So you want the wedding of your dreams? Then marry a rich prince!
Weddings are not a cheap event to plan, most engaged couples have a dream of how they want their day to be, and this can prove expensive and can lead to debt problems before the marriage has begun, this can lead to stress and upset.
Your wedding day is the day you marry the one you love, wartime brides in WW2 married on next to nothing, the important thing for them was the love they were declaring for each other publicly. They improvised, they had rations but they had a wedding that will never be forgotten. Most newlyweds will tell you they had a wonderful day but cannot remember every detail, so why stress yourself trying to achieve something you won't remember? Most eyes are on the Bride and her support, most minds are on the eating, drinking and dancing, they don't know how much you have paid, no price labels are on show, they just enjoy the moment and so should you.
Work out a sensible budget, find out if your family can help in any way, ask yourself…
- Who can bake the cake?
- Who can decorate the cake?
- Who in the wedding party has nice cars?
- Who is a good photographer?
- Who is a good dressmaker?
- Who loves art and computer graphics?
- Who loves flower arranging?
- Who has an amazing flower garden?
- Who sings?
- Who plays musical instruments?
- Who does card making?
You may be pleasantly surprised as to who will be thrilled to play a role in your big day, if both parties put their thinking caps on and are not afraid to ask, huge savings can be made.
Students in their final year at college have been taught all the skills but are not ready to leave and work in the big wide world just yet, but they might be able to provide:
- Catering
- Beauty
- Hair
- Photography
- Flower arranging
- Art and Craft
- Interior design ideas
- Music
- Dress making and design
They would probably love to have a wedding in their portfolio for a small fee.
Look to your cousins, work colleagues and their families, what are their hobbies, can they bring something unusual to make your big day unique, that quiet chap in your office might be an amazing singer or owns a collectable antique car.
Ask before you rush off and pay high prices.
Don't spend all your money on Bridal magazines, they are not cheap and the money spent on one could pay for something towards your big day, you know in your head what you want and items in magazines are usually designer and will probably be out of your price range. The internet has loads of sites for the planning of a wedding.
Find out what local weddings are going on in your area, take a digital camera, snap away at anything that catches your eye, put it in a folder, and make your own magazine to dreamily gaze at.
Does your wedding have to be on a Saturday? Some venues offer cheaper rates for mid week and winter dates.
Harvest festival, Easter and the Christmas period is when most churches are decorated by the talented ladies that support the church; no flowers will be needed for you to decorate.
A small pageboy attendant can be dressed in a shirt in your chosen colour, buy button on lace, concertina a piece of satin lining and attach hook and eye for a cumber band over black trousers, make a bow tie from the same material, minimal cost, wonderful effect, useful for after the ceremony.
Wedding favours are an expense, buy some cheap soft netting in a colour that suits, a reel of satin ribbon and a large economy size bag of sweets. Cut the netting into small squares pop in a sweet or two, tie with a piece of ribbon, now you have a wedding favour for the table.
Buy a large iced shop bought cake, use a few petals from the flowers in your bouquet, sprinkle on top, use this as the centre piece for the top table, buy smaller ones for the centre piece of the other tables, place the names of the guests onto a pretty card and have it sitting on top of the cake, the guests will know where they are sitting, you have a centre piece and the guests get to cut their own cake. In the UK the main food chains and stores have these in stock at very reasonable prices.
The trend for disposable cameras on the table seems like a good idea, however, some brides have found that their guests forget to use them and they go to waste.
Find someone with a digital camera ask them to take the "funny" wedding photographs and use a professional for the formal ones, this can save money as the photographer will only be with you for a short while.
The list is endless, hire the outfits, buy second hand etc, the most important thing is to keep calm, stay in your bank managers good books, have a wonderful day and a long life with the one you love. Congratulations on your Engagement and good luck with your planning.
