HOW TO CHOP YOUR WEDDING BILL
HAVE AN OFF-PEAK WEDDING
Get married during the week — or at off-peak months, such as October, November, January, February or March. Weddings are often cheaper at those times. “Weddings typically happen on Fridays and Saturdays between May and September,” said Jonathan Bryans of weddingsonline.ie. “If you arrange your wedding outside those times, hotels may be more flexible and offer deals.” Clontarf Castle Hotel for example offers discounts for weddings held midweek or in January, February, March or November. A spokeswoman for Powerscourt Hotel said the hotel offers discounts which would allow couples to get a wedding package for from €120 a guest in low season (October to March). Getting married off-peak should also help keep numbers down — and in turn, your bill. At Powerscourt Hotel for example, you must have at least 140 adults at your wedding on a Friday or Saturday in high season — but the minimum number falls to 120 if it’s midweek or low season.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Keep the meal simple. Typically the more choices of starter, main course or dessert offered, the more you pay. Stick to a three-course meal rather than a four- or five-course meal (if you have the option). Keep the decor simple too. Some hotels charge a few euro a chair for chair covers and bows — so doing without them could save you several hundred euro, depending on the size of your wedding party. Find out if the hotel provides its own standard table linen and chair covers free of charge. Opting for a DJ only — and not hiring a band — could save you a few grand. It costs on average €461 to hire a DJ for your wedding; the band would typically cost €2,165, according to weddingsonline.ie.
KEEP IT SHORT
Limit your wedding to one day. Having a pre- or post-wedding meal will only push up your bill.
PLAN FOR LAST-MINUTE SPENDING
Last-minute spending can put you under financial pressure at the time you least need it. “There are a lot of unexpected expenses,” said Claire McGowran of OneFabDay.com. “Avoid throwing money at problems in the last few weeks. Plan ahead for things like tips for the driver or hotel staff, beauticians on the wedding day and so on. Have a contingency fund equivalent to 10pc or 15pc of your wedding budget.”
WATCH CEREMONY COSTS
Be mindful of costs when choosing the venue for your marriage ceremony. Some hotels and wedding venues allow you to host your civil ceremony in the venue itself, or in its grounds. You may however have to pay €5 or more for each chair provided by the hotel for the ceremony — so always check the cost beforehand. Should you be getting married in a church, you typically pay a few hundred euro for the hire of the church — and a tip for the priest is also customary.
CUT OUT MIDDLE MAN WITH CASTLES
Deal directly with the venue if booking a castle or country house — as this will usually work out cheaper for you. Otherwise you could pay thousands of euro more for the exclusive use of the venue than if you had booked directly.