Your wedding is here or around the corner! We are so excited for you. We wrote an article about the next steps after your wedding date. You can read it here. I know you love all the videos you see on popular blogs and pages. But, let’s face the truth: not all of us can afford those kinds of weddings.
And it’s okay. What’s not okay is you trying to run your pockets dry on just one day and then end up financially frustrated in marriage for months till you’re able to get back on your feet from the event.
A better way would be to plan a wedding within your budget that would still be as memorable. How would you do that? Let’s find out.
1. Make a list of the things you’ll need for the wedding.
Notice that I said need and not want. Before you even think about what you’d want, settle what you need first. Things like a wedding gown, a hall, and food are part of your need list. You’ll realize that making this list will keep you from impulse buying.
2. Organize your budget.
Failure to have a budget would be setting yourself up for financial troubles. As you’ve made your list, organize your budget as well. This will help you to avoid overspending and further aid you to spend within your means while cutting off any unnecessary cost.
3. Leverage the resources around you.
You may not have enough to hire the services you need but you have people around you. You must have noticed some friends and family members that are good with planning, some are good with fashion and makeup, and the list goes on like that.
Ask for their help. Yes, it’s a small wedding but it can and should still be amazing. If you have some extra cash, you can hire an event planner for the week of your wedding. It’s usually cheaper when you do that.
But if you can’t do that, make your own team and do that early. Call in favors, ask friends and family to help rather than giving gifts, if you don’t mind.
4. Don’t invite the whole world.
The truth is that you can’t please everyone. Even if you invite everyone on your contact list and everyone you can think of, by the end of your wedding there would still be people offended with you for not inviting them.
Someone will always be annoyed. Most people feel very entitled to your decisions and plans. You’d be shocked at how pissed your distant cousin would be that you didn’t invite her to your wedding. Sometimes, not even a family member. It could be an acquaintance or a colleague.
Settle down with your partner and make a list of close friends and family that you’d like to be present. Then for the others, here are a few things you can do:
A. Once you get engaged, you can make a public declaration that you’d be having a small wedding due to personal reasons. (We both know it’s really just a scam but it will help as evidence when you get married. I mean, you kuku said it earlier).
B. You could organize a pre-wedding event in a picnic form. Get an open space or a house or an air BnB for a day and then invite as many people as want to come. Inform them to bring something- food, snacks, drink, water, and other things. So all you’ll have to do is pay for space. Don’t know how to select the right venue? Read this
You could go the extra mile by assigning friends to bring certain things so that no matter what happens, there’s water and something to eat no matter how small.
By doing this, you’re able to satisfy almost everybody. However, you don’t have to. It’s not compulsory. But if you can’t stand not pleasing everyone, then you could do this. But note that you’ll still not be able to please everyone even if you invited the world to your wedding.
So, I guess what I’m saying is this, do you, be you. Don’t stress yourself reaching beyond your means. Nobody will crowdfund house rent for you so, use your head.
5. Get drinks in bulk.
Rather than shopping from malls, you can go to open markets and buy at wholesale price. Guess what? Some distributors even give you free cooling drums when you buy in bulk for your events.
Get your bottled water and drinks there and resist using supermarkets which cost more.
In our next post, we will be covering more steps and things to do to have a truly small but fabulous wedding.
