As soon as you start arranging a wedding, you will see that the prices can go up extremely rapidly. Before you realise it, you have already reached your spending limit, and you still have a lot of things to consider. It is impossible to get around the fact that weddings can become pricey, and while everything can be done on a budget, for many, the dream wedding will be a significant financial investment.
When it comes to a dream wedding, for many of us certain things are non negotiables, such as a vintage wedding car, a castle wedding venue with accommodation or the dress that you have always wanted.
However, in other areas there are definitely ways of keeping to a budget. Take these helpful recommendations into consideration if you are planning a wedding in the near future and want to have your dream wedding while maintaining a good hand on the financial side of things.
Money saving tips
Weddings are one of those life events where you can spend thousands or even tens of thousands of pounds. Your wedding day could very well be your biggest expenditure aside from your home, in your lifetime, so planning and managing the budget is vital.
Every married couple has a unique budget, and there are frequently opportunities to achieve significant cost reductions. You may save costs on practically every facet of your wedding, from the food and the clothing to the limousine service and the centrepieces on the reception tables.
Utilising one’s creative abilities to their full potential is one method for cutting expenses. If you are willing to put in the hours, you may save a significant amount of money on table and room decorations, favours, and stationery by making them yourself. This is something we did for our own as we shopped around online and made our favours ourselves.
We also made our own cake and used polystyrene to make a fake cake, which allowed us to be more economical on the whole. We cooked square cakes with minimal decoration needs for guests to enjoy, while the fake cake fulfilled it’s role as the centrepiece for photos.
It is also a very good idea to take a glance around you and consider the ways in which your closest friends and family members could be able to assist you. If your closest friend is a hairdresser or your auntie is a good baker, you should not be hesitant to ask for favours from them. In the vast majority of situations, you will discover that the people who are closest to you are more than happy to assist you in whatever way they can.
Saving techniques
If you have been daydreaming about the perfect wedding day, now is the time to start saving. It will be your advantage to save as much money as possible before the big event. Do the math on your finances and determine how much money you can comfortably set aside on a weekly or monthly basis.
If you stick to the plan, you will increase the balance and prevent yourself from overpaying on things that are not really necessary. Create a savings account that will be used only for your wedding expenses. This will make it easier for you to save money and give you a clear picture of the funds you now have available for spending.
Taking out loans
There is no getting around the fact that weddings may put a significant dent in your bank account, but given that this is likely the most significant and memorable day of your life, you want it to be absolutely amazing. If you plan to get married in the next few months, you should start saving as soon as possible and create a special fund for your wedding expenses.
Put money away whenever you have the opportunity, and consider how you might be able to save costs on the day in question. If you can not afford to have the wedding of your dreams, you might want to think about getting a loan from a friend or family member, a financial institution, or another lender.
If you decide to get a loan, you should always read the fine print and make sure you fully comprehend the conditions of the agreement before you sign it. And as with any loan, only borrow what you’re sure you can pay back.
Got Something to Add?
Share your money saving ideas for planning a dream wedding in the comments section below.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
Helen, Nial, Lewis and Mason
Welcome to Pikalily, an award-winning food, travel and lifestyle blog. We are Nial and Helen, a happily married couple from Northern Ireland, who share a passion for food and travel among many things. We became parents to our beautiful boy Lewis in 2017. Follow our adventures through the blog.
