The perfectly tailored dress, the most fulfilling three course meal and decor with eclectic wedding flowers is what you want on the special day. And why not? The day when you and your partner exchange vows and promise to have a lifetime together should be a day to remember. You try everything possible on your end to make the beginning of your new journey a memorable one. But we often overlook the cost associated with weddings, which is just as high as the emotional value the day holds.
Plethora of emotions work behind planning the big day and you tend to focus on sentimental value ignoring the monetary issues. Here’s how you can stick to your budget and organize the beautiful day with your loved ones without thinking about those huge credit card statements.
1. Maintain a diary for lists
We understand you will need to spend some quality time staring at your wedding ring before starting with the hectic wedding plan. Once that is done, start by making a list of things you will need to do. Go as detail as possible and jot down whatever comes in your mind. The list won’t be completed at one go, you might remember something you missed out while doing something else. Make sure you write those down and plan a realistic budget of all those. You can also make use of a free budget template to make the process even easier.
2. Keep track of sale in shops
The wedding dress is something that you are unwilling to compromise and you want something that fits well with your personality. There are two ways to deal with it. Either spend more on the dress and cut costs in other expenses or stay updated about the latest designs and buy them during the sale season. Make sure you visit designer clothing stores and keep notes on the fabric and other details and browse for it online which will be less costly.
3. Fix the date smartly
Wedding season varies country to country, culture to culture. Try to avoid the rush hours and fix the date when the venue costs are lower. An off season wedding could be something unique to the guests and friendly to your wallet. This will actually cut down costs in various other sectors such as the venue, invitation cards, wedding flowers and many more.
4. Be creative with wedding flowers
Boutonniere, corsages, bouquets and most importantly for the arches and accessory decors, you will need wedding flowers for almost everything! Compare prices of flower packages online and try to get the best deal. If you want something customized, go for the cheaper options. Go for seasonal flowers or put similar looking flowers which are cheaper. For instance, use peonies instead of roses. If your favorite flower is bit expensive, use those only in selective places where you will take more photos.
5. Don’t forget to research
You can always buy the same high-quality material somewhere cheaper. Spend good money on one thing that you prioritize the most. For the rest of the things, if you find something that is not suited to your budget, ask peers, browse online and visit relevant shops, especially wholesalers for a cheaper option. Your wedding planner will look at convenience rather than budget and so you need to take matters to your own hand when it comes to taking major decisions.
6. Use personal finance apps
Keep track of your spending habit until your wedding date. You will be notified when you’re going out of line with the wedding shopping. Personal finance apps will help you understand where you stand in your wedding planning. For bonus, you can cut down on everyday expenses through this and get some extra cash to spend on the wedding.
7. Innovation is the key
While cutting down costs, you might sometimes feel that you are compromising with your wedding celebration. Use this motive to come up with interesting and innovative aspects for your wedding. For instance, you and your partner can build the arch with ribbons together. You can make handwritten invites to cut down with the printing costs. You can actually use the cost minimizing as an excuse to spend more time with your partner brainstorming and coming up with creative ideas.
8. Be realistic with food
The most good looking cake, appetizers, desserts are highlights for the guests. If you are a people’s person and your guest list is huge, just keep the main course and some tasty desserts. Don’t go for big cakes as it will be used mostly for photographs. Big fancy wedding cakes are more icing and décor than actual food. Rather use that budget to bring few varieties of desserts.
9. Treat yourself
Using money wisely and saving them is important but not on the cost of your happiness. Incentivize yourself by planning out holidays, fancy dates and spas with your partner with all the money you will save from the wedding. You deserve to be pampered after all the stress you have been through for the wedding and use the saved money doing something that makes you happy.