There are some elements that are essential for a wedding day. The bride is a must. The groom should probably be there. Family and friends are hopefuls. And champagne and cake are absolutely non-negotiable.
There are also elements that are not essential for a wedding day. Embossed, satin-finished, hand-written in calligraphy invitations? Probably not a life-or-death requirement. Imported flowers? Not a necessity. Elaborate, hand-made, cellophane-wrapped, ribbon-tied thank you gifts for guests? Not essential.
Sure, non-essentials can be nice. And embossed wedding-invitations do look lovely stuck on the fridge. But the problem with non-essentials is that they cost money (and they achieve nothing). This means cutting non-essentials is an extremely effective way to save money in planning your wedding, kwithout detracting from the day itself. Here are out list of wedding non-essentials that should be on your cost-cutting hit list.
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Organising guests with lots of bits of paper
‘Save the date’ cards, invitations, place cards, thank you gifts, the list goes on…
Enough. Be brutal. Thank you gifts are not an ultimatum people, neither are place cards – adults can, usually, find their own place to sit. Guests are already enjoying the above-mentioned champagne and cake. They’re also lucky enough to be there on your special day. They do not need the trail of scented stationary and bonbonnières to feel welcome, included and happy for you. They’re there for you remember?
Top Comments
Save the Dates can be a waste of money, but if you actually *want* your guests at your wedding day, then you need to consider doing *something* - in particular if you are having a destination wedding, it's on a public holiday or lots of your guests will need to travel. You don't have to spend a lot of money to do Save the Dates though - you can email something to guests, or only order Save the Dates for the *essential* guests - more detail here http://www.southernbride.co...
I do agree with leggit that some of these items won't save you a ton of money. The big ticket items like the alcohol and food bill are where you really want to focus. Consider finding a BYO wedding venue - that'll save you thousands. Or have an earlier ceremony and have an afternoon tea for your reception. If you're not paying for a full meal you'll save a ton.
Stationery is super cheap these days, byo printing, buy cardstock from Spotties, get a friend who knows calligraphy etc. I wouldn't say these are the biggies in the wedding costs. Surely it is about the reception (food and booze) and flowers/clothing.
I think you could use an upside down approach -- instead of taking things off the list --- start the list empty: what are the ESSENTIAL things for the wedding?
1) prioritise the essentials
2) do costings
3) enlist help
I have been to byo food weddings (as in a share plate). It was awesome. Guests loaned shabby chic vintage china and linen, the parents co-ordinated the food (who should bring what).
Five things you can cut:
1) pretention
2) judgemental guests (cuts food bill down hugely)
3) dedicated reception venues, think alternatives
4) gifts for anyone in the wedding parties, take homes etc
5) brand new wedding dress, so many brilliant 2nd hand ones