Many young couples just preparing to get married are faced with a lot of difficult questions. Saving on a wedding means taking a competent approach to organizing the event itself. Alas, not everyone has sufficient financial resources for a magnificent celebration. Sometimes you have to deny yourself and your partner a lot. It is no secret that the cost of the celebration exceeds all imaginable indicators. It’s possible to have a wedding inexpensively and beautifully. To do this, you should use some simple tips.
We save globally:
1. You need to save on everything that has no real value to you. For example, if you are indifferent to the tradition of flying pigeons into the sky, feel free to give it up (and at the same time, the costs of pigeons). Remember: the wedding business is aimed primarily at “promoting” you to the maximum. They will sell you EVERYTHING. Limousines, fireworks, bunnies, glasses, hotel rooms, Cartier rings, etc. to infinity. For many, such diversity simply blows their minds. Ask yourself every time: do I really need this? Or do I want this because it is prestigious, “the right thing to do”? Such a simple question will save you from a lot of unnecessary expenses. 2. You need to save on everything for one day. Those. on everything that cannot be used anywhere and never, except for the wedding itself. 3. Do not contact agencies or private organizers! There will be a surcharge, both for individual specialists and for the entire wedding organization service. Don’t believe the fairy tales that having a wedding planner will be cheaper! This is wrong. The organizer is simply not interested in working with small budgets, because a small budget means a small commission.
Buy simple rings
Designer rings will become a real waste if the wedding budget is melting before our eyes, and many expense items have not yet been taken into account. Choose simpler rings: without many stones and in cheaper metal. Any engagement ring will look irresistible if worn with love.
What NOT to save on:
1. Quality.
Do not put the principle of economy at the forefront.
First of all, be interested in the quality of the services and goods offered to you. If you really like something inexpensive, great. But if you are not satisfied with many things, and you still choose this option only because of the price, this is a losing path. In the case of a wedding, nothing is better than bad. You cannot change the wedding, replay it, fix it. Remember this. It is always better to save on quantity (as described below). 2. Photo.
I have already written in detail why a photo is not at all an article to which savings should be extended.
Even if you're on a tight budget, find a photographer you really like rather than choosing based on the lowest price. In the end, the photographer may meet you halfway and give you a discount. Here is a wonderful example of a very budget wedding with excellent photos. 3. Presenter.
Guests in a month will not be able to remember what they ate at your banquet, but they will remember the host forever!
If the newlyweds are the soul of the holiday, then the host is its face. Just like with photography, don't skimp on hiring a good professional that you really like. 4. Hair and makeup rehearsal.
Go to any bride forum. There are dozens of crying brides whose “stylist” did THIS on their face and head on their wedding day... No matter how proven and recommended the stylist is, do a sample. Necessarily. This is your insurance against wasted money and wasted nerves. Not a single bride wants to repaint her hair with trembling hands while being late for registration.
Use barter
Photo from pixabay.com
If you are good at something, have expert knowledge in some matters, you can try to find wedding specialists who need your services. For example, when promoting websites, you can offer your work to a wedding planner advertising services on his website in exchange for his help with the organization. When doing English tutoring, it is quite possible to find a photographer whose child gets C grades for this subject - perhaps he will agree to give a significant discount for several free lessons.
Of course, you shouldn’t expect that any wedding specialist will agree to barter, but if you started preparing for the celebration in advance, then your chances of putting this puzzle together are higher.
What you CAN and SHOULD save on:
1 season.
The best way to save on a wedding is to choose a date in WINTER (except the second half of December) or in MAY.
Pleasant discounts are guaranteed to you. 2. Number of guests.
It affects everything - from the number of invitations to the cost of the banquet.
Naturally, the more guests, the higher the costs. For my part, I definitely recommend reducing the number of guests instead of choosing everything “cheaper”. Don’t be afraid of a small wedding - it’s much more soulful than a huge celebration for 100 people, where sometimes they forget why they gathered in the first place. 3. Format of the celebration.
