Creating a wedding budget

Planning for a wedding

You’ll probably get plenty of help and advice on venues, vows or outfits from family and friends. But if you’re planning for a wedding, AIB can definitely support you in managing the financial challenges. And on this page, we also identify ways to save money on a wedding. Frankly, even small weddings can have a hefty price tag – but with a little forethought, imagination and commonsense, any wedding can be made to sparkle without spending an absolute fortune.

So how is this achieved? Let’s start with the most important step…

Agree what you both want

Start by talking through your respective visions of how you see the day. Will it be a low-key friends-and-family get-together? Will it be a fairy tale extravaganza? Will it take place down the road - or on the other side of the earth?

While the possibilities are endless, funds generally aren’t. So after mapping out your dream day and honeymoon, it’s time to decide on your wedding budget. Take into account your savings, the generosity of others and, if necessary, how much you might borrow. This is where AIB can really help - and we’ll explain more about this later.

Create a budget

You have the big picture in your mind. Now it’s time to dive into the detail. Ideally, set up a wedding budget spreadsheet listing every element. Hint: rather than rack your own brains, tap into someone else’s thinking: free planning templates are available online that list every possible item from veils to venues.

Against each suggested item, list how much you’re prepared to spend on it. Then after checking out the actual price of each item, enter these figures into the next column and you’ll immediately see any discrepancies between your budget and real-world costs.

Creating your wedding costing will take time – and this is something else you’ll need a lot of…

Plan ahead and give yourself time

It might only be one day but organising a wedding takes far more time than you might imagine. More than any other element, the availability of your preferred venue will probably dictate your overall schedule. So give yourself plenty of time – and have some venue alternatives up your sleeve.

Wedding ideas to save money

Pretty much every wedding is a wedding on a budget. Armed with yours, you’ll have a clearer idea of what everything will cost. Now it’s time to find the common ground between your wedding dreams and financial realities.

Bear in mind a couple of important principles: firstly, shop around. If you do, it shouldn’t be too hard to find alternative photographers, jewellers, chauffeurs etc. Some gentle negotiation could also shave off a few charges here and there.

If you want to set up a wedding savings account, AIB has a range of different options - check out what’s available here.

What are the best ways to save money on a wedding?

How generous are your family and friends? Now’s the time to find out!

It might seem a bit less thoughtful than a traditional wedding present but asking for a monetary gift can be very smart. This is especially true if you already have all the practical bits and bobs that are traditionally gifted as wedding presents.

Tapping into your friends’ and acquaintances’ talents and trades is also smart if you’re looking for ways to save money on a wedding. If you know a designer, maybe they can create bespoke wedding invitations. Similarly, a skilled baker in your circle might be delighted to take care of the cake. And so it goes – people you know could provide many of the items on your planning template.

Is there a shortfall? Here's where AIB can really help

So you’ve slimmed down your wedding wishlist, shopped around, saved and called in favours. But even with all that, there might still be a gap in your budget. This is where AIB can supply what’s needed to make your day as memorable as it should be.

With AIB Personal Loans, you can apply to borrow any amount online between €1,000 and €30,000 and approval can be given in 3 hours*. Flexibility is also a trademark since you can take repayment breaks if your budget faces other demands. Similarly, you can also make extra payments to pay off your loan early.

Best of all, borrowing is very straightforward. Our online calculator lets you see how much you can borrow and what your repayments will be. Check it out here.

woman at kitchen table looking out window

Always here to help

As we said at the start, AIB can help in a big way to create the big day you’ve always dreamed of. Everyone loves a wedding – and we’d love to help make yours extra special!