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But one DIY bride found a way to save more than R85 000 on her dream wedding with her incredible budget hacks.
Samantha, 29, and her fiancé, Andrew Willcocks, 33, from Victoria, Australia, took matters into their own hands when they realised the high costs involved in planning their wedding.
“I was really shocked at the crazy price tag when you mention anything wedding,” Sam says. “I was confident I could find similar pieces for a much better price.”
The couple, who tied the knot in an elegant outdoor ceremony in the picturesque Bellarine Peninsula, managed to save more than R85 000 thanks to their DIY and budget décor.
Sam, who works with her husband in their family owned pub, stunned their guests with her wedding decorations and still managed to save thousands.
All the wedding décor was purchased from a department store, while Samantha also designed her own save-the-date cards and gift tags.
“I headed to my favourite budget store, Kmart, managed to slash the prices to decorate my wedding and saved thousands.
“I worked out a styling theme early on. I wanted a mix of classic colours such as white, gold and navy mixed with rustic such as natural timber and greenery. I then hunted for budget items that fit that theme.
“We used Kmart candleholders, photo frames, plaques, table numbers, signs and tablecloths. We also bought Kmart dressing robes for my bridesmaids to wear in the morning while getting ready,” she said.
Instead of spending money on a choreographer, the bride perfected her wedding dance with free lessons off YouTube. She also saved on transportation costs by having a friend drive her to the ceremony.
Her secondhand wedding dress, which had never been worn and still had its tag – was bought from an online store for R10 000, saving the bride thousands on a brandnew designer dress.
“The whole ceremony looked gorgeous, and it felt amazing that we were able to do so much of it ourselves.
“Not only did it save money but it puts our own spirit and energy into our wedding. It was such an incredible day,” Sam says.
The newlyweds said their entire wedding cost R427 500 – but Samantha said it would have been “a whole lot more expensive” without her budget hacks.
The couple are expecting their first child in January with the mom-to-be revealing she’ll be using budget Kmart décor for her baby shower and to decorate her newborn’s bedroom.
“I’d love to challenge myself and do a budget Kmart-themed baby shower as well as decorating their room with Kmart décor.”
Samantha’s top five budget tips for brides
1. Reuse the decorations used during the ceremony in the reception. We reused the flowers from the bridesmaid’s bouquets for table decorations.
2. Ask friends and family for help. If you have a baking goddess for a sister-in-law or a make-up savvy cousin, ask if they can help you out by baking your cake and doing the bridal party make-up.
3. Choose a few key things that are most important to you for the day. Set aside money to spend on that, and then budget everything else around it.
4. Consider the size of your wedding invitations. If they’re bigger than an average card they require two stamps to post instead of one. This doubles your postage costs. When sending out more than 100 invites it really adds up.
5. Instead of printing individual menus have a few in the middle of the tables that all guests can read. They’ll probably only look at it once, so guests won’t need one each. This saves on printing costs.
Source: Magazine Features
