Most brides are tortured by a thought of how to save money on a wedding. Quite often, when faced with real figures, we realize with great disappointment that for arranging our dream wedding we just do not have enough cash. Do not immediately get upset about this, because you can try to reduce the costs by your own efforts, without losing anything, and perhaps even gaining something. You can turn the wedding preparation process into an integral part of the happiest days of your life. Let’s try to consider it.
1. The Guest List
Start with the guests. Carefully review the list of all the planned invitees and decide, whom of them you really want to see at your wedding, and whom you may have decided to invite “for the company”. As practice shows, many guests do not always mean a lot of fun and cordiality. Try to make a guest shortlist and gather around you truly loved guests, due to whom the atmosphere of the event would be appropriate.
You can throw a bachelorette party for the crowd of cheerful friends, and thus spend time with your acquaintances with lower financial expenses.
If you think you can save only on food and alcohol, you are mistaken. Family format of the event will allow you to eliminate a master of ceremonies (more on this below), as well as decoration costs. Imagine having dinner at a large round table. For its decoration, you will need one composition. If you seat guests at several tables, you will need a composition for each one. In addition, the celebration area will increase noticeably, and it will also need decorating.
2. Wedding Invitations
No doubt, individually drawn and filled in invitations, designed in the style of the upcoming wedding, look beautiful and solemn. However, it is possible to find an alternative, because in fact this item of wedding expenses is indicated in general calculations with quite a considerable amount of money. There are several options to save here.
Invitations can be made with your own hands. If you have thoroughly revised a shortlist of guests, it will be much easier. Get imaginative and make creative, unique cards. The basis of a card may even be an ordinary exercise book leaf. Decorate it like a school note, write the groom’s and bride’s names in the margins and, to follow the theme to the end, secretly slip it into your friend’s pocket, or put it in his/her hands, looking warily around.
Invitation templates – a lot of beautiful options! Change the names, date and place of the celebration. It remains only to print and wrap it like a gift! Alternatively, use a photo invitation – the information about the event will be on your favorite photo!
Take advantage of the benefits of modern civilization and send invitations via e-mail, social networks (it won’t cost anything) or send an SMS. The main thing is to keep up with the chosen style!
3. Time
Weddings are usually held at certain times, but this does not mean that they cannot be organized in the off-season period. In this case, there are many advantages! Wedding service prices are significantly lower than in the high wedding season, when everyone wants to manage to select the best and is willing to pay several times more, just to entice the best organizers and decorators, book the best hall, restaurant, etc.
Second, the guests’ mood is to be considered. Surely, they miss holidays and will come to your celebration with great pleasure, showing their most sincere and warmest emotions. And do not worry, if in the late autumn, early spring or winter cold you cannot have a beautiful wedding photo shoot. It is far from true! Beautiful pictures can be taken against the background of any nature and weather. Alternatively, the session can be moved into a room with a variety of decorations.
Pay attention to the weekdays. Wedding professionals consider Friday and Saturday the most “expensive” days of the week. Even on Sunday a photographer will give you a discount, let alone the rest of the week, from Monday to Thursday. And do not worry, your nearest and dearest will be able to take time off from work on that day!
4. Venue
If you choose one venue (a restaurant, a café etc.) for an away ceremony and a further celebration, you will significantly reduce your costs connected with the lease of additional seats and transport. You can choose not to break the traditions and hold the wedding ceremony in a registry office, and then move to the restaurant.
5. Wedding Menu
Of course, no wedding is complete without a feast and treats, which are often in the amount impossible to eat up, and as a result, more than half of the food appears in the garbage can. Examine the menu, offered by a restaurant, find out what is offered per one person and select the best set of dishes. There may be one, rather than a few, hot dishes, salads and cold dishes can be served a la carte (four servings per five guests).
6. Entertainment Program
Can you imagine a wedding without a master of ceremonies? In fact, a lot depends on him, since he sets the mood of the whole event. However, if you cannot afford the most expensive master of ceremonies, do not despair. Think about the guests. If you collect a small circle of the closest people, it makes sense to arrange a family dinner format, where everyone will be able to maintain a conversation. Among your friends, there may be funny guys with declamatory abilities. Or you may be able to hold worthily your wedding on your own.
7. Design of the Room
Today, professional decorator’s services cost a lot, but this item of wedding expenses is quite possible to minimize due to putting your own efforts. Make decorations on your own. You can rest assured that it is easy. Take advantage of numerous master classes, which, by the way, you can find here. As for the material, it can be easily purchased at art, textiles and stationery stores.
Alternatively, focus on graphic art. This is the easiest and most affordable way to create a particular theme or color vision.
Another option is the choice of a restaurant that fits the pre-selected style and has already been decorated. The only thing, which remains, is to decorate it with flowers.
8. Floral Design for Wedding
The main elements of any wedding are flowers. Flowers are never too much, but they cost a lot. There are a few secrets that will allow you to save money on floral design.
Make everything necessary (a bouquet, a boutonniere and compositions) in advance. Florists always have good offers, especially if you book services in the off-season. Specify what kind of flowers will be the most affordable on the wedding date, order only seasonal ones.
Try attending a master class (there are a lot of them these days), and then make a bride’s bouquet, a groom’s boutonniere and flower arrangement on your own. Buy flowers in special wholesale stores, get inspired at Pinterest and try to create floral elements with your own hands. The flowers themselves are very beautiful. To save on floral arrangements for the decoration of the room, try to use fewer flowers and more greenery, decorative twigs and other natural materials.
9. Wedding Photos and Video
Of course, everyone wants to keep in memory the happiest day with the help of beautiful high quality pictures, therefore, almost no one risks to save on a photographer. Perhaps you can afford it, significantly cutting the other budget items. Nevertheless, remember that in the off-season and on days other than Friday-Saturday photographer’s services will cost less. And be sure to carefully consider the portfolio. Today, if you wish, you can find less known, but well skilled photographers, whose services will cost you 1.5 times less than of those who are constantly on the ear.
10. Wedding Cake
Modern masterpieces of confectionery craftsmanship fascinate by their beauty, but such cakes cost a lot. To reduce costs in this part, you can bake a small cake on your own, just cover it with monochrome mastic and decorate with fresh flowers.
Classic is becoming in fashion, but if a “naked” cake fits the style of your celebration, any housewife can cope with it!
Remember that sensible saving in organizing a wedding does not mean a failure; on the contrary, this celebration will become unique!
Written by Vanila Wedding Shop Dubai
