Weddings can cost thousands of pounds. It can be difficult to stick to even the most generous of budgets, so it is vital to make sure you stick to it if money is tight.

But how do you do this when everything seems so expensive?

The first task is to make sure you keep track of everything. If you don’t make notes you will find it extremely difficult to keep up with what you are spending. You might think you have made significant savings in several areas, but when everything is added together you might get a shock.

You will also find it easier to stick to whatever budget you have if you give yourself as much time as is possible to organise the wedding itself. The shorter the time span you have available, the more likely you are to panic buy. Time is as much a pressure as budget, and trying to do too much in too short a time can be a very expensive way of planning a wedding.

You should also get into the habit of shopping around for everything. You may well fall in love with the first wedding dress you see, but there is almost certainly going to be something even better which could come in at a much lower price. Make notes, take phone numbers and details – but walk away. Give yourself time to break out of that impulse buying mode and your budget will thank you for it.

You can also think about using the services of friends and family to keep your costs down. The success of this method depends on who you know and what they can do. For example, do you have someone in the family who is a hairdresser? If you do it will save you the cost of hiring a hairdresser on the day. The same applies to anyone who is good enough at baking cakes to provide your wedding cake for you. You may still have to pay them, but you will probably get a much better rate than you would from a traditional shop.

It is also important to remember that if you spend a significant amount of your budget on one specific thing, it will greatly reduce the amount you have to spend on other parts of your wedding. Think about the areas where you can reduce costs a lot. You can make your own wedding favours for example, buying everything individually to make up into boxes or bags yourself instead of buying them all ready made.

Many things can be made cheaper if you are willing to spend a little more time instead of money to get them just right. And remember that enlisting the help of family and friends to help with specific tasks will also help you to keep those costs down.

Sticking to a budget isn’t easy, but it can be an exciting challenge. You just need to be sure you approach it with the right frame of mind.

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