My grandparents have just celebrated their 25th year anniversary. Mom and her siblings thought to give them a grand celebration. They came up with this idea to have them take their second wedding after twenty five years. I know what all of you are thinking. Cool, right? While, some of you might be thinking it was impractical. I would say, no. This is the wedding that did not have to be costly. Yes, there was a reception, visitors were from different provinces so there was a need to plan for their accommodation, and there was catering and all that. Everything as if my grandparents were marrying for the first time. But, believe me; events like this need not be dreaded that you might be blowing away significant amount of money.
Everyone has their share of contribution. The invitations and giveaways were prepared by my youngest aunt, mom was in charge of the reception, their cousins took care of the food and drinks, video and photographs were taken cared by other relatives, mom’s oldest sister took care of the church scheduling with the priest and many others worked with everyone to make the wedding possible. Everyone has their own designated task to do. So, the whole thing went really smooth and manageable.
The reception was held at the ancestral house, so there was no need for them to spend for a place, which could have cost them some more cash. Tables and chairs for the visitors were hand-crafted by my uncle and some friends. We borrowed loud speakers for the sound system and all else that was needed were provided by friends and friends of friends.
I could not believe how the wedding went just as perfectly as we planned without much expense. I have heard of people complaining about wedding expenses and some rather avoid a wedding ceremony and reception. But my grandparents’ second wedding and 25th anniversary celebration is a proof that we can in fact go on with any wedding plan (or celebration for that matter) that would not require considerable amount of money. This is by having people to help with all the preparations and planning. Yes, planning is very important especially if there is budget constraint. Just considering how much could be spent for occasions like this would make you lose hope that you can still pursue with the plan. But if you are resourceful enough and if you have long list of friends, you almost have everything that you will ever need.
To plan for a cost-friendly wedding, it is important to list all that needs to be worked on from wedding church to visitors’ accommodation and fare. Everything should be written down on paper and you have to make sure that you don’t miss a thing. Once everything is written down, think of people who could contribute and help. Contact the people you think that can help or lend you some things that are necessary for the event. And weeks before the wedding and reception, make sure you have everything all ready.
Although, this option is very much helpful, you have to know that you will still have to shell-out some cash. You cannot expect everything to be free of charge. There are things that are not under your control like the wedding ceremony and minister fees, cost of menus, and still many others. This option only can help you spend less.