are some things you can consider doing:

a. Ask one of your friends or relatives who are musically inclined to play a beautiful piece as you walk down the aisle.

b. compile some of your favourite music onto your ipod and use that to provide background music as well as dance music in the evening. Or get one of your bridesmaids/groomsmen to arrange this.

8. Wedding Cake – You will be surprised to know how costly wedding cakes can be. But here are some ways to help you save a bit:

a. Sugar icing flowers/decorations are difficult to make and can be expensive. Fresh flowers are usually a cheaper and arguably more beautiful alternative.

b. After the ceremony, consider using your bridal bouquet and bridesmaids’ bouquets to help decorate the wedding cake table.

c. Let your wedding cake be your scrumptious dessert, so you can avoid paying extra for dessert. Or use the cake as wedding favors, which I am sure they will enjoy eating the next day.

9. Wedding Flowers – Wedding flowers can be costly but there are  ways to save and still have the most elegant wedding flowers on your special day:

a. Pick flowers that are in season and are locally produced.

b. Stick to fewer types of flowers instead of a large variety

c. Use more foliage

d. Consider using cheaper flowers that still go with your wedding theme. For instance, Calla lilies are cheaper than Phaelenopsis orchids

e. Recycle your ceremony flowers and re-use them for the reception tables or elsewhere.

10. Wedding Videographer – In an ideal world, you’d have both a wedding photographer and a wedding videographer. But if your budget is tight, I’d recommend skipping the wedding videos and invest on hiring a really good wedding photographer to capture all the beautiful memories of your wedding day. From my experience, unless you pay top dollar for a videographer, the quality of the editing can be fairly amateurish and I’ve known many brides & grooms who’ve been disappointed by what they get. Hence an alternative might be just to get someone with a camcorder to capture some key moments during the day, and you can in the future pay for a good editor to create some special video clips for you.

Photo courtesy of Andy Le Gresley of CKP Weddings

Related posts:

1. Top 25 Wedding Songs – Timeless Classics
2. Judith Blacklock One Day Wedding Flowers Course
3. Wedding Planning Checklist
4. Choosing a Wedding Venue
5. The Gherkin – London City Wedding Venue