Six Ways to Make Your Wedding Day More Affordable
Photo By SMC Studios
So excited for you that you are engaged, but now you are going through the stress of planning the wedding, we wish you good luck! And of course, you are looking for ways to limit the cost of your wedding day to make it more affordable, in that case you have come to the right place!
First off, just want to say that here at SMC Studios we aim to provide an affordable option without compromising value, with packages for photography and videography (and combined packages) available. Because we know, with the average cost of a wedding photographer being $3,200 with no albums or prints! And a wedding videographer being $2,700 as discussed in a previous blog, any savings here is certainly appreciated!
But on to other potential savings!
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Utilize a Spotify or YouTube music playlists for cocktail parties or for times when a band wouldn’t be such a focus. And when the band is present, see if they can also be the master of ceremonies to cut costs.
Food: instead of giving your guests a sit down 3 course dinner, a buffet can reduce cost, especially if friends or families can help with bringing food (if the venue allows this). Some venues will also allow BYO drinks, which can help, especially if you have been able to buy the drinks from a place that will buy back the remaining amount. Also limiting options can keep costs down in these situations, save the good whiskey for your honeymoon!
The Venue: as always, consider the time you want to be married, with Saturdays potentially being up to $4,000 in instances. With Fridays and Sundays also being a bit more. So if you can swing that mid week wedding with your guests, go for it!. If you must have that Saturday wedding, consider other options which will reduce costs such as a AirBnB or a beach or park, as the style and length of ceremony is up to you! Of course, these options will require a bit more working, as for example catering will not be on site, but think of what those savings can get you on your honeymoon!
Wedding Favours: guests most likely won’t even think about the wedding favour, and those that do are not that good a guest we think! But all joking aside, favours are not missed. But if a wedding favour is a must have for your big day, consider some DIY options, like making your own candles (or buying some and stenciling on your name and date of wedding, a bit easier!), little pot plants or a small bottle of liquor or wine (you could even brew up your own here) will certainly be appreciated by your guests!
Wedding dress and suit: These items can certainly set you back a decent amount, and certainly with the dress, it is very difficult to wear twice! That is why we love the idea of hiring these attires, or purchasing them second hand. We find Stillwhite is great to see the second hand dresses that are available!
Flowers: all those pretty flowers can certainly add up! Obviously the main way to minimise this cost would be use less of them, for example if have a large venue, localise them in a key point. Will look more impressive and save you some money as well! Another option would be to use lower cost filler in the flower arrangements. This filler can be things like branches, candles or greenery. Alternatively, dried or artificial flowers can be used, and these often come at a lower price. We discuss more about these in this blog!
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So that is just a few of our suggestions for ways to reduce costs for your wedding. Hope they help, and give you some ideas! And if you are still looking for a wedding photographer or videographer (or both!), we would be honoured to capture your day and would love to hear from you.
We look forward to seeing you on your wedding day!