#Collaborative Post
If you are looking to get married or planning an engagement, you may be worried about the costs that are involved in it.
The tradition used to be that the engagement ring should cost 3 times that of the man’s salary before her proposes. Now that is not the case, firstly you can buy engagement rings at a much better price than that but also it is not about how much you spend on the ring but the meaning and love that comes with it.
However, if you are getting married and are on a tight budget, how do you go about having your dream day without missing out on the bits you really want?
Firstly don’t panic, it may seem like a huge deal in the planning to the big day that the colour of the ribbon isn’t an exact match to the bridesmaid dress or flowers but these minor details really won’t make the slightest bit of difference on the day as you will be on cloud 9.
So the budget is tight but you want a whole list of magical bits you’ve already dreamed of, where do you start?
Firstly list everything out that you want for your wedding, from start to finish including the dream venue, dress, photographer etc. Then you need to list out your priority as to what will make your day special to you. Personally, our order went venue, photographer and dress and so on. What means the most to you? Is it that you want the most beautiful wedding rings to remember the big day or is the priority having as many people there as possible? By working this out you will be able to allocate your budget accordingly.
You may feel a little overwhelmed to have the big white wedding that you see advertised everywhere but you really have to have the wedding to match you and your partner. With wedding costs increasing over the years, so many people feel the pressure to go into debt to make the wedding be that of their dreams but it is not about the day and the expense that you will remember, it is the feeling of love and a special bubble that comes with saying “I do”
There is no ideal budget for a wedding and the costs have been going up every year. However only go with what you can comfortably afford but there are lots of ways to make up extra pennies or save a few pounds on your big day:
- Don’t be afraid to ask for discounts or offers. Most companies will have an offer running throughout the year however if not why not ask your venue for example if they have any offers on your package or maybe a free upgrade to your room on your wedding night.
- Consider DIY or 2nd hand for bits of your wedding, there’s no shame in that! Our centrepieces were a mixture of eBay glasses, Ikea candles and Dunelm mirror plates however to decorate all our tables came in less than £30. Our cake was made by my mother in law which saved us at least £500 and I hand-made all our wedding invites, again saving us lots of money. We also had our own sweet table, purchasing the items on the table 2nd hand and buying wholesale sweet items.
- Get married out of season – Wedding season is expensive but many venues will be looking to fill dates that are off-season or a Sunday for example. We got married on a Sunday and because it is not a normal wedding day, we saved a few thousand pounds.
If you find your budget is not all gone due to saving money on things, you can then make the decision to upgrade items on the day or maybe even get a little post-wedding treat of a promise rings. Either way, just remember the day is about you and your partner, no matter what it costs or where you get married, just tying the knot will be a special thing for you both.
