First things first, do you want a big or a small wedding
? Unless youre in a mad rush to get hitched its better to work all this stuff out first rather than setting the budget. You hopefully only get married once so make it exactly how you want it and if it takes two years to save for it then so be it. There are pros and cons to big weddings and small weddings so weigh these up if youre not sure where you stand.
Small weddings (4 50 people)
These are more intimate affairs where youll get to talk properly to everyone you invite and you can guarantee that only the people you really want to be there are. On the down side, youll probably upset or offend quite a lot of people, especially if all the married couples you know opted for the big wedding and invited you and youre not returning the hospitality. The same goes for people with large families who choose to have a small wedding, be prepared for family feuds galore.
The other obvious advantage to a small wedding is that theyll cost considerably less. Venue, invitations, cost of food and drink per head and entertainment are all things to consider when putting together your guest list. Youll also be able to go all out on things like the cake which can otherwise be far too pricey for a lot of people.
Top tip to reduce your wedding costs: Make your own invitations
Medium weddings (50 100 people)
These are probably the most common types of wedding as they allow both the bridge and groom to invite a balanced mix of friends and family without going totally overboard on price. With this many people you can choose to have a buffet or hog roast rather than a sit down dinner which can dramatically cut the overall cost of your day and night. Downsides to this size of wedding is finding a suitable venue as they often cater for either small or large parties which means you can end up being cramped in a small space or lost in a big space.
Top tip to reduce your wedding costs: Choose a buffet or hog roast rather than a sit down meal
Large weddings (100+ people)
You wont be offending anyone with this option, except for maybe the bank manager. Your guest list will be as complete as it can be but beware that feeding a large number of people starts to get tricky. You wont be able to have something like a hog roast if youve got more than 200 people (unless you get more than one of course!) so start planning for the full sit down bonanza with waiting staff and the works. And dont forget about the cake which has to be able to feed all your guests so youll be looking at three large tiers for 250 people.
Top tip to reduce your wedding costs: Buy your flowers wholesale and arrange them yourself