It is 17 years since my wedding day and the time has certainly gone fast , I know have my own home and one child and 2 cats , I still can't look after house plants but I still remember the tips and tricks I learnt when I was saving up for my wedding and house which are still relevant today.
Scrapbooks and board moods are a great visual aid in your wedding planning , for those inclined towards technology there is Pinterest.
I decided to get married in January of 1997 and by the 18th October 1997, I was married, it was fast and furious but worth every minute. I cannot stress enough that this is the time to get yourself a notebook and write down what you'd like it might seem that pie in the sky , for me the more you thrashed an idea out the clearer an idea of what you wanted got ! Below are a few tips and tricks to help you get the best out of your wedding ideas and for saving for a new house.
1. Decide on your budget and prioritise :
You could book one location for your ceremony and reception this will save on transportation costs from one place to another. If your heart is set on a church wedding or a licensed venue then you can do one of several things a recommendation is always worthwhile, I had the same cars that my sister in law did. I know a friend of mine her daughter had a camper van as her wedding car so anything is possible even friends and family may be able to chip in.
The day you get married on can vastly impact upon your budget with many places charging a premium for a Saturday night , you could even have your an afternoon wedding on a Sunday -night event.
Be frugal with your guest list , you can always have a get together for other friends a few months later.
2. Your wedding photography is a record of your day :that you will want to last forever so don't necessarily trust a friend who say they will do it , again this is where to ask for recommendations and for me I asked my sister in law and I was very estastic with the outcome. Nowadays everything is digital , you can cut down on the time your photographer stays at the reception by scheduling the toasts, the cake cutting and the bouquet toss for after the dinner, so the photographer can take these moments and leave.
3. Your wedding clothes and decorations: there is no shame to looking on eBay , or even if the sales of wedding dress shops , there is a strong second hand market. I remember selling my dress and it was brought by a lady who was going to get married in Toronto Canada the very place that I went for my honeymoon where I combined it with seeing Niagara Falls. Another place worth looking is somewhere like T K Maxx who says it has to be traditional wedding dress , you could be having a themed wedding for example. The friend I mentioned whose daughter had the VW camper as her wedding car also had Vr camper van bunting .There was a lot of sewing of bunting involved in the VW camper van bunting , how unique is that . SO you see anything goes I always believe there is a cheap solution to a expensive thought ( and cheapness doesn't necessarily equate to letting go of quality) If the cost can be spread out amongst friends and family then go for it don't let your imagination get in the way.
4. Serve cocktails at your wedding for a difference as venues do charge for every bottle opened ( called corkage) though I went down to my local supermarket and brought some fizzy stuff ( ooh yes champagne) 6 bottles of white and red and usually there is a discount for doing so. I then as previously mentioned just paid corkage for the bottles that were opened , what I did with the bottles that weren't opened I allowed the DJ to give them away to adults over the age of 18 as spot prizes for the dancing ( sure fire way to get people onto the dance floor)
5. Add your own touches for example have fake flowers into mixed with real ones and as they say less is more. You could even get your wedding cake form M & S as one of my sister in laws did and very nice it was as well, for me this was where personal recommendation came in from another sister in law again. There is a fashion as well to have a cupcake display instead of one big wedding cake and many aren't fussed abut marzipan anyway , the cupcake displays I have seen are very impressive.
You could skip the dessert at your meal and have the cake as your dessert ! Buy disposable cameras and put some on the tables, people gets all sorts of fun shots. Haggle with your prices where you can there is always room for discount when buying in bulk. For me recommendation saved me money and I also brought my sister in laws veil off her as well , and with my bridesmaids shoes I brought white ones that I had dyed to match their bridesmaid dresses.
Saving up for a house
Saving up for your first house should be becoming easier but is still a major financial challenge I remember saving furiously for the deposit when I was buying my first house, I saved up in the way of ISAs and and building society accounts etc.
As soon as I became engaged I made sure I planned ahead you might not think it is relevant but I assure you if you can save pounds here and there , then these saving allow you do to what is essential to make your home comfortable when you move in. I for example when I did have my house made sure that some of the money I had saved up went on paying my household insurance for the year and this was one less bill going out.
I am pleased to have written this post in conjunction with TSB.I have been compensated for my time, all thoughts , words pictures and opinions are my own.
3. Your wedding clothes and decorations: there is no shame to looking on eBay , or even if the sales of wedding dress shops , there is a strong second hand market. I remember selling my dress and it was brought by a lady who was going to get married in Toronto Canada the very place that I went for my honeymoon where I combined it with seeing Niagara Falls. Another place worth looking is somewhere like T K Maxx who says it has to be traditional wedding dress , you could be having a themed wedding for example. The friend I mentioned whose daughter had the VW camper as her wedding car also had Vr camper van bunting .There was a lot of sewing of bunting involved in the VW camper van bunting , how unique is that . SO you see anything goes I always believe there is a cheap solution to a expensive thought ( and cheapness doesn't necessarily equate to letting go of quality) If the cost can be spread out amongst friends and family then go for it don't let your imagination get in the way.
4. Serve cocktails at your wedding for a difference as venues do charge for every bottle opened ( called corkage) though I went down to my local supermarket and brought some fizzy stuff ( ooh yes champagne) 6 bottles of white and red and usually there is a discount for doing so. I then as previously mentioned just paid corkage for the bottles that were opened , what I did with the bottles that weren't opened I allowed the DJ to give them away to adults over the age of 18 as spot prizes for the dancing ( sure fire way to get people onto the dance floor)
5. Add your own touches for example have fake flowers into mixed with real ones and as they say less is more. You could even get your wedding cake form M & S as one of my sister in laws did and very nice it was as well, for me this was where personal recommendation came in from another sister in law again. There is a fashion as well to have a cupcake display instead of one big wedding cake and many aren't fussed abut marzipan anyway , the cupcake displays I have seen are very impressive.
You could skip the dessert at your meal and have the cake as your dessert ! Buy disposable cameras and put some on the tables, people gets all sorts of fun shots. Haggle with your prices where you can there is always room for discount when buying in bulk. For me recommendation saved me money and I also brought my sister in laws veil off her as well , and with my bridesmaids shoes I brought white ones that I had dyed to match their bridesmaid dresses.
Saving up for a house
Saving up for your first house should be becoming easier but is still a major financial challenge I remember saving furiously for the deposit when I was buying my first house, I saved up in the way of ISAs and and building society accounts etc.
As soon as I became engaged I made sure I planned ahead you might not think it is relevant but I assure you if you can save pounds here and there , then these saving allow you do to what is essential to make your home comfortable when you move in. I for example when I did have my house made sure that some of the money I had saved up went on paying my household insurance for the year and this was one less bill going out.
I am pleased to have written this post in conjunction with TSB.I have been compensated for my time, all thoughts , words pictures and opinions are my own.
