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Don't Start Your Marriage in Debt:
Ways to Save Money When Planning Your Wedding
 Weddings are big business, but you
can have an elegant wedding on a small budget if you plan
correctly. Many
more brides are looking at their contemporaries and
wondering why anyone would want to spend R100,000 on a
single event? With a little bit of creativity and a good eye
for a bargain, you can save a lot of money on your wedding
and not have to go into your marriage in debt.
The first step in saving money is to plan out your budget.
Make sure to be realistic about the figure, since you don't
want to see it ballooning over the course of the planning.
Once you've nailed down a rough estimate, make sure to
factor in a 10 percent extra just in case there are changes
in prices from your vendors, or an emergency of some sort
(like your florist loses your order).
Make a list of your “must haves” for the wedding to help you
decide where you can reduce expenses. For example, if it is
really important for you to hold you reception in a specific
event hall, you may be willing to trim back on some of the
other expenses in order to make up for the cost. Write down
your top five things that would make your wedding perfect,
and then work from there. Even in a worse case scenario,
you'll want to make sure to have enough money for those five
things.
Create and print your invitations yourself. In this day and
age, most people have virtual print shops on their computers
already. If you buy paper from an office supply store and
have a little bit of time and creativity, you can make and
print your invitations yourself. And best of all, they'll be
done at a fraction of the cost of other invitations which
means you'll be able to spend more in other areas.
Another way to cut costs on your wedding is to keep the
guest list to a minimum. If you have a small wedding with
fewer than 50 guests, you'll have lower expenses for the
reception and the invitation printing costs. There's nothing
wrong with keeping things small and intimate, plus you may
be able to hold your reception in a much more budget
friendly location. In fact, you could hold the entire event
at a friend's home or affordable public location instead of
renting a large venue.
Shop around for your outfit to get the best deal. There are
many discount dress shops that have dresses that are
designer quality for much, much less. Even though your heart
may be set on a dress from a certain designer, there's no
reason why you can't find a discount dress that has many of
the same elements. Remember, the money that you save on the
dress can go toward making your day all the more special
with other elements of the event.
Your special day doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. With
just a few of these tips, you can stay within your budget
and have a beautiful wedding.
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