So, you’re getting married?! First of all: congratulations! This must be such an exciting time for you and your partner - as well as for your family and friends.
However, we all know that planning a wedding can become stressful, as well as very costly. According to The Knot, in 2019 the average cost of a wedding was $28,000. Wow, that’s a lot of money, right?!
With lots to prepare for why not let us help you make this special day as least stressful financially as possible? Below is our guide to help you save as many of those pound coins as you can!
Plan & Budget
Pick a Date
Before you can put a budget together for your wedding, you will need to know how long you have to save.
Booking your wedding date as far in advance as possible will mean you have more time to save money and get everything organised.
Put Together a Wedding Budget
Once you have a timeline in place, you will need to put together a realistic budget of how much you want to spend on your wedding overall.
Here you may want to think about expenses such as:
1) The wedding venue
2) The wedding rings
3) The wedding dress, suit, bridesmaid dresses, groom's party suits etc.
4) Catering
5) Decorations
6) Wedding favours
7) Props
8) Entertainment (DJ, musician)
As you add up these costs, you and your partner may want to look at prioritising what is most important to you and where you could make some cutbacks.
Maybe write a list of what is most important and what you could eliminate without putting a damper on the big day.
Be Wedding Savvy
You might also want to be flexible about your wedding date. Choosing months, days or times for your wedding that are not in high demand could help save a fortune!
You could consider choosing a weekday for your wedding as this will be the cheapest. Or push it back into autumn or even winter rather than throughout the spring and summer months. Winter bouquets of flowers from Hidden Botanics may even be cheaper than the usual summer selection.
Yes, it may not be possible for everyone to attend your wedding. However, if the wedding is booked in advance then your guests will have plenty of notice.
Keep Your Wedding Party Small
You shouldn’t feel pressured into inviting anyone to your big day!
However, a useful tip may be to put your guests into three categories:
1) Immediate family and best friends
2) Good friends and extended family
3) Co-workers or casual acquaintances
You should also think about whether you really need 7 bridesmaids - or will just 1 or 2 be enough? Having a smaller bridal party will mean you have a better budget to order bridesmaids dresses from stores like ASOS, where their selection of dresses won’t cost the earth either!
This is your big day! So instead of worrying about everyone else, do whatever is best for you. And cutting your wedding party back is generally one of the easiest ways to help stretch your budget so that your wedding can be everything you’ve always dreamed of for yourself.
Make a Monthly Savings Goal
Once you know how long you have to save for your wedding day, you will be able to calculate how much you will need to save each month.
If you’re confident that your family members are going to want to contribute towards the wedding, then this would be a good time to try and find out how much!
Granted, it may not be the easiest conversation. But if you simply let them know that you’re looking to put a monthly savings target together then they will likely provide you with a rough figure of what to expect anyway. They may even offer to take on smaller tasks such as your wedding favours which they can easily pick up from stores like My Wedding Favours!
Get Saving!
Cut Back On Unnecessary Expenses
Cutting back on unnecessary expenses is good practice any month, but absolutely essential when saving for a wedding!
Why not take a look at your current monthly expenses and be honest about getting rid of things that are not a priority? By cutting back you can start putting money aside for your wedding rings from providers such as Wedding Rings Direct.
Do you really need an expensive car loan, the most expensive TV subscription, or the latest smartphone? Or could you make those cutbacks to help you save for the most important day of your life?
Get Your Craft On
While everyone would like a wedding planner to deal with all the little things - it’s those things that could cost you the most in the long run!
Do you really need a wedding planner for things like save the date cards, wedding invitations, decorations or even centrepieces?
Maybe you could get your DIY on and order all the craft supplies you need from The Craft Company make those things yourself?! This could really help you save on costs and it would also be a lot more personal for you and your guests.
Shop Wisely
Rather than heading to a fancy wedding décor store, see if you can shop around for a bargain first!
Shopping on something like Facebook Marketplace or, eBay - even looking in your local charity shops may be a good way to save on things you may not be able to make yourself. And don’t forget to look at Etsy where you can find a whole host of personalised and unique wedding décor bundles.
For everything else, it’s a good idea to shop when you know there will be sales and promos. Or, of course, don’t forget to look out for discount codes! At Hey Discount, we share exclusive discount codes and deals from some of the biggest UK stores for homeware, gifts, clothing, and loads more.
Be Careful With a Credit Card
Credit cards are a great way to pay for a wedding when you don’t have lots of money readily available.
However, it is important to remember not to get carried away with your credit card and always remember this needs to be paid off regularly to avoid any unwanted charges or unnecessary debt. If you’re paying off a lot on your credit cards why not take a look at Experian to see if you can switch and save! This will help your monthly budget in the run up to your wedding.
You should factor this expense into your monthly savings budget. And if you are given money contributions from family or friends then you could think about transferring this money to your credit card balance, too. Every little helps!
Swap Gifts for Cash
Asking for money is never easy. So why not include a note on your wedding invites opting for cash over gifts?
No matter what you may think, your guests will definitely want to give you some sort of gift or gesture at your wedding. And some extra cash could really help contribute to your honeymoon fund with TUI or help pay off any debts you may have from the wedding.
You could also think about being more money savvy when celebrating a birthday or Christmas. Rather than gifts, ask family and friends for money instead! Even if you don’t directly use this money on your wedding - it will significantly help you meet your savings target each month in the run-up to it.
And that’s a wrap! From all of us at Hey Discount, we’d like to wish you congratulations and hope you have the very best day!
We hope this article has been useful for you. For more lifestyle guides and money-saving tips, please check out our blog here or contact us for more information.
