Between inflation and cost of living, it's time to embrace a frugal wedding. Here's how you can do so without sacrificing on style.
The average wedding costs a whopping €29,812, according to weddingsonline. As someone who is still financially recovering from my own wedding, I know how quickly costs can add up during the planning process. Not to mention, all the miscellaneous bits that pop up the week before. (Pro tip: Set aside a ‘last-minute fund’ to cover these unplanned expenses).
Opting for cost-efficient decor, however, doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your vision for the big day. We chatted with wedding planner Claudia Postigo from The Planner Co. about cutting costs in a smart but tasteful way. Implementing these tricks could save you thousands of euros and hopefully help alleviate the stress of planning a wedding too (because there’s enough on your plate as it is!).
Choosing the date
According to Positgo, couples can look to save up to €30 to €50 per head with their wedding menu when switching from a Saturday to a Monday. A Bank Holiday Monday is a great option to help save costs as well, just be sure to double-check what venues charge (some have weekend rates on holidays).
The same is true when it comes to choosing the month to get married – autumn/winter is off-peak season, so they usually have lower rates.
“Having a midweek wedding is a great way to create cost savings. If guests have to travel for your wedding anyway, they often see it as a holiday. Winter weddings also offer a route for couples to save big time,” says Claudia.
Estimated savings: €1,000 – €4,000
Go digital
In a time when sustainability is being championed, digital wedding invitations are becoming more and more popular. It’s not only the greener option but with the cost of design, delivery and postage, it can save couples a heap of money, especially if you’re inviting a large number of guests or planning a destination wedding.
“There are many easy-to-use online services that allow couples to send e-invites, saving them the cost of physical invites,” says Claudia.
Some handy design tools include Canva, Vistaprint and Paperless Post.
Estimated savings: €300 – €1,000
Image, left, from Etsy via EclecticSpellDesigns
Know when to rent or buy
For most of us, our wedding dress will only be worn once in our lives, which can still be a nice investment if you’re planning on passing it down to your children or if you want to repurpose your dress down the line.
Many brides are opting to rent a wedding dress for their big day, significantly saving money whilst also choosing a more eco-friendly option. ReBride is a fantastic platform for this, offering a range of high-quality, designer dresses for a fraction of their purchase price.
“Brides can achieve some big cost-savings when renting their wedding elements at the same time as making their wedding more sustainable,” explains Claudia.
Renting decorations (are you really going to use 100+ dinner napkins again?) is a great way to save money too. Look to websites like Recycle My Wedding or wedding decor rental companies. Then buy the things that you want to keep forever, be it jewellery, wedding signage or special accessories.
Estimated savings: €1,600
Choose your venue wisely
Wedding venues offer different levels of service – for example, hotel venues often have all-inclusive packages while others are a blank slate, leaving you to arrange furniture hire, decoration, flowers, etc and adding hidden costs later on in the wedding planning process.
“A low venue hire cost might be deceiving if you need to contract extra service further down the line. There are some costs that couples might not even be thinking about when they are picking their venue but I would advise them to make sure which other elements are included in the venue hire price,” recommends Claudia.
Estimated savings: €200 – €2,500
Image, right, from Instagram via @Rebride
Try an alternative wedding
Elopements have grown in popularity in recent years, with people preferring more intimate ceremonies with a few loved ones over a larger (and more costly) celebration. In fact, Pinterest recently reported a 128% increase in searches for elopement photography ideas data.
“Choosing to elope is not just an affordable way to tie the knot, it is also an intimate way for couples to celebrate with their nearest and dearest,” says Claudia.
With a more affordable ceremony, you can focus your budget on what matters most to you.
If you’re not sure where to start, try sitting down together and listing out the most important things to you for the wedding, whether it’s food, location, etc. Then, you can start structuring your budget around those non-negotiables.
Estimated savings: €20,000+
This article was originally published in September 2023.
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