If you have feelings of overwhelm at the vast expense you’re up for, we can help you save money on your wedding by making these 10 simple, but smart choices.
1. Set a budget and stick to it.
In theory, this sounds like the most simple, straight-forward thing to do to help with your wedding savings. However when push comes to shove, and you’re looking in the mirror at your dream dress that’s only 25% more than what you allocated, this is exactly when things start to go awry. If faced with this emotionally-charged dilemma, remind yourself that this budget blow out could mean you have to cut back elsewhere, and can you really imagine yourself having less flowers than you planning, or cheap nasty bubbles instead of the delicious drop you had in mind?
2. Start a high-interest savings account.
If you have several months, or even a year or more to save, start now and begin by getting more bang for your buck from the get-go. Talk to your bank about the best way to earn as much interest as possible from your savings instalments. If your parents have offered an amount towards the wedding, ask them to deposit it into that account as soon as they can, so you can make that money work for you, too.
3. Hire a wedding planner.
I know what you’re thinking – this costs money! Yes, it sure does, however in the grand scheme of things you can actually save a tonne by hiring an expert and having them help you choose from a selection of his/her tried and tested wedding vendors, who are guaranteed to deliver amazing results. A wedding planner also sometimes has access to better deals than the average person walking in off the street. A wedding planner will also help you to stay on that pesky budget, keeping the emotion out of decisions and helping you maintain a level head and realistic expectations.
4. Snap up great deals.
But where do you find great deals? Bridal expos are full of great deals! When you enter a room full of competing businesses, you’re sure to find special offers left, right and centre. Sometimes this means you can score packages with amazing value and you may find extras included that can save you money elsewhere, like a photographer who will offer you a complimentary engagement shoot with printed Save the Date cards – you can cross Save the Dates off the list without breaking a sweat!
Another way to stay up to date on great deals in the industry is to follow your fave wedding vendors on social media, making sure you subscribe to notifications so you can snap up any great deals immediately.
5. Take a Chance on the Unknown.
This is a risk you very much want to calculate by ensuring you do your research, but it is possible you can score an amazing wedding vendor that’s new to the industry and save some money while they are offering introductory prices. Just be careful to ensure you’re getting a bargain, and not something that’s merely cheap. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
6. Score Last Year’s Prices.
Each year, many wedding venues and service providers will revisit their pricing structure and possibly increase their prices. So instead of saying, “Oh, let’s start locking things in in the New Year”, book before the current year is closed and lock in the current prices before any rise comes into effect.
7. Have a Weekday Wedding.
The rumours are very true. Not all, but many wedding venues offer weekday weddings at a lesser price than on weekends. Ask your wedding venue their policy, as changing the date could quite literally save you hundreds, or even thousands. Plus, everyone loves any excuse for a long weekend, right?
8. Don’t Lose Your Deposits.
Booking the wrong vendors or the right vendors on the wrong date can result in you losing out financially. If you have booked a wedding vendor and paid a deposit, and for some reason you need to cancel or change your date, don’t be surprised if your deposit is non-refundable.
If this seems unfair, let me break it down for you. Businesses in the wedding industry will often book out an entire day or even a week in preparation for your wedding. Once your deposit is received, they will turn away other business for the same day, and perhaps hire staff for the day. If you then cancel your booking, it’s comparable to your boss walking up to you and announcing you have to take a week’s unpaid leave, oh and maybe even pay your colleagues for work they won’t be doing either. You both lose income and you’re out of pocket. If you consider that would be an unreasonable ask and that it would negatively affect your family’s finances, then I guess you can understand why a wedding business wouldn’t return your deposit if you cancel.
9. Compromise.
You’ve heard this one before. You and your fiancé are at loggerheads, because he wants his fave band, while you want everyone toasting you both with a cool glass of Moet. Both can’t stay or something else will have to go. Here’s a chance to chill out and reconnect at the same time. Get out seeing some local bands, and visiting some nearby wineries to find a couple of hidden gems that won’t break the bank.
10. Cut the Guest List.
Another obvious one. Apply the 12-month rule, and stick with it. Give your parents a set number of invitations for their colleagues/neighbours/long-lost friends. Ask everyone to leave the kids at home. Remember, there are always going to be difficult choices when it comes to your guest list, and perhaps even a cut or two won’t feel completely right, but you have to draw the line somewhere.
When you apply these 10 tips to saving money towards your wedding day, you should have enough in the bank for all the honeymoon sunset cocktails you’ve been dreaming of!
If these tips helped you, and you would like to gain more useful know-how for planning your Sunshine Coast wedding, then check out all our wedding planning tips articles and sign up for our free ebook of planning tools.
