Nothing should stop you from having the wedding day of your dreams, not even your bank balance! We just need to get a little creative, so let’s explore some important points and ideas. Organisation is a massive element of cost-saving, and getting all your ‘ducks in a row’ takes time. It’s far easier to figure out how to stretch your money, the best way possible is with a bit of help. Two heads are better than one, after all.
Here are a few key tips to keep in mind...
Step 1: Creating a budget
(http://www.confetti.co.uk/organising-planning/countdown-to-your-wedding-the-ultimate-checklist/)
The first important decision you need to make is setting your budget. Setting a clear budget before you make your wish list is crucial. This way you don’t end up doing things backwards and regretting it later on. Your wedding day is about celebrating love and happiness, and sharing that excitement with your loved ones. Don’t let anything get in the way of a wonderful start to your life together, especially not a bank statement! Remember that you have the rest of your lives to spend money together, so there’s no need to spend it all in one day.
To begin, sit down with your partner and discuss who is paying for the wedding. Are you going for tradition with the bride’s parents paying, are both families helping out, or are you using your savings as a couple? Research and make your guidelines together as to how much you’re both willing to spend. There are ways to compromise and to get a day you are both over the moon with, without breaking the bank.
Step 2: Trust a Wedding Planner to Help You
Although it may sound contradictory, hiring a wedding planner can in fact end up saving you more than you might imagine! Wedding planners have multiple contacts, and thus have the magic touch. Because of their established connections with vendors, a wedding planner can gain you valuable deals which the average couple wouldn’t know about (through no fault of their own!). Having this knowledge at your side saves you time and stress, allowing you to spend your precious energy on pampering yourself and relationship before you are married.
There are many elements to think about when planning the big day. Hiring a wedding planner you feel comfortable with will help you relax and assure that you haven’t forgotten anything.
You must consider a venue for the ceremony and reception, dresses for the bride and bridesmaids, a photographer, a florist, a caterer, the rings, the invitations and a wedding cake (and these are just the obvious essentials). Of course you could do it all yourself, but why not solicit the help of a professional? Taking advantage of their expertise will save you money.
Instead of thinking of your planner as just another person you need to hire, consider them an extremely organised and helpful friend. All everybody wants is to have a happy bride and groom, and a smooth service. Rest assured that your wedding planner will go out of their way to leave you with a feeling of contentment!
Step 3: Think Outside the Box
As a bride, one of the most important parts of your big day is wearing the perfect dress, something which you feel spectacular in. You may find the dress of your dreams, but also find you would have to take out a small mortgage to afford it. Before you start arranging fittings, explore all possibilities available.
In this day and age, it is not uncommon to buy a second hand dress, or even having one re-created. Think about what you want from the dress before you rule anything out:
Do you need to have a brand new dress?
Do you need to have the dress forever, sitting in your closet waiting to be looked at?
Or could you save money by picking something beautiful which holds loving memories from another special bride? Could you hire a dress, enjoy it for the day and then hold onto the photographs and memories instead of the actual item of clothing?
Remember that you only wear a wedding dress on one special day of your life (fingers crossed!). So, as long as you’re marrying the person you want to share your life with, don’t let any other details stress you out!
Take a look through http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/ to get an idea of what buying a ‘second hand’ dress means. There are so many ways to search for what you would like (style, price-range, designer, location), and several of these dresses have only been previously owned, and never even worn.
Another interesting and inspirational website I love to scroll through is ‘To Have and To Hire’, a wedding dress hire service in Wales, UK. For anybody travelling through the UK, or having a destination wedding, please look here!
Owner Annalisa Jones has created a company which offers designer wedding dress rentals for the budget conscious bride. With new dresses being lent to the shop every week, this is a fantastic concept which allows a great deal of choice on style and size but a standard low price range you can count on. Nowadays, not everyone wants to spend a fortune on a wedding dress, only to wear it for a few hours. So, if you want to hire a dress instead of buy, OR you want to buy a dress and then lend it to the shop, this is a lovely idea to consider.
If you need some ideas, http://www.colincowieweddings.com/ is a fun way to explore colour combinations and look through pages of styles and photographs to inspire you:
in conclusion, just remember that you and your partner are allowed to be selfish on your day. You should have it the way you imagine it, not anybody else. Only ask your nearest and dearest to attend, no pressure invites please. This is your one and only we hope, so remember what the point is: a celebration of love, not riches. Revel in your romance and start your fairytale with a happy head.