Ideas to Save Money on Your Wedding

Ideas to save money as you start your married life as often simple and obvious. If you
have already considered the following ideas then you are well on your way to
saving money. One of the highest reasons for marriage breakdown is dept. So I
have set out a number of money saving ideas for your wedding, drawn from
personal experience.

There are however a number of things that we should remember, the dress should be
wonderful, the reception the best it can be, and of course the wedding
photographs should be the best they can be at the best price.

• One of the most expensive parts
  of the wedding can be the reception. Although a buffet can often be cheaper
  than a sit down, you may prefer a sit down meal – A simple idea is to cut down
  on the guest list if you are trying to save the money, and invite others to a
  reception party after the main reception.
• Serve Cava in place of champagne
  to greet your guests and for the toast – no one will mind or notice!
• Get married later in the day – it
  saves having to feed your guests twice
• Serve your cake as dessert –
  choose a chocolate or lemon cake in place of the traditional fruit cake and ask
  your caterers to serve with fresh cream and berries.
• Get married on a week day – many
  venues are much cheaper then at weekends
• Choose flowers in season – they
  cost more if they have to be flown in
• Avoid Christmas and Valentine's
  Day – although popular, the costs will go up – flowers in particular are more
  expensive at this time of year
• Ask friends and family to help –
  when my wife and I married, my Father made the cake, my Mother decorated it, we
  used a friend’s cream Mercedes as the wedding car and another made my wife’s
  wedding dress.
• Make your own stationery - that
  way you save money and have something very personal to treasure – the Confetti
  website offers a free print download service
• Oxfam now has a fabulous service
  of second hand and unworn dresses, but if your heart is set on a new dress,
  consider having your dress made by a local dressmaker – or as one of my clients
  has done have your dress made in china! Her dress was made to measure in pure
  silk, and cost just £80 from an e-bay advert.
• Do take out wedding insurance as
  this can give you peace of mind should anything go wrong
• Make your own favours – favour
  boxes filled with sweets look lovely and don’t take long to do, or make cookies
  and initial them with your names and the date of the wedding
• Don’t scrimp on the photographer
  (“you would say that,” I hear you cry) – But those images will live with you
  forever – Ask if you have will be given the right to copy the photos, and if
  you will be given a CD that is of High Resolution of your pictures for
  you to print as you wish.
• Also check the wedding photographer is a
  member of a professional body and remember to ask for to see their membership
  card, no one who is a member of a professional body would ever object to that,
  if they do, don’t use them.

About the Author

William Johnston Wedding Photography and advice from Soft Tones Photography