No one sets out to go broke on their wedding... so it is super important to keep expenses in control. Many people are crazy about saving up on a house after their wedding. I am gonna opt out of that one. I am not a big house kind of a girl. I like the condo my fiancee lives in. It is perfect for the next couple of years. I wanna spend money on travels, living life, and having fun. Ain't nobody got time to build a $700,000 house to show off to people.
Establishing a budget is the most important thing couples need for a wedding, especially if their parents are pitching in because you don't want their hard-earned money to go towards things that are fancy-shmancy but not needed. I had a budget for the engagement and I did all the meetings with vendors and bargained for prices. My fiancee went with me and supported me. My parents weren't even involved because I didn't let them. They were paying for a lot of it so I wanted to make sure their money isn't going towards anything unnecessary.
It's the same for the wedding. I am not one to spend on luxury back-drops and chocolate fountains and all that stuff. Don't get me wrong - I love it all when I attend other people's weddings. I think one should go all out when it's their wedding. I see brides buying Jimmy Choo's for their weddings because they want to have a feeling of going all out. Almost everyone wants a luxury car like RR for their 'Bidaayi.'
I was on a very adequate budget for my clothes shopping but I went all out on makeup because that means more to me. I got a lot of generous gifts (thank you everyone!) for my bridal shower and pre-wedding gifts from other family friends who won't be able to attend. A lot of people gave me money as 'shagun.' And I was able to save a lot that way. My parents are the absolute best. They haven't given me an opportunity to ask for anything for my wedding yet, they've given me everything already. My fiancee has also taken me shopping whenever he could sparing time out of his busy schedule. I am finally glad to say, I have finished shopping.
Most of my $$ went towards makeup and clothes. A huge chunk went towards the gift-giving business (which I absolutely hate!) Can anyone explain to me why we are supposed to give everyone clothes in Indian weddings? Shouldn't the bride get clothes from other people? lol. I don't understand some traditions. Anyway... the gifts are also done. We are already over our budget but I guess that is expected from weddings. I have thought of other ways to bring down the wedding budget by making some sacrifices on my ideas.
Most of my $$ went towards makeup and clothes. A huge chunk went towards the gift-giving business (which I absolutely hate!) Can anyone explain to me why we are supposed to give everyone clothes in Indian weddings? Shouldn't the bride get clothes from other people? lol. I don't understand some traditions. Anyway... the gifts are also done. We are already over our budget but I guess that is expected from weddings. I have thought of other ways to bring down the wedding budget by making some sacrifices on my ideas.
One important thing is to have personal touches for the wedding that are hand-made rather than digitally printed or ordered from websites. I can't exactly tell you my ideas but there are thousands of DIY ideas on Pinterest that one can use for inspiration. That cuts down on the decor.
Secondly, you should carefully consider every spectrum of the wedding. For example, cakes are expensive. Don't just get a 6 or 7 tier cake because you want one. Do you have enough guests to eat that much cake? For our food menu, we chose everything that was available, lol. There are 7 Indian desserts plus 4 International desserts which include a chocolate or fruit trifle, assorted tarts and mini cakes, souffle and kiwi and orange panna cota. I figured that is enough dessert already. Plus, people usually cut a cake on the Reception day (if they choose to have one).
Another cost cut - invitations. I am not having wedding cards. They are a waste of paper. People read them and throw them away. I have so many leftover engagement cards and I felt really bad while recycling them. I ordered my mithayi boxes already. What I will do is.... print a cute little itinerary card (one-sided) and stick it right onto the mithayi box. We don't have a lot of guests for the wedding. It is more of a private affair from our side. So, there is no point in printing 50 wedding invitations. Even if you are getting invitations and want to save money - don't get caught up in designs and layouts. Remember: it's just a card. People will throw it away after admiring it for one minute.
Use local expertise. If you are having a wedding outside of your home country, this might be really helpful. It is always helpful to get help from locals. They know how to bargain and they know the right people. Right contacts and negotiating tactics can take you a long way. For example, if you are buying 50 Indian suits, try to work out a bulk deal with the store owner through a local. They recognize foreigners in 20 seconds, so it's not a good idea to go all by yourself. This might not seem like a big deal but trust me, it adds up in the end.