Feast? Not at all necessary! A buffet is also a very viable option, and a cheaper one. You just need to take into account that a wedding with a buffet cannot last very long, maximum 3 hours - the guests will get hungry and get tired of standing and walking.
The best places to celebrate an inexpensive wedding
In sauna. This original option for celebrating a wedding combines relaxation and fun. All you need is to book a sauna in advance and acquire the necessary bath accessories. The only drawback is that it is better not to drink alcohol or dense food in the sauna. But in most cases, relaxation complexes, in addition to the bathhouse or sauna itself, are also equipped with an entertainment room where you can eat, play billiards or sing karaoke.
The sauna is a great place where you can hold not only a wedding, but also a bachelorette party. You will learn how to organize a bachelorette party in a sauna from our article.
Picnic in nature. An outing to a pond or forest is a great opportunity to celebrate a wedding with a small circle of friends and family. Barbecue, high-quality alcohol, songs around the fire - this option for holding a holiday has a special warm, soulful atmosphere.
At home. The cheapest option for a wedding is to host it at home. In this case, the celebration will not be tiring even for the youngest guests - tired children can be put to rest in the next room.
In the country. A wedding on a budget can be celebrated in the summer at a dacha outside the city. As a rule, this involves an outing into nature with the possibility of using the benefits of civilization in a country house, if necessary. You can also spend the night here and continue the fun the next day.
Even if you don’t have a dacha, then probably one of your friends does. A very unusual option to celebrate a wedding.
In club. If a small number of guests are invited, the option of celebrating a significant event in style at the club is a good idea. Music, a cheerful atmosphere, light alcoholic drinks, snacks are the components of a wedding celebration. The only negative is that the older generation most likely will not be able to participate in the noisy fun for a long time.
Now let's go through each expense item.
PHOTO
We save on:
1. Shooting time.
If, in addition to photos, you will have a video, feel free to refuse to take photographs of the banquet.
The banquet is a “sedentary” event and looks boring in the photo. And the traditions (garter and bouquet throwing, cake, dance) are much better to watch on video. Thus, you can hire a photographer not for 10-12 hours, but for 5-6. The savings will be significant, and you will not lose anything. 2. Love story.
Actively suggested by photographers, but completely optional.
If you are confident in the specialist and the quality of his photos, you don’t need any “tests” in the form of a Love story. If you are NOT sure, better look further. 3. Photo book.
Beautiful. No doubt about it. But you don’t have to make a photo book right away. It can, for example, be done for a wedding anniversary - it’s very symbolic, and you don’t have to “shove” the book into a limited wedding budget.
VIDEO
Particularly thrifty brides often abandon video altogether in favor of photos. If this is your option, my strong advice to you is to choose your photographer as carefully as possible. Because if the photographer lets you down, you will have nothing left to remember after the wedding. And so - the principles of saving are the same as in the photo.
DECOR
The best way to save on decor is to find a banquet room that is beautiful and most suitable in style/color and provides its own banquet textiles.
In this case, you can limit yourself to compositions for tables (and not necessarily floral ones), plus accessories such as a book of wishes (to choose from). I’m not a fan of doing the decor completely yourself - it’s too confusing. BUT it will actually cost you less than hiring a decorator. Especially if you buy all the materials online. We save on: 1. Decor for the newlyweds’ photo shoot and Love story.
Very actively advertised by decorators (and costs several thousand extra).
Yes, it’s beautiful, but... not necessary. A good photographer will take great shots without any decoration. Especially if you choose a beautiful location for filming. 2. Photo zone.
It is also actively promoting itself.
Emphasizes the style of the celebration and entertains guests. But you can easily do without it. 3. Sweet table, tea table, cheese table, etc.
It is no coincidence that I mention these tables as part of the decor, and not the banquet))) These tables came to us from abroad, where the format of weddings is completely different - closer to a buffet table, when guests move from one table to another.
