Wedding on the cheap?

I’m often asked how you can plan a wedding ‘on the cheap’ and I’m amazed at how many simple ideas people over look in the search of their ‘perfect day’.

You need to prioritise the 5 most important things to you both for your day to be complete – and yes ladies it does have to be 5 things you both agree on - it is his day too whatever you might have thought in your own head. These 5 things will help you to make decisions easier and compromise where necessary.

Something the English aren’t great at (I realise this is an understatement) is negotiating and asking for what we actually want. When was the last time you listened to an American counterpart in a restaurant asking for their salad to be a fat free, meat free, vegan friendly, dressing on the side, dish? Be honest, who’s thinking…just pick the bits out you don’t like…well why should you if you’re paying for it, shouldn’t it be edible when it arrives?

Obviously it’s an extreme comparison, but when you’re spending much more of your hard earned cash, on a ‘perfect day’ as opposed to a ‘perfect salad’ shouldn’t you be getting what you want, rather than paying for something that isn’t quite what you had in mind?

Although you don’t want to appear as the proverbial ‘bull in a china shop’, you need to keep in mind the attitude, ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’. This is your first lesson in planning your wedding, learn to ask for what you want and negotiate if it’s not what you want.

Remember negotiating doesn’t always mean getting things cheaper, but can mean cutting things out, or asking a supplier to include something at no additional cost. Think of it as value for money.

A few key points on when NOT to negotiate…

1. If this is a specialist service where you’re unlikely to find an alternative

2. The most popular venue is not going to negotiate, they have many more couples lining up to take your place

3. If you’re budget and ideas don’t match – don’t haggle for champagne if you can’t afford Asti

And don’t forget, if all else fails…Be prepared to walk away!

So, you have the 5 main priorities, you know what you have in mind, and you have your ‘what not to do’ tips now it’s time to see what’s out there. Don’t go to your favoured supplier first – give some others a call and try to negotiate, and get used to it, then give your preferred supplier a bell.

Finally, always remember…

Way too often couples; and yes ok mostly the ladies, put so much emphasis on the wedding day, they forget they are going into a marriage. Whether you get married in a church, a registry office, beach or hotel the bottom line is that you, the couple have arranged a day to let everyone know how much you love each other, in sickness and in health and from that day forward, forsaking all others.

When put like that, should the emphasis be on how much you’ve spent on x, y, and z, or just that after everyone’s gone home, and your day has come to a close, that you’re happy with the life partner you’ve chosen?