10 expenses to cut down while planning your wedding

In our bid to impress people, we sometimes dig our own graves. Everyone is happy at our wedding except us because we start our honeymoon as a bankrupt double. Drowning in countless debts after a wedding is a needless choice that couple makes because having a properly-planned, low-budget wedding is very possible.

Whether your wedding budget is large or small, a beautiful celebration is absolutely within reach. Here's how to cut to save up for what matters most to you.

1. Guest List

The easiest way to cut costs is to trim your guest list. As hard as it is to veto potential guests, even a few subtractions from the list will help you save on everything from ceremony chair rentals to food.

2. Wedding Style

The less formal the party, the more affordable it will be. Instead of a full, sit-down dinner, opt for a brunch reception or more laid-back barbecue-style meal. Choose a venue with a low-key vibe, like a beach or the church premises, which lends itself perfectly to a simpler, more relaxed celebration with fewer bells and whistles.

3. Invitations

Choose one fabulous element and keep the rest of your wedding invitations simple. Remember, top-quality paper, fancy typography techniques and custom-colored inks increase the price, as do decorative envelope linings and multiple enclosures.

4. Reception Site

Avoid renting expensive places for your wedding reception. Rent a less expensive place or better still just have a small gathering at your church where there usually is space. The church might not charge you for that.

5. Food

Reduce the number of overall dinner courses. Two or three delicious courses is far less expensive, and arguably even better, than seven pretty good courses. Keep your menu simple by sticking with the specialities of the season and region.

Sometimes a cocktail reception might be okay. Do not spend too much on the food you serve your witnesses, it raises your budget.

6.Photos

Hire your photographer for the ceremony plus a limited number of hours at the reception. Keep prints simple, and as with videography, stay away from special treatments like sepia tones, multiple exposures and split frames, which up the bill.

7.Cake

Order a one- or two-tier cake with the exact design you want, then have several sheet cakes of the same flavour cut for your guests in the kitchen. Stay away from tiers, handmade sugar flowers and special moulded shapes. Have your caterer decorate each plate with a flavoured sauce, instead.

8. Decoration

Your wedding is your big day and it is understandable you want the venue to look delectable. However, you’d be amazed at all the details you plan your decoration with will go unnoticed by many. Most may not know your wedding colour was either beige or mauve. Many will not even know the wedding theme was that of Black Panther or Jamaican.

Let that decoration be spot on but spend within your means.

9. Bridesmaids/grooms men and page boys/girls

If you want your friends to be on your bridal team, often times, you must be prepared to clothe them because you may be cashing in on someone’s monthly budget. However, having a ‘tight’ budget means doing away with some of these expenses.

If you can’t do away with this bridal team, convince them to, at least, clothe themselves.

10.Gown

If you can afford an extremely flamboyant wedding gown, go for it. However, if you are intentional about keeping a simple budget, you must buy your gown with the fact that you can’t wear it anywhere after your wedding in mind. The groom’s wear can be worn over and over again but not the bride’s gown. It’s like buying a car that can be driven only once in your life. You won’t spend so much on buying that car.

Unless you’re going to rent out your gown intermittently, you must spend only little on it. If possible, have it hand sewn by a [your] local fashion designer.

10 expenses to cut down while planning your wedding

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