Classy Weddings on a Frugal Budget

Not everyone has had their dream wedding planned since childhood; some of us don’t even think about it until the question is asked, “Will you marry me?” For those who have never really thought about planning a wedding before, just the thought of everything that has to be done can be overwhelming. So what do you do when you’re not quite sure what you’re doing and you don’t have that much money to spend?

 The Scoop

Weddings are traditionally seen as how a couple introduces their style to their network of friends and family.  So it’s understandable that the expectations can be high.  The couple is expected to work together to decide what they both want and how to make it all work.  This can be a challenging but rewarding situation as they blend their personalities and tastes together.

Thankfully though, there are a lot of resources available to help couples plan their wedding, such as books, magazines, websites, blogs and wedding planners. When planning a wedding it’s best to go for resources that are close your ideal location. The Hunter Valley region for example, provides couples with not only beautiful landscapes and venues, but also with a large selection of local vendors and supplies.

Melissa Bowman

• Hold a Friday or Winter Wedding
• Book suppliers who are close by
• Use locally grown and in season flowers
• Let groomsmen wear their own suits
• Enlist family and friend help
• Get creative and make your own invites, cake and bonbonnieres
• Have your ceremony and reception at the same location
• Have a smaller guest list
• As per tradition – borrow some jewels
• Serve your wedding cake as dessert served with cream and berries

Kate Doyle

• Consider investing in a wedding planner with small packages containing lists of reputable suppliers and discounts
• Plan in advance and pay off the wedding as you go, but start with a realistic budget
• Smaller and less expensive weddings can be more stress free as expectations of the outcome are normally lower as well
• Don’t let lack of money impact the outcome of your day.

As Laura and Justin’s photographer and friend, I worked closely with her to come up with their own cost saving ideas. When she was trying to figure out the invitations I told her about my childhood babysitter’s invitation design, Laura loved the idea. After the engagement photo session, Laura and Justin picked the engagement photo. After they were all printed, she placed a piece of transparent paper with the wedding information over top of the photos to create her pretty invitations.

With the help of her bridesmaid, Sam, the invitations were put together with pins and put into envelopes. Laura pointed out to me with a giggle that having supportive friends and bridesmaids has made all the difference in creating her wedding. “I’ve had so much help from the bridesmaids, it’s been fun… I would have killed someone without them.”

Out of all the brides I have ever worked with as a photographer, not a single one has had an expensive wedding cake; a friend of the family has volunteered to make it for them.

Homemade cakes don’t have to be plain and simple, with enough creativity and patience the cake can be beautiful.  With enough time to plan, a fun activity for the bridal party would be a cake decorating class where the group can learn how to decorate cakes (or cupcakes) together.  The skills learned can be applied to creating the wedding cake together, not only saving money but also creating a special centrepiece for the wedding reception.

Along with making your own invitations and cake, bonbonnieres are things that can easily be put together.  If you are looking for special little boxes, Invitation Chateau has a collection of adorable boxes and such to put little goodies in as a thank-you for your guests.  Bonbonnieres (party favours) can be anything you want; Pinterest.com has some really great ideas such as:

A great idea to save money on food for the reception would be to hold it during lunch or afternoon tea time.  A pot-luck style where guests can bring a dish to contribute, would be a great dinner time alternative.  If the reception venue is attached to a club, consider the all-you-can eat restaurant that is commonly attached.  To avoid looking trashy though, do not ask guests to pay for themselves, they’ll most likely not come.

The wedding gown can potentially be the most expensive part of the wedding budget, excluding the rings.  There are gowns available online, but the quality of them isn’t necessarily worth the risk.  If a designer gown isn’t your taste or style, have a homemade one like my first bride, Anastasia Corman did.  Or go for something more traditional and wear your mother’s gown, these days there are seamstresses who specialise in altering gowns for fit and much needed updating.