Weddings are notoriously one of the largest pay outs a couple will make, second to purchasing a new house. This said, there are savvy ways to navigate around the huge expense, so don't put off your big day. With these top tips, enjoy it knowing that you've paid less than the rest.
Everyone wants to have that wedding with a twist which gives your guests a day to remember. Some do this by dressing up as Elvis and Dolly Parton, others jet off to tropical destinations, or some just go down the old fashioned route of spending crudely and wowing guests with the sheer extravagance of their day.
How to Save Money on Your Wedding
Wedding Favors
You can have a fantastic day to remember with your own added twists. Wedding favors don't have to be boring sugared almonds wrapped in voile and tied with a rustic shave of twig at the cost of $1 per favor. Why not add a twist of fun? Retro is truly back. Grab a couple of bags of Drumstick Lollies, mini Love Hearts, Retro Candy Lipstick, Fiz Wiz, Dib Dab… and the list goes on. The best place to buy these is online, and they're by far and away the cheapest. MyCandyShop stocks all the brands and many more. So, wedding favors solved, but what to place them in? Custom made party bags of course! They're quick and easy; no silly bows and they're effortlessly transportable. Shop around on the price. There are often huge differences in the price of bag printing, and the minimum order is around 40.
Wedding Venue
Choose the venue carefully. If you're going for a top notch hotel with a 5-star restaurant, then be prepared to pay exorbitant prices. Why not consider a rustic country pub with restaurant and a large beer garden? Many places will not charge you a rental fee, and with enough guests will let you use it privately. They'll usually decorate for you if you provide the bits. Without the rental expense and premium rate meals you have just saved yourself thousands. Out of that savings, you could invest a little money on decorations.
Wedding Dress
The wedding dress is a huge expense, and let’s face it…you'll wear it for just one day! A fantastic website is freecycle, and you can find everything on there from 4 poster beds to wedding and bridesmaid's dresses. These items are posted by region and are totally free! There's no catch. It's simply people that refuse to throw away unwanted quality goods, so they offer them up for free. Be aware; if you're after your marital bed, you'll have to provide a means to ship it!
Overall, the key to creating a deceptively expensive wedding on a shoe string is to go with modern trends and popular culture, but look creatively at cheaper options by using the net, word of mouth and research.
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Written by: Muzammil Bashir
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Image courtesy of: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I really started thinking about that lately when my mom & I both pulled out our wedding dresses! Hers was 50 years old, was yellowed & useless! Mine still looks good, and I guess we all hold out hopes that our daughters might want to wear our dress.