In our country, with a traditional rich feast, “tables” are more of a decorative character. It's definitely very stylish. But the “tables” are very expensive (just developing the concept of a candy bar costs several thousand rubles). If you want to save money, feel free to refuse “tables”. 4. Little things.
A bank of newlyweds, a garter, a cushion for rings, glasses, a wish book, a cake spatula... All these accessories are much more profitable to make yourself. This is not difficult at all; the Internet is full of master classes on these topics. Purchased accessories are unreasonably expensive - glasses alone will cost you 2,500 rubles. And the more little things, the more costs.
You can also do a lot of things for your wedding yourself.
LEADING
We save on: additional services (smoke machine, strobe light, screen with projector, etc.)
BANQUET
I do not recommend looking for very cheap banquet premises. Why - I wrote in detail here. Don't try to surprise your guests with the quantity and luxury of dishes at the banquet. Food is forgotten very quickly. The main thing is that there is enough for everyone. Here you need to proceed from the norm of 1200 g per person - quite enough for a banquet for 5 hours. It’s great if the establishment allows you to bring your own fruit and alcohol. If there is a corkage fee, unfortunately, you won’t be able to save much. There are several types of corkage fees, and some end up costing the same as if you buy alcohol at the price of a restaurant/cafe. If you can’t bring your own fruit, you can safely reduce their quantity to a minimum (50 g per person) or remove it from the menu altogether. Nobody will notice the “loss”. The same goes for juices and fruit drinks - you can get by with mineral water, it’s cheaper. When ordering a cake, proceed from the norm of 100 g per person. There’s no need for more, there really aren’t many people with a sweet tooth. And one last thing. When ordering a banquet, you can safely subtract 10% from the number of those invited and confirmed their participation. These are the guests who will refuse to come when you have already booked and paid for everything. Those. if you invited 50 people, calmly order a banquet for 45. Even if “extra” guests suddenly appear, you can always re-order dishes. This is much better than leftover food in huge quantities.
SHOW
A wedding is not a concert. One or two artists will be plenty throughout the evening. Which artists they will be - choose according to your taste. There are a lot of offers: in addition to the “standard” singers, dancers and gypsies, there are magicians, a sand show, and giant bubbles... In general, a good presenter will perfectly “hold” the audience all evening without any artists. So if you want to save money, just choose a great presenter. Fireworks and fire shows are quite an expensive undertaking. However, if you really want to “add some fire,” you can order a “fire card” (pyrotechnics + lighting the heart). It looks very decent and always evokes emotions, and the price is much more affordable.
IMAGES
Whatever one may say, a wedding dress, veil and some of the accessories (tiara, gloves, petticoat) are 100% one-day items. The maximum where else you can wear all this is to some photo shoot (on your honeymoon, on your anniversary). Those. one more time.
My advice to you is don't spend a lot of money on a dress. In general, I believe that a wedding dress should not cost more than 10-15,000 rubles. Moreover, I in no way encourage you to buy frankly cheap and tasteless dresses! There are many options to save - from buying a dress at a discount to ordering online. You just have to try and look. For example, a dress from Vera Wang (from a mass collection) in America costs from $300 - all you have to do is find someone who will bring it to you. Another great option to save money is to buy a dress from the same Pronovias, NOT white, from the evening collection. It's both luxurious and cheaper. Do not buy accessories (gloves, tiara, etc.) in wedding salons! All this can be ordered 2-5 times cheaper via the Internet (of similar quality). Earrings, necklaces, jewelry, handbags - buy in accessories stores like Diva and Accessorise. Shoes are also better and cheaper to buy in a regular shoe store. Ideally, ones that you can wear after the wedding. Winter brides don’t necessarily have to buy boots, and even white ones. Buy some cute UGG boots or felt boots. Your image will not be affected - firstly, the dress is long, and secondly, felt boots can be made a cool part of the photo shoot. Another element of a winter look is a fur coat. I highly recommend not buying artificial fur coats in salons! They are cold and one-day, and cost from 3,000 rubles. There are a lot of alternatives: order a short rabbit fur coat online, wear your regular fur coat (if it’s nice) or even a coat. The main thing is that everything matches the color and style of the wedding. Imagine, there is a lot of inspiration on the Internet for the image of the bride!
