Well, now that you are engaged to be married, the next thing on your mind will be – How to plan and budget your wedding! It’s the biggest celebration of your life and you want it to be perfect and memorable for all your family and friends. Ideally it should be stress free and the costs shouldn’t kill you.
Weddings are a once in lifetime affair. Unlike the other parties you may have planned or spent money on, the wedding is your showcase event and you would not want to cut any corners.Although you may have a fair idea what to do, the actual planning and details can become quite stressful.
The reality is that as you plan , the wedding costs tend to go up because something nicer always comes along the way. Thus the key to keep expenses in control is to know what works for you, plan it well and start early.
So let us treat our wedding as a project so that we can sensibly manage both the stress and the budget without going overboard.
Here are the main elements of wedding planning:
Number of Events or Functions
Aside from the main Wedding day where the ceremony is followed by a Reception, there are many pre-wedding functions such asRoka, Sagun, Sangeet, Mehndi and some other community-specific functions. Deciding how many functions you are planning to have is the first step of wedding planning, everything else follows.
Once the functions are decided, making a guest list precedes everything because the choice of venues will depend on how many are invited.Its best to first make a list of the core invitees amongst family and friends and then keep on adding guests depending on how large you would like your wedding to be.
Choice of Décor and Catering
Then there is the choice of décor and catering which can easily become quite expensive if not planned properly. When it comes to catering,you must decide if you want a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian menu or wish to keep a bar because these choices cost differently. Whatever you decide, it makes good sense to first choose from the standard packages on offer, for both catering and décor, which are usually quite adequate.
Be careful because the vendors tend to play on our insecurities by pushing options which can make the final billing unexpectedly high and frankly unless something is just stunning, guests don’t even bother to notice.
Clothes
Clothes for the bride and groom are another big allocation. Every girl wants the perfect bridal dress and it’s very easy to spend a fortune on it.However, a bit of imagination and browsing around can get you a beautiful dress at a reasonable price.
Remember, the wedding dress is worn only once, so find something which makes you look good rather than the brand it carries.The same is true for grooms. There are of course high-end designers which are very expensive, but there are so many up and coming designers who make great clothing at a fraction of the price.
Jewellery
Wedding jewellery is usually quite expensive and there is really no way to get around it. It also tends to be quite ornamental and usually cannot be used on normal occasions. For these reasons, instead of buying new jewellery,brides can also re-purpose their family jewellery and mix and match individual sets for the occasion.
Other than this,you can always go down the route of fashion / artificial jewellery which is far more cost effective than real jewellery. It is only meant to be used for wedding functions and it looks beautiful.
Makeup
Then there is the matter of bridal make up which can again get quite expensive. There are of course the high end makeup artists and there is the affordable neighbourhood beauty parlour to choose from. See what you need and what makes you look dressed up for the occasion. The days of the overdone makeup are gone and minimalism is in. Take the help of your friends and family who will help you get ready and you will be pleasantly surprised how well it may turn out.
Music / DJ
Music is another expense which can also be planned other than getting a DJ or a live band unless there is no way around them or if you really feel the need for them. Most venues have their pre-installed music system on which you can play your own list. If the functions are smaller than using your own music system or getting one from your friends will work quite well.
Photography
Wedding photography can get really expensive. There are professional wedding photographers doing still and video besides the candid photographers who are getting quite popular. They can cost a lot and frankly hardly many photos finally find their place in the wedding album. Ask the photographers to show their albums and if you like what they show, choose the most affordable one.
Wedding Invitations
Then comes the most important and least expensive item which usually gets neglected until it is usually too late and that is your wedding invitation. Remember, Indian wedding cards take a long time to plan and make. It takes time to choose a good invitation designer, then choosing a good design, deciding on the wordings of the invitations and finally more time for the invitations to be printed and sent to you so that you can send them out. So instead of waiting till the last minute, order your Indian wedding e-card invitations the moment you decide your functions and book the venues. A small suggestion is that you order a bit more than you think you may need because it’s a common problem that the guest list tends to increase closer to the date and you don’t want to fall short of the cards.
After all, your wedding invitation is actually the first insight your guests have into your carefully planned wedding and it needs your attention just as anything else.
Conclusion
So, like any other expense, either you can feel insecure and make choices by going to the gallery or you can plan a wedding by trusting your personal preferences and monitoring your budget without compromising the elegance, fun and celebrations this memorable event holds for you, your family and friends.
