Once in a lifetime you can! – a shield with which to safely arm yourself against the most reasonable arguments, many brides seem to be willing to go all the way to the bank to make the wedding perfect. Big Day - Big Spending - the equal sign here is self-explanatory. But in the end, as in the popular song - for your own money ... celebrate .

But are large costs really an integral part of a wedding? Do thousands guarantee the best celebration and or can money buy that unique, heartfelt feeling?

It is said that the best in the world is free, however, to conjure up beauty at a wedding, funds are needed. And if you have to skimp on absolutely everything, it can quickly spoil all the fun of cooking. To keep wedding expenses sane within limits, wedding planning professionals recommend choosing three things to focus on and not to remorse for spending money without thinking about the numbers. There is no right answer for which three things they have should be - each couple will know better.

The wrong answer – justify the expenses with because it is accepted . A wedding bursting with delicacies has been accepted table, is accepted wine that never ends, is accepted to bestow on all who are willing accept gifts... However, if you want to keep a cool head when planning the wedding celebration and not start married life empty handed pockets, the first thing to start with is to forget about thinking is accepted in categories.

Your wedding planning keyword will rather become the word alternative , which in turn predicts quite a bit courage

– the courage not to be afraid to disappoint someone's expectations and ideas about the right wedding, seem funny or does not meet all the supposedly traditional wedding standards.

WHAT CAN YOU REFUSE AT A WEDDING?

GIFTS FOR GUESTS

In modern weddings, this is not the only idea borrowed from the west , but one of those ideas, the necessity of which is taught doubts. It seems like such a small, cute thing, but often it turns out that it is not so small (in monetary terms) and not so dear to everyone (how many have not been seen throwing gifts on the floor or indifferently on the second day of the celebration left on the table). And what resentment comes to all this, after so much careful work and love invested in making gifts. If the goal is to save, this is an item you can safely cross off the list.

TRADITIONAL WEDDING CAKE

Wedding cakes are beautiful and not for nothing called the queens of the wedding day. But wedding cakes are also expensive. Their creation it requires quite a bit of effort and skill, moreover, often in addition to the cost of the layers of cream, the addition is also added name wedding . It is a beautiful wedding symbol, without which many brides cannot imagine the end of their wedding day.

However, if you are one of those couples who do not pay much attention to such things, for reasons of economy, the wedding dessert can be play around also creatively. For example, instead of one big cake, treating guests with many different sweets – for small cakes of various types and other desserts. Deliberately avoiding saying the word wedding out loud, sweets can be ordered at ordinary mortal prices at your favorite patisserie, and no one need know that they will be destined to become the main dessert of the wedding day.

If there are many talented cake bakers among girlfriends, each of them definitely has her own special signature a cake whose recipe the artist will not reveal even under torture. Maybe it can be arranged that each girlfriend brings her own a cake that would be like a tasting for choosing a wedding cake. (product costs can be covered by the new couple)?

The confectioner will have the pleasure and satisfaction of showing her affection to others and the wedding feast will be her unique opportunity with to please so many people at once with your performance. Small notes with their author can also be attached to the cakes words and a wish for the new couple.

PAPER INVITATIONS

They also mostly cost a lot. In addition, if the invitations are sent by mail, these expenses will also come. If hand work invitations with beads and ribbons, you don't have a wedding must have , it's worth thinking about alternative options with a creative approach, and who knows, maybe in the end the result will turn out to be even more special and sincere than with traditional invitations.

If the invitation templates available on the Internet do not seem suitable for the event, you can create a very personal and witty a video invitation that does not require any spending, but will definitely be remembered by guests. Casual, informal the 21st century will also suit a style wedding. invitation – a closed event is created on the Facebook page, to which guests are invited. This platform can then also be conveniently used for quite practical purposes, for example to inform guests about the wedding day, desired gifts, dress code etc. You probably won't be able to get invited this way absolutely all the guests, but still some paper invitations will cost a completely different amount than, say, sixty.

