How to save money on your wedding celebration

Your wedding day is one of the best days of your life, and it’s perfectly natural to want it to feel extra special. But that doesn’t mean you have to blow the budget and spend a fortune that you really can’t afford. There are plenty of ways to save money on your wedding celebration without it feeling like a budget day.

Prioritise costs

First of all, you need to work out what’s important to you and think of the best wedding plan ideas. What are the aspects of your day that you want more than anything else? Is it a particular wedding venue? Or it might be your choice of wedding car. Whatever it is, work out how much your priorities are going to cost and then prioritise those in your wedding budget.

Consider Other Days of the Week

Weddings have traditionally taken place on Saturdays, but you often find that other days of the week actually work out quite a bit cheaper. If you plan your day in advance and give your wedding guests plenty of notice, then there’s no reason why you can’t opt for any other day of the week. Speak to your chosen venue and see which days work out cheaper.

You can also often find that venues charge less out of season too. Popular times such as Christmas and Summer often come at a premium, but if you’re happy to get married at other times of the year then this could save you some money.

DIY Photography

Having a wedding photographer can cost a small fortune and there are lots of ways you can save money here.

If you are determined to have a professional photographer, then ask them about the different packages they offer and if there are any ways you can cut down on the cost. It might be worth just having the photographer for the actual ceremony rather than paying for them to attend the full day.

You could ask your photographer to put all of your photos and videos onto a DVD for you rather than printing them off. This can be a great way to save money. You can then choose to store these digitally so that you can look back on them whenever you like. Companies such as Movavi offer an easy way to rip dvd to mp4 so that you can keep a digital record of your special day.

A wedding I recently went to used the guests as the photographers and I thought this was a fantastic idea. They had disposable cameras on the tables and asked their guests to take photos throughout the day. They had a barrel to leave the cameras in at the end of the night and they then took the photos to get them developed. They had some lovely photographs.

Alternatively, you could ask your guests to take photos and videos using their mobile phones and then send them to you after your big day. You can then choose which photos to print off or you could create your very own photo books which are a beautiful way to preserve the memories from your special day.

Save Money on your Wedding Dress

Your wedding dress is likely to be the most expensive dress you’ll ever buy, but in some ways, it can seem a little frivolous to spend a fortune on a dress you’ll only wear for one day.

Keep an eye out for secondhand wedding dresses for sale. These are often in great condition and you’ll save a fortune. You can find them on Facebook Marketplace, Vinted or eBay.

You can also ask local bridal shops if they have any sample dresses available to buy. These are the dresses that the shops keep in store for brides to try on. They are usually well looked after and cost far less than having a dress made for you.

Make your own

There are all kinds of things you can make yourself in order to cut back on costs. As well as being a great way to save money, making your own is also a whole lot of fun too, especially if you rope the bridesmaids in to help. Here are just a few things you could make yourself

• Wedding favours
• Wedding invitations
• Table centrepieces
• Place names
• Seating plan
• Room decorations
• Order of service

Your dream wedding really doesn’t need to cost a fortune in order for it to be a day you treasure forever. Spend some time working out your priorities, set yourself a strict wedding budget, and don’t be tempted to spend money you can’t afford.