A Wedding On A Budget. Ways To Save Money..

A Wedding On A Budget. Ways To Save Money..
Author : Wedding Photography Select
Article Date : 04 Dec 2014

Think of your wedding as a considered financial commitment. First up, make a list of everything that will need paying for. Have conversations with family members who have kindly offered to contribute towards paying the costs of your wedding.

Build in a contingency cost of 5-10% of your total budget. This is your 'buffer' amount that will pay for extras, like hire item delivery costs.

Do your supplier research. Compare and contrast thoroughly. Draw up a spreadsheet and review if you can undertake any elements of planning as DIY projects.

Decide on your priorities. Choose three key areas to spend money on and be incredibly strict with the other categories.

Save on wedding invitations and direct your guests to a wedding website which gives them all the details of your nuptials. It saves precious pounds and is a 'green' option too.

Remember: multi purpose design features save hard earned money if budgets are tight. To save on the cost of flowers, combine decorative table centerpieces with dessert options. Forget the sugared almonds in ornate china teacups designed by Fortnum and Mason; choose simple wedding favours such as single apples adorned with luggage tags, which also serve as individual place settings.
Make one element luxurious to transform a whole look. An ornate charger plate or coloured glass at each place setting can lift the whole look of your table designs.

Dress your wedding cake table with the wedding party's bouquets as your reception begins.
As an alternative to expensive luxury floral displays, focus on keeping them minimal and enhance your marriage venue with candles. Order rose petals to complement them; they are often very inexpensive.

Never underestimate the effect of lighting in your wedding design. It can totally transform a venue at a cost that's quite competitive compared to using the services of other wedding suppliers.

Florals in Focus: How to do it the DIY way:

Buy in Season. Avoid paying a premium for imported blooms.

Fake it. The emphasis here is not on silk. If you're going for obvious fakery as a statement design piece (that can look completely amazing) Paper florals are the answer. Paper garlands are also massively in trend and contribute to beautiful wedding designs at incredibly affordable prices.



Use big blooms like hydrangeas. They look bulky and luxurious but are quite inexpensive!

Get creative with 'props' to bulk up your selections, lemons and limes, pine cones etc.

Use scented flowers wisely in your wedding designs, especially around food, it can get too much.

If you are decorating your wedding cake with flowers, make sure that you have told your florist; some types are particularly unsuitable to be used in food presentation.

Aside from the arranging, if you're buying your flowers direct, know how to look after them! First up, refer to the Plants and Flowers Association for exceedingly useful advice.

Some general tips:
1. Always transport in water
2. Transport at a temperature of 2-5 degrees C, with the exception of Orchids and Anthurium which must be transported at a minimum of 15 degrees C.
3. Do not transport flowers together with vegetables or fruit. Ethylene fumes are extremely damaging and your blooms will not survive.
4. In extreme cold, cover your blooms with cling film whilst in transit but maintain airflow.
5. Let flowers acclimatise in 10-15cm of clean water for a few hours and use flower food after removing 3cm diagonally from the base of flower stems.

Get surfing online. Visit Pinterest and Etsy and other design/crafty/wedding blogs for inspiration. A bit of creativity goes a long way for a wedding on a budget! What you lack in funds, make up for by way of effort and creativity. Personalised touches often create the most memorable weddings.

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