A bride’s wedding day is sacred to her. It is the beginning of a brand new part of her life that she steps into with much trepidation, fear, dreams, and anxiety. It is this dream day that is planned with great gusto and enthusiasm. The Dream Girl and Prince Charming want their day to be perfect in every way possible and the newest trend on the block is that of a ‘Destination Wedding’. This trend may appear a little steep on the moolah but when planned right, can be planned to fall well within your budget! Here are 10 fabulous tips to help you plan an affordable yet dreamy destination wedding in India:
1. The Alternate Route
As you look for ways to trim down the expenses remember to substitute your choices and not do away with them completely. Order local wine instead of imported ones, shrimp in place of lobsters, and so on. Also, reducing the number of vendors and enlisting hotel staff for help does wonders for your budget.
2. DIY Decor
It is going to be expensive to fly down a decorator for your wedding for sure. Go full on DIY on decor and rope in family members and close friends to help you out with simple decor ideas with that special personal touch. Better yet is to choose a destination so fabulous that doesn’t need any extra efforts on the decor.
3. Complementary Complimentary
Unabashedly ask for complimentary shampoo/conditioner/lotion sets to be kept in the guest rooms as favours or for welcome baskets with munchies or small snacks with the wedding themed cocktail to welcome the guests and put them in the wedding spirit. Explore the complimentary gifts section, ask for it, and use it well!
4. Invite Right
Indian weddings are bound to be big, what with numerous cousin aunties, uncles, and their neighbours. In case you are planning a destination wedding, be ruthless and snip the guest list down to a bare minimum.
5. Locals Go a Long Way
Think Global Act Local goes a long way here. Instead of lavish imported gifts for the guests, keep the local flavours and craft culture in mind. The vibrant fabrics of Rajasthan, preserves of Simla, local crafts of Madhya Pradesh go a long way in making the gift baskets and wedding favours memorable with an added advantage of making it light on the pocket.
6. The Where of It
There are more ways than one to choose a location smartly. While an offbeat, lesser known location offers the advantage of a clean canvas, where you can plan everything to your own liking; the lesser known hotel will go the extra mile to make your day special! Another great way is to take your wedding to a resort which is near home, making it easier on the pocket and great if you are a scatterbrain and have a tendency to runback to your room for your forgotten bindi.
7. The Hunt for Sale!
So you have a long gap between now and your D-day! Keep a hawk’s eye on the deals and discounts on everything from decor items, the thousand dresses you are going to wear, wedding favours, complimentaries, or anything under the sun you can think of. Be the Bargain Hunter you have aspired to be and put your skills to good use.
8. Early Birds Get Discounts
Talk to travel agents, hotels, gift shops, caterers, your chosen sommelier and everything else that you absolutely have to have, and go for the early bird discounts. Most of these people offer discounts when bookings are done in advance; don’t be afraid to ask for it.
9. The Timing
Refrain from making your bookings during the peak seasons and go for off seasons when the tariffs and other prices are considerably low. Avoid festive and holiday seasons and opt for the months like March and August and you should be good for especially generous deals and offers.
10. Bulk Bookings
The ground rule for a good bargain is to do it in bulk and reap great benefits. In order to do this, you must have your guest list ready at the earliest so that you can look at bulk bookings and the accompanying deals and discounts.
So what’s stopping you now from planning an off beat, dreamy, yet oh so affordable destination wedding! Go crazy and find your spot!
