Save or Splurge: How I Budgeted My Chic Bangalore Wedding...
BY Latha Sunadh | 27 Sep, 2016 | 1 view | 4 min read
So it's not easy planning a wedding, specially if you want all the frills you want without going overboard. One such bride whose wedding we loved immensely was Krutika Bolaki who had her dreamy Bangalore wedding at the Taj West End - a wedding that was full of joie de vivre and oodles of chic, elegant style . Now, we got Krutika to tell us her story on how she budgeted her wedding - what she splurged on and what she saved in her own words!
Wedding: Krutika & Amrit
Photography: Dhoom Dhaam Weddings Photography
Budget: Not extravagant, but certainly not skimpy. We splurged on the luxuries without upsetting the budget and compromised on unnecessary decor and guest list.
Who paid for the wedding: Both our parents paid for most of the wedding. Amrit and I paid for hosting our friends. That was the deal!
What did you Splurge on?
We splurged on a few things that really mattered to us. Two things were important...they were:
A Good DJ: One, we wanted the party to be amazing so we really splurged on a good DJ. Renowned and popular!
Jewellery: Two, I definitely spent on good jewellery. I spent a chunk of my wedding budget on jewellery rather than going crazy on outfits as I thought that was a good investment! I knew I will wear the lehenga probbaly once and if am lucky twice, but jewellery is the one splurge that I will use again and again.
Bridal Lehenga: My bridal lehenga was from Anushree Reddy. It costed 1.8 lakh , which may seem like a splurge but it was fairly lightweight and I will definitely be able to wear it again.
What did you save up on?
We saved on a lot of things. Here are the three, but do note that I had help from the inside that helped cut down my costs.
1. Wedding Invites: Since Amrit is good with graphic design, we designed our wedding invitation ourselves which saved us some money but was also more meaningful.
Another way to save some money on your wedding invites is by sending out E-Invites. Do check out out Whatsapp Wedding Invitations guide for more information.
2. Outfits: In total I had three events of which two I wore westerns . I was lucky enough to have a sister, Vineti Bolaki who is an amazing designer who did both my western outfits...so saved quite a bit there! Although I don't think this applies to everyone. But in general I kept my outfits very light and fuss free . One of my outfits was less than 25k and my cocktail outfit was under a lakh. Both were by Vineti Bolaki.
3. Decor: I managed to save some amount in the decor department since I design decor professionally. For the cocktail, we simply did paper lanterns, drapes and fairy lights- no floral work so a lot of cost was saved there. For the wedding we went with mostly white and pastels with a few pretty props strewn about. The idea was to focus on 2 main focus points like the stage backdrop and the mandap.
Advice to brides-to-be? What helped bring down your costs?
Well, I do have a lot of advice for brides who are looking to budget their weddings. Things I learnt and things I wish I knew. They are:
- Just be organized and avoid last minute spends because when you are distressed and desperate, then you don't think straight and pick up stuff thinking you don't have a choice. Never a good idea!
- Limit your guest list. As difficult it may be for your parents to digest...don't invite people who don't matter.
- Try and cut down on sweet nothings (like multiple hampers/gifts/silly party favours) and stick to things that are only required (AKA hangover kit!) You rather invest in one good thing than 3-4 silly cheaper things.
- Try to do whatever you can yourself because not only does it save you money but also adds a personal touch! :)
Know all about Kurtika’s Wedding and who she hired here.
