Want to plan a beautiful budget wedding?
With the average South African wedding costing, at best, between R70 000 and R80 000, you’ll need to know these top wedding saving tips to keep your bank balance in check.
1 Pool your resources
Think outside the box and see if there are skills you can draw on from your close friends and family. It’s a great way of involving them in the day and they would be more than happy to be involved.
2 Be realistic
Have an honest conversation about what is important to you as a couple. Most arguments in a relationship are based on finances so its normal to have the odd tiff about this. Giving away extravagant goody bags may be a talking point but does it really add to the experience of the day? The wedding is you and your fiancee’s day, so do what’s right for you as a couple.
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3 Second hand doesn’t mean second best
Many people sell their wedding dresses after the big day. Logically, the dress has only been worn once – twice if a photoshoot was done before or after the event. There are great sites out there offering you amazing dresses at reduced prices. Take a look at Still White, a website specialising in the buying and selling of wedding dresses. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
4 Be gentle with a rental
Former brides are getting savvy by hiring out their designer wedding dresses to future brides-to-be. There are also businesses that specialising in renting out dress. This is your opportunity to wear a designer dress but without having the headache of the cost and the hassle of the dry cleaning and storage afterwards. Take a look at Wedding Dress Creations.
5 Save a bunch
A clever trick to slash your cost is to check where your local flower wholesaler is. If it’s nearby it’s a great option to go down (in the very early hours) several days before the wedding to select your flowers – if you don’t have a cold room to store the flowers in it may be best to get these the day before the wedding. Keep in mind flowers in season will be more cost effective and that you should liaise with them about pre-ordering and keeping them aside for you. Do a one-day flower course that specialises in hand tied bouquets, buttonholes and basic floral displays.
6 Have your cake and eat it
Got a friend that’s good at baking? Ask them to make your wedding cake as a wedding present and if you want to be even more thrifty opt for two courses instead of three and serve the cake as dessert – tell your guests it’s the thing to do in Italy (who doesn’t love a bit of European culture).
