Ever heard of a wedding photo swap?
Nope, me neither! Well that’s just one way to cut the ludicrous costs involved in having a wedding nowadays!
I’ve got to say that we’ve had three weddings in our family in the last two years and not once have we thought of doing a Wedding Photo Swap
Within the family we’ve shared photos in a Google Shared Album for every wedding. However imagine being able to easily get hold of all the fab, candid and un-staged photos that your wedding guests have taken on the Big Day!
You get to a certain stage in your life where it seems everyone is getting married. That all ebbs away for a good few years and then you get the second-time-around weddings. And then finally, the kids start getting married and boy oh boy is it expensive. I’ve done some fairly rigorous searching on Google for weddings on a budget. And I’ve got to say, there’s a lot of good advice and tips out there.
Tips For Planning A Wedding On A Budget
- Make your own invitations
Printing the wedding invitations yourself is pretty commonplace now. And of course you can make them as personal, funky or formal as you want.
- Go minimal with your flowers
A minimalist look is good and very on-trend. You don’t need to spend a fortune on flowers to create a spectacular effect.
- Have the ceremony in a village hall or at home
With ‘shabby chic’ being in vogue right now, lots of my children’s friends have chosen to get married in their local village hall or community centre. Decorate the rooms however you want and at a fraction of the price of a hotel.
Wedding Photo Swap
- Do a wedding photo swap
To save money on hiring an expensive professional photographer get all your guests to share their photos with you. You’ll get loads of unique photos at a fraction of the price! Use a photo sharing app for ease.
- Try and find musicians to perform free
Contact a local university or post an ad on Gumtree. See if you can get the musicians to perform for tips from the guests instead of a fee. They get the same exposure, which is what they want.
- Check out ads for second-hand wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses
Some people post ads for unworn dresses. You can save an absolute fortune by trying to find the sort of dress you want on Preloved, Gumtree or your local rag.
Back in the day I remember going to wedding receptions and finding one of those old style disposable cameras on the table. After the honeymoon you had all the faff of sending off and developing all the rolls of film. Remember all that palaver! Now of course things are way more hi-tech but at the same time so much more simple.
Believe me, there are loads of ways to save money when organising a wedding. Booking a wedding needn’t mean you or your children going overdrawn or taking out a loan. It’s just one day after all. And it can be just as as special if you spend less!
