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When it comes to weddings, most people go for a lot of pomp and show. After all, it’s a once in a lifetime event for most of us, well usually! Planning of a wedding involves a lot of excitement, planning, glee and a whole list of expenses. Wedding expenses can be quite tough on your wallet, so budgeting and going for less expensive options by smart planning is the new trend.
Let’s discuss some innovative and practical ways which can save us a whole lot of hassle and money!
Cutting down on expensive invitation cards
Traditional cards are way too expensive and they slowly becoming obsolete. Delivering them and paying on postage stamps, reminder cards, thank you cards can cost you a bomb and you may never know how much it tweaks your wedding budget.
E-invites are the new thing on the block! There are many online websites where you can make your own free invites and mail them over to your invitees. But, if you are too keen on cards, and have a lot of time up your sleeve, going handmade and delivering them personally would also look great and be cost effective.
Cutting down on event management and photography
This is one arena where lots of hidden expenses emerge and planners tend to overcharge you which can accelerate your budget immensely. So, the best thing is instead of renting out everything, say it happens on a destination wedding, keep open spaces in mind like resorts and clubs where they can provide you with in-house staff and furniture. Renting every little thing can prove to be quite hassle-some and expensive.
Also club in your talented friends who can help you save out on the professionals. Like, call upon that friend whose all gaga about photography and is good at it. Photographers can charge a lot, and if you are not to keen on albums and professional photography, you can save a lot here by hiring amateurs. They bring new ideas to the table. Also, ask your close friends to help in doing the decorations or wedding cards. Such little things done with the help of friends and family can save a lot of expense.
Flower Power
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Flowers look beautiful, no doubt. They can give a festive look to any place and weddings are all about mushy, scented flowers. But, so what, artificial flowers can give the effect beautifully too! Number one, real flowers can be a hell lot expensive, secondly, it’s a whole lot of wastage in a matter of few hours. Thirdly, arranging flowers can cost a lot more than the actual cost of flowers. On the contrary, artificial flowers can look gorgeous too when arranged properly. You can think of putting the real flowers in the main area and artificial flowers in rest of the area. Take your close friend’s help to do so.
Saving on hair and makeup
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Make-up artists are expensive. If you are hell bent on hiring a makeup artist then it’s recommended to go for a light party makeup which costs lesser.
Going for a light makeup with the help of some close makeup freak buddy can save you a lot of money. Also, if you are confident about dressing yourself up, you can do the makeup and hairdo yourself too.
And remember, you can always take the help of online makeup tutorials.
White wine vs red wine and Food!
Here is another area where you are liable to spend a bomb. Drinks can get very expensive especially when ordered in-house. It is advisable to buy your own drinks. Check with the venue if they allow you to carry your own booze, as per bottle cost and corkage fees could prove to be very expensive.
While deciding the drinks menu for your wedding you need to keep in mind the preferences of your friends and family as well as the weather in which your wedding is going to take place. You’ll have to make a choice in white wine vs red wine.
Most of the women prefer wine over hard drinks, so take a decision wisely.
However, if you have some of your girls who are whiskey lovers, don’t forget to add a few from the list of must-try whisky with women.
Another idea which could appeal to someone who is not so keen on food at their weddings is to keep it as a cocktail event. Just serving cocktail dishes could prove to be very budget effective and classy. You can experiment and get innovative to come up with some healthy and interesting dishes.
Keeping your D-Day offseason!
If you are not so keen on it being a winter wedding, do skip the months of February, November, December, and January which are the ‘hottest’ wedding months on the list due to the pleasant climate. This could be a great load light on your wallet, as you may get heavy discounts on each and every arrangement during offseason. Also, choosing a weekday over a weekend could prove to be budget-friendly.
All said and done, you may go overboard while planning out the budget in your excitement over the big event. Following few of these hacks can sure save you a few bucks, and also attract many compliments. DIY things can get your creative juices out and make you stand out from the lot!