2018 will become the happiest year in the lives of those couples who choose to say their YES words to each other. Wedding planning has definitely already started, and not a single couple is looking for an answer to the question: how to save and fit into the desired wedding budget.

LĪGAVĀM offers several ideas on how to reduce the cost of your wedding so that the budget does not become an obstacle for not getting married this year.

1. Wedding celebration at own or parents' house

   One of the biggest costs of a wedding is the rental of the venue. The Brainstorm song says that "Your home is in my nitrogen" and we totally agree. That is why the recommendation is to hold a wedding celebration in your own home. It can be your parents' house, a summer house, and ultimately your own house. The prerequisite, of course, is that it has a large enough area and the ability to hold exactly the kind of wedding celebration that you both want. Last summer, Līga and Nauris Jansoni took exactly such a decision, who held the wedding celebration at the home of the husband's parents, transforming it beyond recognition.

   "Celebrating the wedding at my husband's family home was definitely both more financially beneficial and gave the event an emotional meaning. In fact, it's a very fantastic feeling when my husband brings me into his family as the heir to the family house.

   In the past, this is exactly how weddings were celebrated - at one's own home, and in my opinion, it is a very valuable tradition that should be revived. Our wedding celebration took place in the open air, in the yard of the house, next to an oak tree that has been standing there for years.

   We entered the yard with horses, the words "it leads to the land of the lucky and turns out to be home" sounded by the guests, it was definitely a very special moment. Of course, if you are having a wedding at home, you need to think about various practical issues, such as where the guests will be accommodated, what will be the plan "B" in case of rain, and where the evening dances will take place. In our case, we built a dance floor for it," says Līga Jansone.

2. Wedding ceremony without seats for guests

   If the wedding ceremony is planned outside, in the open air, then another way to save money is to do without chairs for the guests. If the ceremony is not planned to be too long, it will help to save the cost of renting chairs.

   Of course, you can also come up with various creative solutions, for example, covering hay bales with different blankets, getting both a vintage overall view and seating for guests. If, however, you decide in favor of the option without seats at the wedding ceremony, then you should definitely think about the seating options for older guests as well.

3. Wedding makeup made by the bride herself

   Another cost item at a wedding is the bride's hair and makeup. Brides more and more often choose make-up to create themselves, instead of entrusting it to professionals. Of course, this can be done if you don't wear makeup on a daily basis. Brides often admit that they themselves can create the most suitable and desirable wedding make-up .

4. An evening dress can also become a wedding dress

   A wedding dress definitely does not mean only a dress bought in a wedding salon. Any dress in which you want to become a wife and say your "I do" can become a wedding dress.

   That is why many brides find their dresses in various stores, including on the Internet, for example asos.com . Even a dress bought as an evening dress, if worn with the right feeling, becomes a wedding dress. This same principle also applies to bridesmaid dresses.

   By the way, another suggestion on how to save money - after the ceremony, combine the bridesmaids' bouquets into one, creating a beautiful composition to be placed at the place of the wedding celebration.

5. Pay attention to hidden costs

   To avoid unpleasant surprises, you must pay attention to unexpected wedding costs. That is why you should carefully read the contracts with the service providers and find out in time all the interesting issues, for example, what is included in the cost of renting the venue. Hidden costs can also be various seemingly self-evident things that we often don't even think about, for example, if the wedding ceremony and celebration will take place at a short distance or even in the same location, it will significantly reduce transport costs.

6. Wedding rings from generation to generation

   Instead of going to a jewelry store to buy brand new wedding rings, you can use your grandparents' or great-grandparents' wedding rings, which will not only help reduce the overall wedding budget, but also add emotional meaning to them.

   More and more couples are choosing to melt down their inherited gold rings to create their own - completely unique and different from the ones offered in the store.

1. Gifts not for every guest, but for a couple

   Since the list of invited wedding guests most often includes families and couples, gifts can be presented not to each guest, but to a couple or family, thus saving on their number. In that case, all you have to do is come up with a thank you gift solution that both of you will like.

   PHOTO: AINARS MAZJĪNIS , BILLIJS LOTS , LINDA LAUVA , MADARA KURPNIECE , SASCH.ME, REINIS MELIORANSKIS , SCIENTISTS TIME