Your wedding day is the most exciting day of your life. Alas, It may also be the most expensive. And with the exorbitant cost, can come equally inordinate anxiety levels. Well, believe it or not there are actually ways to cut costs and still make the biggest day of your life the spectacular, amazing day you always dreamed of. Remember, you’re not the only one out there who has sweated over this issue, and there are lots of resources available for wedding ideas on a budget these days.
Before you start, sit down and map out all the things you’ll need to take care of to give yourself an overall picture of where you stand. That will make it easier for you to stay organized and on schedule as you go along. Remember to start early! Some aspects of wedding planning take longer than you think. Ideally, you should be giving yourself a good year to plan. That way, you’ll be able to take care of any unexpected problems easily and still keep things in order. If you’ve just gotten engaged, the time to start looking around for wedding tips is now.
Creating invitations and planning
Before you get started on the actual event, it would be a good idea to think about your invitations. And yes, you can make cheap DIY wedding invitations that are sure to come out great. In fact, have you thought about the idea of doing away with paper altogether? Why not send out a video? It can be a fun way to bring your upcoming big day to life and get your guests as excited as you are. If you’re looking for a wedding video invitation idea, poke around online and see what you can find. This is becoming a popular trend, so you’ll be sure to find lots of ideas out there that you can play around with. For the content of your video, check out the iMovie app for Mac or iMovie on Windows. It will help you create and edit your invitation to suit your individual preferences.
You’ll also want to get a wedding planner so that you make sure you’re covering everything you need. Keeping an online wedding planner can be a good idea so that you’ll be able to access it anywhere. In it, you can store all your information about guests, venue specs, decorations, food, etc. You can also create a wedding site where your guests will stay up-to-date with your plans, as well! This will be a great place to keep links to your registry, fun facts about the bride and groom, etc.
Finding the right venue
Finding the perfect spot for your wedding can be a tough challenge. Naturally, you want to find a “dream spot” that you and your hubby will always remember. But you also don’t want to break the bank in doing so. The first thing to remember is that you should start looking well in advance of the actual date (soon after your engagement is a good idea!). Remember, everyone wants the perfect venue at the perfect time of year, so the competition for spots might be tough. If you think ahead, though, you should be able to snatch up one of those coveted spots before others can get their hands on it.
If you look around carefully, you’ll find sites that advertise cheap wedding venues. You may have to compromise on certain features that you considered part of your dream package, but it will likely be worth it in terms of savings. And you’ll get a variety of options, so it won’t be simply a question of cheap versus expensive.
Cutting costs on food
Catering is another part of the wedding that tends to take a giant chomp out of people’s budgets. There are ways to economize on food, too, believe it or not. Think about finding a service that will let you do a promotion on a brand. You might be able to find a spirits company, for example, that will let you put up a display of their brand in exchange for supplying you with some number of bottles, and that could save you a ton on alcohol.
Cutting costs on the cake is possible, too. It may sound terrifying, but making your own cake is actually perfectly doable if you follow the right tips. There are DIY wedding cake ideas online that provide step-by-step instructions on baking, as well as a range of fun ideas about presentation.
Also, depending on the number of guests you’ll have, you may be able to save money on per person costs if the caterer makes particularly large quantities of certain dishes. Consider bargaining for this.
Creating the perfect dress
Again, everyone wants that exquisite gown they saw in Belle Bridal Magazine last month, but if you’re not living in the lap of luxury, you might have to compromise on this, too. But fear not! Compromising on brands doesn’t have to mean giving up on your ideal appearance. There are plenty of ways that you can impress by creating a masterpiece of your own.
Maybe there is a dress in your family that one of your relatives would love to see worn again. Or perhaps there’s a particular fabric you adore that your favorite tailor could make into something special for you. Look around for designs, rather than labels, and see what you come up with.
Crafting a fun and personalized ceremony
If you’re stuck on entertainment, look around online for wedding ceremony ideas. Even if you’ve gotten your favorite cousin to emcee the show, it wouldn’t hurt to add some flair to the evening with a live band, games, or more spectacle to wow your guests.
If you look carefully enough, you might even find that you have performers in your larger circle. Or a photographer that could come relieve you of the cost of photos as well. You never know until you start looking around.
Don’t be afraid to use your own creative flair
Another thing that could be surprisingly cost-effective is simply doing your own thing when it comes to decorating. If you have a particular type of decorating habit, show it off. If this means cutting flowers from your own garden and arranging them at the venue, go for it. Do you love candles? Maybe cutting down on expensive lace and instead adding some colorful candles to your tables will be an elegant way to cut costs. Think about the things that really move you and how you might utilize them on your special day.
Also, remember that fabulous doesn’t necessarily equal fancy. Minimalism has become the big thing in advertising these days. Why not utilize this idea in your wedding planning as well? Cutting out some of the usual frills could give your ceremony a seamless, modern look that will impress your guests with its simplicity. And it will still be the most fabulous day of your life.
No Comments