Decide who is important for the ceremony. If you have a per head system, you would know that money adds up quickly from one person to a family of four. Our engagement plate system was $40 per head not including the alcohol. Our per head budget for the wedding is coming out to be a little less than double of the engagement rate but we have 80 food items. The goal is to invite important people to the actual ceremony. Indian weddings are not less than a week long. There are so many opportunities to invite people before the actual ceremony day such as the pre-wedding party night or ladies sangeet night. Hand out your invitations accordingly. This is another reason I am not printing invitation cards. I will be inviting most of my friends to the pre-wedding party rather than the actual ceremony.
The season matters. Off season in Canada is winter. But winter is the peak season for weddings in India. Isn't that crazy? Whenever you read the word 'peak,' just think of the fact that your wallet is gonna be a little more empty. I was getting super ripped off for makeup because someone asked me for $1100. I would never even pay that for a celebrity makeup artist. I settled for $500 for one makeup application (bridal). I am doing my own Reception makeup (not out of choice) but because of availability.
Less is more. I am gonna make huge cuts on bridal jewellery and outfit selection. I like really simple designs. And I am positive to find something that I can carry gracefully on a super budget. I know what I want. I saved my pictures. I am done my research. My folders are nicely organized on my tablet and I am good to go. I know some people have "prestige" issues with renting clothes and jewellery. But let's get real. I am not trying to impress anyone but myself. If I am happy with what I see in a rental store, I am getting it. And people who link prestige with money need to get their heads out of their ass. Moving on....
Quality, not quantity. If your budget is to get 10 Indian outfits (let's say 6 suits and 4 sarees)... then, stick with it. Don't get over excited at stores when shopping. There are thousands and thousands of amazing fabrics people are dying to sell to you. They WANT your money! You've gotta keep it realistic with what you need. If I see 4 good suits that fit the budget of 10, I will get 4. That is only if they are amazing quality and if I can see myself wearing them more than once. I've said this before but... avoid pinks, maroons and reds. You will get tonnes of them as gifts. And you will be bored of wearing them as well. I am getting non-bridal suits in non-bridal colours with mom. And I will get my bridal suits with my mom-in-law of my choice. This way, you avoid having doubles in your wardrobe.
Be unique. Instead of entering in a stretch limo or a Rolls Royce, I am gonna enter in a traditional Paalki. Not only does that significantly cut down costs, it brings a royal/traditional touch. The entire theme for my wedding is royal/traditional and the paalki idea coincides with the theme.
Beauty. Needless to say... we have some amazing options these days that brides didn't have back in the day. We have Groupon, lol. Definitely cheaper than some places. It is great for booking packages for spa and massage. You can get a bundle for a manicure, pedicure, facial and a massage for as little as $100. You just have to do your research and read reviews. Also, some people think... if a facial costs $20, something must be wrong with the products or the place itself. No, that isn't always the case. It might be a new salon trying to attract customers. That is why I say - research. I am keeping my beauty on a budget.
Dental Cleaning & LED Whitening: $100
Facial: $35
Hair (All over-colour + partial highlights + style): $100
Manicure + Pedicure (Shellac): $35 (Not getting nasty acrylics!) Sticking to my real nails.
Full Body Wax: $70
Brazilian: $45
Massage/Body Wrap: I don't think I need any. Maybe, if I have left over money in the end.
Skip a band. Book a DJ. We actually didn't have any entertainers at my engagement because we had like 6 performances. And that was way more personal and special. I am so blessed that my best friend aka soul sister is flying all the way for my wedding. I don't need to have any entertainers when I've got her. She did a wonderful speech for me at the engagement while my other friends prepared amazing dance performances. Normally, it's a trend here to get bhangra teams. I skipped that trend and had my friends perform instead. Every time I watch my engagement video, I am left with huge smiles by watching my friends dance and sing. I would have never felt this way with a bhangra team.
