Marriage is recognized as an important rite of passage with major significance and both legal & religious aspects. However, a wedding is also a social event. And there are many different ways to doing things. The secret lies in careful planning, not wasting time & money unnecessary.

Before you can get stated, you have to decide on two major things:
- Your budget and
- The size of your wedding.

Remember to stick to these decisions all the way through. These two factors will influence everything you do.

These days, it is very typical for couples to pay for their own weddings, and although it is a pretty big financial commitment, this gives them more control over their decisions. If your parents (or anybody else) wants to contribute, you can always ask them to pay for one element of your wedding, e.g. minister / photographer / flowers etc.

If you are paying your own wedding, start by opening an account specifically for this purpose, and start depositing monies into this account as soon as possible. The first payment will probably be to secure the venue, and after that, all your suppliers will need a deposit to confirm their services for the day. The outstanding service providers can be booked more than a year in advance, so you better have the funds ready to secure them.

The most important service providers are:
- Marriage Officer
- Photographer / Videographer
- Florist
- DJ / Live music
- Cake designer
- Wedding apparel
- Stationer
- Wedding night accommodation (if not provided by venue)

Remember, your wedding consists of a whole lot of small details, but together, they should create your perfect day. All elements should compliment one-another. Try and keep it simple. The most stylish and beautiful weddings are very often the most simple ones, always remember the golden rule: “LESS IS MORE”

Your biggest expense will be your reception. Food & drink to everybody. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can’t host a big wedding, unless you have an extravagant budget, there are many ways of cutting costs in all areas of your wedding, and still have the same result. Also keep in mind, that smaller weddings, may cost more per person, as there are certain fixed costs, that has nothing to do with the size of your wedding (ex. Dress, music, photography, videography etc.)

The following would help you save some money:
- Hire a wedding coordinator, this will save you a lot of time & headaches, as the coordinator can make recommendations, contract suppliers on your behalf, and also deal with them up to and on the wedding day.
- Focus your recourses on the things that matter to you most. You can always ask people to contribute towards the wedding instead of buying you a present e.g. maybe your sister does wonderful hair / make-up, or your neighbor is a wiz with flowers, or your aunt make the most beautiful cards
- Have your wedding on a Friday / Sunday / Weekday. Almost all venues give discounts on other days than Saturdays, as Saturdays are “Peak season” for weddings. Also consider a winter wedding.
- Most service providers will also give you discount for weekday / winter weddings.
- Choose a breakfast / brunch wedding, less alcohol is consumed, there is no need for a band / DJ
- Choose your suppliers from people that work from home, as these people do not have as many overheads, and this will show in their price
- Choose seasonal flowers as opposed to imported flowers, that will push up the cost for obvious reasons
- Rent your wedding dress instead of buying it. Loads of designers will actually design something especially for you, and then you just rent it from him / her at a much lower cost. What are you going to do with it afterwards anyway?
- If you are having an evening function, and want to supply some of the beverages, supply wine and sparkling wine to the tables, maybe even some juice for those people that does not drink alcohol, but then have a cash bar for everything else. Your guests will not be offended, as they all know the cost of a wedding these days, and after all, they are there to witness your union, not to drink you under the table!

There are loads of other, small things that can save you some money, and all added up, it can make a significant difference it what you would have spend.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Happy wedding planning!

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