A wedding is the most wonderful time in a couple’s life together. The engagement is exciting; setting the date is a blast; setting the budget is… well, not so fun. Statistics show that the average cost of a Canadian wedding is $20,000. More and more couples are paying for their own weddings and paring down the costs. Making your own invitations and using the services of esthetic schools are just the beginning. Here’s how to plan your budget wedding.
- Guest List: We all know how hard it can be to pare down a wedding guest list, but for the sake of the budget, it’s necessary. The general rule is: If you haven’t spoken to or seen a person in the past two years, they shouldn’t be on your guest list. Also, be sure to take control of your list – tell Mom and Dad that the neighbours you had when you were five aren’t invited!
- Invitations: Make your own invitations. Spending hundreds of dollars on invitations is completely unnecessary. You can purchase invitation kits at local office supply stores for a fraction of the cost. All it takes is an hour in a word processing program on the computer, a cute picture of the couple and some address labels. Also, instead of spending money on reply card postage, ask your guests to reply via email or phone.
- Hair, Makeup and Spa Services: Forget about pricey spas and salons. Look online to find your local Hairstyling school or esthetics school. The students at these schools know how to style hair too and fancy hairdos are usually their specialty. You will pay a fraction of the cost for the same do. These establishments also offer makeup and spa services for very low costs and are a fantastic option for manicures, pedicures and all other spa services as well.
- Wedding Dress: This can be one of the biggest costs for a bride. We all know you want to look your best, but that doesn’t mean you have to blow your budget. Spend some hours looking online at used dresses: eBay and local online classifieds are a great source. If you’re not open to used, try rental establishments. Sample sales and seasonal sales at stores are a great opportunity as well. Call stores in advance and find out when they are hosting these events. You can also look in non-traditional stores for not only your dress, but your bridesmaid dresses. Sales racks at stores that offer formal dress wear are usually packed with options.
- Decorations & Favours: Ask for help with the decorating. Your friends an family are bound to harbor some inner craftiness.When choosing your wedding flowers, look for silk or seasonal fresh flowers. Wedding favors don’t need to be expensive. Bottles of bubbles with personalized labels that are computer made are a really inexpensive option as are little bags of candy.
- Wedding Day: Try a non-traditional weekday or Friday-night wedding. Saturday wedding costs are usually much more expensive, and they break up your guest’s whole weekend.
- Say NO to the Open Bar: Having an Open Bar at your wedding is definitely a no-no if you want to stay on budget. Instead, place two free drink tickets on each guest’s place setting and then have a cash bar for the rest of the evening. When couples offer open bars, the drinks tend to be discarded or lost after two sips anyway.
- Dinner: Instead of appetizers and served meals, try a buffet-style dinner. It is usually the cheaper options and provides your guests with more options for their supper.
- Cake: Guests at weddings usually don’t eat the cake so consider a small wedding cake for show only. Dessert is offered with dinner so don’t feel compelled to have a cake big enough to feed all of your guests.
- Photograper & Videographer: If you have a friend who is an amateur photographer, enlist their services. Or, consider having you’re a professional only for the ceremony and placing disposable cameras on tables for the reception. You will get great, spontaneous shots. If you hire a professional, be sure to ask about enlargement fees, and having all of your images available on a CD for your own use after the wedding. Ask one of your single friends to be the videographer for your big day. It’s a great way to preserve the memories AND get your friend talking to everyone at the party.
Planning a wedding on your own dime can be a stressful and complicated project. But it isn’t impossible and it is definitely worth a little extra effort. Remember, your wedding is just the start of your life together… Don’t spend all of your hard earned money on one day when you have the rest of your life to live.
Lilly Gordon is a freelance web author and publisher who enjoys writing on a variety of topics. She currently resides in Edmonton and is researching budgets, brides and Edmonton spa services.
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