People usually save money on the image of the groom. Although a suit, shirt, shoes can be worn many more times. The image of the groom must match the image of the bride, including in terms of costs (at least approximately). Again, I advise you to buy a suit and other accessories for the groom in regular men's clothing stores, and not in overpriced wedding salons.
TRANSPORT
Want to save big on your wedding? Exclude from the program traveling with guests. Hired transport for a wedding is unreasonably expensive. Driving your own cars is not always pretty. Therefore, try to build your daily program so as to rent a maximum of one car (for you and your fiancé). Sometimes you can get by with ordering a premium taxi. If the car does not participate in any way in the photo shoot or in the events of the day (the beautiful arrival of the newlyweds, a ride), it is not needed.
Dear brides, having an economical and at the same time beautiful wedding is possible! But you will need imagination, patience and the ability to search for information. Saving means thinking about every expense, and not grabbing the first thing you come across or the cheapest.
And may you be happy!)))
Scenarios for economical weddings
Some people have long realized that a wedding is not a reason to spend money thoughtlessly. It is much more profitable for a young family to save up money than to waste huge sums of money. A budget wedding is the choice of wise people, those who care about their well-being, save from a young age and take good care of their earned money.
Painting in the registry office
Surprisingly, many couples do not realize that this joyful day can be spent together. It is understood that young people will simply start formalizing the relationship. Excess pathos is omitted. There is no need to invite numerous relatives, since the magnificent banquet is cancelled. A guy and a girl decide to spend time alone with each other to celebrate a wonderful event. The painting in the registry office marks the beginning of a new life, the creation of a social unit.
Secret wedding
Another interesting option that will appeal to those who do not like lavish feasts and large numbers of people. A secret wedding gives freshness to relationships, because intrigue arises in them. It is chosen not only by those whose parents are against a new marriage. People can be so passionate about the idea that they want to organize everything themselves.
An important life hack: you should organize a wedding celebration solely at your own request. It is necessary to be guided by minimal resources and at the same time try to satisfy your internal needs. No one will know that the young people have officially gotten married. Such a thought warms, fills with intrigue, allows you to have a wedding economically and not waste money on trifles.
You can give each other gifts - this is an amazing opportunity to declare your love to a loved one, without unnecessary witnesses.
In a cafe with friends
A wedding doesn't have to be an eye-popping expense. Few people think that an inexpensive option is also acceptable. Instead of taking out a huge loan for lack of funds, perhaps just sit with friends in a nearby cafe. Let there be real friends nearby, then positive emotions are guaranteed. You can simply spend a few hours at McDonald's, and this event will bring more joy than an official celebration where you need to follow conventions.
Outdoor party
If the weather and time of year permit, you can go to a camp site, or simply go to your favorite and familiar place.
READ
Matchmaking by the groom: traditions and rituals
Such a trip will bring a lot of positive emotions, give you a feeling of joy and satisfaction. This is a cheap way to feel genuine emotions and get vivid impressions. A party in nature brings people together, helps to better understand each other, and find common ground.
With parents at home
What could be better than being close to your loved ones at the most crucial moment in life? Parents are those people who will not betray you and will not make you feel unnecessary. This holiday fits the category of an economy option. It makes sense to gather with your beloved relatives at the same table and gradually discuss plans for the near future, and maybe even for life. A home holiday is cheap and beautiful. The memories will remain tender and bright. Surely, after many years you will want to look through the family album.
Book in advance
Don’t put off booking your wedding venue and the professionals you like.
