Beautiful weddings are not all about how much money you can spend on it. Of course, it will be so much easier if you have a gamut of financial resources to fund the wedding, but it doesn't follow that just because you have a limited budget, your wedding will not be a s beautiful.
Here are some money-saving tips based on my personal experience during the wedding preparations:
1. Know what you want and what your priorities are.
Both the bride and groom should start with creating a vision for the wedding. How many guests would you like to have? Would you like to consider having a wedding theme? If so, what ideas would you like to explore? What wedding details matter most to you? How much are you willing to spend for the wedding?
Me and my husband decided that we wanted our wedding to be unlike any other wedding that our families are familiar with. We are both from Quezon Province and so most of our families are only familiar with the wedding tradition of Tagalogs. Having this vision, we were able to set our priorities. Our priorities were the venue and food. We didn't consider a frontyard reception and we don't want to serve the usual menu (afritada, pochero, caldereta, etc.) during the weddings in Quezon that we've attended.
So these are the wedding details that we splurged on. We chose Fernbrook Gardens for the venue and Hizon's Catering for the food.
To save on the venue cost, we paid Fernbrook in full so we can haggle for more freebies and discounts. Offset amenities you don't need like the invitations that usually come with the package.
Get the best deal from your caterer by joining their Grand Food Tasting. Get all the freebies and upgrades you can negotiate before you pay the booking fee. Why? Because it will be very difficult to haggle after you've already paid the booking fee. All these should be in writing to avoid memory problems from your Account Executives.
You can also save a lot by offsetting catering amenities that you don't need to amenities that you do need. For example, we took out the Signature frame and Doves because we don't need it, we offset it to 6 kids setup.
2. Identify "must haves" and nice to haves"
Wedding is a lot about setting priorities. So you need to separate the must haves and the nice to haves so you can be true to the budget you've set.
Some of our must haves are: venue, food, invitations, photographer, videographer, souvenirs, wedding attire, wedding rings, musicians, emcee/host, "on the day" wedding coordinator, flowers, LCD projector and screen, bridal car, hotel for bridal preps, and wedding cake.
Our nice to haves: photobooth, mobile bar, photo gallery, event styling, mood lights, fondant mini cakes, and fireworks.
3. Research about potential wedding suppliers, compare, and select.
The Internet can be an invaluable tool for getting an idea of what things cost and you can also e-mail many companies to get estimates -- without phone calls or time-consuming legwork. Don’t make final decisions about vendors until you've selected a date and a venue.
On the Venue
Look for a venue that fits your budget and is meaningful -- and widen your idea of what the perfect venue might be. Note that venues can often book a year in advance, so booking the venue early is highly recommended. Extensive research can be very helpful here, finding a not yet popular venue will give you more savings.
On the Caterer
Don't limit your choices to the popular caterers (unless your venue has accredited caterers). There are many caterers that can give you sumptuous banquet at a lower cost. Make sure you attend a food tasting event and possibly sneak into one of their weddings (not during the wedding but while the setup is ready and no guests are in the venue yet) to see their setup.
On the Photographer and Videographer
You might want to consider service-only packages so you can get your dream photographers and videographers at a lower cost. The wedding album and full-length wedding video can be dealt with after the wedding. Also, if you have photographer/videographer friends, you might want to tap their talents for a huge savings on your expenses.
Invitations and Souvenirs - and other printed materials like missalette, menu, place cards, thank you cards, etc.
DIYing these wedding will not only be savings for you but also a bonding time for you and your groom. I always enjoy the times when me and my husband are cutting and folding papers, putting ribbons, etc. It gave us an opportunity to practice teamwork!
If you don't have a printer which can produce the quality you want, try doing the layout yourself and have it printed at a printing press or in Recto. Your graphic designer friend can also help with the layout. One of my w@wie couples actually spent only P28.00 a piece for her invitations by doing the layout and assembly as DIY and having it printed in Recto.
You might also want to give out practical and useful souvenirs so it will not be put to waste. You know what your guests will usually do to display-only souvenirs right?
Photobooth
Instead of renting a photobooth, you might want to have a backdrop tarpaulin printed and post on a wall and have a few friends play with their DSLRs as your guests pose while waiting for the reception to begin. You can then send the photos by email or print and mail them to your guests which can also serve as thank you cards.
On Wedding Attire
If your designer of choice is not within your budget, look for other suppliers who can make your dream gown at a lower cost. You might want to go for new and upcoming designers and your trusted mananahi. Divisoria is a haven for fabrics, you might want to buy your own fabric and have someone create your gown and pay only the labor cost. As for the groom's attire, if you want barong, you might want to consider suppliers from the Pina fabric capital, Lumban Laguna. They are around 50% cheaper than suppliers in MM. For a suit, off the rack will be very convenient, if you want custom-made go directly to the tailors because designers usually outsource the groom's suit to tailors anyway.
On Wedding Rings
You will typically get as much as 30% discount when you booking during bridal fairs.
On LCD projector and screen
Borrow from your office or negotiate for this to be a freebie from your photographer or videographer.
Here are some money-saving tips based on my personal experience during the wedding preparations:
1. Know what you want and what your priorities are.
Both the bride and groom should start with creating a vision for the wedding. How many guests would you like to have? Would you like to consider having a wedding theme? If so, what ideas would you like to explore? What wedding details matter most to you? How much are you willing to spend for the wedding?
