Wedding Money Saving Tips
As what an old Filipino saying goes, “Ang kasal ay hindi parang mainit na kanin na pag napaso ka, iluluwa mo na” (Marriage is not a hot rice when you get burnt, you will simply spit it out). True enough, the journey to a lasting and happy relationship is not a bed of roses – so as the preparation for the wedding day.
We can go on to a long list of wishes and dreams about our ideal wedding. Some would love to have theirs in grandeur while others can have their own in simplicity. Whichever you choose to have, it would still need a tremendous amount of money. It may be depending on one’s context on how much you can go for a wedding. Others may find a hard time raising funds for a simple wedding while some can go for millions and hundreds of millions.
Nevertheless, our culture of being “matipid” or thrifty and being wise buyers will never go whatever our budget is. Of course, we like to maximize our hard-earned money, right? In this article, we listed some of the few things that could help you a couple of bucks for your wedding preps and day itself:
Narrow down your guest list
We definitely would love to celebrate this significant occasion with the ones that are dear to us. There are cases that we invite people just for the sake of asking so they won’t have anything to say (in Tagalog, magtampo). But throughout this article, we will put on a particular lens of being practical and thrifty, alright? So basically, inviting people just for the sake of it is 100% impractical and not worth it.
You can disagree, but an event like weddings are supposed to be intimate and private. Yes, you want to share your happiness and the momentous occasion to others. But who are those “others”? Is it indispensable for you to invite the person you don’t even talk to at the office? Out of politeness, maybe but practicality and being honest, no. Besides, his or her presence won’t probably matter to you (come on, let us be honest!)
Trimming down your guest list in almost every event is one of the key factors to save some money. If you are being thrifty and would want to celebrate your wedding in the most intimate sense, ask the ones that are very important to you, your partner or both of you. The list should consist of the people which absence will significantly affect your day. The “out of courtesy” invitations mentality may be hard to eradicate but if you want to save and have a more intimidate wedding, think again.
Master your logistic needs
In first glance, rentals of tables, chairs and other equipment may seem not to hurt your budget. But if you are going to look a little bit closer, it will get a huge chunk of your money. There should be a couple of minutes or hours for the ingress and egress, and how many hours will be allocated for the event proper.
Aside from narrowing your guest list, what you can do to maximize your logistics is by thinking creative ways on how to fit more people in an area. The arrangement of tables and chairs should be able to cater more people so you can limit the number of materials you will be renting.
Moreover, maybe you can find wedding venues that will be worth it for its price. Its aesthetics and value for money are not compromised. Also, the place may be more accessible so your other providers, guests, and even you won’t be finding a hard time going there. It saves not only money but also energy. The place itself, minus many decorations and alterations should stand on its own.
Look for combo or bundle deals
Concerning looking more sulit wedding venues, there are combo or bundle deals offered by different catering services. The prices may be quite lower than renting two different providers. It will be easier for you to ask for discounts since you are getting more services from them.
Be sure that the taste and quality of food are not forsaken just to save some money. Satisfy the hunger of your guests and yourself with scrumptious food. There are catering services that give free food tasting. In that sense, you can get a better grip of their offers.
On the other hand, other wedding venues give complimentary decorations and other services as well. There is nothing wrong with asking and taking your chance for better pricing. It is okay to ask for computations or estimates, and you can price match on your own.
Maximize your connections
Preparing for events and celebrations like weddings need a good pool of workers or workforce. From the contacts, providers, and actual labor, you need people to work with. If only you can do everything on your own but you can’t. This is where partnerships come in, and it costs us some money.
Maximizing your connections do not entirely mean you ask everything for free since you know someone that can help you. Well, if they present themselves to give their products and services for free, thank you so much! It would probably be one of the best gifts you will receive. But if they can offer you discounts and other tipid deals, still great! As long as you get more for your money, everything else is better.
Now, you should remember you couldn’t always get what you want. You can’t simply ask your photographer friends for free service for that business might be their bread and butter. Who knows, they can give you affordable deals, right? There is no harm in trying, but you should measure yourself if your requests are still reachable. Moreover, maximizing connections also mean you can ask for referrals and suggestions. They may not be the ones to give you products and services, but they will be able to provide you with better options.
Adding more into that, you can directly just ask help from your colleagues and relatives. Ask for their comments, suggestions, and recommendations. For sure, they are way more excited than you to get those things done!
Reuse or repurpose your flowers and accessories
Surprisingly, flowers and other accessories eat a chunk of your wedding budget especially if your wedding day is not a good time for flowers to bloom and accessories’ raw materials are harder to find. It’s not that you throw away your ideas of having this and that, but it will be more cost effective if you will reuse or repurpose.
Instead of having different sets of floral and accessories from the church or wedding venue to your reception, maybe you can just use the same set especially if these are not provided by your partners. Also, be careful in taking out your bouquet. You may be asked to pose some before the wedding proper itself so the flowers will get exposed and might dry up. Rehydrate them properly so its freshness won’t quickly fade away.
Be practical with your wedding dress and attire
Some might argue that wedding only happens once in a lifetime and you get to make it perfect. Just note that having things perfect do not entail expensiveness especially when it comes to clothing.
Again, using the lens of being practical and thrifty, buying a dress that costs thousands or hundreds of thousands which you will just use for a day or two, in less than 24 hours will leave your wallet broke. Sentimental value matter very much for other people perhaps explaining why they still opt to buy expensive clothes and keep it for the rest of their lives; but we say if you are trying to save, you don’t need to spend that much for something that you will use for only a couple of hours. Others bought their most treasured dresses and wedding attires in thrift shops and still give them the sentimental value.
You may want to have a uniform dress for all the attendees or at least for the entourage, but you have insufficient funds. Why not ask them to buy or look for their own? Just instruct them thoroughly and properly on the theme and motif. For sure they will understand that.
Search for cheaper alternatives
In general, you get to look for cheaper alternatives for almost everything that you will need for your wedding. It is okay if you settle for unbranded stuff as long as their durability and performance are as good as of branded things.
Never be afraid to go DIY! Experiment and see if you will save money if you do things on your own rather than buying or renting. Besides, whatever you do will have more personal touch since it is yourself who made those. You can ask others to help you as well. DIY will work perfectly for your invitations, photobooth, and souvenirs.
Lastly, do not borrow big amount of money just to push thru with your wedding. It means that you are still not financially able and ready to host your wedding and it’s okay. Give yourself and your partner more time to save money for your big day. There is no need to rush.
Your most awaited day does not need to haunt your bank accounts for the rest of your lives. With proper budgeting and tricks, you will still be able to pull off a grand day and enjoy the rest of your lives in peace.
