Don’t be a walkover with your wedding budget!

by John Fitzsimons on 20 July 2009  |  0 comments
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Firms queue up to part you from your cash when it comes to organising a wedding. Don’t be talked into the pointless excesses they’ll try to sell you!

What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than at a Wedding Fayre?

While any sane individual would have spent their time alternating between the cricket and the golf, I instead spent some time at an event for brides and grooms in leafy Hertfordshire, ahead of my nuptials in October.

Thankfully, we have sorted out almost everything, and only went to have a chat with our florist. But for those who had not yet sorted out the various aspects of their wedding, many will have left with their bank balances in a state of disrepair.

What terrified me the most was the sheer absence of prices anywhere.

One stand was peddling personalised wedding rings, with a massive selection on display. They had three separate flyers pushing their services, and I took one of each. Not one of them carried a single mention of the cost of the rings. In contrast, there were plenty of references to the 'special day' and making sure everything was completely perfect.

They were far from alone.

What's more, the stands were manned by some of the most aggressive sales people I've ever shared a room with. To say they jumped on you if you made the mistake of dallying by their stand is a massive understatement - they were genuinely intimidating.

One thing we still haven't sorted is the renting of morning suits for myself, the fathers and the best men. I made the mistake of hovering near one stand, only to be leapt on by a terrifying woman offering sales and rentals of suits.

Luckily I have done a fair bit of research, and knew already that this particular firm's services were out of our budget, but she was not to be deterred. First she was a little deceptive about just how much they would cost - she said that suits start at £45 each, but having looked at their site, that doesn't seem to include ties, shirts or waistcoats.

She then harangued us about signing up for a consultation. Thankfully we managed to escape her clutches, but no doubt others were not so lucky.

You just know that some visitors will have got caught up in the moment (and the bubbly on offer) and signed up for things way outside of their budget. Or even outside of their plans - who needs a chocolate fountain at their reception? Especially when it will set you back a couple of hundred quid?

There were plenty of other needless services on offer. I can think of a lot of things I would rather put my money towards than paying for a master of ceremonies to introduce the speeches.

I can't emphasise enough how disciplined you have to be when setting out your wedding budget.

You should always cut out the daft extra expenses - save the date cards, and favours, for example. But even with the most important areas, like the dress or cake or photographer, you can make savings from shopping around and resisting the pushy salespeople.

Stay on your guard, and don't sign up to anything unless you are 100% certain it's what you want, and what you can afford.

Otherwise you might be left counting the cost of that chocolate fountain.