Me and my husband decided that we wanted our wedding to be unlike any other wedding that our families are familiar with. We are both from Quezon Province and so most of our families are only familiar with the wedding tradition of Tagalogs. Having this vision, we were able to set our priorities. Our priorities were the venue and food. We didn't consider a frontyard reception and we don't want to serve the usual menu (afritada, pochero, caldereta, etc.) during the weddings in Quezon that we've attended.
So these are the wedding details that we splurged on. We chose Fernbrook Gardens for the venue and Hizon's Catering for the food.
To save on the venue cost, we paid Fernbrook in full so we can haggle for more freebies and discounts. Offset amenities you don't need like the invitations that usually come with the package.
Get the best deal from your caterer by joining their Grand Food Tasting. Get all the freebies and upgrades you can negotiate before you pay the booking fee. Why? Because it will be very difficult to haggle after you've already paid the booking fee. All these should be in writing to avoid memory problems from your Account Executives.
You can also save a lot by offsetting catering amenities that you don't need to amenities that you do need. For example, we took out the Signature frame and Doves because we don't need it, we offset it to 6 kids setup.
2. Identify "must haves" and nice to haves"
Wedding is a lot about setting priorities. So you need to separate the must haves and the nice to haves so you can be true to the budget you've set.
Some of our must haves are: venue, food, invitations, photographer, videographer, souvenirs, wedding attire, wedding rings, musicians, emcee/host, "on the day" wedding coordinator, flowers, LCD projector and screen, bridal car, hotel for bridal preps, and wedding cake.
Our nice to haves: photobooth, mobile bar, photo gallery, event styling, mood lights, fondant mini cakes, and fireworks.
3. Research about potential wedding suppliers, compare, and select.
The Internet can be an invaluable tool for getting an idea of what things cost and you can also e-mail many companies to get estimates -- without phone calls or time-consuming legwork. Don’t make final decisions about vendors until you've selected a date and a venue.
On the Venue
Look for a venue that fits your budget and is meaningful -- and widen your idea of what the perfect venue might be. Note that venues can often book a year in advance, so booking the venue early is highly recommended. Extensive research can be very helpful here, finding a not yet popular venue will give you more savings.
On the Caterer
Don't limit your choices to the popular caterers (unless your venue has accredited caterers). There are many caterers that can give you sumptuous banquet at a lower cost. Make sure you attend a food tasting event and possibly sneak into one of their weddings (not during the wedding but while the setup is ready and no guests are in the venue yet) to see their setup.
On the Photographer and Videographer
You might want to consider service-only packages so you can get your dream photographers and videographers at a lower cost. The wedding album and full-length wedding video can be dealt with after the wedding. Also, if you have photographer/videographer friends, you might want to tap their talents for a huge savings on your expenses.
Invitations and Souvenirs - and other printed materials like missalette, menu, place cards, thank you cards, etc.
DIYing these wedding will not only be savings for you but also a bonding time for you and your groom. I always enjoy the times when me and my husband are cutting and folding papers, putting ribbons, etc. It gave us an opportunity to practice teamwork!
If you don't have a printer which can produce the quality you want, try doing the layout yourself and have it printed at a printing press or in Recto. Your graphic designer friend can also help with the layout. One of my w@wie couples actually spent only P28.00 a piece for her invitations by doing the layout and assembly as DIY and having it printed in Recto.
You might also want to give out practical and useful souvenirs so it will not be put to waste. You know what your guests will usually do to display-only souvenirs right?
Photobooth
Instead of renting a photobooth, you might want to have a backdrop tarpaulin printed and post on a wall and have a few friends play with their DSLRs as your guests pose while waiting for the reception to begin. You can then send the photos by email or print and mail them to your guests which can also serve as thank you cards.
On Wedding Attire
If your designer of choice is not within your budget, look for other suppliers who can make your dream gown at a lower cost. You might want to go for new and upcoming designers and your trusted mananahi. Divisoria is a haven for fabrics, you might want to buy your own fabric and have someone create your gown and pay only the labor cost. As for the groom's attire, if you want barong, you might want to consider suppliers from the Pina fabric capital, Lumban Laguna. They are around 50% cheaper than suppliers in MM. For a suit, off the rack will be very convenient, if you want custom-made go directly to the tailors because designers usually outsource the groom's suit to tailors anyway.
On Wedding Rings
You will typically get as much as 30% discount when you booking during bridal fairs.
On LCD projector and screen
Borrow from your office or negotiate for this to be a freebie from your photographer or videographer.
On Musicians
You might want to consider your co-employees or friends to sing at your wedding. A local church choir can also make your ceremony music as lovely! A list of your fave songs can also be downloaded in your IPOD for a seamless playing of your most-loved music. If you have a budget for this, you might want to consider an all-in-one group who can play both in the ceremony and reception because they are usually more affordable. Make sure you attend a demo before booking them. Be specific with the terms and riders in the contract.
On Hotel Preps
Aside from the 5-star hotels who are usually very strict with photo ops and bringing of food inside, you might want to consider condotels which are more flexible and lenient with photo ops.
Other cost-saving tips:
1. Avoid overhead by look for wedding vendors who work from home so you don't have to pay the overhead, and invest more on the product or service.
2. Honeymoon - book in advance and take advantage of promos from airlines. I am not a fan of "worry-free packages" because it always turn out to be more expensive because of the limitations that come with it.
Attending in wedding expos is very important to us especially to the bride. Thanks for these tips.
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