The biggest challenge that any couple could face in a wedding is to have a wedding in budget. Weddings are pricey affairs, no matter big or small, one has to spend quite a big deal in a wedding. And to have wedding in budget can be a task. But you don’t worry, here in this post we are sharing with you the list of things that you should splurge on and things where you can save. However, where to save and where to splurge in a wedding vary from couple to couple.
Every couple has their own unique styles, tastes, choices, and priorities. Some couples would want to splurge on their wedding venue to have an unforgettable wedding celebration, whereas some would want to spend on their wedding photography to have wonderful memories of their big day. Well, however you have decided to celebrate your big day, the first thing that you need to do is – set your budget before you start planning your wedding.
Setting a budget in advance will help you watch your wedding expenses and keep a track on it. In a wedding it is crucial to decide where to save and where to splurge. Here are the best tips for making the most of your wedding budget and celebrating the BIG DAY of your dreams.
Where to Splurge:
Wedding Venue.
Your venue speaks a great deal about your wedding. Your style of wedding, and theme of wedding ascertain many of the logistics of your wedding, such as alcohol, food, and party rentals. Therefore, it is always advised to splurge on the venue that delivers the whole package. It will not only help you save some money, but also you can save a great deal of headache.
Professional Wedding Planner.
Another important aspect of your wedding, where you can splurge is to hire a wedding planner. Sometimes people try to find alternatives in order to save money on wedding professionals. And in the process they tend to hire their friends to do a specific wedding task. Without realizing how it could ruin their entire wedding experience, and also their relationship with that friend gets ruined. You may find the idea of hiring your friend to work out your wedding tempting. But believe you me, always almost couple end up regretting their decisions of hiring their friends to work out their weddings.
Wedding coordinators or wedding planners possess expertise and they are able to create a dream wedding for you. You might find them a costly affair for your wedding. But, wedding planners are experts at weddings, and paying them for creating what exactly you want at your wedding is wise. They simply eat, sleep, and breathe every detail of the process. Also, wedding planners are not only familiar with venues and vendors, but also they can help you in getting best deals at your wedding.
Wedding Food.
Of course, food is an important aspect of your wedding and you necessarily need to splurge on it. Most of your wedding guests will come for sumptuous meal without any doubt. And you would also want to keep your guests well-fed at your wedding, so, you need to have the best food and of course plenty of it. The last thing you would ever want in a wedding is – to run out of appetizers or signature drinks at the wedding reception. Remember that your wedding food will be the most talked about aspect of your wedding, and unfortunately, it’s hard to arrange good food on a limited budget. So, it is advised to invest in good food as, everyone will remember the food at your wedding. And your wedding guests will not miss to talk about it for years.
Accommodation.
I mean good accommodation. Whether you are getting hitched in a different country or your wedding is in your home town only. You’ll surely need to arrange for the accommodation of your out of town wedding guests. Make sure you invest in a good place, rather to make arrangements in some cheap place. Those who will make for your wedding would definitely seek some comfort and convenience at your wedding.
Transportation.
If you’re getting hitched in some other country and your wedding venue is little far from your hotel where all your guests are staying, make sure you arrange for their transportation as well. Even a little inconvenience for your guests who made this far for your wedding, can create wrong ideas for you. So, there is no point.
Wedding Music.
You wedding guests will talk about the music almost as much as they’ll talk about the food at your wedding. Well, you don’t need to hire the most popular or most expensive band for your wedding. For a good music can be arranged in budget. Music in wedding add to the fun at the wedding. Your wedding guests enjoy more when music is there. We recommend to look for live entertainment. Search locally – for live music or concerts. The best place to look for lower-cost musicians is your local university’s music department. Because there you may find student’s band who perform for a low cost. You can simply contact them and ask if there are any students who are available to provide music for your wedding. It will help them develop their resume and save you on one of the priciest parts of your wedding.
Wedding Photographer.
Your wedding pictures are not just some pictures, but they are the memories of the biggest day of your life that you cherish for generations. Wedding photographs hold a special place in any couple’s life just like wedding is an important event of their lives, the same way the wedding photographs are the most indispensable collection of memories of the big day. After all the days spent in preparing for the big day, after exchanging rings, after tying the knots, after saying the wedding wows, after enjoying the reception, what is left behind for the lifetime is The Wedding Photographs!
Wedding photography is an indispensable part of your wedding, so do not hesitate to spend on it. So, it is recommended to splurge on a professional wedding photographer, who can create wonderful memories of your day for you. Ask around, search online. Get recommendations from family, friends, family, and other brides about wedding photographers they have already worked with–and love. Remember, a good professional wedding photographer don’t come cheap.
Where You Can Save:
The Wedding Date.
The month and the day of your wedding will hugely impact your wedding budget. For instance, if your wedding is planned for the popular months–June, September, October, November, it’s going to be a costly affair, because that’s the time when the wedding season is at peak and most of the brides are fighting for venues and dates. Then Saturday night affairs are also expensive. Or if you’re planning a destination wedding, then getting hitched in peak season will again impact your budget.
So, the idea is to save money. You can easily save money by simply setting an off-season wedding date. This way you can get off-season discounts or venue and other party rentals. You can get luxury packages in budget friendly rates during off-season weddings. Also, it is less chaotic all in all. Getting vendors and arranging other logistics become easier, because very few people decide to get wed-locked during those months.
