Rands and Sense

Rands and Sense

After the excitement of the engagement is over and the wedding date is set the most important task to begin your wedding planning is to calculate a wedding budget.

Do some research on costs and prices of venues, décor and wedding gowns. Be sensible. Work on a budget that is affordable with realistic prices. Once you have come up with a total that is manageable, don’t be tempted to overspend. You want to start married life without loads of outstanding bills.

Here are some tips to keep costs down:

Keep your wedding small by keeping the number of guest down. Singles don’t have to bring partners.

Most venues offer discounted prices during the winter months. Midweek weddings can also beat the budget.

Don’t have a large retinue. Keep the numbers of bridesmaids and groomsmen down. This saves on outfits, bouquets and gifts.

Consider creating your own invites and favours. Ask a creative friend or relative to help.
Get the bridal party together for a fun evening to assemble the wedding favours.

Photography is an essential part of your big day. One way to cut expenses is to ask the photographer to give you your pictures on disc. You can then make up your own album or book. Inexpensive software is available to make up photo-books – a project which can be a fun for you and your groom after the honeymoon.

When it comes to choosing flowers, check out what is in season at the time of your wedding. Flowers that are out of season are far more expensive. Less exotic flowers are also more cost effective Watch out for occasions like mother’s day and Valentine’s Day – flowers are very expensive at this time.

A fun and colourful alternative for table décor is fruit such as lemons, limes or apples placed in large glass vases.

A cash bar is perfectly acceptable today. Provide a bottle of wine and a bottle of champagne per table. The guests can then use the cash bar facility for any other drinks. Just remember to state on your invitation that a cash bar will be available.

Have the wedding cake as dessert. Just check that the venue are happy to do this. A fun and economical alternative to a traditional wedding cake is cupcakes.

With all the costs covered don’t forget about your honeymoon! Why not sign up for a Honeymoon Registry. Instead of guests buying you another toaster or kettle ask them to contribute to a honeymoon registry. You choose your destination and your friends and family can contribute to a memorable start to your new life together.

Happy planning!