How To Save For Your Dream Wedding

Planning a wedding can be easy especially if money is no object but for most of us that just isn't the case, some weddings we budget for and others are rushed and have to be put on credit.

Obviously, the best way is to save for a wedding and this in itself can be confusing and hard work but it is ultimately rewarding when you walk out of the church a married couple with no big burden of debt hanging around your neck.

What I will lay out below is how to go about saving for a wedding and in what areas you may be able to save money in order to achieve the best results.

The first thing you are going to need to decide and the most important is a serious budget with which to work in, the more you have the easier it gets but not everyone has the dream wedding in mind and some people just prefer small private ceremonies.

So first things first work out what budget you have. Now comes the task of saving and how to go about it and achieve the wedding you would love.

I can only go by my experience when saving for my wedding but hopefully, this will help give you ideas and inspire you to start saving for your dream day.

Firstly I only had 6months to save and hopefully, anybody reading this will have a bit longer to prepare and save the funds required. Although I and my wife don't go out an awful lot we did for the 6 months I was saving not go out at all, now if you think about how much you may spend when you just go out for a meal and a couple of drinks it does all add up, so that was step number one.

Step 2 is even easier, just take a look at previous bank statements and work out how much money is coming in and how much is going out.

Ok if that hasn't horrified you enough now take a closer look and see what you spend money on that you could easily do without for a few months, like making your lunch instead of buying sandwiches or doing without your beers at home, cable TV, computer games, clothes shopping, maybe cycling to work instead of driving and save petrol money.

All you have to do is take a serious look at what you could do without just for a bit and then put that extra money to one side, it certainly all adds up, just what ive mentioned above over the course of a few months could give you hundreds if not thousands of extra dollars or pounds towards your big day.

This is the hardest part about saving for a wedding, sure we would all like to get married at a huge castle and invite 500 people and have fireworks and white doves and horse-drawn carriages and all the other wonderful things we see celebrities have but we cant as we all have a specific budget to work within.

When I say this is the hardest part, it isn't usually for the male but the females tend to get a bit more attached to ideas of the way they would like their wedding to play out and why not but unfortunately the budget doesn't always allow this so the two of you need to sit down and work out a strategy to cut costs where possible without taking away from the overall effect.

So Step 1 is to sit down with one another and be sensible about where and when to cut costs.

Ok so you have sat down with your partner and made a list of where you could make cuts should they be necessary, now I will tell you the best places to make cuts and possibly save you thousands.

1. Flowers...Now we all know that these can start at a few hundred and work up to thousands if you go mad if you are getting married at a church or registry office just ask if there are any more weddings being done the day before or even just before yours and ask if it is possible to use the flowers. The previous couple won't be taking them with them as it is usually the job of the church to dispose of them. Perhaps speak to the church and find out what colour the flowers are going to be so as you may see if they fit your colour scheme or not.
2. Bridesmaids dress on eBay... Most women would like at least 2 or 3 bridesmaids and with most dresses being over a hundred pounds/dollars it makes sense to at least have a look, plus good thing is they are usually being sold as a pair of dresses or in threes, job done, plus if they are ok after you can resell them
3. Wedding Breakfast... Trust me on this you do not have to go fancy, most people don't want fancy although they won't tell you that, keep the food simple yet delicious and this will save you some money, obviously use good quality caterers and food but just keep it simple, you will get more compliments at the end.
4. Buffet... Don't do it!! a simple buffet to cater for 50 people can cost 500 pounds/dollars and upwards so simple don't do it, if you make your evening invitations with a time of 8 pm onwards most guests would have decided to eat before they come, it may seem a little harsh but it is all about saving money and these are the people who weren't deemed worthy enough to invite to the wedding breakfast.
5. Make your own invitations... if you have plenty of time and indeed patience then why not make your own invitations, unfortunately, I didn't have time to do this for our wedding plus i'm not especially creative, but there are plenty of videos on the net telling you how to make beautifully handcrafted invitations, saving you some more money.

These are the following areas you do not skimp on no matter how much they cost as they are absolutely crucial and to save money in these areas would be a sacrilege.

1. The Venue...To a degree,obviously if it costs 10k then maybe not but if it is beautiful and costs you 1or2k more than you were thinking then it is worth it,if it is quite cheap then spend more money doing it up with flowers,ribbons and whatever you need to make it look the part.Please remember to keep a clear head when deciding upon venues,do not spend loads of cash on a lovely outside venue when you are getting married in February and the chances of rain are high and there is nowhere dry to shelter!!!
2. The Wedding Dress... For obvious reasons this needs to be right,your wife to be must feel her absolute best and if that costs money then so be it,plus it is the one reminder of the day that she can keep forever!!
3. The shoes.. Both hers and yours,bear in mind you will be in them for over 12 hours most likely and so they need to be well made and comfortable.
4. The Rings...Think about things such as what job your in and therefore what you want the rings to be made out of,for example i work in the motor trade so my hands are always either dirty or battered during the day so i need tough wearing so my wedding ring is made out of palladium which is durable,but my wife who doesn't have hands that get treated roughly has got white gold.
5. The photographer...These pictures can only be taken once and are with you for the rest of your married lifes so dont worry about the cost just make sure you have researched your photographer and that they are proffesional and good with people and need to be able to take instructions as well as give them.
   

Good luck to you in your upcoming wedding and i hope this hub has helped you in saving for and planning your costs well,it can be a tough and stressful time especially if you are doing it in 6 months like me!! but it will all be worth it on the day.