Weddings are expensive. Even the most low-key wedding will likely cost a pretty penny. However, with a little savviness and careful planning, the price of a wedding needn’t be as daunting as you first thought.
You and your partner are looking for ways to save money without compromising on what should be the most special day of your lives. Don’t worry, there are plenty of ways for you and your betrothed to tighten the purse strings ahead of the big day. Consider these simple steps to ensure there is still plenty leftover in the piggy bank for that honeymoon you have been waiting for.
The proposal
Long before you’ve even thought about hiring your favourite band or picking out hors d’oeuvres, a well thought-out proposal could be your first port of call on your money-saving quest. For decades, people have bandied around these set “rules” of engagement, outlining just how much one should spend on an engagement ring. However, the search for your perfect ring should be a process unique to you, and everyone should approach it in whatever way is comfortable for them.
According to research, the average UK male spent just under £1,500 in 2019 on their engagement ring, whilst the average monthly salary sits at just over £2,500. If you ever wondered whether people still abide by the old adage of spending three-months wages on a ring, there’s your answer.
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Set a budget and stick to it
Once the proposal has been made and the planning begins in earnest, it is crucial to set a budget in the early stages to give the process some structure. As many married couples will vouch for, it is very easy for costs to quickly snowball when it comes to organising your wedding, which is why setting a practical budget and sticking to it is one of the best ways to ensure costs don’t spiral out of control.
Granted, this is much easier said than done, with both you and your partner wanting to make this day as special and memorable as can be. One way of overcoming this issue is by determining the most important elements of the wedding where perhaps you are happy to spend a bit more frivolously, be it music or food, for example. Once these have been agreed upon, you will be left with some areas where you may feel more comfortable cutting costs. This could even give you and your partner a chance to be creative by including some homemade elements to the decor.
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Consider alternative days of the week
Whilst you likely want to keep compromises to a minimum, one of the most straightforward yet bulky savings you can possibly make in the wedding planning process is to choose a cheaper day of the week to get married. The vast majority of weddings take place on either a Friday or Saturday, and venue costs reflect this, with weekend weddings typically being much more expensive.
With the venue likely to be the greatest cost of the day, opting for a midweek wedding could bring with it significant savings. Furthermore, popular venues are likely to have greater availability on off-peak days considered to be between Monday and Thursday, which could accelerate the planning process saving you both time and money. However, before making this decision, it is important to gauge the feelings of your guests, and whether a midweek wedding would dramatically reduce RSVPs.
B xx
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