Controlling your wedding budget.

Cutting the cost of your wedding – There are many ways to cut the cost of your wedding. Decide what elements are important to you, focus on them and stay focused.

1. Decide What’s Most Important to you.

Make a list of all your wedding expenses (or use one we have).

Rank them in order. Pick the three that are most important to you and allocate more of your budget to them.

In the same way, pick your least important three and see where you can cut costs or even just not have them.

2. Cut the Guest List.

Might sound brutal but this is the most significant spend and one that quickly gets out of control.

Each guest can easily add more than £100 to your bill. the figures quickly add up.

It is a very individual thing but what is important to you?

Having a big wedding or sharing the day with those nearest and dearest?

+1’s are an easy area to tackle, Often you may not even know who the +1 is and there is so much going on during your wedding day, it really the best time to get to know this person?

3. Pass on Pricey Details.

Glamorous details on items that you’re indifferent about spike costs without adding any fun to your day.

Free yourself of the pressure to upgrade and instead make honest choices based on what you want.

As a general rule, before you sign a contract, look through the itemized list of what you’re buying and, ask yourself, “Will anyone notice if we don’t do this?”

4. Consider Printing Costs.

Having two shades of ink on your invitation might match your colour scheme, but it can also add massive printing costs; square invites also requires extra postage.

5. Get a Smaller Car.

Town Cars will shuttle your wedding party to the reception just as effectively as a Hummer stretch limo. Borrow a car from a friend of family member. Use your car. There are always other options.

6. Skip the Special Effects

If you’re happy with simple wedding pictures, pass on options like sepia tones, multiple exposures and split frames. Always invest in good professional photography.

Find a photographer who’s style you like and has a personality you will feel comfortable with. And of course, one that fits your budget.

7. Substitute Less Expensive Flowers.

Choose flowers that are in season, and pick locally grown flowers rather than blooms that need to be flown in from afar to reduce costs.

For example, if you exchange Black Magic roses for more reasonably priced, deeply coloured dahlias in all your bouquets and table arrangements, you’ll save about £4 a stem.

If you were planning on having five roses per bouquet and 10 per centrepiece, and have a wedding party of five ladies and a guest list of 150 people, you could save £700.

8. Simplify Your Menu.

Reduce the number of overall dinner courses (making three courses fabulous costs less than serving five individual courses) and keep your menu simple. Stick with the specialities of the season and region.

9. Save the Good Stuff for Later.

Have the caterers bring out the fancy Dom Perignon for the toast, but pour less expensive champagne the rest of the night—no one will ever see the bottle or know the difference.

10. Pare Down the Cake Extras.

Order a small, fabulous cake that’s precisely what you want and, in the kitchen, have several sheet cakes of the same flavour cut for your guests.

And stay away from tiers and (time-consuming) handmade sugar flowers, fancy fillings and special moulded shapes. Have your caterer decorate each plate with a flavoured sauce instead.

Buttercream frosting is also tastier and less expensive than fondant.

Cutting the cost of your wedding.

Even if you are not trying to cut the cost of your wedding it is useful to keep your costs under control.

Even if only one of these tips helps it is worth it. Get the best wedding for your investment. Spend wisely, that way you can indulge in the things that are important to you.