Top Money Saving Tips

There are many ways you can cut costs but still have the wedding of your dreams. Just because, for example, you make your own invitations or make the wedding cake yourself doesn't mean your wedding will be a total disaster! You will still have a perfect wedding, just more money left to spend on other things, such as a house.

Have a look at the following for more information:

Set a Budget
The first thing to do when planning your wedding is to set a budget. Decide how much you want to spend on the entire wedding, and then allocate this money to each thing that makes a wedding a fabulous wedding: attire, ceremony, reception, wedding cake, invitations, flowers, transportation, photos, videos, and entertainment. How much you allocate to each item will, of course, mostly depend on your personal preferences. If an ultra-formal reception with a five-course sit-down dinner is most important to you, you can expect to have to spend most of your precious dollars on the reception. If a less formal wedding is preferred, on the other hand, you can spend more money on the invitations and transportation. And so on… It is important to keep a close eye on your budget each time you buy or commit to something. Make sure not to overspend on anything. Use the Budget Planner in Your Wedding Organiser for easy budgeting.

Have a Small Guest List
Guests eat... Food is expensive... So the more people you have to feed the more people you will have to pay for. And also, a large number of guests requires a large reception venue, which is usually more expensive than a smaller one. So if you're trying to cut down on costs, having less guests is a very good idea. It's as simple as that.

Create Your Own Wedding Invitations
A great cost-cutting idea is to make your own invitations. With a computer, laser printer, and ribbons, sparkles and other embellishments it is possible to create invitations that are as beautiful (or more!) as professionally made ones. Have a look at How To Create Your Own Wedding Invitations and Examples of Invitation Wordings for more information.

Have an "Off-Season" Wedding
Most brides prefer a spring or summer wedding- the sun is out, there's a warm breeze, love is in the air… But with high demand comes higher prices. Fortunately, vendors lower their prices during the "'off-season" to attract more business. So, to save some money consider having an "off-season" wedding, i.e. in autumn or winter.

Day of the Week
Most weddings are held on Saturdays and are, therefore, more expensive. To save some dollars, choose to have your wedding on another day of the week- a Friday night or Sunday perhaps.

Have an Early Wedding
Reducing the amount and type of food and drinks you serve can greatly decrease wedding expenses. An early morning breakfast reception will cost much less than a dinner reception- all you need to serve are some sandwiches and salads, plus the wedding cake and champagne/non-alcoholic drinks. Even a brunch reception will be less expensive than a dinner one. Some hors d'oeuvres, sandwiches and salads, plus the wedding cake and champagne/non-alcoholic drinks are enough. You can also consider having an afternoon dessert and champagne reception. So, in other words, less food means less dollars spent.

Serving Style
If you do decide to have a dinner reception, there are still ways to cut costs. Instead of the traditional 4-5 course sit-down dinner consider providing a buffet. Or, skip the entrée or dessert.

Choose a Cheaper or Free Reception Venue
Hotels and restaurants often charge an arm and a leg for wedding receptions. So to save some money, having a garden or other cheap wedding reception is an excellent alternative. Or a wedding at home can also be very romantic.

The Wedding Dress
There are many ways costs can be cut here. If you are a talented seamstress (or someone you know) consider sewing your own bridal dress. This can reduce costs significantly. Another alternative is to buy a white bridesmaid's dress or evening gown, and decorate it yourself. If your wedding is informal there is no need for an extremely elaborate outfit- this will be cheaper. Whatever option you choose, look for sales! Or for a free dress, ask if you can wear someone else's bridal gown- perhaps your mother's old dress.

Decorations
Very expensive… To save money, candles are a cheaper option.

The Wedding Cake
Who is to say that you have to have a huge wedding cake that will serve all your guests? It is quite common to have a smaller wedding cake for decoration, and then a sheet cake is served to the guests. Alternatively, the wedding cake can be the only dessert served. Guests will be full enough after the main meal to eat too much dessert anyway. Making your own wedding cake is also a good money-saver. It's not too hard if you practice enough. Have a look at Making Your Own Wedding Cake: Wedding Cake Recipes.

Wedding Flowers
There is no need to buy flowers from a florist. Check out markets or grocery stores for cheaper flowers and then arrange them yourself. Also, buy flowers that are in season and are locally grown to save on transportation costs. You can also consider silk flowers, as well as picking your own native flowers. Other alternatives include sharing flowers with other couples who are getting married on the same day, or using the same flowers for the ceremony and the reception. Just ask someone to transport them from the ceremony venue to the reception venue after the ceremony. Additionally, you and your bridesmaids don't need huge bouquets. You can carry a small but beautiful bouquet while a single stem rose will be lovely for your bridesmaids. Also, it's not too difficult to create your own bridal bouquet. Click on How To Create Your Own Hand-Tied Bridal Bouquet for more information.

Transportation
Asking a friend or relative to drive you and your bridal party will significantly reduce transportation costs. All you need are some decorations and petrol. Preferably the car isn't a 1975 bomb, though!

Music and Entertainment
An orchestra/band costs considerably more than a DJ. So if you're looking to save some money on music consider hiring a DJ for the reception. CDs are also a good option. There are many CDs with common wedding music available. Just ask a reliable friend or relative to control the CD player. For the reception, the playing of games is free entertainment. There is no need to hire entertainment, such as ballroom dancers. Another way to cut costs is to skip hiring an MC. If you have a friend or relative who doesn't mind public speaking, ask her/him to act as the MC.

Photography and Videography
Wedding photos and videos/DVDs are easy reminders of your Big Day. But, unfortunately, they can be very expensive. Many couple choose to photograph/take videos of the entire day, from getting dressed in the morning to the reception. Obviously, the more photos and videos, and the longer you hire the photographer and videographer for, the more it's going to cost. So to save some money, consider photographing/taking videos of only the ceremony and the reception. Or even just the ceremony - it's common to put a disposable camera on each table for guests to take the photos for you at the reception. Probably, the cheapest alternative is to have talented friends or relatives to help you with the photography and videography. There's also no need to have both photos and videos. Either one can be enough.

Favours/Bomboniere
Leave them out. It's as easy as that! Some people don't even know that they're usually given. But if you don't want to skip bomboniere, it's quite easy to make your own. You can buy a mould shaped as a heart and make chocolate favours. Or decorate champagne glasses with ribbons, bows and sparkles. Just let your imagination run wild…

Hair and Makeup
There's no need to hire a professional makeup artist or hairdresser - just do your own hair and makeup, or ask a friend or relative.

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