Whenever I talk to a couple or friends about their upcoming wedding plans, the first thing they usually moan about is the cost of having a wedding. Yeah, no doubt you’ll be spending thousands of dollars on this one occasion, and though I don’t recommend any couples starting off their marriage in debt, I still think that it’s an event worth saving up for.

As one of my clients said to me recently, “It’s the biggest party I’ll ever get to throw in my lifetime! I MUST be interested in it.” He also said most of his friends commented that it’s usually the women who go shopping for vendors, who are interested in who the photographer is, want to plan the little details etc etc. Usually guys are the ones forking out the cash, and leave most of the decision making to their future brides.

His response?

“If I am going to spend that much money on an event, I’d better know where my money goes, and be assured that what I am spending on is worth it.”

How true. Usually when couples come to Wedding Story for a consultation, they need to take some time to think about whether to invest in our services. We don’t hurry a couple to make a decision on the spot because we understand that it is a big decision, and the couple may need time to think through things, move budgets around and talk about it. We even tell our couples to shop around until they are certain about what they want!

So when they return to us a 2nd time, we know that they are keen on our services because they like the quality of our work.

So here are some of our tips on how to manage your finances for your wedding:

1. Talk things through with your fiance and see how much you are willing to spend overall on the wedding. No point having big plans that cannot be achieved financially. Or worse still, arguing over money matters.

2. Start shopping around so that you know the market price for various necessities – eg photography, videography, flowers, gowns, etc. Best to set a realistic budget for each category so that you are not disappointed in the long run.

3. Determine what is your priority for each category. Are you willing to sacrifice RM1000 on the budget for a tailor made gown so that you can hire the photographer of your choice? What are the creative ways to save money? For example, maybe you can think of creative ways to make your own wedding favour instead of buying expensive gifts.

4. Set aside a wedding fund from the moment you are engaged. Better still, have a separate bank account from your normal savings account so that the both of you can bank in a set amount each month. That way, you’ll be forced to save for the wedding. And no withdrawals for any other usage other than wedding expenses!

5. Create a wedding blog or website and share with your friends and family about the kind of gifts they can give you (other than ang pow). Perhaps you might find a rich relative living in the UK who is willing to sponsor your videography costs!

6. Eat Maggi Mee at least three times a week till your big day to save money on normal food expenditure. *Haha, ok we’re kidding on this!*

Alright, if any of you has any other tips to share, do write a comment so that we can all learn from it. Happy shopping!

-Grace-