Every bride-to-be dreams of holding the perfect wedding - a stunning dress, beautiful decorations, mouth-watering food and being surrounded by friends and family. Chances are however, that the dream will become a bit of a nightmare as the costs start to pile up.
Planning a budget wedding doesn't have to mean making sacrifices - just making meticulous plans.
Careful thought about every detail can ensure big savings on wedding costs and a day that is unique to the bride and groom.
Setting a Wedding Budget
When planning a wedding, the couple should sit down with their parents and anyone who will be making a contribution to the wedding costs and decide on exactly how much all parties are willing to spend.
Once a wedding budget has been set, the happy couple will start to get good feel for the kind of wedding they will be able to afford. Some options may include the popular three course meal, a cocktail reception, a buffet style dinner, an intimate reception with only close family and friends or something at home.It's a good idea to break down expenses and allocate a maximum spend for each item. There are some great spreadsheets online to help brides and wedding planners get a start.
Writing the Guest List
A lot of brides will feel obliged to invite their parents' friends, distant relatives, former colleagues and people they haven't seen since the third grade. Don't. A wedding day should see the newly weds surrounded by those people who play a significant part in their lives, not every acquaintanv\ce ever made..
If the bride or groom hasn't been in contact with a potential guest for more than a year, or if they know nothing about a person's life outside the office, that person probably doesn't belong at the wedding and wouldn't feel confortable being there.
When it comes to writing a guest list, you need to draw the line somewhere.
DIY Wedding Stationery
Stationery is one of the huge hidden costs when it comes to wedding planning.
There are save the date cards, invites, maps, accommodations tips, order of services, reserved signs, table numbers, seating plans, place cards and thank yous to be made. Plus postage. DIY stationery is a popular way to cut costs in a tight wedding budget, but it may not be the most cost effective.
Once the costs of pretty paper, embellishments, calligraphy pens, matching envelopes and craft tools are added up it's likely that the stationery budget has already been blown. It may be cheaper to put together an invite in a design program such as PhotoShop or InDesign and have a professional printer run them off.
Even cheaper options include emailing invites, sending hand-written or home-printed ones or picking up packs of pretty cards from a newsagent or discount store.
By being cost-conscious from the very beginning, brides are able to save thousands of dollars on their special day and still have the fairytale wedding they've dreamed of.
Check out Planning a Wedding on a Budget; Part Two for more tips on money saving wedding ideas.
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