Money saving tips for your wedding day
By Amber Hunter, The Wedding Planner School
By Amber Hunter, The Wedding Planner School
1 Know your budget
Sit down together and work out what you can realistically afford based on your savings so far and your future earnings. Ask parents to give an exact figure of how much they will contribute (if anything). If you don’t know your budget you can’t possibly stick to it!
2 Super Stationary
If you are able to design your own cards on the computer, a professional should be able to print them for a much lower cost. Avoid metallic and embossed designs which will bump up the cost considerably.
Sit down together and work out what you can realistically afford based on your savings so far and your future earnings. Ask parents to give an exact figure of how much they will contribute (if anything). If you don’t know your budget you can’t possibly stick to it!
2 Super Stationary
If you are able to design your own cards on the computer, a professional should be able to print them for a much lower cost. Avoid metallic and embossed designs which will bump up the cost considerably.
3 Shop in the sales
Buy your wedding dress at the end of the previous wedding season, usually around September when they are likely to be on sale. We’ve seen gorgeous gowns go for as little as £80! It is sometimes cheaper to buy dresses direct from the manufacturer over the internet, but this can prove difficult and you need to factor in the cost of a seamstress to make adjustments.
4 Utilise human resources!
Call in favours from friends, but be careful to utilise their skills carefully and never delegate anything to people who stress you out – it’s just not worth it! The Wedding Planner School can provide a free trainee wedding planner to assist with some planning jobs and on-the-day coordination too.
5 Design, then decorate
Make sure you plan your decorating carefully so that the ‘concept’ is complete before you start buying decorative items. Flowers are pricey and somewhat short-lived so consider using fairy lights, potted plants, sculptures and fabrics as decorations instead. Check with friends and the venue to see if they already have items you can borrow before you splash out.
6 Be frugal with food
If your venue will allow, opt for just one or two courses and serve the wedding cake instead of dessert. If funds are really tight, hire a marquee or self-catering venue and ask each family to bring a dish.
7 Must-haves
Pick one or two things each that you must have at your wedding. Concentrate on funding those and cut down on everything else. Favours are not essential, nor are fancy cars, open bars, designer shoes (your dress will cover them anyway) champagne and entertainers. If you plan the timings of your day so that people aren’t hanging around getting bored, you won’t need any gimmicks.
8 Time and Bravery go a long way!
The sooner you book a venue/caterers etc and the more you ask for discounts, the more you will save. You could get a venue for 2011 at 2008 prices if you are willing to negotiate. Likewise, if you have a very short lead time to your wedding day, venues may be keen to fill an odd space in their diary which they weren’t expecting to be able to fill. Don’t be afraid to negotiate on fees if you think you’ve got the upper hand.
9 Take a calculated risk
Hire music students instead of established musicians or bands - you can discover rising talent for a fraction of the cost. You may need to ‘hand hold’ a bit if they’ve never played at a wedding or reception before but your on-the-day coordinator can keep an eye on them for you. Make sure you do a thorough audition process though and the same principle applies to student photographers, florists, hairdressers and make up artists.
10 Rings
Avoid platinum and go for similar looking white gold or even titanium for a hard-wearing lightweight alternative. Keep to plain designs as diamonds and engraving bump up the cost and will go out of fashion quickly. If you visit an independent ring designer rather than a chain store they will be able to source the best metals to match whatever budget you decide on.
Buy your wedding dress at the end of the previous wedding season, usually around September when they are likely to be on sale. We’ve seen gorgeous gowns go for as little as £80! It is sometimes cheaper to buy dresses direct from the manufacturer over the internet, but this can prove difficult and you need to factor in the cost of a seamstress to make adjustments.
4 Utilise human resources!
Call in favours from friends, but be careful to utilise their skills carefully and never delegate anything to people who stress you out – it’s just not worth it! The Wedding Planner School can provide a free trainee wedding planner to assist with some planning jobs and on-the-day coordination too.
5 Design, then decorate
Make sure you plan your decorating carefully so that the ‘concept’ is complete before you start buying decorative items. Flowers are pricey and somewhat short-lived so consider using fairy lights, potted plants, sculptures and fabrics as decorations instead. Check with friends and the venue to see if they already have items you can borrow before you splash out.
6 Be frugal with food
If your venue will allow, opt for just one or two courses and serve the wedding cake instead of dessert. If funds are really tight, hire a marquee or self-catering venue and ask each family to bring a dish.
7 Must-haves
Pick one or two things each that you must have at your wedding. Concentrate on funding those and cut down on everything else. Favours are not essential, nor are fancy cars, open bars, designer shoes (your dress will cover them anyway) champagne and entertainers. If you plan the timings of your day so that people aren’t hanging around getting bored, you won’t need any gimmicks.
8 Time and Bravery go a long way!
The sooner you book a venue/caterers etc and the more you ask for discounts, the more you will save. You could get a venue for 2011 at 2008 prices if you are willing to negotiate. Likewise, if you have a very short lead time to your wedding day, venues may be keen to fill an odd space in their diary which they weren’t expecting to be able to fill. Don’t be afraid to negotiate on fees if you think you’ve got the upper hand.
9 Take a calculated risk
Hire music students instead of established musicians or bands - you can discover rising talent for a fraction of the cost. You may need to ‘hand hold’ a bit if they’ve never played at a wedding or reception before but your on-the-day coordinator can keep an eye on them for you. Make sure you do a thorough audition process though and the same principle applies to student photographers, florists, hairdressers and make up artists.
10 Rings
Avoid platinum and go for similar looking white gold or even titanium for a hard-wearing lightweight alternative. Keep to plain designs as diamonds and engraving bump up the cost and will go out of fashion quickly. If you visit an independent ring designer rather than a chain store they will be able to source the best metals to match whatever budget you decide on.
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