WEDDING ON A BUDGET

A wedding can be extremely expensive and we all want to save as much as we can wherever we can.

I recently received some amazing Wedding budget advice from The Wedding Expo and I thought I would share it with you!

WEDDING DECOR

A Financial bottomless pit where the cost of flowers will make your eyes water. So how do you save money and still have a beautiful wedding?

Candles: Group different sized candles together instead of flowers as your centrepieces. Infinitely cheaper and usually more striking, too.

Less is more: Think of the decor as make-up for your venue. You wouldn’t wear blue eye shadow, dark eyeliner and red lips (we hope), so don’t overdress your venue either. It’s not necessary to have the floating chandeliers, Chinese lanterns, bunting and 5 000 fairy lights. Pare it back and be amazed at how much you can save.

Be creative: Don’t just browse ‘wedding flowers’. Look at design blogs and draw inspiration from all around you. Keep it simple. There are few things more stunning in a vase than a solitary palm leaf…

ATTIRE

The dress, the shoes, the suit, and the entourage’s attire… it all adds up.

Dress: How much can one dress really cost?! The answer is a lot. Depending on whether it is store bought or designed specifically for you, what fabrics are used, and what detailing there is, you can expect to pay anywhere between R10 000 and R100 000. Far be it from us to play the dress down, but the truth is you really are only going to wear it for a maximum of twelve hours (yes, we know it will be captured in photographs forever). Consider buying a previously owned dress and having it altered to fit: it’s the best of both worlds, a perfectly tailored dress just for you at a fraction of the cost. Check out Stillwhite.co.za for a huge selection of previously owned dresses.

Groom’s suit: This is a no-brainer. Hire the groom’s and the groomsmen’s suits. There is no need to buy new.

The entourage: Think outside the box for bridesmaid’s dresses. Look to high street stores for cheaper alternatives. Also remember that the fewer the bridesmaids, the fewer dresses/shoes/thank you gifts you need to buy, so keep the entourage small.

STATIONERY

Move with the times: It’s 2016; it’s time to move online. Unless stationery is an absolute priority for you, do not spend thousands of rands on bespoke invitations. Create a wedding website and include all the details that your guests need (from accommodation suggestions to registry details).

 

Hope this helps! It definitely helped me.

The Wedding Expo is happening this weekend in Cape Town Visit http://www.wedding-expo.co.za