How to save money on your wedding?
Yep. Natalie is back with yet another cracker of a blog post and one that the absolute majority of people would love to read - because… who doesn’t love saving money right?
So without further ado, let’s dive right in
1. Book an ‘unpopular date’
I see my wedding season as March - November and I also know that my busy days are Fridays and Saturdays ( and bank holidays weekends )
A couple of years ago I had over 100 enquiries for the date of 18/09/18. ( I literally had more than 10 enquiries in one day for that day. It was crazy - every time I got an enquiry I automatically thought it was about this Saturday and usually I was right )
If I were to, let’s say, offer a shorter package to fit within someone’s budget on such a popular date, it would be a very silly business practice. However, if someone is looking to book me on a Tuesday in December, there’s way more chance of me being able to meet my couples on their budget. I have also seen plenty of amazing venues offering crazy discounts in off-peak times - sometimes up to 50%!
If you give your guests plenty of notice they might not have as much of an issue with booking the day off as you might think they would. However, I would always suggest speaking with the nearest and dearest ( those you couldn’t imagine yourself getting married without ) before committing to a date.
( Also if the majority of your friends work in let’s say retail, it will probably be easier for them to book a day off mid-week than during a weekend - just ask me about how difficult it was to get a day off during the weekend when I worked in a gym :) )
2. Book last minute
This is kind of an ‘under'-point’ of the one above. If you book last minute ( you’re a rebel and a bit of a hero - you have my absolute respect ), you might bag yourself some discounts that way. Especially after the last year in the wedding industry, people would rather make money than sit on the bum doing nothing. However, my advice is: Just don’t be an ass about asking for discounts. Ask for shorter coverage or take something out of the package to make it cheaper for your supplier!
3. Get married later in the day
This one is an easy one - the later you get married, the less food you will have to pay for. If your ceremony is at 4-5 pm your food can be served around 7-8 ( still need time for photos and maybe some welcome drinks ) and it will be a normal dinner time. People would have already got their lunches before your wedding. That way there’s no need for a giant evening buffet.
4. DYI
Yep, just do it yourself.
If you’re short for cash, there might be things you can perhaps attempt to do yourself.
Youtube is a great place to start learning about things, but it’s probably good to stick to things you enjoy normally anyway. A crafty person who loves flowers? Why don’t you try to make your own bouquet and buttonholes? Love singing? What about karaoke for the evening entertainment?! Makeup junkie? Maybe you can have a go at your wedding makeup? ( Which would be way different to your everyday one, because the camera will make some of it completely disappear, but more on that later! )
5. Don’t have a sit-down meal / Do a potluck
Let’s face it, food is one of the biggest expenses of your day. Some food trucks work so much cheaper than your usual sit-down wedding meals. Plus pizza/ fish and chips/ Spanish food/ Asian food etc are super instagrammable :)
Or another option is that you can sort out a situation where every household brings a dish - you can maybe do it just for the desserts to act instead of a cake, or you can do it for savory meals as well. I will just add that if you opt for that, make sure to provide some more food yourself, just in case some of your friends forget to bring their dish, or they eat only a tiny bit of food that would keep other people hungry. A couple of sandwich platters and crisps could do the job of filling the hole.
6. Don’t pay for ‘gimmicks’
Honestly, these things can be so much fun, but if you’re short for cash - just ask yourself if you really need love letters, photo booth, chocolate fountain, donut wall, sweet cart, popcorn machine, outdoor lawn games.. etc etc etc. Or would you rather have the ‘necessity’ suppliers that you really love?
I remember years ago a bride really wanted to book me but I was way above her budget. She got in touch after her wedding as she hated her photos and was wondering if I could re-edit them. Unfortunately, her photographer didn’t allow that to happen. It upset me greatly when she said ‘ I wish I didn’t pay for my love letters, because if I didn’t I could have had you as my photographer and actually have photos from my wedding day I loved’
Basically what I’m saying is - write a list of the necessary things you need to get married and then a list of the things you want to be there when you get married. And spend accordingly :)
7. Buy your dress second hand
Honestly, the amount of absolutely beautiful wedding dresses out there that would like a second go at a wedding day ( I just imagine it as the adult version of toy story )
Scout the internet, have a look, you might be surprised where it gets you!
( Seriously, I have been in love with rue de seine dresses for almost a decade now, but with their price tag being about £4000 I will definitely be getting a second-hand dress one day - I’m sure it’s better for the planet too right? )
8. Create a wedding website to save on your stationery
It’s very easy to sort out a wedding website where you can keep your guests updated about everything you do. Like you can probably turn it into your own facebook and let them know what you had for lunch - no judgement here! One of my couples used the knot to do theirs which was completely free, but there are plenty of other providers you can use as well.
If you would like some more personalised experience for your guests - you can always hire a graphic designer to do a logo or artwork - but can still save on the printing and postage of your invites/menus/thank you cards etc
Ps. I can help with your artwork ;)
9. Repurpose things
For example, any flowers that are involved in your ceremony can be your centrepieces at your reception. Or for favours give people a shot of alcohol they can use to cheers during your speeches.
10. Borrow things
For example jewellery!
11. Don’t have a seating plan
This is a little bit of a crazy one. If you’re a bit of a risk-taker, scrap the seating plan. You won’t have to spend any money on printing out a seating plan or seating cards. Just maybe sort out some games before dinner time, so people can start mingling out of their friendship/family group!
12. Book your ceremony and reception venue within walking distance
No need to spend money on transport then! Plus it makes for fabulous photos!
13. Find a venue with no corkage fee
Not being charged for bringing your alcohol can save you SO MUCH MONEY. Especially if you opt for ‘bring your own booze’. And I mean… we all used to do that for house parties - and had a great time!:) So maybe time to bring those memories back and what a better time for that than a wedding!
14. Hire a house on Airbnb instead of a traditional venue
While some Airbnb listings won’t allow you to throw a giant party, some will... and how much money will that save you? And it’s accommodation sorted as well!
15. Should you save money on one of the biggest costs - a photographer?
Ok, obviously you’re on my blog - I am a photographer&videographer and in the ideal world I would want you to book me. But sometimes that is not possible.
Hiring an upcoming photographer is always an option - the only thing I will mention is that if you decide on a ‘student’ photographer - try to go for someone with photography experience in a different field - someone, who is just new to weddings. Plenty of portrait, fashion, commercial, etc photographers have transitioned into wedding photographers and they all had to start somewhere. The difference between them and a complete newbie is that they were very aware of the technical aspect of shooting, so they didn’t have to work that out and how to actually shoot a wedding, they only have to deal with one new bit.
Admittedly I have never planned a wedding myself, but I am very observant, so I hope that these tips and tricks I have learned since I started working as a wedding photographer, might help!
As always, please let me know if there’s anything you think I should have included, or any questions you might have,
Nat xox