He finally popped the question and it’s all systems go for ‘project marriage’. There’s only one cloud on the horizon – your bank account is suffering from a severe case of financial malnourishment. How can you cut down on wedding expenses without losing that lovely warm, romantic feeling? Nobody wants cheapskate nuptials, but with a bit of clever manoeuvring, imagination and creative flair, you can get the wedding you want. Just because it looks expensive, doesn’t mean it is! Read on for tips and tricks that will help make your special day the perfect event you deserve with just the right amount of bridal bling…
Theme thoughts
Choosing a theme from the outset will help enormously with planning. Only you will know the type of wedding you want, but bear in mind grand, formal affairs stress the budget more than casual, laid back events. A country house reception in Downton Abbey style will require more investment than a fish and chip supper in the village hall. Recent wedding trends have embraced rustic and relaxed approaches and these happily lend themselves to more cost efficient celebrations.
Once you’ve decided your theme, think about signature colours you want to include. Bridesmaid’s dresses, flowers and décor that all tie in neatly give a unified and classic look. Start as you mean to go on by sending out home- made invitations that match your theme. Save heaps of money by ordering invitation blanks from www.handyhippo.co.uk . Their smart wedding stationary comes with inserts and envelopes and athandyhippo you can also source decorative, glittery craft materials to bling up your invitations to really get them noticed. Going down the craft route makes sense if you are organising the styling details of your wedding – online craft suppliers carry huge stocks of interesting, unique and pretty decals to help embellish invitations, place setting cards, button holes, wedding favours and more.
Dress down
Many brides dream of their bridal gown for years prior to the event, and whilst there are still many that shell out huge sums on exquisite designer dresses,there are growing numbers that make do with cheaper alternatives. It’s not particularly romantic to think of squeezing the budget when it comes to your wedding dress, but neither is being declared bankrupt – so get real and consider the frugal frock options. Hiring a wedding dress, buying second hand or investing in one of the latest season’s designer dresses to sell online after the big day, are all popular penny saving tips. Opt for off the peg rather than bespoke, tailor made designs to shave more pounds off the budget. For bridesmaid’s dresses, many large retailers sell gowns that fit the bill in a variety of styles but all in the same colour and fabric. This is ideal when you have a troupe of bridesmaids of all sizes and age. Barefoot casual weddings in bucolic surroundings are popular at the moment – consider investing the money you save on smart wedding shoes on a pretty vintage dress or costume jewellery.
Become a bargain hunter
Look out for special deals at wedding venues. It seems everybody has jumped on to the wedding venue band wagon and the market has really become quite flooded recently. This puts you as the client in a strong position to negotiate hard for the best prices. Do your research and get a full picture of the costs of every part of the whole wedding day from cars and transports to canapés, catering, entertainment, photographer etc. Knowing the market rate for certain levels of service will help you recognise good deals when they present themselves. Companies such as Groupon will occasionally advertise special wedding packages at reduced prices. If you can move quickly and have some fluidity with your dates you can also explore the possibility of taking cancellations at a lower cost at some venues. Some wedding providers allow for flexibility when it comes to which parts of the deal you sign up for. There is no cookie cutter, one size fits all wedding day template – remember that wedding venues need and want your business, so be assertive about what you will and won’t pay for.
The day you get married should be special, memorable and happy, thankfully this is all achievable without going broke! With the right research, planning and hard work, a wedding on a shoestring can still pack plenty of bling…
