1) Short timelines for wedding planning
Don’t wait over a year to get married and it will be much easier to simplify your wedding plans. A shorter time horizon will force you to streamline and keep you, by necessity, from getting sucked into the whirlpool of an elaborate wedding. This means you will be able to focus on your necessities rather than fancy yet often unnecessary frills, a wedding can often do without!
2) Plan ahead
That way, you can take advantage of seasonal sales. For example, you may be able to stock up on decorative items at a discount before the Diwali holidays, or pick up your pre-wedding gowns or lehenga at your favorite boutique during the Monsoon end of season sale.
3 ) Plan a Off day wedding
Off day weddings can save you some serious money. Some venues that would otherwise remain vacant, may offer the same banquet hall or open space on a week day for a lot lesser than it did on a weekend. It’s a simple case of supply and demand: You’ll have better luck negotiating lower rates with vendors if there aren’t others lined up behind you, waiting to take your spot. You’re also likely to get better service because you’ll have the staff’s undivided attention on a less busy day. Depending on the specifics of your venue location, you also may be able to accommodate your guests at far lesser hotel rates. However, you should note that this may not be true for a hotel or venue that caters mainly to a corporate clientele.
4) Get married right at the end of the off-season.
When there’s less competition for dates, you can have more negotiating power. “You can save 20 to 30 percent off the cost of a wedding by planning it for November, or January through March―except for Valentine’s Day,”
5) Rent a house for the wedding and for lodging.
Rent a huge vacation home and had a house party! It was low-key, intimate, yet still was major cause of celebration. Hiring a caterer with a good menu to do a party was so much better than a sit-down meal. We didn’t even do tables — lots of bar tops and existing comfy furniture for perching. We also were able to have our entire bridal party stay in the bedrooms of the house, cutting their expenses too.
6) Have your ceremony and reception in the same place.
Have the ceremony and the reception in the same room. The guests will be at their tables during the ceremony and were able to start the cocktail/appetizer hour immediately after the ceremony while you taking pictures. This will save on transporting the bridal party , time restraints, and out-of-town guests didn’t have to worry about getting lost.”
“Get married in a hotel. The flowers from the hall were carried through into the dining space and nobody needed transport to the reception. Since a lot of guests stayed in the hotel, the chances of management will cut us deal with the food.
7) Have your reception at a restaurant
Getting married at a fancy restaurant was our most affordable option. Instead of paying 80,00/- or more (sometimes much more) to rent a space and then bring everything in, we have to buy only food and alcohol. The room, furniture, linens, lighting, beautiful decor, dishes, silverware, fancy display items, etc., were all included. So much cheaper than renting a space and having to bring in everything from forks to outhouses.”
8) Don’t serve a sit-down dinner.
“have a small ceremony at your hometown church or temple, go back to your place for cake, champagne, and gifts, and then go to a local restaurant in your wedding clothes and don’t have to pay for anything all extra!”
“Instead of having a dinner, held an evening wedding and served hors d’oeuvres, saving another 60,000 at least
9 ) Fake your wedding cake.
Fondant and tiered cakes are insanely expensive. Have a baker make a fake cardboard and decorated cake with the top layer (and smallest) real for cutting and the rest just pretty for decoration. Then have basic sheet cakes in the back for the caterers to cut and serve to your guests
“Have a small cake or make some of the bottom tiers a facade (ice and decorate a Styrofoam wheel), and serve cut sheet cake pieces from the back.”
