The final bill of our wedding can be an authentic head ache. When you hear how much some weddings costed, you think, how is this possible? Well, once you start planning and summing up all little details, you see the big number. I come from Spain, a country where the wedding is possibly the major event celebration (after the football's league final hehe) and of course, we want the whole town to be there (a 200 guest's wedding is the average), the most expensive food (5 dishes of sea fruit, fish, meat...) and no bride will marry without a Pronovias brand new dress (lets say it was cheap, so 1500 euros).
But right now, even in Spain things are pretty tight with money and everyone tries to save as much money as they can. I assume slovenes are not different in this, so ¿How to do it? Here are some tips to administrate your available money.
1. Settle a budget. This is a must do with your fiancee. Of course, the final bill is not going to match 100% on your number, but this will be a reference that you must have in mind all the time. If at the end of the wedding, you stayed under it, you will feel so proud! =)
2. Settle your priorities. There are some details that are more important than others. You must talk with your fiancee and establish what is more important for you both to be made professionally, so here will be probably were the biggest numbers will be.
3. Reduce your guest's list. It is understandable that you would love to have everyone with you sharing your day but, does it really mean so much to you to have that girl from high school that you did not see for 3 years? Divide your guest's list in 3 blocks: those who you cannot imagine your wedding without them; those that would be great to have but if they are not there it won't be the end of the world; and those who you are inviting forced by the circumstances (usually job or parent's request). Try to have all of your final guests just from the first two groups, and if you have to add someone from the third group, try to have just two or three. It will just make you feel uncomfortable.
4. To get marry in a palace or a 5 stars hotel... it won't be just very expensive, but will also give a feeling of "richness" to your guests that may not be what you want to achieve. They will probably feel uncomfortable being on an environment where everything looks expensive.
Find a place where they will feel at home, free to jump and be themselves without fearing that if they break something they will have to pay their annual salary.
5. We use to worry about our guests loving our wedding. The first and perhaps more important step for this to happen is to have good food, but good food does not mean literary expensive food. "Good food" means that your guest will not have to go to McDonalds after your wedding because they are starving. Run away from the "design dishes". They look pretty, but they are very expensive and probably 90% of your guests will count the minutes to leave your wedding to come home and eat a "dunajski zrezek". In Slovenia you can find great "gostilnas" with menus for weddins since 25 Euros per person. Or,
why not a picnic wedding?
6. Wedding photography is worth paying. As I told on the number 2, is all about priorities, and in my opinion, this should be one of the top in the list. The photos will stay forever, and there won't be a second chance to make them better. So in this point, I do recommend to get a good photographer. Spend a bit of time looking at works from different people. Do not hire the first one you see, although is your cousin, because you may regret later. In Slovenia there are awesome wedding photographers that I am wishing to show you.
7. Make your own invitations, menus, thank cards, favors... Today we have everything on our hands. If you are a creative person, with a little bit of imagination and some crafty materials you can make something much more original. If the creativeness is not your cup of tea but you still want to make it pretty, ask for prices to some wedding designers (I don't have to mention myself ;) ) For example, you don't need to print one menu for every guest. Get a chalkboard and write down the menu at the entrance of the restaurant, or print one per table and frame it. It will be cheaper, more ecologic, original and it will also look very elegant. For the favors or little details for the guests to take home, what about some homemade sweet? If you or some of your relatives is good at the kitchen, the guest will be enchanted if they get a home made marmalade in stead of the classic white almonds. That way you will get rid of those tons of glass jars that you accumulated at home.
8. The dress. Ah... the wedding dress... how much the women suffer to find the perfect gown... We give too much importance to this. Is it really worth it to pay 2000 euros for a dress that you will wear one day? From all of my married friends that they did pay more than 1000 euros, I concluded with a big "NO". Most of them are now trying to sell her dress to get back a bit of money and a lot of space on their closet. One option is to rent the dress. It can look expensive to pay 400 euros for renting the dress, but the price includes the adaptation to your own body, clean and ironing, and you don't need to worry about the space in the closet. If your nostalgia is still stronger than the logic, it is possible to find dresses for less than 400 euros. In Slovenia there is sales of dresses that were already rented several times two times per year. Check the websites of the boutiques often, to be updated with their last news. You can also find beautiful white dresses (or another color) in shops that they are not ment to be. Another romantic option, if your mother or your grandmother still have their wedding gown treasured at the bottom of the atic, and you have the luck that if fits you, is to have that honor. You can also modify it a bit to update it on your taste. It will be the cheapest option, and you will for sure provoke a lot of tears of happiness with it.
9. The groom's gown. Sometimes, the groom's suit can be even more pricey than the bride's. But why? There is a lot of shops with good suits for 200-300 euros. In Slovenia, Mura is definetly a reference of quality, and I have seen fantastic suits for 200 euros. Another option, for more alternative and original grooms, are the vintage suits. Why not some beige pants, a white shirt and a funny bow tie?
10. Use the season flowers. They will be way cheaper. If you really like one specific flower, beware of it's time of blooming, so you try to match the wedding around it. Have your bouquet hand made by your mother or best mate. She will be very excited to do it, it will have a special meaning for you that day, and it will be way cheaper.
11. Ask for help. Use your people. It's possible that your ant has a flower shop, your fiancee's parents have a bakery... In details that are not in your priority quality list, you can try to get "family discounts".
12. Agree with your relatives to cover expenses. They will be probably wondering what to give you as a present. If your budget is really tight and you have confident with them, ask directly to give you a part of your expenses as a present. For example, all the cousins could cover you the photographers, etc.
