10 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Unwanted Wedding Expenses!

Hello there! As we know wedding is the biggest, memorable celebration in our lives. Even it is expensive event too. No other occasion will be happening in huge budgets except wedding. According to some sources, globally this economical year’s wedding industry worth is $400 billion and it is growing every year because of unwanted expenses.

In many families, after wedding the couple are still paying interest on loans for a couple of years! 🙁

For those here are 10 easy cost cutting ways to reduce unwanted expenses and get married under 1 lakh INR / 1000 USD. Check below!

1. Right Venue – Bright Choice:

Selecting a venue is the first thing when you start preparations for your wedding. Because, some other major works depend upon the venue you decide. Ex: Wedding Cards, Decorations, Videography, etc.Deciding a venue for your wedding is major expensive part.

• Try to set up your wedding date is in unseasoned months like June, July, September, October. So that, you can get the best quote for your wedding venue. The prices when you compare with wedding season will decrease up to 40% – 50%
• If your wedding is in rush months, make sure the venue is at city outsides. As compared to the venues in the city is lesser than 10% – 15% in cost.
• Select open-ground venues in summer or ending of winter seasons. It looks more spacious and can save AC charges. When you compared to the 5 star hotels, the tax will be 10% – 15% of open-ground venues.

2. Say Goodbye to Wedding Invitation Cards – Invite in Unique way using E Invites:

When it comes to wedding cards, you need to spend more time on selecting card style, providing details, and printing. Once you finalized the sample, it took a few weeks to get printed cards. If a small mistake raised in delivered cards, or if you want to add your other family member name it is too much expensive to reprint. While inviting with traditional invitation cards, you need to travel and meet your guests, should spend some time. This will effect on your health. You will get tired due to travel. And need to spare some amount of your travel and health. What will you do when your guests are in other countries? Will you go and invite them directly by spending much amount of travelling? No! Not at all good.

• Try wedding invitation videos, e-cards & wedding websites, etc. to save up to 70% money on wedding cards. These online invitations are easy to create and available from hundreds in cost.
• Some of the websites providing free invitations & save the dates online. With a single click you can invite all of your guests & friends personally through email, whatsapp. These can be posted on social media to let your friends come to your wedding. And it is easy to invite your important guests who are in out of the country. Obviously there e invites are trending in the current generation. People feel fashionable and comfortable to invite online using these e invites. From an Ordinary Person to Ambani using these e invites on their auspicious occasions currently.

3. Visit Wedding Dress Rentals:

Bridal dresses are one of the costliest item during the wedding. When it is in India the groom’s dress cost also compete with bridal saree/dress prices. It’s one time use in christian weddings. Same for Hindu grooms too. Because, the “kurtha – pajama or other Sherwani dresses, caps” won’t wear again in their lives. And we cannot expect the prices for bridal wedding saree. It ranges from thousands to lakhs. Even many sarees required as per Hindu rituals.

• In western countries bridal dress rental service is trending now. Except christian weddings it won’t workout currently for Hindu weddings in India. In Hindu weddings we are purchasing more than 5 costly sarees. Try to reduce purchasing number of sarees and dresses for your wedding.
• Wear 1 or 2 times used trendy gowns, modern dresses for other occasions/rituals like Sangeet, Mehendi, Reception etc. Use new sarees during wedding only. May be 2 sarees enough. Apart from the wedding try to be simple and in modern wear in these rituals to look new. This will reduce your cost more than 20% on bridal sarees. Because, when you wear different color sarees you should wear matching jewelry. Either it is gold or gold coated, it would chargeable right?
• You can also stitch wedding dresses except you buy ready-made cloths by investing bulk amounts.

4. Stop Shopping on Jewellery:

Jewelry shopping is one of the major expensive things in your weddings and it’s not enough how much you buy it. You cannot leave satisfied from the shop. Even you have to purchase for your family members additionally on the occasion of your wedding. That will be an additional burden to your wallet. Except in their weddings, couples never wear much jewelry in other occasions. So, why do you need to purchase huge amount of jewelry?

