Wedding budgets have become astronomical over the last decade, with some couples spending hundreds of thousands of dollars. Go for it If you can afford it, that’s great! But most of us need to spend the wedding budget carefully and find places to save money, here are 10 ways to save money on your dream wedding.
This doesn’t mean going cheap on every aspect of your wedding – but saving in some areas so you can spend on the things that mean the most to you.
1. Weekday weddings
There’s no rule that you have to hold your wedding on a weekend. You might save a lot of money by getting married during the week. Suppliers may be more available to you and many offer discounts for mid-week weddings. Venues will also give you more choices for dates.
Don’t worry about your guests – they’ll be happy for the day off work!
2. Winter weddings
Most weddings occur during warmer months, so you could save money by holding your wedding closer to winter. Venues and suppliers will be more available and may offer discounts to entice you. Travel and accommodation is also cheaper during the off-season.
3. One venue
Rather than hold the ceremony and reception in two different places, you could book one location for both. I’ve worked at many amazing weddings in resorts and other all-in-one wedding venues.
Transport costs will be cheaper, as you won’t need to hire a car to get you from A to B. And if the venue has accommodation as well, you’ll save money there too.
4. Smaller guest list
This is a no-brainer that having fewer guests will cost you less. If you don’t need to invite long-lost friends and relatives who never speak to you (and all their children!), you can create a guest list of close friends and family who really want to celebrate your special day with you.
5. Rent, borrow or buy pre-loved
You’ll only wear your wedding dress once. So, if you don’t have a specific dream dress in mind, consider renting or borrowing your dress. You can even buy a pre-loved dress that’s only been worn once. You can find stunning dresses this way and save a lot of money.
6. Venue with style
Some venues are blank canvases, just waiting for you to add your style. But other venues do the work for you – they’re gorgeous spaces that don’t need extra styling.
I’ve photographed at many venues that are stunning just on their own – such as Customs House in Brisbane. These wedding-ready venues are ideal for saving money.
7. DIY styling
When decide to go with a blank-canvas venue, you can save money by doing the styling yourself. So if you have an arty friend, enlist their help to create table decorations (perhaps with candles, fruit, oil burners and single stem roses), lace decorations and other styling pieces that bring your space to life.
8. Buffet dinner
A buffet dinner is an easy way to save money on your wedding without compromising on quality. There much less expensive than a plated dinner but the food is still great. Guests can choose what they’d like to eat and mingle while they fill their plate.
9. Up-and-coming suppliers
Many new wedding service providers are trying to get a foothold in the wedding industry. It’s worth checking them out as they will usually have lower rates.
You can find many talented, up-and-coming suppliers with great reviews and references, including caterers, musicians and wedding cake bakers.
10. Photographer and videographer package
Purchasing a package deal is usually cheaper than hiring suppliers individually, so it’s worth looking for these deals.
For example, I often work with Phil from Red Door Studios, an amazing wedding videographer in Brisbane. Together we provide photography and videography packages that enable couples to save money on high quality photos and film that will last a lifetime.
Spend your money wisely
There are plenty of other ways to save money on your wedding, including asking bridesmaids to buy their own outfits and providing BYO beverages.
However, I don’t recommend going totally cheap. This is your special day, so don’t compromise on the things that are important to you.
When dreaming of a Vera Wang dress or a four-tier wedding cake, spend the money there – and then save money on things that don’t mean as much to you. Thank you for reading my, 10 ways to save money on your dream wedding.
Want to know more?
To discuss your wedding needs or find out more about my photography and videography package deals, contact me for a chat.
