A friend of mine asked us how we're managing to keep the cost of our wedding down.
Here's how:
DO NOT TRY TO PLEASE EVERYONE. At one stage, we were looking at a ceremony and reception combined. One day. $12,000. 150 guests. And the stress! Do we invite my relatives whom I only see once every few years? Mum and Dad's friends? Primary school friends? Where do you draw the line?
GO OVERSEAS!!!This string of questions led us to joking about eloping. Then we looked into booking our honeymoon as a distraction. That led to us investigating having our wedding ceremony and honeymoon combined in Vanuatu. My advice, if and where possible, The fact we're not shelling out extra money on TOP of a wedding here in Perth has meant we've got money for smaller things, and for our house deposit.
HAVE A BUDGET AND STICK TO IT!!! Easier said than done, I know, but be realistic about what you do need, what you don't need, and what you may be able to comprimise on/beg/borrow/steal.
Have a friend who is great with a camera? Wedding photographer. Someone close to you who is an amazing baker and cake decorator? Wedding Cake. Have a friend or family member with a lovely, big home or garden? Ask if you can have the wedding ceremony/reception there. Do not be afraid to ask. It never hurts.Do you really,really need a 3 couse, sit down meal AND cake? Do you really need wedding favours, flower girls, a horse and carriage to get there, a $3000 meringue dress? By defining what you will really, really need will help. For us it was a good photographer, an area for on outdoor wedding, alcohol and our honeymoon. The rest, we've managed to cut out or find alternatives.
ENTER COMPETETIONS!!!!!! We won our wedding photography by simply entering online. It was a complete fluke, but it took me about a minute. Go to Bridal Fairs/Expos- write down your details and enter every and any competition on offer. All of them. Take a friend and get them to help you! It's how we ended up choosing who to build our house with- at a bridal expo!
BE REALISTIC! Not the sort of person who wears a dress regularly? Don't go the whole hog in a meringue, white, tulle covered dress, with a full on veil and a boquet of 100 roses. Stick with what you're comfortable in. I am having a halter neck, cream dress that is very simple. It is lovely, but I'll feel like myself. Not the sort of person who is good a public speaking? Don't have a wedding ceremony and reception with 200 people. Keep it simple. Maybe don't even have anyone except witnesses. On a budget? Don't have the full on schebang wedding. If you explain, people will understand that your priorities lie in something other than spending money on one day.
FIND ALTERNATIVES!! Is there something you can't "let go of"? For me, it was the idea of roses for my wedding boquet. Then I got a quote for 3 post style boquets. $500, straight up. THEN, we decided to have the ceremony overseas. Does Vanuatu have roses? Probably not, being a tropical island.
Here's how we have found alternatives to pricey or unavailable issues
Decorations: Beg/Borrow/Steal. We're having a reception at home, and are planning to buy, rather than hire, a marquee. Hire- $5000 plus. Buying-$500. And we can use it again. Or just sell it. The decorations will be simple. Think fairy lights, candles and vases of flowers with a teal and white/cream theme. All of which have been purchased or borrowed for our engagement party. Re-use where possible!
Flowers: Look up Special Occastions on Facebook, then tell me you MUST have real flowers for your boquet. For a total of $250 covering postage too, I'm recieiving 3 boquets in cream roses, and 3 hair pins with the same colour rose attached. And I'm not talking small boquets, I'm talking really big, expensive looking ones. And I can take them to Vanuatu. And I don't have to worry about keeping them in water. And I can keep them. Maybe.
Dresses: Have a design, but they're all out of your price range? Get quotes from a dress maker. Is the style simple? Maybe a family member or friend can make your dress, or the bridesmaids dresses? Pale skin? Can't wear white- well, don't wear it! I have the most stunning "diamond" white dress, which suits my skin tone beautifully. A friend of mine wore the most stunning deep RED wedding gown. She looked amazing. Scour shops for ball dresses- see if they come in a more "bridey" colour. Ball gowns tend to be a fraction of the cost of a wedding gown.
DO NOT MENTION THE "W" WORD ( Wedding)!!!! As an experiment, I called a florist for a quote for a posy of white roses for a wedding. Then rang the next day for the same thing, but did not define the purpose. The difference in price? $100. Ring around. Get quotes, ask why the difference for a wedding is so vast. We're having our reception catered, but there will be no mention of a wedding. After all, it is really just a party. With a wedding cake. And music.
