Weddings, as much as they are lovely celebrations, can be quite heavy on the wallet. The expenses are enormous as you have to take into account many things such as venue hire, decoration, wedding gown, wedding accessories, hair and make-up for the bride and the bridesmaids, flower arrangements, table centrepieces, catering, beverages, limousine, not to mention the printing of the wedding invitations and distribution, the fees for photographer and videographer and wedding planner if you hired one. Weddings do not necessarily have to break your bank balance – you can still have a beautiful, elegant wedding on a friendly budget.

Points to consider going simple and budget friendly on:

Location

For sure, that majestic-looking castle or five-star reception hall might be very sumptuous but if you’re not looking for anything too opulent, you can get a similar feel for much less. For instance, try giving boutique or smaller hotels a chance, depending on how many guests you plan to have at your wedding, often they have more affordable packages and are also more intimate than a larger venue. If you are fortunate to live near a nature spot such as a beautiful garden, the beach or a forest, consider having the ceremony there. The setting will already have a romantic atmosphere and all you need is a bit of creativity to make it look pretty – lanterns in the branches of trees, fairy lights, fresh rose petals to create the ‘aisle’ and so on.

Decoration

You can cut costs with a lot of creative and original ideas in the decoration. For example, for centrepieces, use large glass jars or bowls filled with bright coloured fruits such as oranges, lemons or pomegranates instead of lavish flower arrangements which cost a fortune and do not last long. Another idea could be using flower pots with pretty ferns or cactus as table arrangements. Think out of the ordinary or the conventional and let your imagination flow! Should you be requiring tiebacks for the chairs, large satin ribbons may be used with glass beads in heart shapes tied at their extremities. Several affordable items can be incorporated in the decoration such as straw, leaves, felt, inexpensive lace fabrics. For a classy look, place tea light candles in tiny jars on the table for a romantic ambience.

Bridal hair and make-up

Professionally applied make-up helps in giving you a beautiful, polished look in your wedding pictures, however if you know what products and cosmetics brands to apply that could work well for you, then by all means do not hesitate to apply your own make-up instead of going to a specialist who will charge you a lot of money. After all, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate did her own make-up on her wedding day. Our opinion is that if it is good enough for her, then it is good for us all! 

How to choose a hairstyle for your wedding? Similarly, for your hair, you do not require hair salon if you opt for a simple hairstyle that is elegant. A chignon gives a very classy look without much effort and you might even add some pretty pins or tiny flowers for that extra oomph. If you’re wearing your hair loose and you have short hair or long fine hair, a natural hairstyle is best – a blow-dry or simply spritzing a spray that creates shiny locks is all you need. For those with curls, scrunch then with a silicone-based hair gel or cream to enhance them. 

Theme

When choosing the theme of your wedding, you may wish to go for something simple like vintage or the bygone era and build around it. Instead of a limousine, you could hire those cute Beetle cars or an old van. The photographs can be done in a field or a garden to capture moments in nature in all its simplicity. Pearl necklaces (plastic ones that look real) as part of the ornaments at the table arrangements, old typewriters or phones placed strategically for the décor. For guest names at the table, use blackboard paint on a wooden surface or glass jars and write the respective names in chalk. These are merely examples on what you can create while keeping the magic and romance of the perfect wedding.