• Use jewelry rental services during your wedding and for other rituals too. This is one of the major cost cutting way on your occasion.
• Either you can wear your family members jewellery

5. Perfectly Plan Over Food:

When it comes to the food section you should have a perfect idea on the menu. Because, many items won’t satisfy your guests stomach. They cannot taste all of the items during the occasion. They may get full of stomach with only 3-5 varieties. In 5 star hotels they are charging 800-1200 rupees for the plate. Either it may get increase in seasons.

• Plan your wedding will be in the evening or night time. So that you can prepare for only dinner accordingly. This will save you from breakfast expensive.
• Try to book catering services from known persons apart from the hotels. Make sure sweet items will be 1 or 2 only. Because, it your guests eat sweet more than 2 items, they couldn’t eat other items. So, the other food items get wasted.
• Some hotels provide catering services along with venues in a single package. Those will charge heavily due to demand on the venue. So, plan your wedding date should be in un-seasons. Because, there is no option in your hands during rush wedding seasons. Estimate your guests before you order no. of plates. Prepare order more than 30-40 plate meals extra on your estimated exact number.
• Make sure the food items will be less than 10 items. Ex: 1 or 2 type sweets, 2 types of curries, 2 types hot snacks, 2 rice items, remaining 2 will be post dinner items like fruit salad, ice cream etc. Try not to encourage cool drinks. It is not a healthy thing. You can replace with soup, juice/buttermilk or any other post dinner item.

By doing this you can reduce 15% – 20% cost expenses.

6. Photography & Videography – Limited Cameras are Enough:

Wedding photography charges are only available from 1 lakh currently for approved agencies. Before you book photography & videography estimate the size of the venue and around the area. If your venue stage is small, “two 5D candid photo & video cameras to cover your stage location, 1 full HD video camera is fine to cover other locations like guests, dinner place, etc.”

• Book freelancers for photography and videography. Or if you want to book some approved photography services, visit some popular websites like theknot.com, fiverr, wedding.net etc. to know their package & portfolio details. Get your raw footage from the photographer. Technology is getting changed every day. So, you can re-edit the raw footage with new effects even after 20 years.

If you perfectly have an idea about it, you can reduce 5% – 15% cost expenses on it.

7. DJ & Entertainment – Try Something New with Friends:

In these days, every wedding have been booking a DJ or other entertainment services for Sangeet, Mehendi and during in Wedding too. This will cost you from 20k – 1.5L. There is nothing except hosting an event by planning an entertainment in it.

• Hosting an event by creating fun is not an easy thing. But, when you have your friends, niece and brothers why don’t you ask them to host this event? Even they can host with infinite laughs when compared to the experienced event hosting company because of they will try new tasks. Ask them to decide some tasks, they will prepare assigning tasks. Select 2 or 3 friends to host from your friends circle. Make sure they have a comic sense. You know perfectly who entertain you every day with jokes. Conduct some dance and singing tasks. Announce some little prizes. So that everyone will participate actively.

By doing this you can reduce 10% – 25% of your expenses.

8. Low Lighting:

Booking a lighting for the wedding is also a costly thing. In some hotels and resorts, they are providing lighting also including package. Those would be better except you book someone separately. And do not encourage crackers. Those are costly and environment pollutants.

9. Decorations – Artificial Art:

Decorating a venue with natural flowers is also a costly affair. Depends upon the requirement, it will cost you from thousands to lakhs. Try artificial flowers to decorate. Try not to hire decorators. If needed hire 1-2 persons from outside. You can use your house maids to decorate. This will helps you in cost reduction.

10. Bridal Makeup – You also Know, Right?:

Ask your friends and family members to make up the bride and groom. Avoiding makeup services will save you money from thousands.

These will helps you to get your wedding successfully under your budget. Plan before you start proceeding in the above. Discuss with your friends and family members. Never lose anything which helps in your cost reduction.