Firstly, the best options may be taken away from under your nose, because other newlyweds are also not asleep. Secondly, during your deliberations, prices may rise. Most often, wedding pros and restaurants increase their prices in early February, during the period of active booking, and in early August, right at the height of the season. Therefore, by booking a team in November, you can save a lot of money.
You may not start the active phase of collaboration, writing scripts, etc., but return to this in a couple of months. In the initial stages, you just need to understand whether your vision, requirements and energy match with the chosen contractor. The main thing is that you will be sure that the team has been assembled and your wedding will be provided by professionals.
Who will entertain us
Professional wedding animators charge quite a lot for their services, which are not always high-quality. True, even without a toastmaster it’s quite boring. You can entrust this matter to one of your friends. Find the appropriate scripts on the Internet, rework them a little to suit yourself - and you're guaranteed to have fun. In addition, today it is very popular to invite to weddings not various ensembles that sing so that the guests cannot hear each other, but people who can play the button accordion or accordion. And we have enough of those. You can even search for them among high school music school students. It’s unlikely that the guys will refuse to earn extra money. And, of course, you can bring your own music center and even arrange karaoke. Today there are many opportunities for different chips. It is quite possible to do without professionals.
Do you need an organizer?
In order not to collapse from the hassle, delegate some of the responsibilities to others. A wedding planner is a great idea, but it's no good if you're on a budget . In this case, you can entrust someone who cares about you to become the organizer - a friend, relative.
You can also contact a young agency that has just appeared on the wedding services market. Its specialists may agree to a small price in exchange for active advertising on your part.
You can also turn not to a company, but to an organizer who works independently, and due to this, he will not charge a high price for his services.
Limousine?
Car rental is available in any city. Choose the brand and model you like best. Look what kind of driver he is. Is he polite and tactful ?
At one time, everyone hired exclusively limousines - fashion dictated its own. Now they prefer something not so large-scale, but beautiful and comfortable. It is worth hiring a luxury car for the bride and groom, and seating guests on a bus. You should not use your friends' cars on this day. After all, they also want to have fun, especially since most of them will be tipsy - it’s a wedding after all. Let everyone have fun.
Celebrate your wedding in a fun way, not necessarily on a grand scale. The main thing is that everyone finds it interesting. Years will pass, you will remember with pleasure.
Bride ransom
A custom that comes from ancient times. Now it’s more like entertainment, and probably the most fun throughout the entire wedding. There are many scenarios, choose what you like best, but the organizer must be able to coordinate the flow of this fun, direct it in the right direction, and be resourceful.
If the newlyweds like classical traditions, and the groom happily agrees to go through the obstacle course in order to receive his beloved as a reward, and all the guests present will actively rejoice at what is happening, then the ransom stage will be remembered for a long time by the newlyweds and the guests.
What measures can be taken to save on bride price?
First, you need to draw up a clear plan for this event, so that later you don’t go beyond it. This will save you a significant amount of money. Instead of ransom money, you can use sweets or some souvenirs, which can then be used in everyday life. A nice soap will do, too.
At ransom, guests usually drink a lot of alcoholic beverages. To save money, you should significantly reduce their number. Place water, juices and several bottles of champagne or wine.
If these are summer days, then low-alcohol drinks and cocktails served in beautiful glasses by the manager will be welcome. You can serve drinks in a large vessel, and the guests will pour themselves from it. In the cold winter, no one will refuse hot mulled wine with cinnamon. The main thing is to present it interestingly .
Honeymoon
In the movie, the newlyweds fly away, almost from the wedding, on a honeymoon to an expensive five-star hotel. In real life, you don’t need to follow stereotypes and pictures. If you can't go now, you'll go later. If you can't go to a five-star hotel, go to a 4, 3, or 2-star hotel. If you can’t go abroad, rent a house or apartment somewhere near your city. Nobody will die. But you will still have a great time!
