With the country constantly talking about the CEC (Current Economic Climate), we are all thinking about ways to conserve our spending and there are things you can do even on your wedding day to cut-costs or at least be sensible with the budget. There are going to be certain parts of any couples big day that they won’t want to scrimp on, so decide what your top few priorities are and be prepared to be flexible on the other things.
Here are five of our Top 10 Tips on how to save money on your wedding:
Email out invitations
Not only will this save you on Stationary costs, it’s also ‘Eco-Friendly’. Plus you can guests to RSVP by return email or via a webpage, so you can track guest acceptance instantly instead of waiting on snail mail. On pingg.com you can design really great and colourful invitations that will still make it feel wedding-y and special.
The Dress
For affordable options in Ireland, consider buying your dress second hand from one of the charity shops. More and more people are opting to recycle their dresses after their big day and you can get some beautiful gowns second hand nowadays. Check out Oxfam’s Bridal Department website [www.oxfamireland.org/oxfambridal/about.htm]. If you’re handy with a sewing machine or have a reliable dressmaker you could alter the dress and make it into something very unique. Alternatively, you could consider heading State-side to buy your dress and get the bridesmaids dresses over there as well. You can choose the dress from bridal catalogues, call the shops in the States in advance and then pop over to collect of the dress of your dreams. Simple!
The Cake
Is your mum a handy baker? Or are you yourself a budding Nigella in the kitchen?! Get your cake home baked and then bring it to be professionally iced afterwards. This could save you a fortune and let’s face it … we all prefer Mum’s home cooking!
Do your own make up
We’ve all had the experience of getting our make up done professionally, only to come out looking like something from a Las Vegas Drag Show afterwards. Invest in some really good quality make up products like MAC, Benefit etc and then PRACTICE getting the look you want yourself. Or get a friend who’s a dab hand to do it for you.
The Wheels
These days nearly everyone knows someone who has a Beemer or a Merc, why not ask them to borrow the car for the day and get it valeted for the occasion. Once you’re in your dress and the car is draped in the traditional ribbons, you’ll feel like a princess no matter if it’s a vintage car - luxury Bentley or not.
Tune in next week for the remaining 5 Tips for the Budget-Conscious Bride!
Ciara Crossan is the founder of weddingdates.ie, a unique website that allows engaged couples to select their chosen wedding date and the county in Ireland where they want to get married, and get back an interactive listing of wedding venues with civil ceremony or reception availability on that date. You can also follow Ciara on Twitter at twitter.com/weddingdates