SOME MORE IDEAS FOR SAVING AT WEDDINGS

WEDDING TABLE

This is probably the most sensitive topic at a wedding, where many couples (or maybe their parents and relatives?) saving is unthinkable. A wedding table overflowing with various goodies is our pride at any celebration. The same during this time, it is also the biggest cost of the wedding day, and therefore also the biggest opportunity to save. If the celebration will not be long and there is no seating at the tables, just in time there will be a Swedish-style buffet or standing tables with light snacks like fine receptions - will perfectly satisfy hunger, but will not attract guests to the tables, making guests also more convenient acquaintance with each other.

On the other hand, if a one-day celebration is planned (for example, on a price-friendly Sunday), why not use in favor of the fashion trend towards brunches ? It is possible that other visitors will have to negotiate the closing of the restaurant difficult, but usually in restaurants you can find a separate area where wedding guests can sit comfortably.

CEREMONY

In outdoor ceremonies, often the biggest costs are the rental of wedding equipment – chairs, arches and decorations, for ceremonies in palaces and manors - room rental. Therefore, as an alternative, it is worth considering an older or rural wedding ceremony at home (if all the necessary equipment is on site), moreover, you can always improvise at home - altar instead of choosing a blooming apple tree in spring or a rose bush in summer, but instead of chairs, make benches from hay or making wooden benches, which will then be useful for other family celebrations.

FLORISTICS

In order to reduce the decoration expenses at the wedding, florists recommend choosing some strategically important places such as a place where marriage vows will be made or a photo booth that will attract a lot of people throughout the evening guests' attention, and decorate them abundantly, while where nothing particularly important will happen, use decorations minimally. By concentrating means in this way, you will achieve a greater effect than by decorating the whole room a little.

Līgavām – for creative beings, it is worth thinking about creating a bouquet with your own hands, or following the true bridal bouquet role, leaving its preparation to the groom? But not as it usually happens - when the groom collects a bouquet from of a florist's salon, but it's… really, creating it yourself, from start to finish. Throwing everything aside fashion trends, superstitions, suitable and inappropriate styles for weddings - closing your eyes and imagining their , who with the world's most beautiful smiling eyes look into his plucks and completely funny, completely wrong in flowers put together...

MUSIC

Live music at a wedding undoubtedly adds a special zest to any event and helps to get guests on their feet, but if there is no doubt about the activity and willingness of your guests to party, the music group can be replaced with a song composed by yourself playlist , entrusting someone in charge to turn on the music, for example, for a new couple's first dance. If, however, without you can't imagine a wedding for musicians, pay attention to new talents, for example, they are still very popular for the underachieving groups who perform in clubs and bars and have not yet managed to get used to the sweetness of sugar syrup wedding prices.

HOW TO SAVE BY CHOOSING THE BEST WEDDING PROFESSIONALS?

For any professional, even the best one, it is worth mentioning a special price, discount... As is often the case with your services are indicated in the offers by the photographers, decorators and other wedding professionals themselves, everything can be negotiated. And in these words worth listening to. However, you should not dream too far. For a reduced service price one should also expect a reduced offer (for example, in terms of the number of hours or the amount of work).

If it is immediately known for sure that the photographer or florist you have seen is outside of your budget, take the situation in your hands and before the meeting, think about what offer you can make to him. He probably will easier to consider the offer.

Any service provider will be happy with additional advertising, as you know, they tend not to be too much. Try it interest your photographer with an original, well-thought-out small ad like

places a beautifully designed list of what masters have added their a hand in creating your wedding fairy tale.

Among your guests there will certainly be many young people who, who knows, maybe in the near future they will have their own the big event - the wedding.

When booking services, try one of two tactics - book everything well in advance (also making the first installments and thus guaranteeing price stability) or rely on last-minute offers, which of course are more risk, but who doesn't risk...

And finally, remember - no matter what you are offered and how you try to tempt, always keep a cool head and it's best to take time for small thoughts as well.

When an unspeakably beautiful wedding fairy tale is masterfully conjured up, it is very difficult to say no at this moment apparently for the only possible dress or the best party venue. A bit of thought and time for reflection for sure will work, allowing you to look at many things in a different, more objective light.

Photo: REINIS MELIORANSKIS

Author of the article: LIENE PÄLĆA