Last week we covered the first five of our Top 10 Tips to save money on your wedding. Hope you found some good suggestions and tips on saving money on your big day.
Here’s tips five to 10 on our Wedding Budget series:
Wedding Favours & Table Centrepieces
If you are creative and have plenty of time on your hands, why not make your favours or centrepieces yourself? You can buy supplies in bulk from hardware stores, garden centres, or even online and save a fortune going the DIY route. You can spend the weeks in the run up to the wedding making them, but just remember – you have to store them somewhere before the day itself!
Renting Seat Covers
Don’t let the hotel fool you into thinking that you HAVE to use their seat covers. These are often charged at a ridiculous rate and this is only because prospective brides don’t know that they have other options. Seat covers can be rented much cheaper for the day, the only drawback is that someone has to physically go to the hotel or venue and put them on all the chairs themselves. Really think about whether or not you even need chair covers, many hotels have now upgraded their furniture to more neutral colours and so you won’t need them.
Wine
I guess most Irish people are pretty savvy when it comes to this one, but nonetheless: consider taking an empty car or van to France and fill it up with wine for the wedding. Just make sure to check with the hotel what the corkage fee is if you are bringing your own wine.
Photography
Most couples will want the professional photographer for the wedding photos on the day, particularly after the ceremony. However, expenses can escalate quickly if you require the photographer for the entire ceremony and reception, especially if you are having a videographer as well. Decide what the most important shots are and only book your photographer for as long as it will take to get those shots. Get guests to upload their digital pics to a website after the event. Alternatively, put disposable cameras on each table at the reception, to allow the guests take memorable pictures of their group for the night. Just don’t do a Monica-and-Chandler on it and forget to collect the cameras at the end of the night!
Flowers
Consider the season – choosing flowers that are in season will be a cheaper option but if you are getting married mid February forget about redroses or you will be paying a premium rate. If you want a simple affair, consider wildflowers. There is always the option of DIYing your bouquet (or getting a green fingered friend/family member to do the honours). There are loads of tutorials online and hand-tied bouquets are all the rage these days anyway. That way you can pick up cheap bunches of flowers in Aldi or SuperValu and save a whole heap of dosh!
If you truly are serious about saving money where you can on your big day…rest assured…it CAN be done!!! Spend some time thinking about everything involved in the wedding and everyone you know (or who your friends or your family knows) and rope them in! People are generally delighted to be included in the wedding plans or the day itself and won’t be put off by your enquiry at all.
