Non-Traditional Ideas For A Cheap Wedding

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Traditions are great but they get a bit boring sometimes. Weddings are one of those things where you feel obliged to do things a certain way because that’s how they’ve always been done, but if you stopped to think about it, you’d probably realised you're not bothered about half of that stuff. Having a traditional wedding isn’t that personal to you either. Most of the choices that you make are dictated by tradition rather than what you actually want to do. But a lot of those traditions are going out of the window and people are opting for something a bit different instead.
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If you’re about to start planning your wedding and you want to put your own stamp on it, here are some great tips on planning a non-traditional wedding.

The Cake ​

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Cutting the cake is a big part of the wedding ceremony and it usually involves a huge cake with loads of different layers, which comes with a hefty price tag as well. The thing is, half of it never gets eaten anyway so you end up spending loads of money for nothing. Even if you still want to have the cake cutting ceremony, you don’t need to shell out for an elaborate cake. Why not get something a bit smaller instead? You could even get a custom cake maker to create something that’s representative of your relationship, rather than the traditional white icing and ribbon, and decorate it in a more inventive way. When it comes to the cake itself, don’t feel obliged to go for the usual wedding cake, if you both love chocolate cake then get that instead, you’ll enjoy it much more and it won’t cost anywhere near as much.

The Rings

Diamonds are the go to stone for wedding rings and most people don’t even consider anything else. The thing is, diamonds aren’t that exciting or unique because everybody has one. If you want to set yourself apart, why not go for a different stone from somewhere like piedras preciosas? A ruby or an emerald is a bit more interesting than an old fashioned diamond and it’s something that is unique to the two of you.

Digital Invites

Sending out invites for your wedding is a lot more expensive than you might realize. All of those little costs add up to make the wedding very pricey. Instead of spending all that time and money on sending out paper invites, you can send digital invites instead. It makes it far easier to get them out to everybody and it’s way easier to keep track of RSVPs as well. You can still get creative with it and make them look nice. If you think that some of your older guests might struggle with the paperless invites, do a few standard ones and then send digital ones to the rest of your guests.

Crafts ​

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Another of those little details that add up to make the wedding expensive is the table decorations. But you can save a lot of money and make the whole experience a lot more personal by making them yourself. If you’re good with crafts, you can make some great professional looking centerpieces and your guests will never know the difference. Getting some of your bridesmaids and other guests to make decorations is a great way to get everybody involved in the wedding as well.

Do It Early

Most wedding ceremonies take place in the evening but if you do it earlier in the day, most things are going to cost you a lot less. Bands will still be able to book an evening gig if they’re doing your wedding in the morning so they aren’t likely to charge you as much. Most venues will charge less if you're having it in the morning as well. Having a wedding brunch instead of a late night party has a far more laid back atmosphere which is nice if you’re looking for something a bit more low-key. It does mean that you’ll have to be up at the crack of dawn to start getting ready but it’s worth it for the big savings that you’ll make.

Ditch The Church​

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If you’re a religious person then you’ll have your wedding in a church, but if you aren’t then there’s no need. A lot of people get married in church even if they aren’t religious because it’s traditional, but if you think about it, that’s a bit odd. There are all sorts of places you could have it instead which will be cheaper and make the whole day a lot more interesting. If you’re having a summer wedding you could have it outside somewhere nice. Once you get the idea of a church wedding out of your head, the possibilities are endless. Why not pick a place that’s special to the both of you? It’ll be a lot more meaningful than having a church wedding for the sake of it.

Make It A Surprise

This is a good option for some people but you’ve got to think about how your family will react, you don’t want to give anybody a heart attack. But if you think that it will go down well, planning the wedding as a surprise is the perfect way to make it a memorable day. Just invite all of your family and friends under the pretence of another event and once everybody is gathered, you can announce that you’re getting married. The only problem that you might have when planning a surprise wedding is that people are more likely to tell you that they can’t come. After all, they won’t be too worried about missing a lunch with family but they wouldn't miss your wedding. To get around it, you might have to let a few people in on the secret and get them to help you with convincing everybody else to come along.

When you’re planning your wedding, there’s no need to stick to traditions anymore. It might be worth keeping a few of them to keep older family members happy but you can use some of these suggestions to make it your own.

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