Need to keep your budget tight? Don't stress! You can still have your dream wedding with just a few tweaks. Here are our tips to cut down your spending on things that most people won't notice so that you can either save the extra money or spend it on other wedding details!
- For wedding rings, get cheap but good-looking rings for the ceremony. It's a great way to save a lot of money because no one will really notice anyway and that way you can look forward to getting each other fancy upgrades for the one year anniversary.
- The Mangalsutra is an important part of North Indian Hindu weddings. If you are planning to get one but feeling intimidated by the price, here's an idea to cut down on the price. Still have your baby Mangalsutra handchain? Consider using the beads to make your Mangalsutra necklace. You can always add on beads as years go by.
- Wedding jewellery can be very expensive and is usually something that only gets used once because of how extravagant it is! To lessen the stress of the hefty wedding jewellery price, look for a place that hires out jewellery instead. Another idea is to borrow jewellery from a friend or family member- no one will notice and it may even start a new tradition!
- A wedding cake at the reception is a great touch to add extra elegance and glamour to your event, but can often be quite pricey. To keep within budget, buy a plain cake from a bakery and get someone at the venue/ your coordinator to assist with adding fresh flowers to it as decor. Yummy and simple!
- Paper invitations are not only expensive, but wasteful too! Use a free wedding website where you can design your own invitation and send it electronically instead. You'll save both your pocket and the environemnt!
- The best way to downsize your spending is to downsize your guestlist and there is also no better time to do it than now.
- Indian weddings are so much of fun because of the number of celebrations! You can still have all your events, but consider combining them together to reduce some costs such as venue and food. For example, your Hurdee night and Sangeet night can be hosted together, or your Bridal shower can go into an intimate Mehndi Party in the night!
- Worried about the price and number of outfits you need to buy for a Big Fat Indian Wedding? Why not get saris that your mom or grandmom used for their wedding weekend, sewn to create a new outfit for yourself? Unique and sentimental!
- Real flowers are so stunning but the price can also leave you stunned. If fake flowers are a no-no for you, opt for more greenery. Greenery with candles and pops of gold can make just as big a statement!
- Having a new perfume to use on your wedding day is a great idea because everytime you get the scent, you will be transported back to your wedding day! But what do you do when you have so many events that you want to remember? Consider getting different candles/ incense sticks to burn while you are getting ready or even during the event. All the memories without the extra cost! Check out or Floral Scented Candles or the Miss to Mrs Box if you love this idea.
- If you have family and friends that still buy you birthday presents, ask them to rather buy you something small that will help with the wedding instead, such as contributing to your wedding nails, jewellery, shoes or bag.
Implementing even just some of these ideas will definitely let you experience your Big Fat Indian Wedding without the Big Fat Bills!