Smart & Savvy: 11 Ways to Achieve Your Dream Wedding on a Budget

So, you want to make your wedding the event of the year within your budget. You probably have these questions on your mind. How do I organize my dream wedding within a reasonable budget? Where will the funds come from? How will we handle given our source/s of income?

TheWOOMag brings to you 11 ways you can be money smart and have a fabulous wedding too.

1. Define Your Budget: State your expense limit

Lower and Upper. Come up with an accurate budget for all expenditure. Make a list of each item minor and major. It's easier to save money if you know how much you want to spend in the first place. If it seems too complicated, hire a wedding planner, who will save you a lot of money and trouble too. There are wedding planners who will plan your wedding in your given budget and will charge you X sum of your total expenditure.

2. Use Savings

Many Indian parents start saving for their children's, especially daughters' marriages quite early. If you're sure you want a great wedding with all the requisite trappings, you'll also know that you need to finance it. The key is to start saving early. So, start putting aside a couple of thousand rupees every month from the time you start making money for your wedding fund.

3. Go for personal finance schemes

Do you still need more money for your wedding? There are some ways you can raise money for your marriage. If you have a close-knit loving family, members should contribute towards your wedding. Or try getting interest-free loans from within the family. Last option is wedding loan from the bank which you can pay in easy EMIs. Do not pick money from private money lenders as they charge very high interests.

4. Select Venue Cleverly

Choose a wedding venue and the time for your wedding correctly. The venue comprises of the biggest component of wedding cost. Booking venue much in advance will save you 20-30% than booking at peak times. Banquet halls that provide all services including catering and decoration and charge you per plate or lumpsum are a good option to save money and headache.

5. E- Invites

One friend did his father proud by insisting that they would send e-invites. No more bringing heavy laddoos (sweets) with the invitation card to each relative. Be a trendsetter and press upon your parents that you will have only e-cards for your wedding.

6. Trim Your Guestlist 

Have a solid guest list. Cut your guest list to only very important people in your lives. Invite only those who really care for you. You don't need to invite that random relative you've never even met. And, yes, let the outstation guests pay for their own travel. 

7. Go For A Simple Menu

Instead of having an elaborate menu, have a few but well-done dishes that are people's favorite. No one is going to bother eating loads of dishes you spent a fortune on. Your guests will rather remember how they tasted.

8. Keep The Alcoholic Drinks Off The Menu

Drinks are not only heavy on the budget but can prove to be heavy on the celebrations with some guest getting tipsy and causing trouble. So, you can politely keep alcoholic drinks off the menu.

9. Give roles to Friends & Family

Every family has a born DJ, Photographer, chefs or/and a choreographer. So, why not get them on the job and save on the smaller things?

10. Go Online For The Best Deals

Digital shopping has taken off, and it's possible to find insane discounts on all things, starting from attire and wedding clothes to almost anything. Further, you can save on decorations and the like by looking at Pinterest and going for DIY ideas.

11. Use Cash Gifts to pay for your wedding expenses

You can use cash gifts you got at your own wedding to pay for it. And the best part is, this is non-taxable! You can open a joint account and deposit all the cash/cheques received on your marriage. You don't have to pay taxes on this.

We hope that with the help of these tips you will have a great wedding without burning your pockets. Readers, if you have some unique idea to help others save money and have an economical wedding, do share with us.