How to plan a budget wedding?
10 TIPS TO DRAMATICALLY REDUCE YOUR WEDDING COSTS
Welcome back all you beautiful
brides-to-be! Worried about ever-increasing wedding costs? Worry not!
Our post today is especially for you! As wedding planners, we often come
upon a situation where we see couples overextending their budgets just
because of a lack of foresight. It might sound harsh, but remember, if
you want everyone to have a great time at your wedding without having to
bite off more than you can chew when it comes to wedding costs, you
have to make a budget and stick to it.
It’s very easy to go overboard and
there’s no limit to the amount you can spend. But we sincerely advise
you to know when to draw the line – and draw it. Wedding expenses can
add up quickly, and there’s nothing wrong with being a bit frugal.
Fortunately, there are lots of ways to trim your costs and still have
the big day that you’ve dreamed about
.
There are several decisions you can make
early in the planning process to cut wedding costs, such as the number
of guests you invite. Other decisions can be made as you go along if you
discover that your wedding expenses are going to exceed your total
budget.
These 10 tips might sound simple and
repetitive, but our experience tells us that if you carefully consider
the following tips, you might save anywhere between a staggering 5-10
lakhs on your wedding costs.
- DECIDE ON A BUDGET
Sit down with your family and decide on
an approximate budget for the wedding. Make sure that you have the
consent of your spouse on the agreed amount. Create a spreadsheet or
notebook that lists the highest and lowest prices for all aspects of
your wedding. This includes food, flowers, entertainment, rental fees
and any other costs. When deciding which areas to cut down on, you can
refer to the list and choose whether to forfeit certain things or use
the cheapest option.
- PRIORITIZE! PRIORITIZE! PRIORITIZE!!!
Prioritize aspects of the wedding that
are most important to you. By compromising in some areas, you can afford
to splurge on others.
For example, if you can’t cut the guest
list down, consider having your wedding on a weeknight or a Sunday
night, when demand is down and venues look to make deals in order to
book clients. Speak with prospective reception venues about which dates
are usually slow and negotiate on pricing.
It’s okay to cut back costs. Economizing
is thoughtful, not something you have to apologize for. If you
prioritize, guests might not even notice what you have not included in
your festivities as the arrangements were done tastefully.
Hiring a wedding planner may sound
expensive, but planners help in reducing the cost of your wedding. They
know the insider rates and best deals available in the market and can
also help in negotiating a better deal with the venue. In this way, you
can use professional services of an experienced planner to help lower
you budget.
- PLAN AHEAD, DO ALL YOUR BOOKINGS IN ADVANCE
If you get started early, you’ll have
the time and flexibility to shop during sales and comparison shop from
different wedding suppliers. Visit local bridal exhibitions to get some
good deals. Book you hotels, flight tickets, train tickets and other
transportation in advance as the costs may soar last minute.
- NEGOTIATE, ASK FOR DISCOUNTS, COMPARISON SHOP FOR BETTER DEALS
Before signing a contract with your
caterer, photographer, or florist, try to negotiate a lower yet still
reasonable price. Vendors may offer you a better deal to beat
competition. When you have found your dream lehenga, ask for a discount
before going ga-ga on your precious find.
- SEEK EXPERT ADVICE OR HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER (OR BOTH!)
Most brides think that hiring a wedding
coordinator will break their budget. It’s a little-known fact that
wedding coordinators can actually save you money after you get all the
discounts and perks they have arranged with partner vendors.
Wedding planners may seem like an
unnecessary cost, but depending on the size of your wedding, they may
not only be able to save you money by using their connections and
knowledge of the industry, but also save a lot of time. Their knowledge
of weddings will help reduce the stress of planning and make your
wedding a better show in terms of innovative décor and design.
Also ask friends and relatives who
recently planned a wedding about the vendors they hired and their
experiences. This will also help you to understand recent trends and
vendor prices.
- SPEND WISELY ON JEWELRY
We Indians spend a great deal of money
on wedding jewellery so it’s important that we manage this cost
carefully. You can opt for a wholesale jeweller or a jeweller working
from home instead of a designer store to save considerably on making
costs of jewellery. Moreover, if you do your homework on what kind of
jewellery you wish to have (jadau, kundan, gold jewellery, diamond
jewellery) and visit a jeweller which specializes in that craft, again
you will be saving a good amount of money.
- CONSIDER ALTERNATE WEDDING VENUES AND INNOVATIVE WEDDING IDEAS
The most popular hotels and banquets in
the city are bound to be exorbitant. In fact, why get married where
everyone else does as well? Use your imagination and think out of the
box to save big on your wedding venue. You can opt for a quaint town
near your city or go for a temple wedding that is traditional and
beautiful (remember Alia Bhat’s South Indian Temple Wedding in Two
States?!) or even get married at a friend’s farmhouse.
If you stay in Mumbai, why not host your
wedding in Lonavala or Mahabaleshwar. Or if you stay in Delhi, why not
opt for the serene beauty of Nainital?
Other than venue, there are plenty of
ways in which alternative ideas can save costs. For instance, consider
wearing your mother’s wedding saree in any of the wedding functions. The
costs of cleaning and alterations will likely be far less than the cost
of buying a new wedding dress.
Another example is to research hidden
gems in your city. For example, there are many talented photographers
who haven’t made a name for themselves yet, and their lack of fame can
save you a fortune. If you fall hard for a photographer who’s in high
demand, ask if they will refer you to a lower-priced colleague (just
make sure you like his work before you commit).
Instead of spending on a designer label,
scout local shops for lehengas and sarees that are equally beautiful
and maybe even half the price!
- GET MARRIED OFF SEASON
Getting married off season can save you a
great deal of money. You can strike a good deal with your preferred
venue and vendor in this case. In fact, getting married off season means
that the vendors are not in a hurry to finish things off and can pay
more attention to service.
Vendors will be more likely to reduce
fees if you choose a date from March- October rather than scheduling it
for November-February, when rates are at their highest. This doesn’t
apply, however, during holidays. Fridays and Sundays are generally less
expensive than Saturdays for renting a venue.
For a destination weddings as well, you can book a date that is not as popular for travel in the region.
- CUT DOWN YOUR NUMBER OF FUNCTIONS
This might seem tough, but if you cut
down on the number of functions you can save drastically on your costs.
Our weddings typically consist of Mehendi, Sangeet, Engagement, Wedding
and Reception. Instead of having these functions on different days, why
not club two functions together. For instance you can have your Mehendi
and Sangeet on the same day and Wedding and Reception on another day.
If you wish to have your wedding and
reception on separate days, why not opt for a small and intimate wedding
followed by a grand reception?
10. CUT DOWN ON YOUR GUEST LIST
Try to keep the number of attendants as
small as possible. Bigger your guest list, the higher the expenses.
Keeping the guest list as limited as possible will cut down on food,
invitation and reception costs.
So don’t feel compelled to invite your
third cousin that you’ve never met! Make your wedding an intimate affair
and you’ll spend considerably less.
11. RELY ON MY WEDDING PLANNING!
And yes, if everything else fails, we are always there for you 
Check out our wedding packages and wedding decor packages that suit all budgets. We even offer a 10% discount (up to Rs 10000) on photographers listed on our site. Check it out guys!
Check out our wedding packages and wedding decor packages that suit all budgets. We even offer a 10% discount (up to Rs 10000) on photographers listed on our site. Check it out guys!
Happy Planning to all our wonderful readers!
