Generally speaking, couples spend more on a wedding than they would on any other event in their lives. In fact, most may never have spent such money on anything other than a house! So making sure you get the most from your budget should be really important. The further you can make it stretch, the more satisfied you will feel. So, what areas can you save money in and how?
Stationery
I really do love working with a stationer and I think if you can afford it, then you should go for it, but I understand that not everyone has the budget to accomodate one, so you should consider these tips for saving in this area.
Have you thought about making your own? Either rope in a friend who has nice handwriting and take a trip to Hobbycraft, or use a template from Etsy that you can alter and have printed.
You can also really cut down on the amount of stationery you actually need. Not every individual person requires an invitation, so make it one per household. The same goes for your order of service. Noone should be oppsed to sharing, especially couples, so you should be able to nearly half these.
You could display one menu per table, or better yet, have one larger one placed at the entrance, or on the table plan to save making any at all!
Flowers
Now, flowers can take out a big chunk of your budget, especially if they're your main source of decor, so being clever with how you utilise them is crucial.
The big one that you may already know is that foliage is cheaper than flowers. The more you can bulk arrangements out with greenery, the more you can save on florals. Nowadays, there isn't as much difference as there used to be, as foliage prices have bumped up so that florists can still make a fair profit, but it will still help.
My main piece of advice when it comes to flowers is to repurpose! There's no point spending loads of money on covering your ceremony space with beautiful florals, and then spending a further fortune on decorating your reception space with a whole other load. Speak with your florist about how you can use the same arrangements in both places. Trust me, there are many ways you can do this.
Venue
Booking a blank canvas venue has many selling points. You can certainly get your creative juices flowing! If you're into style and design, then it will be a fun project, BUT, don't forget to factor in all of the money you will have to spend on decor. Whether you decide to go DIY or hire in help, a plain venue is going to need a lot of extra interest, so don't be fooled into thinking it's a bargain.
Find a venue that does the work for you. There are many out there that are already full of beauty and character, so you actually don't need to do much, or anything at all! This will save you time, effort, and your oh so precious money.
Food
Now, I've always said that food isn't an area you should scrimp on, because this is something your guests will remember! However, you can reduce the cost of your food without reducing the quality.
Consider doing buffet-style food. This requires less effort for catering companies, but the food can still be glorious, and actually you'll find that guests love choosing their own food and their own portions.
You could also do sharing platters, which can be placed on tables for guests to help themselves. Or even grazing tables. They're very asthetically pleasing, very on trend, and again, your guests can pick at what they fancy!
Essentially, serving a formal 3 course meal is the most expensive way of doing things, so try to avoid this if you want to save money.
Dress
My biggest tip for saving on your wedding dress is to buy pre-loved. You can get the most beautiful dresses, for literally half the price! They've been professionally cleaned and look good as new, so if you want a designer dress without the designer price tag, then this is the option for you.
You could also hire a dress. If you aren't bothered about keeping it in the loft after your wedding, then save a fortune by renting a dress that you can return.
Cake
I absolutely love cake, but I appreciate that it's not everyone's thing, and often it can be wasted and end up in the bin or in the freezer.
One way you can save on food and put your cake to good use, is by having it cut up and served as dessert! You'll save on the overall food bill, and your cake won't go to waste.
Did you also know that you can have a dummy tier? This is usually made of polystyrene and decorated with icing to match the rest of the cake. Because this will save your cake designer ingredients and time, your cake will come in cheaper. If you don't plan on serving your cake at all, then just have a real top tier to cut and keep to yourselves.
You can also choose an alternative to having a whole cake, such as cupcakes or a doghnut cake! Just as delicious and cheaper to create.
So there you go - 6 big wedding budget hacks that could save you a small fortune.
Remember to get in touch if you need any assistance with your wedding. I'd love to know what I can help you with!
XxxFJ.
Comments