Alcohol.
Alcohol can be very costly if served by the venue, rather you can stock the bar yourself. When it comes to wedding expenses, alcohol at the wedding is a big expense. But at the same time it is big variable you can play around with to cut costs. Instead of going for a full open bar at the wedding, you can just offer beer and wine, or a free cocktail hour followed by a cash bar.
Moreover, if you’re hosting your wedding at a hall, ask beforehand if you can supply your own alcohol instead of using their, which can be a big money-saver. Also, while arranging for alcohol, you can probably look for a discount liquor store in your area, and stock up at least the basics, such as red and white wine and a different types of beer at the very least. And, if you’re planning a full bar, pick up the standard liquors like gin, rum, vodka, and whiskey, plus a few mixers and soft drinks like sodas and juices.
Pro tip: Buy a keg of beer instead of cases, it’s more cost-effective.
Wedding Outfit.
Of course, we understand that it’s your big day and your wedding gown has to be best. But you can still save on your wedding outfit, there is still a way to get the gown of your dreams without paying full retail price. First: you can buy wedding dress on sale. You don’t need to buy your dress from the first store you hit, instead explore a bit more, just check four to five stores, check on prices, see if any scheme or discount is coming in the near future, etc. And accordingly you can buy your wedding dress and save.
Or you can search online for the platforms that provide used dresses, there you can communicate with the seller directly or via website. There you can easily get a wedding outfit at 35-80% off the original retail price. Also, in the future you can even plan to sell your wedding outfit and recover at least 60-65% of the price that you paid.
Wedding Jewelry.
Well different cultures have different set ups. In an Indian culture bride wears lots of jewelry matching with her attire and to buy everything is not possible. Hence, it is recommended to purchase something in your budget that you can wear later even after your wedding. Wedding jewelry is treasured for generations for its sentimental value and add it to your family heirlooms.
Wedding Accessories.
Wedding accessories such as clutch, shoes, etc. are other aspects of your wedding where you can splurge. We recommend to buy things that you can use later as well. For instance, buy such a clutch or wedding shoe that you can carry your clutch out to some party or for a nice dinner, and compliment your wedding shoes with other dresses. There will be so many occasions where you may need to use them.
Bridesmaid Outfits:
If you want to save on bridesmaid dresses, instead of ordering custom dresses, you can scour a few stores with dresses on sale and see if you can find something “off the rack” for all. Or else you can ask your bridesmaids to wear a particular color dress which is common with all.
Wedding Guest List.
A wedding without guests is nearly bland! However, the most demanding and harrowing of all is the task of creating a wedding list in wedding planning. If yours is a big fat wedding, there is always a room for almost every guest, but the real situation occurs when you want to keep it low or want to celebrate your big day with just a limited number of people. You have your friends to invite, then your colleagues, then your relatives, then your partner’s friends and his/her colleagues, his/her relatives, your parent’s friends, their colleagues (if any), your partner’s parents’ friends, and the list goes on!! OMG!! I understand this is the most taxing task of all.
Remember that your wedding invites always depends on the size of your wedding, venue of your wedding, and most importantly the budget that you have set for your wedding. There are people you’ll have to invite, and there are some you would really want to skip, and there will definitely be people who would want to force invites. Yeah, it happens!! But you should always decide on the “must-attend” list, and then edit it down accordingly.
DIY the décor. Wedding decorations are also costly affair, and to minimize the cost you along with your girl squad can DIY the decors for your wedding. Believe you me, it not only helps you save a great deal, but also the DIY décor looks brilliant at any wedding. For instance, the table numbers which you will assign should go with the theme, venue, décor, and ambience. You can DIY table numbers using floral vase or empty beer bottles or some other decorating piece to make it look a bit unique and save money.
Also, you can save a big deal by simply elaborating table settings that include eclectic place settings and beautiful linens. All you have to do is pick up fabric in bulk and make your own table runners for the reception tables.
Entertainment in Ceremony.
It’s not just your BIG DAY, where you need to arrange for the entertainment. But for your small ceremonies, like bridal shower, etc. you’ll need to arrange for the music. Don’t worry you can simply plug in your iPod and save a great deal.
Wedding Décor.
Go minimal with décor. Yeah, instead of spending lavishly on wedding décor that will surely go waste later, you can have an elegant décor at your wedding. DIY is trending, and you can also make some beautiful décor items to use at your wedding. Also, if you’re planning a night wedding reception outdoors, then you can make great use of lighting and paper lanterns to make the venue look beautiful and classy.
Wedding Flowers
Instead of spending a huge amount of money on flowers, keep it simple but elegant. For instance, you can have a single rose for each bridesmaid and a very small bouquet for the bride. Bouquets are very costly, if you wish, you can make your bouquet by yourself just a day before the ceremony.
Wedding Invites.
Instead of going traditional ways to send invites to your wedding guests, you can even choose to send e-vites. Electronic invitations are in trend, and why not to make best use of technology when everybody is tech savvy today. Instead of spending money on traditional printed invites, you can create beautiful invitations online, that too on a free app. You can even personalize your invites as you want, you can have a picture of you two or maybe a great poetry to help people know your bond with your partner. Send these invites over mail, whatsapp, and other media.
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