Saving money and controlling the costs is an important part of your wedding planning. Everyone wants their wedding day to be memorable but sometimes the cost is overwhelming. You may want to save money on the ceremony and use it for your honeymoon or your new home and family.
More and more couples are opting out of the old tradition of inviting everyone from Great Aunt Flossie who you haven’t seen for 20 years to people that you only see at work. They are saving money by instead inviting those who are really special to them and tailoring the ceremony to suit. These options don’t have to be limited to using a Registry Office and strangers.
Have you thought of eloping?
While this traditionally meant running away and getting married without telling anyone, now it is an option to elope by just having a small ceremony with family and close friends. Often this can be combined with a package including the venue, catering, entertainment, flowers and even accommodation as well as the celebrant services. Talk to me about options – you may be pleasantly surprised.
Look for ways for saving money on each of the elements – hire the dress instead of buying something that you may never use again or use a vintage dress worn by one of your relatives, use wholesale flower markets instead of simply going to the florist, use a park or even your own home instead of an expensive venue, use small cake makers instead of bigger companies, shop at wholesale organisations for decorations and wedding supplies.
Better yet – talk to me about what is available and I can help you to tailor a beautiful ceremony at an affordable and realistic cost. The options are huge, and by saving money you can use it for something special.
Here are some further ideas to help you with saving money
1. Think “off season” for your wedding date.
Who says “Saturday in December” wedding couples have more fun? The wedding off-season typically runs June to August, so if you’re on a budget you’ll get the most value for your money by hosting your big day during this timeframe. Consider having your celebration in June and you may be surprised at how much you can save. Just be sure to have a contingency plan in place for inclement weather!
2. Say “goodbye” to Saturday
Since Saturday is the most popular day of the week for weddings, it’s also the most expensive. How about a Sunday morning mimosa brunch wedding? If you can swing it, pick a different day of the week to save some serious cash. You should also inquire about any unbooked dates your desired wedding venue may be trying to fill.
3. Think “in season” for your flowers and food
Two words will lower both your catering and floral expenses: seasonal and local. When you buy what’s in season, you get food and flowers at the peak of their supply when the price is normally lower. Plus, when they’re locally grown they don’t need to be shipped halfway around the globe. So not only do you save money, but you also reduce your carbon footprint. Win-win.
4. Have your entire wedding at one venue.
You won’t have to worry about the logistics and extra expense of transporting everyone from the ceremony site to the reception.
5. Embrace “one-stop-shop” approach
Want to stretch your wedding budget to the max? Keep an eye out for the magic words “all inclusive”. Venues with all-inclusive packages provide lots of amenities and services in addition to the event spaces, like on-site coordination, catering, alcohol, staff, rentals, cake, guest accommodations, and more. By bundling all of these services under one roof, these packages are a great value. Talk about a one-stop-shop!
