How to Plan a Wedding
How much will your wedding cost?
Take a look at the prices on www.weddingquotes.co.za to see what you can expect to pay for different aspects of your wedding day. How much your wedding will cost also largely depends on the choices you make regarding quality and quantity and service provider. Sit down together and see how much you can realistically save and how long it will take. The date you choose to get married can largely depend on this. If you are taking out a loan or are getting money as a gift in order to pay for your wedding, plan beforehand how you will spend the money, as you can really get carried away in the excitement of it all! Have a budget and stick to it!How much will your wedding cost? – Cheaper Wedding Tips
You can cut costs by keeping things simple. Decide what things aren’t important to you and put money to other uses.Pick a Date
You are engaged, congratulations! You need to agree on a date to get married. Remember that f you both work during the week, this only give you weekends to meet with people and visit venues etc. If you are planning a wedding in 6 months, that is about 24 weekends, which may sound a lot, but there is a lot to sort out. Also bear in mind if family have to travel far to get to your wedding, try to pick a season that either includes school holidays(if they have kids) OR not in school holidays (so flights and accommodation will be cheaper for them). If that is too much of a headache, then pick a date you want and the guests will have to make a plan.Pick a Date: Cheaper Wedding Tips
In South Africa, venues cost more 1st September - 31st March, specials and discounts usually apply for weddings 1st April - 31st August. Getting Married in a morning or Monday to Friday will also save you money on the venue and some other wedding services.Make a List
Discuss as a couple who you would both like to be at your wedding. An average wedding has 60 guests. A lot of weddings I photograph in Gauteng have 80-120 guests. When you look through your list, star the definite guests (eg parents, bridal party etc) these cannot be erased no matter what! The others will change over time because, sadly, people come and go in your life. Your parents may be involved in paying for your wedding and therefore would like to have a few of their friends there to share in the joy of your wedding day, this should also be discussed and starred on your list of definite guests.Make a List: Cheaper Wedding Tips
Don't feel obliged to invite work colleagues or people that come up to you and invite themselves! This is your day, and when you look back at photos, you would like to remember who the guests were! By cutting down your list this way, you will save a lot of money on your food bill.Choose Your Bridal Party
Your bridal party traditionally consist of: Best Man- The guy that holds the rings and gives them to the groom during the ceremony Groomsman- Other close friends or family of the Groom Maid/Matron of Honour - A maid (unmarried)/Matron (married) is the chief bridesmaid Bridesmaid - Close friends/family of the Bride that assist before and during the wedding day Flower girl – A young girl that carries rose petals and hands out confetti to the guests Ring bearer – A small boy that carried the rings down the aisleChoose Your Bridal Party: Cheaper Wedding Tips
You can have as many people in your bridal party as you want. It is not essential that you have any of them if you choose not to. To keep costs down, you may ask each chosen member to buy their own dress/suit for your wedding, instead as a gift for you. This is now a very common practice.Book a Venue and a Photographer
Why did I put these two things together? Let me explain... The venue and the Photographer are possibly the two most important, and two most expensive parts of your wedding day, that get booked up so far in advance. Your venue is going to determine the setting of your wedding, the cost of the venue will affect the number of guests you can invite and the photographer has to be able to capture all the beauty of your day as lasting memories.Book a Venue and a Photographer: Cheaper Wedding Tips
As mentioned above, the cost of the venue will depend largely on the season you get married and the day of the week. The food charged at the venue will be priced per person, so keeping the guest list shorter will also help keep costs low. Some menus that the venue offer can be adapted to suit your budget. You may decide to use your wedding cake as the desert instead of taking one from the venue. With the photography, please do not ask your uncle to photograph the biggest day of your life to cut costs (unless of course this is his profession and not hobby). Choose a photographer that is experienced and makes you feel at ease. Look at portfolios and perhaps choose a smaller package that captures the highlights, instead of the full day. If you want an album, see if you can order one from the photographer at a later date, when you have had time to save.Choose a Wedding Theme
If you would love to have a themed wedding, you will now have something to base it on: the venue. The venue sets the tone. Now anything goes, but I want you to imagine this awful scene: You have Polka-dot invitations. The venue has chandeliers in the reception hall. You choose tartan/Scottish table cloths, African-inspired centerpieces and you are having a Hindi traditional wedding in a Tuscan venue. NO! The venue may inspire you, but if not, research themes from other people's weddings. You get traditional/Classic, Romantic, Butterflies, Hearts, Ethnic, Earthy, Fresh, Minimal, Simplistic, Patterned, Scottish, Period set.Choose a Wedding Theme: Cheaper Wedding Tips
Find someone that has recently wed and ask them for all their old wedding magazines. Look through the pages for styles that grab you, and cut them out. Once you have formed a collage, you should see a theme start to emerge. When you know what look you are going for, you can start to get your bridesmaids involved in the planning!Wedding Invitations
are usually sent out 3 months in advance. Most guests already know the date because you have been talking about it for a long time. There are many ways to word your invitation, some formal and others relaxed wording. Choose what fits your personality and theme.Wedding Invitations: Cheaper Wedding Tips
Designing and printing your own invitations can require a lot of time. If you have time, you can buy some beautiful paper and make them yourself. Get quotes too, as you may fund that it is less hassle and cheaper to pay a professional!Wedding Dress
Your dress should be as comfortable as possible (as far as wedding dresses go). Try sitting down in it, walking in it and general moving around. Consult a stylist/image consultant about your body shape and see what will flatter you the most. Have final fittings only a couple of weeks before the day as your weight may fluctuate with nerves.Wedding Dress/Bridesmaid Dresses: Cheaper Wedding Tips
Hiring your wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses may just save you a few thousand rand. There are also many sales at the end of each wedding season (as you come into winter), sometimes as much as 50% discount!Wedding Accessories
Wedding Accessories are are best bought after your dress has been chosen. These include the shoes, tiara or other hair accessory, jewellery, garter and lingerie.Wedding Accessories : Cheaper Wedding Tips
If you are feeling creative, make your own items or borrow some from a friend who has recently been married. Then it can double as your “something borrowed” item!Hair and Make-up
Have trials with your hairstylist and your make up artist well in advance. Professional make up artists will use the correct products to best enhance you for your photographs, without making you look overdone. Take pictures of your favourite hair styles along to your hairstylist and listen to their advice on what best suits your face shape and hair type.Hair and Make-up: Cheaper Wedding Tips
Have a friend do your make up and hair, but remember to have trials in natural daylight and that your friend uses the correct products, e.g light reflective foundation gives you a matt look, but when the flash goes off on the camera, it will make you look like a ghost.Your Wedding Cake
Wedding cakes have come a a long way over the years. You will be amazed at the variety! Take a look at our cake page and see the various options available to you. The 3-tier cake, although still popular, is not usually made of the traditional fruit filling, but sometimes 3 different types of sponge. Some other ideas are cupcakes on a tiered stand, doughnuts stacked up or different shaped cakes such as butterflies to match your theme.Your Wedding Cake: Cheaper Wedding Tips
Complex designs can cost more than, say, a plain 3-tier cake. If you buy an undecorated cake, perhaps decorate it with your chosen flowers for the day or ice your initials on top. There are also some ready made toppers for cakes that you can buy to decorate your wedding cake. There are lots of other services you can use for your wedding, listed on this website and you can get instant online prices by registering your basic information and searching the catagories. I have tried to list these things above, in order of importance, but of course this is just my opinion and I hape that it serves you well in planning your big day! Danielle Pretorius Wedding PhotographerArticle by Danielle Pretorius
