Planning a wedding is one of the most exciting but stressful things for a couple and as you’re likely doing it for the first time, you may have no clue where to start. People who’ve got married will give you their own advice, but here’s some unbiased advice on where to spend and splurge on a wedding.
Here are the elements of a wedding that you should really go to town on with your budget.
Wedding Dress
It’s probably the most important day of you and your partner’s lives up to that point, and so you want to look your best. Not to say you should be taking out a huge mortgage to pay for it, but it’s definitely worth spending money on.
You’ll be wearing this dress all day, from the moment you get up, through to the ceremony and your wedding reception and then into the evening until you’re all partied out. So you want to make sure you spend the money on something that’s comfortable. I also think that a wedding dress can be worn again later on your sibling’s wedding. One can always make minor alterations and wear wedding dress in another variation.
Bridal Shoes
No one likes an unhappy bride, and ill-fitted or uncomfortable shoes are not ok. These should be like pillows for your feet, and when it comes to comfortable heels, they normally cost a bit more.
Venue
It’s the location of your wedding, and it’s probably the most important factor for a wedding. Venues can be extremely expensive anyway, depending on their location. But the expenditure is certainly worth it.
Photography
Memories can last for so long but not forever, and it’s the same when it comes to those who attend your wedding. So photography should be a priority when budgeting your money. Ideally, you want to get two photographers, one who can capture the main action while the other goes around snapping photos of your guests.
I was lucky to have the best photographers to cover my event. Both my sisters are great photographers so they covered our wedding well.
Wedding Bands
They’re going to be on your fingers for the rest of your lives, so your wedding bands need to look good. Make sure to find one that’ll fit the style of your engagement ring and be sure to find wedding bands that match in some way. Whether that’s the material used or a personalized engraving.
Flowers
Flowers can really transform a room, and so it’s worth splurging money on. They play an important feature in many ways, including the bride’s party, the groomsmen and the venue. And when it comes to the rest of the venue’s decor, you can usually just get away with the flowers.
Catering
Food is important, and often it’s this element of the wedding, that a lot of your guests will end up remembering. So it’s important to spend the money to get good, quality food both for the reception and for your evening guests.
And even though it’s hard to save money on something that’s so expensive in the first place, there are parts of the big day that you can save on.
Bridesmaids’ Dresses
You’ve spent enough money on your wedding dress but now comes the expense of the bridesmaids’ dresses. Well, actually you can probably afford to spend a lot less than you need to. Bridesmaids (and groomsmen for that matter) are probably more than happy to contribute to their own outfits, as they would if they were attending the wedding as guests. So instead of offering to pay for everything, give each bridesmaid an amount to either go towards the dress or for any accessories.
Wedding Cake
It used to be more of a tradition that everyone got a piece of wedding cake to take home, but nowadays, not all wedding guests bother with collecting a slice of the cake. So don’t go overboard with the size of the cake or the design of it.
Favours
You’ve spent enough on your guests already, so there’s no need to go wild on your wedding favours. Do a little brainstorming and try offering something that will be cheap to make in bulk or offer to make a donation to a charity of your choice on behalf of the guest. They’ll likely appreciate that more than a mini bag of chocolates.
The most important element of the wedding day though is the bride and groom. Surround yourself with the people you want to celebrate this special day with and don’t spend above your means. It’s only a day after all!
