A wedding day is not only expensive for the bride and groom, as it can also cost the bridesmaids a pretty penny, too. If you have the honour of being a bridesmaid for a friend or family member, check out the following money-saving tips.
1. Set a Realistic Budget
You are bound to be thrilled at the prospect of being a bridesmaid, but your bank balance might not be. It is therefore important to sit down to identify everything you will need to pay for to participate in a bride’s big day. For example, you might need money for a wedding gift, a hen night, clothing and transport. Try to estimate a realistic figure you can afford and be upfront with the happy couple about how much you can spend.
2. The Perfect Wedding Gifts
The bridal party may assume they need to spend a considerable amount of money on a meaningful gift for the bride. However, you can almost guarantee the newlyweds would appreciate a heartfelt gift over a flashy present. So, don’t take out a loan to buy a wedding gift and put your craft skills to the test to make them a hamper, scrapbook or personalised photo frame.
3. Make Your Own Invitations
Do you want to throw a stunning bridal shower for the bride to be? It doesn’t have to cost you a small fortune to do so. Gather the bridal party together to chip in to make this one event the bride will never forget, so you will not have the financial burden. You can also make your own bridal shower invitations for free, and you can choose a beautiful theme before personalising the design with images and text.
4. Share Travel Costs
Whether you need to book a taxi to the bridal shower, arranging transport for a hen party or book a minibus to the airport for an overseas wedding, you should split all travel costs down the middle with your fellow bridesmaids. While it might take a little extra time and effort to arrange group travel, it will allow you all to save a substantial amount of money in the long run.
5. Share a Hotel Suite
Will you have to book a hotel room for a wedding? If so, consider sharing a room with one or more of the bridesmaids. Not only will it allow you to split the costs of the hotel, but you can also prepare for the big day together so that you can make fantastic memories you will each treasure long after the wedding day is over.
6. Buy an Affordable Bridesmaid Dress
Have you offered to buy your own bridesmaid dress? If so, you might be happy to learn there are many ways to save money on the gown. For example, you can choose from many stunning used bridesmaid dresses to make great savings, and they will more than likely be in excellent condition as they have only been worn once. Alternatively, you can choose to rent a dress from a bridal store, which you can return once the wedding day is over.
So true there's always a way to save and not necessarily scrimp either
Loving your ideas
I wish I had read this last year when I was bridesmaid for my sister, lovely tips xx
oh some great money saving tips here
Really good ideas, thank you. It's a wonderful thing, and having fewer money worries about it can only make it even more enjoyable.