Planning a wedding on a budget

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Posted on by Dragon Sue in Saving Money & Finances

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So you love the socks off each other, and want the World to know by celebrating your love in a Wedding! Congratulations!

But there is just one little fly in the ointment, (No I’m not talking about the Mum-in-Law to be), I’m talking about finance. In today’s financial climate, even the better heeled among us are watching those pennies a little closer than before, so you really can be forgive for wanting to find ways to cut corners of your wedding budget, while still having the best ‘do’ possible.

The first thing you have to do is sit down with your partner to be, and decide what sort of Wedding you both really want. Then you have to sit down with interested parties, and these include, parents, siblings, and best friends, tell them what you want, listen to their suggestions, and then choose. What ever you do, DON’T turn down any offers of help at this point, as even if you have done this before, you have no idea how much work is going to be involved between now and the chosen date!

You need to work out how much you are able to spend on this wedding, then set up a Wedding Budget Spreadsheet, with everything you can think of listed and apportioned a set amount, and stick to it. A good way to get an idea of what sort of things are going to be needed is to get a couple of wedding magazines. Put out a call on your local Freecycle, and you will find someone with some magazines they are willing to part with, and that will be your first step towards a budget wedding!

Using the Wedding Budget Spreadsheet you have carefully compiled, create a Wedding Budget Checklist. From that you can research friends and family who have skills you can use. Do you know a dressmaker who would be willing to make THE dress? (Or that of the bridesmaids if you are having any?) The dress can cost more than any other single item on the list, so getting someone to make it can greatly reduce the over all budget. Or you could buy second hand, or even ask on Freecycle again and get it for free!

Do you know someone who can do hair/nails/make-up? Getting the hair, nails and make-up done professionally for the Bride and Maid of Honour can be very costly, so having a friend or family member who is willing (and able) to do the job, is highly recommended.

Is there someone you know someone who is clever with flowers? Can they grow them (a packet of seeds is a lot cheaper than the ready grown item!) or can they arrange them?

Or decorating, do you know someone whose house always looks spectacular when they throw a party? They will know where to get cheap decorations!

And the Cake! Ask your parents on this one, they might know someone who can do the job and literally save you hundreds!

Do you know any people who bring spectacular dishes to parties and gatherings? Could you get them together to make the Wedding Banquet, and turn them into caterers for the day?

What about the invites? Do you know someone who is artistically inclined, who could design a simple invite that could easily be reproduced? (PS… we wrote a post on this here: Inexpensive Wedding Invitations)

Between you, you have a whole group of friends and relatives who have skills that have never really been exploited. Now is your chance to help them shine, make use of that resource for cheap wedding planning and low budget wedding ideas!

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Tags: budget wedding ideas, cheap wedding planning, how to plan a wedding on a budget, inexpensive wedding flowers, low budget wedding ideas, wedding budget checklist, wedding budget spreadsheet