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Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, but it is also one of the most expensive, with the average Australian wedding costing $36,000! You want it to be the fairytale day you have dreamed of since you were a little girl but the cake, the dress, the venue and all the little touches add up.
However, there are ways to save money on your wedding day, so that your guests don’t even realise you have cut a few corners. Here are ten ways to give you some ideas on how you can have your dream day for the perfect price!
1. Do you really need to arrive on a horse drawn carriage as doves are being released? Probably not. Prioritise what you really want and need on your big day. If you make compromises you will have money over for more important parts of the day or even the honeymoon!
2. Be strict with the guest list! By only inviting the people that really matter you will cut down on several costs.
3. The photography alone can cost upwards of $3000! Do we really need a wedding photographer these days? With all the guests clicking away on their smartphones throughout the day and then tagging you on Facebook, you will be inundated with photos of you from all angles. You can then use online photo printing at Photobox to print off your favourites!
4. If you don’t want to just rely on these images, why not place a few disposable cameras on the tables, then guests can take the photos across the day for you. Take them to be printed and then enjoy reliving your wedding as you look through them all. With hundreds to choose from it won’t matter if a few were obviously taken after a couple of drinks!
5. Of course you want to decorate the venue, but this doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. In fact, the venue could look a lot prettier and far more personal if you decorate it yourself. Why not gather the bridesmaids together and make it an event before the big day? Visit your local craft store and then spend the evening preparing everything from flower arrangements and centerpieces to photo collages!
6. Why not use this time to make your own invitations as well, you could even personalise them with images of yourself and your future spouse.
7. The wedding doesn’t have to take place in a fancy venue or church to be special. In fact getting married on the beach or in a backyard can be extra special, and save you some serious dollars on what is one of the biggest expenses! What could be more romantic than getting married barefoot on one of Australia’s beautiful beaches or more personal than your own backyard?
8. A winter wedding can be just as nice as a summer one, with a much cheaper price tag. Similarly a weekday wedding is only a small change in plans for a large change in price. It doesn’t have to mean you get married on a Wednesday; even a Friday will lower the price and give you and your guests a long weekend!
9. The cake is obviously important but there are so many ideas online that you don’t have to pay for something to be done that you can do yourself. If you are not particularly good at baking yourself, enlist a friend or relative who is. If it is the size of the cake that is concerning you, make a cupcake tower, this way you could also have a variety of flavours to suit everyone.
10. Doing your own hair and make-up will save both time and money. You know what you want and have a bag full of beauty products. Practice with different looks leading up to the big day and then choose your favourite.