Weddings are supposed to be the best day of your life, but by the time you have paid for a dress, reception venue, food and drink, the cost will soon begin to add up. With a bit of careful planning and some tips from www.ukweddingsavings.co.uk you should be able to save money. However, if your budget is really tight and you need to find cheap outfits for the bridal party, here are a few ways to keep the cost down.
Keep the Bridal Party to a Minimum
It is not unusual to see wedding parties with dozens of bridesmaids and pageboys all lined up. Sure, it is really cute when you have lots of little kids dressed up to the nines in pretty dresses and suits, but can you really afford to splash out on a dozen outfits? To keep your costs to a minimum, have no more than two bridesmaids. That’s it. Two is plenty!
Buy Second-Hand Outfits
Why spend a fortune on brand new dresses for your wedding party when there are plenty of outfits used just once available online. You can save a fortune by buying used bridesmaid dresses or a second-hand wedding dress. Most wedding dresses are worn once, so they look as new. It will be difficult to find several matching dresses in a similar style so look for mix and match dresses instead. As long as they fit the colour scheme, they should be perfect.
Let Bridesmaids Find Their Own Dresses
Instead of being a Bridezilla and micromanaging every last detail of what your wedding party wears, let your bridesmaids choose their own outfits. Give them some guidelines – i.e. a colour scheme to they need to stick to – but otherwise, trust their judgement and let them find a dress they like at a budget they can afford.
Wear Your Mother’s Dress
Do you still have your mother’s wedding dress? If so, with a few alterations, you could easily wear it on your own wedding day. A wedding dress passed down through the generations is a lovely way of keeping up with a family tradition. Antique wedding dresses may not look modern, but they have a style all of their own, and if you want a vintage themed wedding, an antique dress would be perfect.
DIY Dresses
It is customary to splash out on a new wedding dress as well as dresses for your bridesmaids, but if you are handy with a sewing machine, or you know someone else who is, try making your outfits instead. DIY dresses can look just as beautiful as any designer gowns bought from an upmarket shop. Look for patterns online or adapt an existing pattern to suit your theme. Making your own dresses means you have complete control over what fabrics you use and the detailing that transforms a plain dress into a dazzling one.
Just because the average bride spends more than £20k on her wedding, it doesn’t mean you have to. Be frugal and the money you save can be spent on the honeymoon instead.
