13 Ways to Save Money for your Wedding
Did you know that the cost of the average Australian wedding in 2016 is apparently $30,985?
That’s a whole lot of money. You could buy a car, put a deposit for a home or go on a 3 month trip overseas!
Why is it so high? Some people choose to have a huge lavish 3 day event, or plan to a destination wedding overseas. Maybe brides are choosing custom made wedding dresses or super stylised theming.
One thing to remember despite all of this talk about money is that you can plan an enjoy an amazing wedding on a shoestring. You just need to find out what is most important to you and prioritise these things, and skimp out on the rest of the smaller less significant things that really are not that important in the overall picture.
You don’t need to take out a loan, sell your soul or auction off that shoe collection. Weddings aren’t about flashing big bucks, they’re about joining families and celebrating with your loved ones. Remind yourself of this as often as you need to.
You know your budget and what you can afford better than anyone so spend your money the way you want to and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty. There’s no need to make it 10 times bigger and better than you best friend’s wedding. It’s not a competition! Do what you think is right for you and your fiance, and don’t care what anyone else thinks.
Ask yourself, do you really need that live band or will a playlist work just as well?
Don’t want a fancy wedding car but want to splurge on your wedding photography? You have our support. It’s your wedding.
We thought it might be helpful if we shared some of our top ways to save money when planning a wedding. Here’s 13 clever ways to save money on a wedding
1) Get married on Friday. Or Sunday. Or even a Tuesday
You don’t need to do what everyone else does and get married on a Saturday. These days, weddings are on every day of the week, including Monday! My opinion is, if someone is not willing to take a day off work to attend your wedding then they don’t really care about you that much.
Best thing about not getting married on a Saturday means you’ve got more room to negotiate with your venues and suppliers.
2) Have a small bridal party
Big bridal parties = Big costs! Most brides and grooms would buy them their dresses, suits and accessories. I personally had a small bridal party of 6 (including me and my wife) which was enough to make my day fun! Or, have none at all.
3) Have a share banquet style wedding instead of a 3 course meal
Having an share banquet style platter where everyone has to mingle with each other will save you some money. It’s also good because everyone has a variety of food rather than being stuck with what you get (and saves arguments on who gets the chicken or the beef).
4) Do your own flowers IF you have the know how
For some of you out there putting a bunch of flowers together may be really fun and easy. For others it’s an nightmare in disguise. If you’re willing to put in a little effort with the help of some friends, then it could save you hundreds of dollars. I had a friend who helped out with flowers for a wedding and it worked about to a quarter of the cost of a florist.
5) BYO alcohol (if your venue allows it)
Purchase your own alcohol instead of going for the beverage package. You’ll end up saving a lot of money, but also you can actually have what you like to drink instead of someone elses’ poorly conceived idea of what alcohol they should serve (often they choose cheap nasty wine and beer to save money). They may charge you corkage but it will work out better overall.
For our wedding we went to Costco and stocked up on some beautiful wines that were on sale, and the best thing is, if there are leftovers you can take it home and drink it yourself 🙂
6) Hold your ceremony and reception at the same place
By having your ceremony and reception at the same place, you save money on hiring two spaces and also the travel costs incurred from getting everyone from A to B. Makes complete sense for eveyone involved. If the space has great photo opportunities that’s even better.
7) Dont order a dessert option and let everyone have cake instead
8) Choose a venue that is already stunning and doesn’t need much decorating instead of a blank canvas
Just add a few flowers, some pretty lights and you’ve got an unforgettable space on your hands.
9) Accept offers of help
Time is money. By accepting help when it’s offered to you, you’re less likely to take time off work to get things organised.
10) Be smart about your wedding dress
We have a few tips here:
- Check out non-bridal boutiques to find gorgeous dresses that you could wear as a wedding dress, without the price tag.
- Shop the sales – sign up to all the e-newsletters from all the boutiques you love, so you’re the first to know when there’s a discount up for grabs
- Hire a dress – hey, you’re likely to only wear it once, so renting-a-dress isn’t that crazy if you can find one you love
- Buy a second-hand dress – there are plenty of different online outlets that allow brides to buy and re-sell used wedding dresses
11) Enlist your friends
Does one of your mates have great stage presence? Get them to be the MC. How about a friend who has a nice car? Borrow it and use it for your wedding car instead. Just think outside the box and you’ll be surprised.
We had a friend setup a camera on a tripod to shoot video for us during the ceremony and speeches instead of hiring a videographer (i’ve only watched it once by the way) as I don’t really like videos that much.
We also had a friend who loved doing table decorations setup a snack table after our ceremony. Not only was it amazing, we saved a few hundred dollars in the process.
12) Design your own invites – or send e-invites
Have you heard of Canva? It’s this genius, free online design tool that enables even the most uncreative person to create surprisingly professional-looking design work. Save cash by putting together your own bespoke invitation, and shop around for the best printing price.
OR: forego paper invites. While they’re a beautiful keepsake for you, for everyone else they’re just a fridge ornament and then most likely a piece of recycling (was that too harsh?). Consider cutting costs by using a service like Paperless Post to send out stylish digital invitations.
13) Do your own hair and makeup
Maybe consider having one of your friends do your hair and makeup if they are good at what they do. Better yet, if you a good job of beautifying yourself, why not consider doing your own hair and makeup? I would still have a trial makeup and hair day if you don’t want any nasty surprises.
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