How to Save Money on Your Wedding by Planning Ahead

Whats the average wedding cost?

In 2022 it costs on average around 30-40 Thousand pounds to plan the perfect wedding, from the invitation cards, the food, hiring the Liverpool wedding venue, free drinks for guests, the rings, the wedding shoes, the boys suits, your Liverpool wedding photographer and the all important wedding dress. And these are just the main wedding services to consider first.

Even while wedding guests sometimes provide cash as wedding gifts, this seldom covers all of the expenses. Fortunately, you don’t have to feel terrible about saving money on your wedding day. In this guide, we’ll teach you how to save money on your wedding day by planning ahead and creative wedding ideas.

Things to consider before starting the wedding planning process

A wedding’s complication depends on the bride and groom’s wishes. Some couples get married and celebrate spontaneously. But most brides and grooms plan their budget, timeframe, and festivities 18 months in advance.

Focus on the fundamentals first: location, caterer, Liverpool wedding photographer, DJ, and party service.

When planning your wedding early, you’ll receive free vendor consultations, be able to create price comparisons, and possibly benefit from hundreds of pounds in early bird savings. You and your fiancée have time to preserve something special.

10 money-saving tips for your wedding planning

A checklist not only helps you to keep track of the wedding planning, but also ensures that you keep an eye on the costs during the planning. In the following section we have summarized the top 10 tips for saving money on wedding by planning ahead

 1. Make a statement of costs

When you are planning your wedding, a spreadsheet of costs should not be missing, most especially when organising the main costs, wedding venue, the food, dress, the Liverpool wedding photographer and so on.  Good planning provides the framework for a successful budget and makes the indispensable expenses clear, but also the savings potential. Maintain this list carefully, this way you will always have your finances under control.

2. Set priorities

What are your heart’s desires, what is not so important to you for the wedding? Clarify these questions by making a list for them, on which you enter all the points that you spontaneously want for your wedding. You then assign grades from 1 to 6 for each individual point.

This will help. You identify the most important aspects to your wedding day and help you assign the right monetary value to each. It may also help you decide if it’s actually what you want, or make you realize you need a bigger budget for that specific wedding service.

3. Get married in the out of-season

Getting married is like a vacation in that it’s most costly during peak season. Set your wedding date accordingly. May-September is wedding season. In summer, brides and grooms spend more for wedding venues than in spring or winter. Holidays and Sundays cost more.

Out of-season weddings can be a great way of reducing costs, with little negotiation, you can obtain a discount with most vendors.

Later in the day weddings:

Start the wedding in the afternoon, forgo the main wedding breakfast (named as this is the first meal as bride and groom) and go straight into a buffet, and serve the cake as desert.

Midweek weddings:

Lots of wedding venues will offer a reduced rates during non weekend weddings.  Ask about midweek offers, this is great way to get a healthy discount at the wedding venue of your dreams.

Cancellation dates:

Some wedding venues may offer dates previously booked but cancelled at a reduced rate, as deposits are normally taken then retained upon cancellation of the bride and groom.  They may pass that discount to a new couple to help fill that date.

4. Find the right location

Finding a wedding venue that fits your budget requires some research. You can save money by celebrating in a hotel or a restaurant.

Some wedding venues allow you to bring your own drinks or organize your own catering services. In many cases, you can also bring champagne, sparkling wine and wine, but hotels and restaurants usually charge a corkage fee for this. And even despite a high corkage fee, it may still be cheaper to source your own alcohol.  And may also result in you have your most favorite beverages.

5. Avoid overdrafts & don’t be afraid to ask for help

If, despite all your efforts to save, your budget is still too small, parents or other close relatives may help support the costs. Today, many bridal couples also finance their wedding by only wanting monetary gifts. But don’t count on being able to pay all the costs with the cash gifts. This calculation rarely works out.

But try to avoid getting into dept, unless you know you can pay it back immediately.  Book the wedding that fits your ability to save.  As an overdraft or credit card will incur interest charges which you may not budget for, but most certainly should be factored in.

6. Book a great Liverpool wedding photographer

Don’t skimp on the wedding photos. Nothing is more annoying than a photographer who misses the most beautiful moments of your life and delivers boring or even blurry photos.

Your wedding photography will be the only item you have left after all the expense.  So choose wisely.

7. Save by celebrating twice

What if your budget isn’t large enough for 100 people at an exclusive place with a wonderful menu or buffet?

Have a double-party:

Have a smaller main wedding ceremony for very close family at the perfect location.  Then have a larger evening celebration with all your friends and family.  This is a great way of having 2 parties and also reducing costs as your not catering for hundreds of people all day.

8. Wedding food is important

Meals for 50 might cost £4,500 to £10,000 or more. The savings potential is huge here. If you still have too many guests for your budget, don’t serve seafood, fish, or beef.

Maybe see if your wedding venue can cater for a more less expensive food type to help reduce the costs, or lose the starter.  Even serve the wedding cake for desert.

9. Free drinks

One extra tip here is to use miniature alcohol bottles as wedding favors, give your guests a free drink and avoid the corkage fee.

I ‘ve even seen a raffle where every table wins a bottle of free champagne from the bride and groom!  Wink wink… Nudge nudge.

10. Use digital services

Why use paper when you can do it digitally? Send your “Save the Date” card by e-mail, Messenger, or WhatsApp.

With the Save the Date, you can also send a link to your wedding website, which is free from many providers and easy to customize. Here, visitors can discover the schedule, location, and wish list. You should only mail or hand-deliver wedding invitations.  And even pick their food options.

How to calculate the costs when planning a wedding

Before preparing the specifics, you should know what percentage of your budget goes to each wedding cost component.  This will help keep you on track and prioritise those important elements.

With intelligent preparation, you can enjoy an unforgettably gorgeous wedding which everyone will happily remember years afterwards.

You can accomplish this simply if you define priorities, save where it hurts less, and ask friends and family for assistance. In the end, what counts is having your loved ones there to enjoy your big day. It can be done with a lot of money and with little.

Feel free to get in touch if you have any wedding photography related questions: