NO CONTROL ON WEDDING BILLS

By M H Ahssan

Wish to cut down on wedding costs? Don’t have a clue from where to start. HNN tells you ways to rationalise the huge expenditure for making the event not only a memorable one but also affordable

Marriages may be made in heaven but if only they could be solemnised there too. Every bride and groom could fulfil their vision of a perfect wedding, in an idyllic setting with as many guests and fanciful embellishments as they desired, without spending a penny on it. However, it only gets this good in dreams. In real life, a wedding means weeks of nervous anxiety for all concerned, starting from the day the dates are decided to the moment when the final reception is over. Compounding this anxiety is the dip that you can see in your bank balance, every time a ceremony takes place.

As a parent, you may not give it too much thought, particularly if you’re one of those who have saved up for the day well in advance. In fact, even with the slowdown, most parents still dismiss forking out large sums of money with the thought that such an opportunity comes up only once or twice in a lifetime. Nevertheless, there are certain things you could do to rationalise the vast expenditure, without compromising on your child’s special day. If you’re wondering how this is possible, SundayET provides you with a ready reckoner.

CREATE A BUDGET
Most financial planners agree that as parents, the first step you should take is to chalk out what you can afford to spend on the wedding. Be realistic and do not allow yourself to be guided by emotions at this critical stage. This needs to be followed up with an estimation of the different areas of expenditure such as clothes, jewellery, gifts, food, décor and how much you want to allocate towards each of them. Mumbaibased financial planner Zankhana Shah feels that doing this allows you to make prioritise as well as take decisions which are realistic and practical. Meanwhile, keep your eyes open to over-spending on any particular element. Always keep the bride/groom privy to your plans at every stage to prevent misunderstandings.

However, if you find yourself worrying over where you can cut costs, then here are a few practical alternatives.

LIMIT THE NUMBERS
Step back and ask yourself just how many ceremonies you actually need before and after the wedding. Both brides and grooms have had as many as six-seven ceremonies each in the past but wedding planners say that it is possible to bring this number down to about three or four. For instance, many families are now combining ceremonies such as the wedding and the reception to save unnecessary expenses. Also if the relationship between the families is extremely good, you could decide to have joint functions and divide the expense equally.

Here’s another game you can play with numbers. Inviting 1,500-2,000 guests to your wedding may make you the talk of the town, but tapering your guest list by about 200-300 people could give you that little extra you needed to add an exotic element to the décor or dessert in the wedding buffet. If you are worried about hurting sentiments, divide your guest list such that different people are invited to different ceremonies. Also, keep your invitation card simple and classy and cut out the huge hampers and gifts accompanying the card. If you are extremely particular, then you could send a traditional item like a box of sweets with your card. Limit the number of cards printed and send online cards to as many as possible.

KEEP IT SIMPLE
Also remember that it’s not always necessary to spend huge sums to have a glamorous or a classy look. If you have a good wedding planner, he/she definitely has the skills to achieve the same look at a far lesser cost. According to Meher Sarid, a consultant to the wedding industry, “Over the last two years, wedding décor has taken a more minimalistic turn. So if you don’t want to use hand-embroidered velvet for your tents, then there are simpler and cheaper alternatives such as using velvet with prints on them or even thick satin.” Similarly, creating the basic paraphernalia for a wedding like the mandap, a small backdrop, a well-decorated entrance, using domestically available flowers and props is possible at a mere Rs 50, 000 while it could even go beyond Rs 10-15 lakh.

Jewellery is yet another segment where you are likely to see huge spends, especially for wedding. With gold prices at an all-time high hovering around Rs 15,000 (per 10 grams) mark, you could consider looking for alternatives like using jewellery that has been handed down in the family or use gold-polished jewellery or even switch to silver. In fact, this year, many brides have actually decided on fake jewellery owing to the higher prices of gold. Shah also recommends that in addition to giving children gifts in the form of money and gold, parents should also look at making investments for their children, which will compound and provide for his/her goals in a shorter time.

STICK TO YOUR HOMETOWN
Coming to wedding destinations, Sarid says that in the current scenario, it would make greater economic sense to limit your weddings to Indian soil or even to your hometown. This allows you to enlist the services of contacts that you have made in the past as well as the specialised skills of people in the family. However, with hotel rates and flight rates having dipped drastically, you have the chance to explore your options, provided you have the time and the ability to evaluate them carefully. However, many NRIs who were looking at arranging a wedding in India are now conducting marriages in their hometown as this would help them cut numbers.

The best bit is that with the slowdown many people, even those who can afford it, have become careful with their spending and have stopped the ostentatious display of wealth. In an atmosphere like this, a few less bells and whistles may not seem to be as grievous an error as it would be in normal times.