Be it the bride or the groom, everyone prefers a stylish wedding these days. But, that big fat Indian wedding takes a fat toll on the pockets. It need not be like that and a few sensible measures can make the day special without making it ridiculously expensive.
“All it takes is some planning and research. First and foremost, an exhaustive checklist is required. Once that is done, a little bit of asking around and research can yield affordable alternatives. Take flower arrangements, for example: fresh flowers may be exorbitantly priced, so one could always opt for artificial flowers instead,” says Anitha Ramachandran, who got married six months ago.
It is all in the planningAlso, when there is enough time to plan the wedding, it is advisable to pre-book as rates and packages are always better when booked in advance.
Urmila Chordia says she would like to keep her kids’ wedding simple and graceful. “Unnecessary traditions, age-old customs and beliefs which consume time and money should be done away with. According to me accepting and giving gifts is one of the major expenditures in North Indian weddings. This should be replaced with blessings from family and relatives. Limiting the dishes in the menu is another simple way of cutting the cost,” she says. S. Geetha agrees with Urmila. Speaking of Iyer weddings, she says, “We too have a few customs that can be avoided such as Seeru, Ethir Seeru and Kattu Saadham. They may have been necessary in the olden days when the bride’s family gave everything a girl would need to start a home, right from spoons to big vessels. But increasingly, these unwieldy vessels are just packed away or put away in lofts, never to be used. In ethir seeru the bride’s and the groom’s family exchange saris and veshti’s as gifts. “This exchange is an unnecessary expense,” she adds.
“Fourteen years ago when I got married, I was very particular that my parents should not spend much on the wedding. Mine was a morning wedding at a temple followed by a small reception and lunch. I believe we spent only Rs 20,000 on the new clothes we bought for the family,” says P.M. Uma, homemaker. “An orchestra is one expense that I believe should be avoided. Nobody notices it and hardly anyone appreciates it,” she adds.
At weddings, clothes and food are the major expenses. “I rented my shervani for my wedding and that cost me 80 per cent less. I knew I would wear it only for just that one day and hence chose to rent it,” says newly wed business man, Dhiraj Kumar.
Since people are getting tech savvy and increasingly embracing social media, sending an e-invite or designing an invite on a web portal can reduce the cost of printing an invitation and also the courier charges, he adds.
Weddings are special. What has to be understood is the fact that the day is special and not the grand clothes or venue. Having a dream wedding at the cost of sacrificing your other goals are definitely not worth it.
Plan
It always helps in saving unwanted expenditure.
Budget
It is not enough to have a total budget, also set estimates for specific services
Avoid info overkill
Go with common sense. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Family will know best.
Practise patience
This is very important while planning a wedding.
Go local
Always trust and source from local vendors.
Wedding Planner Reshma Srijay
