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How to cut back the cost of your wedding...

As everyone is pretty much aware, the cost of everything is rising these days; fuel, food, tax etc. These rising prices may mean that you need to trim the budget of your wedding; here are a few ways that you could make this happen.

1. Cut down your guest list

This may mean opting for a smaller room at your venue, but a simple way of cutting down costs at a wedding is by not inviting as many people.  Day guests tend to cost you more than evening guests as the food bill is higher and you sometimes have to pay for a drinks package on top. Invite less people to the day and more people to the evening and you’ll be able to cut down costs immediately. But make sure your venue is ok with you downsizing, some may have minimum room numbers and you may not be able to swap to a smaller room.

2. Limit your dress budget

In NO way would we recommend buying a dress from China or Hong Kong, the likes of which can be found on eBay looking very pretty in the photographs but are anything but when they arrive! If you don’t mind a second hand dress then eBay can be a treasure trove of newlyweds looking to recoup some cash from their day by selling off their wedding dress or you may come across someone selling a surplus dress that has never even been worn. However, there may well be hidden costs! Your bargain dress may not be such a bargain when you have to pay for dry cleaning and altering. Our top tip for cutting back on the cost of your dress is to look at small, local bridal shops such as Elegance Bridal Studio in Barnsley town centre instead of large chain bridal shops in places such as Harrogate and York. Elegance is an example of such a shop where beautiful brand new dresses can be found at prices that will not shock you and will undoubtedly come under your dress budget. Plus, they usually have a sale rail of unworn designer dresses with up to 50% off retail prices! With local shops you tend to get a more personal service and Julia at Elegance couldn’t come more highly recommended for her prices, service and care.

3. Make your own wedding stationery

Professionally made wedding stationery is lovely and options are pretty much unlimited. But, an easy way to cut back costs would be to make your stationery yourselves. If you have children then get them involved; all your guests would love an invitation made from a child’s handiwork. Instead of RSVP inserts you can ask that guests RSVP by text or email. Keep your ideas simple, such as using coloured ribbons, fabrics or feathers which can all be picked up cheaply on local markets. Being handmade by yourselves would also give you a sense of achievement as well as saving important funds.

4. Cut back on non-essentials

Be careful at wedding fayres, with so many stalls to tempt you into a multitude of wedding delights, it can be easy to get carried away! Don’t book anything on the day, go away and have a think about things before you part with any money. What might seem like a good idea at the time may not be such a good idea when you have to cut back on your essentials later. You need a venue, a dress, a suit, a photographer and rings; but you may not need £250 of feathers or a Swarovski crystal tiara costing £600 when in fact no-one could tell the difference between that and a £50 replica. If you’re serious about cutting back on your budget then some of the non-essentials may need to be cut back and some may have to be abandoned completely.

5. Invest in wedding insurance

As silly as it sounds when giving advice on SAVING money, BUYING wedding insurance can end up saving money in the long run. Wedding insurance will cover you if someone you have booked goes out of business or lets you down for whatever reason, if either the bride or groom are too ill to marry and loss or damage to your wedding attire (such as cake, rings, flowers or gifts). In this day and age it is always best to be covered just in case you need to make a claim! For example, if your car company goes bust two weeks before your wedding and you have already paid a deposit, this will be lost but you will still need to fork out another deposit should you wish to book again with someone else. Without insurance this would come out of your own pocket, by investing in the insurance as soon as you start planning your wedding you could end up saving yourself some valuable pennies!

Posted on 16th August 2011 in Wedding Help

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