How to organize an affordable wedding?
Do you know that a wedding costs an average of €20,000 in Spain? And that a wedding dress usually costs thousands of euros? If you didn't know and you hadn't started doing numbers yet, chances are your eyes widened. Don't worry, I'm going to teach you how to organize an affordable wedding step by step . It is not necessary that you adopt all the ideas that I give you: always ask yourself what best suits your style and how you had planned to celebrate it.
Organize a wedding at an affordable price
The first thing to consider is what you want and what is aligned with your values. Before getting into the whirlwind of planning an affordable wedding , think carefully about what moves you to celebrate this party. Do you want a party? Do you prefer an intimate moment only with those closest to you? Are you more introverted or more extroverted? Do you like DIY? Do not get carried away by what they will say or what they have done at other weddings of friends and family. Your wedding, your rules.
I recommend putting in writing what the ultimate goal of your wedding is, summed up in one sentence. For example "celebrate our love with our loved ones at a party that they will always remember" or "celebrate our love on the beach where we met with our close friends". You can do a bit of lettering and leave it with the wedding planning folder or hanging it in your office, so you can always see it and not lose direction.
Once this first step is done, lower that proposal a little more. In an Excel or on another sheet of paper, create three columns with the titles: essential, optional and dispensable. It is as important to be clear about what you are not going to do without, as it is to know what is completely out.
And now, to plan.
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Affordable Wedding Budget
Visualize what is the maximum you want to pay for the wedding. Think about whether this celebration is one more day or if it is something that you have been waiting for and wishing for a long time. Even if a wedding is something super special for you, it can be an affordable wedding.
You can do an initial search on portals such as Zankyou or Bodas.net to get an idea of what prices move in each of the budget items: wedding dress, groom's suit, banquet, decoration, photographer, dj, wedding planner, wedding gifts… Think about whether there is already a budget that you surely do not want to take into account. For example, maybe you already know that you don't want a DJ because you've already asked a musician friend for it, or you have that photographer cousin who offers to do it as a gift.
Organize your wedding at a reasonable price
Have you thought about celebrating your wedding in low season? During the months of December, January and February there are fewer weddings… and more offers. Suppliers create packs for the bride and groom at that time and offer discounts that you would hardly find in other months. Also, winter weddings are very poetic and magical. If this idea catches your attention, we will give you more ideas to choose your winter wedding dress.
Another very powerful idea to reduce expenses at a wedding is not to do it on a regular day. That is, make the celebration on Friday or Sunday instead of Saturday. If you don't compete with other boyfriends, you will get better prices. If you do it on Friday, you will have the whole weekend to rest. And on Sunday, it's perfect for a morning wedding. It can also be a long weekend Sunday: in fact, it will be the same as a Saturday but at a better price.
How to choose the guests at an affordable wedding
This is such a thorny issue... But perhaps it is one of the first to take into account when organizing a wedding at an affordable price . Had you imagined a small wedding or a big one? If you want an intimate wedding , between 10-20 guests, it is a good place to cut your budget . Share your list of friends. Again, it can be on a sheet, in Excel or in Google Keep. Write as you think and then underline them by colour: green, orange, red. The green ones are the ones that have to come yes or yes, orange if they cause you doubts and red when you have really put them on by commitment.
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Affordable and gorgeous wedding invitations
One of the games in which you can cut the most and that you can have the most fun doing is in the invitations. You can make them yourself in the free time you have. It can even be a time to do something creative together. You can get ideas from Pinterest, which I think is the key place to imagine your wedding. Some time ago I wrote about wedding invitations and it is one of my most visited articles.
Whatever they are, remember to send them at least three months before so that all your guests can organize themselves perfectly.
Save on the wedding party
If you want a wedding at a reasonable price , it is important that you take into account the banquet, since it is one of the most important items in the budget. Here are some very different approaches:
- Make a European-style wedding , in which only those closest to the bride and groom really go to the banquet. Ask yourself if this would be well received and inform the guests beforehand.
- Reduce a plate of the banquet . It is not necessary that the guests end up leaving one of the two desserts untouched. If you reduce a dish, the savings are considerable.
- Choose seasonal foods and that are not very exotic. Or do not think of seafood as a star dish. There are thousands of affordable and delicious options!
- Celebrate a wedding without a banquet, but with a lot of vibes . How? With food corners, like a caravan with crêpes, or with a buffet where the guests are the ones who are served. This option is much less rigid than the classic banquet and guests will have complete freedom to move. In addition, you avoid that stressful moment of deciding how to organize the tables.
Unsplash[/caption]Wedding photographer yes or no?
This game is also very controversial, especially in the case of bohemian brides who cannot imagine planning a big wedding. As always, think about what is aligned not only with your budget but also with your values.
- You can save if you have a photographer friend who will give you a good price or even give it to you. In fact, not infrequently it is a gift from your bridesmaids or a relative.
- Another way to do it at a good price is without a photographer. You can create a hashtag and ask everyone to share their photos. You will have a lot of variety and you will be able to create a most varied album.
- Of course, if what you are looking for is to have photographs to remember for a lifetime, it is best to hire a professional and simply compare different budgets. There are moments that you will always want to remember. Look at the opinions, let yourself be advised by friends and always think about the value for money.
Affordable bridal bouquet
If you are a bohemian bride, it will be very easy for you to find a bouquet at a good price. Rustic wedding bouquets are simple and are usually made of wild flowers. If they are not wild but seasonal, they will also have an affordable price. In any case, if you don't want to reduce expenses in this part of the budget, you can't miss the article on how to choose your ideal bouquet. Remember that it is not about cutting everything but what you find less important.
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affordable wedding dress
Have you ever considered that you don't want to buy a wedding dress for a single day? Does spending thousands of euros on a wedding dress not go with you? I understand you, because I think like you.
A Mimètik is my highest recommendation in this case. (Of course! How could I recommend anything else?) But I faithfully believe in what I'm telling you and thousands of happy Mimètik Brides agree with me.
A Mimètik is a bohemian, rustic, beautiful, comfortable… and affordable wedding dress. As they are dresses with layers and overlays, my wedding dresses adapt to all kinds of budgets.
I leave you some ideas of wedding dresses at a reasonable price :
- A simple wedding dress with an accessory . I recommend my Marie, which is an A-line dress with an ivory lace bolero . You will be PRECIOUS, believe me, and you will realize that you don't need much to shine like never before.
- Our Best Seller , for less than €500. Yes, yes, you read correctly. This is our star wedding dress, the one we sell the most, and it has an incredible price. This is our Vintage Gala with an ivory lace overdress . It is perfect for both rustic weddings and urban or beach weddings. And, above all, for affordable weddings.
- A simple wedding dress . In this case, my recommendation is for a Gala with a tulle overskirt . The strips are convertible and you can wear them in a thousand different ways, while with the overskirt you can mark a little dot of color.
How to save on the wedding suit?
I rarely deal in this blog about the groom's suit, although I have written some ideas that you have loved about the groom's accessories and how to choose the suit . To reduce expenses in this item of your wedding budget, you can rent the suit, or even use clothes that are not new. For example, a new vest can be bought as a gift, but the rest is already yours. Or that everything is new… except the shoes. Another idea is to discard the idea of boyfriend shoes and use sneakers, which are always more affordable.
Quality-price -and love!- above all
Organizing a wedding on a tight budget can be very stressful. Therefore, do not lose sight of why you do it and where you want to save and where not. It is about having the best value for money and that you feel happy with your decisions. For this reason, love has to be very present: have fun with the DIYs that you consider and look at the wedding as if it were a game. I'm sure it will be a beautiful celebration in the end.