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Getting married is anything but cheap, but with the right money-saving tips, a low-budget wedding is possible. However, you should start planning well in advance.
Low-budget wedding: Tips for preparing for an affordable wedding
You can save a lot of money on your wedding even before you start planning the actual celebration. The most important thing is to start thinking about the location and date of your wedding in good time.
- Location: Take your time searching for a suitable location so you can find and compare affordable options. Perhaps friends or family members will let you use their garden. However, you will then have to take care of the seating and sanitary facilities yourself.
- Date: Choose a wedding date outside of peak season. In the off-season, venue providers, caterers, and other service providers are usually cheaper because they have fewer orders.
- Invitations: Instead of spending a lot of money on printed cards or making them yourself, you can deliver your wedding invitations by phone. This option is time-consuming, but it is free and scores points for its personal touch.
Minimize costs for wedding dress and decorations
Once you have chosen a date and found a suitable location, the actual planning work begins: in addition to tableware and decorations, you also need a wedding dress.
- Wedding dress: Instead of buying a new dress, you can buy your wedding dress second-hand or rent it. Many thrift stores now offer a huge selection of wedding attire.
- Tableware: You don’t have to buy new tableware, cutlery, glasses, etc. either; you can rent them or buy them second-hand. Search the relevant classifieds portals for these items.
- Decorations: The same applies to table and interior decorations. Replace expensive flower arrangements with green branches to reduce the cost of floristry. Alternatively, you can use ivy or vines that you have cut from your own garden as decorations.
Wedding savings tips for food, music, and photos
To keep the costs of catering, music, and photographers from overwhelming you, you can also get creative here.
- Food: A buffet is less expensive than an à la carte meal. If you are planning a small wedding with a close circle of friends and family, you can be a little more unconventional: simply ask your guests to contribute something to the buffet and order less from the caterer in return.
- Photographer: If you have someone in your circle of acquaintances who enjoys photography and is good at it, ask him or her to accompany the wedding for a small but reasonable fee. You can then make the photos available on a website instead of printing them out and sending them to the guests.
- Music: Unless you have a band or DJ among your friends, the musical accompaniment for the evening can quickly become expensive. Alternatively, put together a playlist of your favorite songs and ask a family member or friend to take care of the music.
