Tips on how you can save more on your wedding

Wedding is the most beautiful and important day of your life and at the same time one of the most expensive too. The average cost of a wedding today is $32,000-$85,000. Most of us worry too much about the budget set and we would hardly try to stretch it over and over again for a custom made gown, well-designed invitation cards, a professional photographer, a luxury wedding car with wedding car decorations and a lot more. But having a low budget does not mean that your wedding can be less unique or special than anyone else’s.

Achieve you dream wedding without shedding too much money. Here are a few suggestions and tips on how to save, save and save. You got that word right “save.”

Wedding Gowns

Do you really need a custom made wedding gown with all those expensive beads and materials? Usually this is where the big cost would come from whereas there are several options to cut the cost but still have that elegant wedding gown. Why not opt for a second-hand wedding dress? It’s probably only been worn once anyway and you can get a once expensive elegant dress for half the price. Or you can also consider buying an evening gown/cocktail dress-type from a department store or consider renting your wedding dress for the day.

Wedding Reception

Ahh, the reception, this is where the cost gets out of hand. The reception is usually the biggest expense, but one of the easiest to cut down on costs. It costs a lot when you get to invite a lot of guests. So, try and keep your guest list to a minimum, invite only family members, friends and/or colleagues who are the closest to you or those whom you have never seen for years. Opt for a hot and cold buffet (even cater for yourself) instead of a three-course meal. Moreover, instead of holding the reception in an expensive hotel suite or wedding reception, why not consider having it at someone’s garden, home or resort, or even book a restaurant.

Wedding Photography

The obvious choice is to look around for the best rates, but consider hiring a photographer for the wedding ceremony only and just ask friends or family members take snap but fun photos of the reception. Or you could go and hire a low cost freelance photographer to take the photographs for the whole day.

Wedding Invitations / Stationery

If you’re on a tight budget and looking for cheaper wedding invitations, then you might want to consider print-at-home stationery. There are many free software available online that you can use in designing your wedding invitation. Software which are not hard to use but can create beautiful wedding invitations based on your preference. Be creative, play with it and polish it. With sophisticated software you’ll be able to enter your own text and preview it before you print so as not to make any costly mistakes. Alternatively, if you do not have that artistic touch then go ahead and look for a friend who is fond of designs or multimedia stuff. All these for free but can produce better wedding invitations rather than the paid ones.

Wedding Miscellaneous – (Flower Arrangements, Wedding Car, Cakes and Give Aways)

Flowers can also be expensive, but also an unnecessary one. So just buy wholesale flowers, or pick nice flowers from your garden (or a friends or relatives). Moreover, apply these flowers to your wedding car. For wedding cars, look for a car rental company that offers bridal cars at reasonable prices. Get the wedding car and decorate it yourself. I’m sure you’ll love your personalized wedding car with your handmade decorations.

Wedding Cake – get a friend to make your wedding cake for you (someone who makes baking a hobby) and opt for a smaller tier cake and don’t pick a fruit cake (which usually makes the cake expensive) – try a sponge, chocolate or carrot cake! Make your giveaways accessories for these can be found at little outlet stores or online. It doesn’t have to be costly, look for something that can be useful to your guests too.

In summary, weddings are expensive if you will allow or choose it to be. But if you want to keep money aside for a house deposit or a memorable honeymoon, then there are many cost cutting ideas. All you need is a little creativity, free resources, and some help from friends and family and you too can have a luxury wedding with all the trimmings.