Tips for making budget in Indian wedding
Indian wedding has too many celebrations from start to finish.Indian weddings are usually big because of large families, and lots of family friends. It can be said that Marriages in India are fullof ritual and celebration that continue for several days.
Though most Indian marriages are arranged, some couples in majorcitiesdo "love marriages", in which the partners decide to marry each other without family participation or assistance. The traditional Indian wedding is about two families being brought together socially, with as much emphasis placed on the families coming closer as the married couple.
In India, there are multiple cast people living and their traditions are different. As Indian economy has reverberated in the last few years, families organize lavish weddings for their son or daughter.
Wedding industries works as lots of fancy things people do and spend more money just to show that their standard in high. Some examples of flashy display of wealth are:
- Multi cuisine dining (North Indian, South Indian, snacks/ chaat (pani puri, bhel puri etc.), Chinese, Mediterranean and so on). It is just waste of food. They are recommended to donate excess food to charity organisations or needy people.
- To show their standard, people buy several sets of very expensive designer clothes. This is not just for the bride and the groom but for several family members too.
- Luxury cars to ferry the bride and the groom.
- Today there is trend of wedding themes. These can be very expensive and often serve no purpose other than show-off.
- For lavish marriage, some families take loan tospend on all wedding related expenses including but not limited to buying gold jewellery and expensive clothes, but for honeymoon in expensive locations abroad.
Within the same family, if parents spend a certain amount of money for the elder child, it sets expectations among younger kids that the same or even more money will be spent for them.
For good planning of wedding, it is necessary for families to do following things:
They can design the wedding invitation cards themselves and take print outs. These printouts were then mailed to friends and family. They can do their shopping from good quality discount stores instead of buying designer labels. This alone saved them hundreds of INR.
Limousines to ferry the bride and the groom is not necessary.
The reception menu should be kept simple andlimit the number of items. But there should be no limitation on the amount of food each guest can eat. Importantly, the bride, groom and their families must decide on a realistic budget for the wedding from start to finish.
Since different costs are involved, there is always a good probability that some of the costs will be more than initial estimates, so do keep 10 to 20 per cent more than the budget.
This is wise planning for any unforeseen expenses too.
Some sensible ways to budget for an Indian wedding are as under:
- Families organizing wedding for their kid must know their limits. Before they start wedding planning, consider who is financing the event and who is going to help out.
- For marriage purchasing, it is recommended to buy off-season. Designer lehngas and sarees are costly as these costumes are enticing. It is natural that marriage event comes one time in life and bride has dreams to look pretty. It is better to buy such things off season.
It is also wise to do online shopping from websites in which buyer gets further discounts and deals.
- Consider the season when planning budget for wedding. When buying flowers or renting a venue, think about the season for wedding. Summer and spring are the most popular seasons for weddings. If they push the date forward or back to avoid popular months like June, people can save lots of money on a venue.
Since Indian weddings often use red roses and jasmines, keep in mind their seasons.Roses are cheapest away from Valentine's Day and June weddings, while jasmines bloom during peak wedding season, spring through fall.
- To save money, it is suggested to purchase in bulk: If families buying decorations directly, like streamers, paper serving dishes, etc., buy in bulk.
- DIY when possible: To avoid outsourcing the decor, consider DIY projects. Centre pieces, menus, even invitations can be done with a proper craft table and a good group of friends. Ask bridal party or relatives to help out.
- Keep things low-key: If families have less funds, consider your guest list. It is not wise to invite everyone they have ever met to wedding, but it is not practical to provide all these people with a great time. Invite guests who you care about and who you want to be there for your auspicious day.
- It is imperative to plan ahead.Families organizing wedding must book venues, planners, photographers, and caterer months in advance up to a year for venues and at least 3-6 months for the others. They will get hit with huge fees if they try to snag a caterer last minute, because they will be rushing to get their order done.
- It is recommended to do good research before buying wedding items. Do not just settle for the first vendor they see. They must look around for better deals and options. Consider the marginal benefit.
- Expect upsets: When huge function is organized, some unexpected problems may emerge. Therefore people must be ready for these. They must have some money saved aside for accidents and disasters.
- Be rational: The most important rule of budgeting is be practical. If people cannot afford luxury items, be frank to communicate to other party.
It is well established that Indian Weddings are recognized to be elaborate affairs, where families spend huge amount of money to amuse their guests and celebrate. Indian weddings are known not only for their celebrations but also for their decorative settings, delicious food and other possibleluxuries.Budget has important role in organizing big event like marriage.It is to remember that the success of marriage does not depend on the amount people are spending in their wedding but they must avoid extravagancee on the wedding. It is wise to plan Indian wedding events carefully with in your budget and guests.