Get Married for Less; How to Have a Budget Wedding Day

As for flowers in the venue?  How about checking to see if they’ll let you use candles instead.  They’re much cheaper, can smell just as nice and are less likely to have those hayfever-suffering guests of yours reaching for the hankies.

The Dress

If you have the luxury of planning in advance then make sure you get out and about in sale times to check out those end-of-season bargains.  If not, and you’re no good at sewing yourself, use other sources to look for second hand dresses.  Most of them will still be in pristine condition and definitely less than the normal, overly extravagant prices you’d need to spend on a new one.  Plus, it fills that ’something old’ requirement very nicely indeed.

The Rings

When you’re shopping for your wedding rings, ask for discounts if you buy the engagement ring, your wedding ring, and your partners (if they choose to wear one) at the same time.  Many places will give a good reduction on that kind of ‘bulk purchase’.  And don’t forget to see if they’ll take some more off for cash, too…

The Food

Avoid expensive menus and sit-down meals if you can.  You’ll pay ridiculous costs for what is usually fairly ordinary food, you’ll spend weeks agonising over whether to play it safe with chicken or risk upsetting some of your guests by picking a red meat, and then it’ll be served cold anyway because there are so many guests and the waiting staff are rushed off their feet.  As an alternative, a buffet is a great way to keep costs low.  It lets you feed more for less and there’ll usually be something to please everyone. 

The Reception

Avoid having one reception for close friends and another one later in the evening for everyone else.  Have an afternoon wedding followed by one reception.  Your close friends should understand that they’re helping you save money and that way everyone gets to enjoy the speeches, no one is left out, and Aunt Bessie can’t complain that she wasn’t invited to the whole thing unlike Aunt Mavis who was!

The Honeymoon

Forget package deals if what you want is a Honeymoon to die for.  If you’ve booked your wedding out of season you should find the holidays will be cheaper too (depending upon where you want to go, of course).  Try booking independently on the internet first.  Use cheap airlines and discounted hotel websites to personalise your travel and save money at the same time.  Alternatively, save your money until after the wedding and book a last minute holiday at a fraction of the price.

The Presents

So many couples these days already live together that they simply don’t need three more dining sets, a plethera of fluffy bathroom towels or a range of electrical goods so extensive that they’d need a new kitchen extension just to accommodate them.  So, instead of goods why not ask for vouchers instead.  Vouchers for the same travel company is a great idea for those couples prepared to wait untill after their wedding to book a money-saving last minute trip.