Ten (Realistic) Tips to Cut Your Budget

We at Budget Savvy Bride have seen many a top ten cut your wedding budget list and we have to say we are not impressed. Cut the guest list – why – that’s not what you want. So we have come up with a great realistic set of top ten tips to cut your wedding budget (with no guest chopping in sight).

o Get Married on a Weekday or a Sunday

This option is becoming more popular due to the cost savings. You’ll be looking at up to 20 – 25% saving on the cost per head. If you can be flexible then this is a great option for you. If you have constraints and it needs to be on a Friday or Saturday then consider off peak. Weddings taking place during certain months of the year are limited giving you an ideal way to cut your venue budget.

o Dine Casual Style

One of the most significant costs of your wedding will be the food and drinks bill. A great way to cut this is to take the buffet approach. Buffets can be fantastic, allowing you to offer your guests variety without costing a great deal. If you’re lucky your venue may offer a Hog Roast or BBQ option – fantastic for summer weddings (weather permitting of course). You can save up to 50% on your food bill this way.

o Let them Eat Cake

Forget the fancy desserts. You’ve got a wonderful cake that people can really enjoy as dessert. We tend to think people need to eat constantly on the day of a wedding but a 3-course meal is filling enough. Adding cake will only see you disappointed when your guests don’t devour it the way you hoped as they are quite frankly stuffed from the main meal.

o Bin the Band

A live band will cost significantly more than a DJ. DJ’s can be sourced from around £300 where as a good, talented band will set you back significantly more. You can work with your DJ to come up with a great play list and even involve your guest by asking them to name a few favourite tracks and build your play list from their responses.

o Get Crafty

Make your own favours and stationery and save a bundle. Even if you’re as creative as a plank of wood there are real options for you. Look out for DIY packs such as those from Celebrations Plus and Wedding Delights. Ebay also have tons of options and seriously savvy bargains for you. Vistaprint do a fantastic range of self-print stationary – design online and order your own custom made, unique designs.

o You’ll Definitely Be Able to Wear it Again

How many bridesmaids have cringed at that statement – well you could be one bride who they can’t argue with. Seriously – look at the high street for your bridesmaid dresses. Coast, Oasis (my own BM’s wore stunning dresses from here) and Debenhams all do fantastic off the peg dresses. No costly alterations or high price tag, no waiting or ordering months in advance and seriously stylish enough that your BM’s will definitely want to wear them again

o Cakalicious

You can now by great ready made wedding cakes for around £150 upwards from retailers such as Marks & Spencer. This is a real savvy budget saver and fantastic value for money as you will know if you have approached your local wedding bakery. If you’re budget is really tight take advantage of the cupcake style phenomenon and get baking. You will be able to get a whole lot more for your money than the £3.00 per cupcake average of most wedding bakeries charge.

o All in One Venue

Having the ceremony and reception at the same venue is a simple one really. Cut out the transport costs for both you and your guests between the ceremony and reception venues and save on flowers (no need to decorate two locations) by doing the whole day at a single location. With more and more venues now catering for ceremonies this is a definite viable option.

o Be Cheeky

We are all about bargains but we can only do so much. It’s up to you to really get the discounts where it counts. You’ve got to ask for discounts. If you’re a late booking – even better. Venues will want your custom so if its less than 6 months ask what’s on offer. Key things to look for are removal of minimum numbers, reduced cost per head and inclusion of additional items to the packages available. If you have a limited budget per head then say this and ask what they can do. Even if they don’t cut the full amount you’ll be surprised at what simply asking the question gets you.

o Smaller Photography Package

You may want to full morning – night coverage but this is going to really cost you a great deal – think about cutting this down to the key parts of the day. If you can’t live without it then opt for a smaller album option and get the images on high resolution disk. You can even use the images to create your own special, unique album. Photobox offer a fantastic online tool, making this so easy anyone can do it!