Weddings are an expensive business. According to this article from MoneySavingExpert.com, the average cost of a wedding ceremony is around £20,500 so any little bit that can be shaved off the price tag here and there is very welcome! If you’re a particularly savvy couple, there are a couple of ways to cut down on the cost of your big day and make things run more smoothly without it being any less special, so read on for our top ten wedding hacks that every engaged couple should know. We’ve also thrown in some special tips and tricks which will help give your wedding that little bit of extra sparkle that’ll make sure that you and your guests will never forget it.
Set up a “dessert bar”.
Instead of shelling out for an expensive wedding cake, why not consider setting up a dessert bar? It’s a much cheaper alternative and is a lot more fun and quirky! All you need to do is purchase a selection of sweet treats whether they be cakes, cookies, or even just chocolate bars, and let your guests come and get their own as they please. For a special touch, you could even bake some of your own treats to add to the table or ask your guests to do so.
Be your own DJ.
Hiring a DJ and all of the necessary equipment can be one of the biggest costs associated with a wedding, so why not cut this out by being your own DJ! All you have to do is put together a playlist on Spotify or Apple Music in your phone, plug it into the speakers and away you go! You and your partner can spend an afternoon putting this together and pick out some of your favourite songs, perhaps including some that are special to you.
Avoid printing loads of paper items.
A surprisingly big cost when it comes to weddings is that of printing out all of the individual menus and seating plans, etc. How about creating some attractive signage using something like a chalkboard instead of printing out pieces for each guest? You would be surprised at how much can be saved!
Opt for a Friday or Sunday.
Saturday weddings are in hot demand and are definitely the most expensive day of the week to get married. Going either side of Saturday could wind up saving you a lot of money, and still give you a weekend wedding to make things easier for your guests and let the celebrations take place over a couple of days.
Surprise your guests with a special touch.
Sometimes going that extra mile can really leave a lasting impression on your guests, whether it be the entertainment, the food, or something to do with the ceremony itself. For a really spectacularly thoughtful touch (especially for a night-time outdoor wedding), how about these amazing light up letters from Light It Up UK. They add a unique touch to the ceremony and will definitely stick in everyone’s memory.
Use weights to keep your veil in place.
If you’ve gone for an outdoor wedding and it’s a windy day, your veil is going to get blown all over the place. However, you can use handy little weights such as those at Save the Veil which will help to keep everything in place.
Set up a dedicated email address.
It might seem a little bit overboard, but believe us, it can be a really good idea to set up a separate “wedding planning” email address. The last thing you need is to miss emails, especially if the caterer cancels at the last minute! By separating emails, you’re much more likely to keep on top of everything, and you can even use it afterwards to send out wedding photos and maybe to deal with things such as households bills in your married life.
Buy a second-hand dress.
It might not be for everyone, but keeping an eye out for a second-hand dress can be a real help on the budget front. They’re likely to be in near-perfect condition as they’ll only have been worn once, and you probably won’t even be able to tell! While you might turn your nose up at the idea at first, you might change your mind when you see how much you could save. Check out this post from BrideBox for more info. on buying a preowned dress.
Opt for a faux cake.
If you don’t want to shell out for an ornate tiered cake, there is a more budget-friendly option available. You can ask your baker to make the top tier of the cake as usual so that it can be cut, and the rest can be made from styrofoam. (Another idea to just opt for a much smaller cake). You can then have a normal (but equally as tasty!) cake available which you can serve to the guests.
Get the venue size right.
Many couples often waste a lot of money by overestimating or underestimating their venue. To be on the safe side many couples opt for a venue which is actually far too big for their needs. While this doesn’t have a negative effect on the day, it takes a much heftier chunk out of the budget than it needs to!
Featured photo credit: Shutterstock via shutterstock.com
