And now we finally bring ourselves to the two final major heads of expenditure all weddings have, and the ones which are, of course, the most difficult to budget on: the Wedding Outfits and the Transportation Costs.
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To start, let’s sneak a peekat the outfits.Now, when I say wedding outfits, my main concern is ofcourse the wedding dress and, to a lesser extent, the tux, both of which are unfortunately essential for your picture perfect day. Both of which also happen to be two of the largest lump sums on your wedding expenditure chart, right after food and venue. Basically, you are about to pay through your nose for an outfit you are never going to wear again. Doesn’t really sound like the smartest thing to do, does it?
Now, for many people, the dress is important and they would rather spend the money they have managed to save on other heads on the dress, because the perfect dress is what they need to make the day perfect. However, if you are not one of those people and are willing to open yourself up to different ideas in regards to your wedding day outfit, keep reading.
Let’s start with the Bride first. Now, one of the easiest ways to save money on the dress is by simply not getting one. Most daughters are given their mother’s gown to at least hold on to as a keepsake, and very recently there has been an increasing trend to adapt old family gowns into the Bride’s outfit, for both sentimental and monetary reasons.
If, however, you don’t want to go for your mother’s old dress or if youdon’t have that option, consider trying secondhand bargain websites such as Tradesy.com or Groupon.com. In fact, if you want, you could actually even consider renting out your dress, which is generally what men do for the tux, since it helps bring down the outfit costs to a fraction of what they would be.
Speaking of the tux, it’s time for us to talk about the Man of the Hour: the Groom. If you aren’t going for the massive ten yards of tulle and lace wedding gown for the bride and are leaning towards something more casual then, instead of renting a tuxedo, consider making yourself a suit instead. Not only will you be able to get more use out of it, but you’ll also complement the bride a lot more.
In recent days, the trend has been for the wedding party to be forced to provide accomodation and transport for a lot of the people joining in at the wedding.For shoe-string budget couples, this is not just a hardship: it is an impossibility. My advice is to simply make it clear from the very beginning.
While it isn’t fair for your guests to come expecting to be paid for and taken care of and then forced to foot their own bill, it is also unfair for them to come to a wedding as if they’ve won the sweepstakes. This is not an all-expenses-paid tour.It is a wedding.It is about the bride and the groom being loved and catered to, not them worrying about how the are going to afford the three extra cars they are going to need for their guests.
If you have out-of-towners however, you could try to set up a car pool with the rest of the wedding party for them. Just try to ensure that you don’t turn the car pool into a chauffeur service.
As for the bride and groom, the fancy limo is usually a crazy expenditure. Try something a bit more unconventional, maybe a horse driven carriage or even a hay-stacked pickup. Not only will it add a moment of levity, but it will also make your getaway budget-friendly.
You have now officially been handed the ideal road map to wedding budgeting. All you have to do now is start!