Things that won’t be saving money on your wedding and why

There are always lots of tips about how you could be saving money on your wedding. Recently one has grown wings that I feel I just have to warn you about. Because not only can it leave you out of pocket, it might leave you high and dry on your wedding day.

The claim that wedding suppliers charge more as soon as you mention the word wedding is as old as the wedding industry itself.
Recently some bright sparks on the web spread the “advice” to lie to suppliers and say it is for a birthday or something, and not to let on it is your wedding.

In this blog, I will explain why this is a truly terrible idea that might ruin your wedding in a thousand possible ways.
(I will only give a few wedding suppliers as examples)

Why skimping on a make-up artist will cost you more in retouching photos

When I was having my own wedding make-up done, I discovered just how many different ways there are to apply make-up. And how many types of make-up. Countless, on both accounts.
I had the standard make-up done during my trial. And while it looked really good, it does neither last as long nor come out as natural looking in photos as the wedding make-up does.

And in fact, my wedding make-up was a dream!
It lasted all day and night, and our wedding photos look beautiful and so natural, that you could be led to believe that I have naturally perfect skin. I don’t.

The wedding make-up took a lot longer to put on, and my make-up artist used equipment I had never known existed.
So yes, the wedding version of the make-up was more expensive than the standard one, that is because it took longer to do and my make-up artist used her best (also most expensive) equipment.

In the end it was worth every penny for me.

Of course, you can have the standard make-up for your wedding. But you will probably spend twice the money you saved on me retouching your photos afterwards. So skimping on make-up is not likely to help you saving money on your wedding.

Why wedding cakes are special

You might wonder how a wedding cake for 100 can be more work than a birthday cake for the same number of people.

A wedding cake might have to last all afternoon at 30 degrees in a marquise and still look fresh as if it just came out of the fridge when you finally get around to cutting it 6 or more hours later.
To make this possible, the cake maker carefully crafts your cake, carefully delivers it to your venue, carefully sets it up themselves in its intended location and fixes any minor damage that might have happened during transport.

This level of engineering and service is not included in the price of a birthday cake.
The birthday cake you ordered for your wedding will have scuffs and dents by the time one of your family members gets it to the venue and has set it up. And by the time you come to cut it, it will have collapsed and/or melted across half the table.

Not all cakes are created equal. Wedding cakes are the special agents of the cake world!

Don’t risk wilting wedding flowers

Wedding bouquets and buttonholes have to survive outside of a vase all day, often in warm weather.
Spoiler alert: Unless treated, flowers don’t do that!

Your florist trained for years to know how to make your flowers last and look good beyond their natural lifespan.

For days before your wedding, they have to go through the process of getting your flowers ready and applying products. All of which costs time and money.
But at least your wedding bouquet and buttonholes will not be wilting by the time we take your couple or group photos.

If fresh flowers allround aren’t in your budget, why not look at alternatives for some of them. There are gorgeous bouquets and buttonholes made from fabric, paper or even buttons and lego available. You could also rent decorations for your table centres. 

However, if fresh flowers are a must, but you fear that your budget won’t stretch, keep reading. I will give some quick tips on how to get what you want within your budget at the end.

Why photographers and other suppliers won’t be working on the day

If you book me for a birthday party for example, and I turn up to find it is a wedding, then there is nothing I can do for you.

I won’t be able to photograph your wedding, because I am only insured to photograph the event you have signed a contract for: a birthday party.

The insurance problem will not only apply to photographers and any other suppliers performing work on the day, it also applies to any items supplied that were not specifically designed to meet the requirements and demands of a wedding (for example the lifespan of a cake or flowers, or the quality of your make-up).

So how can you save money on your wedding?

I appreciate that especially right now a lot of couples are looking to get their dream wedding within a budget. The good news are, that there is a way of achieving this without risking a ruined wedding day.

Your wedding is a once in a lifetime event. Don’t risk wilting flowers, melting cakes, make-up that doesn’t look right in photos, or being left without a photographer to capture your beautiful day.

The stupid thing is, lying to your suppliers won’t even save you any money.

If you look into it properly, you will find that most of us charge the same across all events. As do I.
Life has taught me that all of life’s beautiful milestones are extremely precious. That is why I extend the level of service and preparation that is required for a wedding to all of them.

And those suppliers who charge more for weddings than for their standard product/service do so because you get either more or better quality – and sometimes both.

There is no shortcut to the quality and level of service required to make your wedding day the day you are dreaming of. But there are suppliers for every price range!
And finding those is how you will be saving money on your wedding.

My best advice

The best advice I can give anyone planning their wedding is: find legitimate and fully insured wedding suppliers whose work you love and who are within your budget.
Know your budget. Prioritise what is most important to you. And book the priority items and suppliers first.

If you are just starting to set your wedding budget, you might find my blog How to set a Wedding or Handfasting Budget helpful. Rather than being full of fixed numbers and percentages, it clarifies what the lingo around wedding budgeting means, what the numbers mean for you and how to make sense of it all and use the information. 

If you would like to find out whether I am available to capture the memories of your fabulous wedding or handfasting for you, then please get in touch.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Bright blessings,

Eco-Wedding Photography from the
Handfasting And Pagan Wedding Photographer UK and EU