Top tips: How to save money on your wedding
Weddings. For many couples, their wedding is the happiest day of their lives. Perhaps for even more couples, it is the most expensive day of their lives! Unfortunately, not all of us can afford to get married in a Tuscan castle, hire a Michelin star chef and have the Rolling Stones as our wedding band. But having a budget that is slightly on the tight side doesn’t mean that your day has to be any less special. Check out some of our wedding money saving tips below, compiled by us Friday-Ad-ers with the help of some lovely Friday-Ad Facebook fans.
Look online
When we asked our Facebook fans for some of their tips on how to save money on weddings, the most popular answer was to use sites like Ebay (and of course our faithful Friday-Ad) to find cheap new and second-hand wedding bits and bobs. Whether you’re looking for a local service to provide your wedding flowers, or a vintage dress for your bridesmaids, beginning your search online can often be a great way to uncover some bargains. Even if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for online, it’ll give you an idea of what is out there for what price. There’s nothing like making an informed decision when it comes to handing over some cash for your big day!
Wedding venues
When considering where you’d like to get married, or have your reception, one of the most important things to consider is the size of wedding venue that you need. If you plan on having an intimate ceremony with just a few family members and friends, there’s little point hiring something the size of the Wembley Arena. Having said that, book a venue too small to house all your fabulous guests and chaos may just ensue. It’s all about keeping things in proportion. Lucky enough to have a close friend with a garden they don’t mind lending to you for the day? Take Facebook commenter Tim’s advice and hire a marquee.
Wedding food
Wedding food is a budget-busting biggy. If you’re lucky enough to have a caterer in the family, they might be able to lend a hand - or if you’d rather they enjoy your big day than spend it preparing your dinner - they might know someone else in the business who can help. Mates rates are a wonderful thing! Or, perhaps try another idea our Facebook commenters had: a wedding picnic, with each group of guests bringing a different item of food with them! If you can’t bring yourself to go that far, perhaps a subtle ‘Don’t forget to bring a bottle’ on the wedding invites can help you cover the booze bill.
The wedding date
Whatever wedding venue you choose, the chances are that certain dates are going to be more expensive than others. If you choose to get married on Valentines Day, for example, you are bound to pay more than even the day before or the day after. Facebook commenter Laura got married on Valentines Day and advises that everything costs so much more on February 14. If you’re on a wedding budget, consider how important a particular date is to you and your partner. Is the date you get married the most important thing? To some people, a date can be very important and that’s fine. But if it is something you are willing to compromise on, it could save you money on your wedding.
The Honeymoon
Saving money on your honeymoon doesn’t have to make it any less special. Graham suggests (and we agree) that a great way to save money on your wedding is to be creative and think outside of the normal wedding traditions. You can extend this thought to the honeymoon too. A honeymoon doesn’t have to be in an exotic foreign location to be magical. Why not choose to explore a part of the UK you’ve always wanted to go to? After all, the important thing is is that you lovely newlyweds get to spend some quality time together, not necessarily spending 12 hours on a plane. You could even try an activity weekend somewhere, doing something that you and your partner are both passionate about - from hillside rambling to photography.
And there you have it, Just a few money saving tips for weddings from us and our Friday-Ad Facebook friends. Going to heed our advice and start your search for a budget-tastic wedding online? Why not check out the Friday-Ad Local Services section and see if there’s a local business just right for you.
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