How to plan a wedding under 5 lakhs

The government of India recently passed a bill in Lok Sabha to put a cap of 5 lakhs for wedding expenditure. This bill has been met with mixed emotions from the people, as some of them fear of not being able to have big fat weddings while on the other hand the middle class is or will be much happier with a cap on the budget.

Although many may think that it is totally impossible to organize a good wedding along with the pre-wedding functions but today I'll tell you how to organize a successful wedding under 5 lakhs. Although it won't be the usual big fat Indian wedding it can be a fabulous wedding as all you need to do is tweak the expenditures and also need to have far more realistic expectations.

Here are some of the ways to keep your wedding budget under 5 lakhs:

1.) First and foremost thing is the wedding and pre-wedding dresses. As we all know every bride wants to look really beautiful on her wedding and for her Sangeet and Mehndi and buying dresses for this occasion can be really expensive but here is an alternate to it. Not many are aware that there are online portals through which you can rent a dress for such special occasions. Yes, you heard it right!

2.) Instead of going for lavish decorations you can instead choose to spend somewhere between 45-50K. You'll need to explore the markets of Chandni Chowk, Chawri Bazaar, and the Sadar Bazaar, where you can get artificial flowers and decorative items at wholesale prices.

3.) Plan to invite limited (150-200) guests and relatives at your wedding as this will allow you to have a fair amount of idea as to how much you'll have to pay your caterer. ₹750 per plate is a reasonable amount and will help you to keep the catering expenses under ₹1.5 lakhs.

4.) Invitation cards are not that big a problem as you can visit any of the above-mentioned markets and get cheaper prices for getting your wedding invitations. While you can go green by opting for e-invitations instead of the cards.

5.) Most People feel that hiring a wedding planner will break their budget. It's a little-known fact that wedding planners can actually save you money after you get all the discounts and perks they have arranged with partner vendors. But use caution when selecting a planner, anyone can call himself a "wedding planner." Look for someone who is certified by organizations such as the APS EVENTS who have consultants throughout INDIA.

6.) Last but not the least is the wedding venue. The budget cap doesn't allow you to go for extravagant places such as farm houses or five-star hotels instead you can opt for community halls, banquet halls or government-owned grounds. Although they may not be as spectacular as the five-star hotels and farm houses they provide you good enough places at a minimal price.

Although people might be scratching their heads on the budget cap surely there's an alternate available but all you need to do is to keep your expectations realistic and your head stable and by following the guidelines above you can surely pull off a fabulous pre-wedding and wedding ceremonies.