Getting engaged is surely one of the most exciting moments in your and your significant other’s love lives. The next step—your wedding—is even more thrilling!

However, before you get to indulge in married bliss, you have to get over a big hurdle first: planning your wedding. This task is a big and potentially challenging one, especially if you’re working on a limited budget. Obviously, you don’t have to spend millions in order to make your big day special. Some people even forego the wedding completely and just elope or have a courthouse ceremony!

That said, there’s also nothing wrong about wanting to make an event out of your wedding to celebrate a new chapter in your relationship. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to plan and make your dream wedding a reality within a reasonable budget. You can always get a cash loan online to supplement your funds; on the other hand, it’s also great if you can save some money so you can get a head start on your nest egg.

Here are some tips you can follow for a hassle-free planning of your wedding without overspending:

Plan It Long Before the Date

Many couples stay engaged for a couple of years or so before actually getting married because they know saving up a good amount can take some time. Some people even look for low-risk short-term investments where they can park the money they plan to spend for the wedding. This way, after the end of the investment period, they’ll have a bigger budget to work with.

The point here is that you should give yourself and your fiance ample time to plan for everything. By starting early, you can take your time looking for suppliers; no rash decisions means being more confident about your choice and likely more satisfied with the outcome. You can also secure other bookings ahead of time and enjoy discounts. You can then use the savings to splurge on your honeymoon or as perhaps extra funds for on-the-day incidentals.

In short, having more time to prepare means having more peace of mind during the day itself.  

Make a Checklist and Prioritize

Making a checklist is crucial for planning a budget wedding because of two primary reasons. First, it ensures that you won’t forget anything, down to the smallest detail. Second, and perhaps more importantly, it helps you prioritize. Keep in mind that not every couple will want the same thing for their wedding day. Some may prefer good food over having a same-day edit video, while others may want an extravagant honeymoon and keep the rest of the wedding as simple as possible.

To start your checklist, here are some common elements of a wedding:

• Wedding rings
• Ceremony
• Reception
• Food
• Attire and accessories
• Grooming (hair and makeup)
• Photo and/or video coverage
• Flowers and decorations
• Invitations
• Lights and music

Again, depending on your preferences as a couple, your final list may be different. You can also agree on creating your separate checklists first, in order of priority. Then, combine your list and move things up or down depending on the items that scored high or low on your individual lists. You may discover that you both want to prioritize providing a great meal and overflowing refreshments to your guests. If so, then you can focus more of your funds on that aspect and deprioritize other elements.

Limit Your Guests

Here’s a fact about every wedding or indeed, every event: the more people there are, the bigger your expenses will be. This may be a good thing for things like conferences and conventions. Not only can the organizers recoup the money they spent, but they can also build up a healthy business network. Weddings, on the other hand, simply don’t work that way.

This simply means that if you want to minimize your wedding expenses, it’s best to keep the guest list short. Some people feel like 50 is a reasonable number but if you can go lower, it will be so much better for your bank accounts. Having fewer guests is also less stressful.

Finally and most importantly, an intimate affair allows you to really celebrate and appreciate the company of your guests. There’s no need to worry if you’ve greeted your mom’s friend or taken a picture with table 16; instead, you can spend more time with the people who truly matter to you. If you want, you can have a separate reception with more guests after the wedding itself.

Go the E-Vite Route

Nowadays, almost everything has a digital counterpart and wedding invitations are no exception. To save on some costs, you can send electronic invitations by way of email or social media. There are plenty of websites that allow you to design stylish invitations for free or you can hire a graphic designer to make one for you.

What’s great about “e-vites” is that they’re also easier to keep track of. For example, you can create a social media poll that guests can answer to confirm their attendance. You can also collect RSVPs via email or through invitation websites that come with this feature. If you’re an eco-conscious couple, electronic invitations are also the way to go because they’re paperless.

If you’re a little old-fashioned and still want printed invitations, you can send them to maybe 10 or 20 people. Most couples will send printed invites to their principal sponsors, as well as other important guests.

Choose an “Off-Season” Date

In the United States, there are plenty of June weddings because it’s the summer. In the Philippines, the same idea applies even if the months are different. That said, there are also many couples who opt to get married in December or January because the weather is much cooler and therefore more comfortable for guests. This is also the time when relatives from abroad go home for reunions, which is ideal if there’s a family member you’ve been meaning to invite.

On the other hand, holding your wedding during these busy seasons can also drive up the cost because venues and service providers are more in demand. If you want to save and at the same time have more suppliers to choose from, choose an off-season wedding date. It may not be the most convenient, especially for guests, but you can inform them well in advance so they can make preparations.

DIY What You Can

One of the best ways to save money in general is to do things yourself instead of outsourcing or hiring someone to do it. Aside from the aforementioned invitations, you can also DIY small items like table numbers, signages, seating charts, as well as ceremonial accessories like the cord and/or candles. There are also plenty of ideas and instruction videos online for crafting boutonnieres and corsages for your entourage or baskets for flower girls. You can also make simple decorations like banners and table centerpieces.

The key here is to give yourself enough time to work on these projects so you won’t feel stressed. If you want, you can also enlist the help of your friends or family members; they’re perfect opportunities for bonding moments!

Look for Bargain Dresses and Suits

Let’s face it: you’ll likely only wear your wedding attire once. As such, it’s more practical to skip the long trains and embellished veils and instead opt for something more simple. Consider buying ready-to-wear gowns and having them altered instead or even getting a pre-owned wedding dress. If you want something tailor-made for you, there are bridal shops that will take your dress back after the ceremony so that they can put it up for rent in their store.

For your entourage, you can let them choose their own attire instead of having everything custom-made. Just prepare a color palette for reference and to ensure a unified color scheme. Doing this will also ensure that your guests are more comfortable during the ceremony and reception. For accuracy, get a swatch of fabric instead of sending pictures. Depending on a person’s smartphone or computer settings, the color may vary from what you’ve envisioned.

Don’t Do Flowers

Finally, you can cut a big chunk off your wedding expenses if you skip the flowers or at least limit it to the bridal bouquet. The flowers will eventually wilt, anyway, and unless you have specific plans for preserving them then they’ll most likely end up in the trash. Opt for more practical options, like getting creatively folded pocket squares instead of fresh flowers for boutonnieres. The same goes for decorations. Instead of floral centerpieces, try candles in glass jars. For aisle decorations, use long stretches of cloth lined with fairy lights.

 

Remember that, at the end of the day, the people who should be the happiest during your wedding are you and your partner. Don’t be pressured by what you see on social media or what some nosy family members are saying. Ultimately, a wedding is just one day; you’ll have more opportunities to make beautiful memories throughout your marriage.

Best wishes and congratulations in advance!