I believe that is everything that I have thought about for my own wedding. I hope that helps some of you out there. I am so excited. Congratulations to my other brides to be! Much love xo
Use local expertise. If you are having a wedding outside of your home country, this might be really helpful. It is always helpful to get help from locals. They know how to bargain and they know the right people. Right contacts and negotiating tactics can take you a long way. For example, if you are buying 50 Indian suits, try to work out a bulk deal with the store owner through a local. They recognize foreigners in 20 seconds, so it's not a good idea to go all by yourself. This might not seem like a big deal but trust me, it adds up in the end.
Decide who is important for the ceremony. If you have a per head system, you would know that money adds up quickly from one person to a family of four. Our engagement plate system was $40 per head not including the alcohol. Our per head budget for the wedding is coming out to be a little less than double of the engagement rate but we have 80 food items. The goal is to invite important people to the actual ceremony. Indian weddings are not less than a week long. There are so many opportunities to invite people before the actual ceremony day such as the pre-wedding party night or ladies sangeet night. Hand out your invitations accordingly. This is another reason I am not printing invitation cards. I will be inviting most of my friends to the pre-wedding party rather than the actual ceremony.
Less is more. I am gonna make huge cuts on bridal jewellery and outfit selection. I like really simple designs. And I am positive to find something that I can carry gracefully on a super budget. I know what I want. I saved my pictures. I am done my research. My folders are nicely organized on my tablet and I am good to go. I know some people have "prestige" issues with renting clothes and jewellery. But let's get real. I am not trying to impress anyone but myself. If I am happy with what I see in a rental store, I am getting it. And people who link prestige with money need to get their heads out of their ass. Moving on....
Quality, not quantity. If your budget is to get 10 Indian outfits (let's say 6 suits and 4 sarees)... then, stick with it. Don't get over excited at stores when shopping. There are thousands and thousands of amazing fabrics people are dying to sell to you. They WANT your money! You've gotta keep it realistic with what you need. If I see 4 good suits that fit the budget of 10, I will get 4. That is only if they are amazing quality and if I can see myself wearing them more than once. I've said this before but... avoid pinks, maroons and reds. You will get tonnes of them as gifts. And you will be bored of wearing them as well. I am getting non-bridal suits in non-bridal colours with mom. And I will get my bridal suits with my mom-in-law of my choice. This way, you avoid having doubles in your wardrobe.
Be unique. Instead of entering in a stretch limo or a Rolls Royce, I am gonna enter in a traditional Paalki. Not only does that significantly cut down costs, it brings a royal/traditional touch. The entire theme for my wedding is royal/traditional and the paalki idea coincides with the theme.Beauty. Needless to say... we have some amazing options these days that brides didn't have back in the day. We have Groupon, lol. Definitely cheaper than some places. It is great for booking packages for spa and massage. You can get a bundle for a manicure, pedicure, facial and a massage for as little as $100. You just have to do your research and read reviews. Also, some people think... if a facial costs $20, something must be wrong with the products or the place itself. No, that isn't always the case. It might be a new salon trying to attract customers. That is why I say - research. I am keeping my beauty on a budget.
Dental Cleaning & LED Whitening: $100
Facial: $35
Hair (All over-colour + partial highlights + style): $100
Manicure + Pedicure (Shellac): $35 (Not getting nasty acrylics!) Sticking to my real nails.
Full Body Wax: $70
Brazilian: $45
Massage/Body Wrap: I don't think I need any. Maybe, if I have left over money in the end.
Skip a band. Book a DJ. We actually didn't have any entertainers at my engagement because we had like 6 performances. And that was way more personal and special. I am so blessed that my best friend aka soul sister is flying all the way for my wedding. I don't need to have any entertainers when I've got her. She did a wonderful speech for me at the engagement while my other friends prepared amazing dance performances. Normally, it's a trend here to get bhangra teams. I skipped that trend and had my friends perform instead. Every time I watch my engagement video, I am left with huge smiles by watching my friends dance and sing. I would have never felt this way with a bhangra team.
I believe that is everything that I have thought about for my own wedding. I hope that helps some of you out there. I am so excited. Congratulations to my other brides to be! Much love xo
Hey where are you getting your LED whitening done from
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