Table settings from blogger Yina Goh’s wedding. See more here.
Venue
Instead of booking two venues for your ceremony and reception, ask if you can have both events at the same place. The added cost from the extra hours at the same venue won’t cost as much as having to book another venue with a second set-up, additional fees, and so on.
Bouquet
You won’t need your bridal bouquet after the ceremony – reuse the arrangement as part of your decorations at the reception table, or as a pretty cake topper. If you’ve got a big bouquet, you can even use it for several things – as mini centrepieces for each table (if you’re having a small, intimate reception), a few blooms for the cake, and the rest for the reception table.
Favours
Your favours can double as so many things, which will help save a fair bit for you. For instance, put them in the middle of the table, which will serve as centrepieces, or have them individually placed at each seat, with your guests’ names on it.
Wedding cake
Skip the dessert table and other snacks by serving cake to your guests after the cake-cutting ceremony. In fact, we’re not sure why the fake cake has become a uniquely Singaporean tradition (see our story here), when you can simply serve it after all your other courses, instead of having to spend extra on other sweet treats.
Wine bottles
If you’re having a bottle of wine per table, stick your table numbers on each bottle (like this couple did) and save on getting additional frames and so on.
Bridesmaids dresses
Instead of buying your bridesmaids’ dresses from bridal salons or specific bridesmaids collections, look to regular stores and see if you can get something which you know your ‘maids will wear after the wedding, too.