Our Guide to Saving Money!
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Weddings
are notoriously expensive! It doesn't matter how good your budget
intentions are when you start, the temptations are just too
great and one way or another, the budget bulges!
There are
a number of ways you can cut the costs when planning your wedding
- maybe you haven't thought about it, but the tips below, will
undoubtedly help to trim the excess from that budget, or allow
for you to spend more in certain areas.
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1)
The wedding date |
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Obviously
weekends are at a premium, and you can add on that little bit
more in the summer months as well. Decide how important a weekend
wedding is - in most cases it can't be avoided, but it will have
a significant effect on your budget when you realise how venues,
photographers, car hire etc. all have increased prices for these
prime days and dates. |
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2)
The location |
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For
both receptions and civil ceremonies in licensed venues, it pays
to have a good look around before setting your heart on one. Compare
prices for the room, the catering and the accommodation. Don't
be afraid to negotiate - remember, at the end of the day, you
are business for them. |
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3)
The guest list |
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Here's
a tricky one! We're going to be mean here - now if you're paying
for the wedding yourself, only invite people you will be happy
to see and share your day with. Imagine which of your friends
and family will bring a huge smile to your face as you see them
for the first time on the big day. If you only exchange Christmas
cards and haven't spoken to them in over a year, are they really
worth all that cost?
When parents are involved with paying for the wedding, you have
an obligation to listen to their requests. The best way to do
this is draw up your own list as above and then allocate 'x' number
of people to each set of parents. Let them make the hard decisions
and it takes the strain off you. Don't forget, for your sanity,
if you have any family members you most definitely do not want
invited, discuss this with your parents when giving them their
list to fill. It's always better to be open and honest from the
outset. |
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4)
The rings |
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Having
your rings made especially for you may not cost as much as you
think and you're guaranteed something truly unique. If you want
something special, discuss this with a local jewellery designer.
If you have some ideas, sketch them and take them along - you'll
never know until you ask! You can find jewellery designers at
this website http://www.gemget.com. |
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5)
The dress |
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Magazines
are great for ideas (or go to http://www.images.google.com
and type in 'wedding dresses' as the search) - cut out pictures
of your favourite styles and take them along to a few dress designers
and get quotes for them making something similar. Ask for their
advice when choosing fabrics that may still look fantastic, but
may be more cost effective. As I've mentioned before, don't be
afraid to negotiate - especially if you have bridesmaids dresses
or other outfits involved. |
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6)
The honeymoon |
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As
with any holiday, peak season will affect the price. You want
a fantastic time and a holiday you will always remember - but
don't let that stop you from shopping around! There are so many
travel websites offering amazing deals, that once you've decided
when and where you are going, take the time to phone, visit or
e-mail as many travel agents as possible to see what they can
quote. Try http://www.expedia.co.uk/daily/holidayshop/default.asp
as a starting point. |
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7)
Photography & videos |
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Let's
start with photography first - you definitely get what you pay
for, so my advice here for trimming costs is to spend time discussing
what sort of shots you want, and exactly how many. Think about
whether you want photos of the hours before the ceremony as well
as the hours after. The fewer shots and less time your photographer
is around, the cheaper it will get!
Video - do you really need this as well as the photos? If I'm
being blunt, how many times will you ever watch this again in
comparison to flicking through your photo albums. You will have
to pay a fair amount to get a decent result so you could save
the money here and get more photos instead.
If you really want to cut back, approach the local college and
see if there are students on any photography or film & video
courses that may be interested in the experience. Make sure you
see a portfolio of their work first to have an idea of their style
and talent. You will be amazed at the number of students that
are desperate to get this sort of experience under their belts
- and just how good they really are! You can find a list of colleges
that run photo courses here, http://photocollege.net. |
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8)
Florists & Flowers |
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Fresh flowers
are beautiful, but they also come with a hefty price tag and
sadly don't last much beyond the day. Keep flowers to a minimum
but with maximum effect! Cut the costs by doing the flowers
yourself, or if you have a family member who's good at arranging,
I'm sure they'd be happy to help out. You, or a relative could
always attend a night class for flower arranging at your local
college. Flower arranging classes can last anything from 3 weeks
to a few months - depending on how advanced you want to get.
You can
look in Yellow Pages for a local flower wholesaler rather than
paying full price from the florist - or take a look here for
a uk list of wholesalers, http://www.flowers.org.uk/wholes.asp.
Instead
of table centres, try floating nightlights in glass bowls with
scattered rose petals and just have one large floral centrepiece
on your top table or cake table. How about tiny potted miniature
trees or box hedges on the table centres - you could even weave
miniature lights through them for a truly magical display. (We
sell the miniature battery operated lights in our online store).
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9)
Cake |
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Have you
ever noticed how most wedding guests don't get around to eating
the cake? They're usually so full after the reception meal that
there's just no room for cake! One option is to make your cake
the dessert - and cut the costs of that third course. For this
option, you may want to consider a more 'dessert' style cake
like a croquembouche.
Croquembouche
comes from the French "croquant" meaning crackling
and "bouche" for mouth. Thus croquembouche refers
to the crackling in your mouth when eating this traditional
dessert. The croquembouche is often the dessert at a French
wedding. For full details and a recipe to make your own, visit,
http://www.boboli-intl.com/page7a.asp
Alternatively,
have a smaller cake with guests being served 'fingers' rather
than slices with their tea or coffee.
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10)
Booze & Drinks |
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Unless you
want a massive bill and a free for all, do not waste money paying
for a bar. By all means go for champagne (or Bucks Fizz is a
cheap and popular alternative), wine and water but guests fully
understand that you can't be expected to pay for everything.
If they want to hit the alcohol, let them pay for it!
If you want
to find the best prices for champagne, beer, wine and other
drink, visit
http://uk.kelkoo.com/category.jsp?catId=128701 for great
comparison shopping.
And finally....although
budgeting and cutting costs will always be an issue, don't let
it give you sleepless nights. Your day is supposed to memorable
and enjoyable and not a financial nightmare, so get as much
of the cost cutting and budgeting discussions out of the way
very early on so you can enjoy the weeks ahead, rather than
dread them.
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