Weddings On A Budget

Budget is an issue that comes up time and time again when it comes to planning a wedding. Everyone wants the day of their dreams, but the money involved usually means that compromises have to be made. Don’t despair, though – there are substantial savings to be made without damaging the quality of your big day.

Try reaching an agreement with your parents, and the parents of your partner – it may be traditional for the bride’s parents to foot the bill, but it’s not always plausible. Cut down on the guest list where possible, and try to do as much for yourself as you can. Take a class in a skill that will help you contribute to the wedding, and use your friends’ help where you can. If you know anyone with a large property or with reverential qualifications, consider approaching them and asking for their services.

Don’t buy anything you’re not absolutely sure you need. Buying second-hand or buying in bulk is always helpful, too, and you can also save a little extra by asking guests to contribute to a ‘honeymoon fund’, in place of the wedding presents

Tradition dictates that the father of the bride should pay for the wedding – but more and more often, couples are footing their own bills, or combining financial forces with one or both sets of parents. The advantages of splitting the cost are obvious – more contributors means less individual spend – but bear in mind that there can be downsides. Don’t let yourself be pushed around: while the money is obviously a big help, it does not mean that your parents automatically have to gain any degree of creative control over the wedding.

The fact is, it simply costs too much to cater for hundreds of guests, so you can’t realistically invite everyone you’ve ever known to celebrate with you. If you’re having trouble downsizing the guest list, there are a couple of rules that might help you. First, the ‘one year’ rule – have you seen a friend or relative in the last year? If not, it probably isn’t worth inviting them. There are obviously exceptions – elderly relatives that don’t travel much, friends and family who live out of the country, and so on. Try to keep the proportions fair, too – roughly 30% of the list for your family, 30% for your partner’s family, and your friends can fill the rest.

Doing the little things for yourself will save big money in the long run. Home-made favours, invitations, place-cards for the tables, and so on can all save you hundreds of pounds, and if done with care and attention, will still look great. Home-made favours can be anything – from discs full of your wedding photos to small cakes or cookies, it’s completely up to you to decide what your guests would appreciate.

Many couples working to a shoestring budget find that taking an evening class in some wedding-relevant skill (flower arranging, for instance, or cake decorating) can really help. By learning to do these things for yourself, you remove the necessity of paying through the nose for a professional to do much the same thing.

Similarly, if your friends already have such qualifications, ask them for help! Chances are they’ll be only too happy to provide a quality service to your big day, at cost, or at a discounted rate. They’ll also feel honoured that you chose to ask them for assistance on your wedding day, and will enjoy the ceremony all the more, knowing that they had a hand in shaping it.

It’s not just skills that your friends and family can contribute – if you know any vicars, or anyone with a large, open and attractive area on their property, find out if you could use their assets for your wedding. Again, if they say yes, they’ll be honoured that you approached them for wedding help. If you can’t find a good location, however, don’t despair – try asking at National Trust sites, public beaches and family-friendly parks.

Be rigorous with your spending. That’s really the most important thing to remember. It’s easy to get carried away with shopping for your wedding, but if you need to save money, you’ll need to be strict with yourself. Before you make any purchases on goods or services, ask yourselves three questions: Is it worth it? Will we definitely use it? Can we get it cheaper elsewhere? If you answer ‘yes’, ‘yes’ and ‘no’, then it’s probably worth splashing out on.

There’s always a stigma attached to buying in bulk, or buying second-hand – but this needn’t be the case. Everything from wedding CDs to wedding dresses can be found on websites like eBay, often unused, if not brand new.

And for food and drink, wholesale suppliers like Makro offer discounted rates on bulk-bought products, so it can really pay off to buy as much of the wedding refreshments at once as you can. The downside here is that companies like Makro trade only with the self-employed, and those representing a company, so ask around friends and family to see if anyone has a valid wholesale membership card. If no-one does, an alternative is a quick trip to France and back, to stock up on alcohol at a hypermarket. The travel costs incurred will almost certainly be outweighed by the savings you’ll make.

If planning weddings on a budget is already proving problematic, the honeymoon might be something of a delicate subject between you and your partner. You don’t necessarily need to choose between a wedding and a honeymoon, however – instead of a wish-list or a gift registry, let your guests know that you and your partner would prefer contributions to your honeymoon fund, in place of wedding presents.

Organising weddings on a budget is easier than at first it might seem. If you buy from the right places, and you’re strong-willed enough to resist frills and extras that you don’t need, you can gather the essentials without going overboard on your budget. The rest; you can make yourself or get a friend to help you with. The bottom line is to be strict with yourself, and to take help wherever you can find it. With careful planning (and a little help from your guests!) you’ll be able to throw a fantastic party, and still be able to afford a great honeymoon!

Image: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net