Without a doubt, getting married is one of the most exciting life events. Unfortunately, the planning bit is stressful to most people, especially if on a budget. Weddings can be a little on the price side, and their cost can run to a substantial sum. But you can have a dream wedding without spending a lot. You only need to plan smart and avoid cutting corners, since quality matters.

In this guide, we will break down the steps you need to follow to plan a wedding on a budget.

Have a Budget for Expense Tracking

Write down the things that you can’t give up, those that you can skip, and the not-so-important. List your top priorities in the budget, then cut spending on secondary items. With your list ready, it will be easier to know the figures that you’re working with. Honesty is important here because at the end of the day, you’ll be the one to foot the bill.

There are simple ways of tracking your expenditure against the budget. Use an Excel spreadsheet to allocate costs for each event. You can also download a wedding budget app on your device and use it to track each expense. For prices, you can make a few calls to service providers or check online for the available offers. With the numbers on your fingertips, you’ll know how much to spend on each event.

Pick A Budget-friendly Venue

Wedding venues can quickly deflate your budget if you don’t choose wisely. They tend to be pricey on certain days of the week and during certain seasons. Before you pay a deposit for a venue, look around for cheaper choices. You can save big by getting married during an off-season period or day. Weekdays are cheaper compared to weekends. Also, public centers such as parks and social centers cost less.

If you have a friend or family member with an expansive backyard, you can request them for a space. Some venues may offer extras such as tables and chairs, which can save money. For a little budget, you don’t have to look for a luxury ballroom to host your dream wedding. A decent, well-lit space can work well.

Shop for a Unique and Affordable Gown

It’s the dream of every bride to wear a wedding dress that would make heads turn on their wedding day. Wedding dresses are expensive. However, you can save by shopping around for discount sales. If you are really tight budget-wise, go to a shop with simple yet unique options.

Some boutiques offer a stunning collection of wedding dresses in various designs and prices, making it easier to choose one that suits your budget. At times, these stores have huge discounts during certain months. After making your choice, you can buy accessories such as a veil and a belt to enhance its beauty. The salespersons in these boutiques are very experienced and can help you match everything perfectly.

Since wedding dresses are usually worn on the big day, some people sell or hire them online after the event. Look for these options because they are cheaper than buying a new one. Focus more on the quality of fabric and the design, and whether you’re comfortable wearing it.

Spend Optimally Catering

Food is one of the biggest expenses at a wedding. If not well planned, it can exhaust your spending. You can save money by skipping an open bar at the venue. Serve your guests with the drinks instead. Consider one special cocktail, beer, and wine, and serve them on their tables.

Food can be served during the day, as it is cheaper than dinner. A buffet is also a good choice, as there will be fewer staff serving guests. The wedding cake can be a small, modest one just for the display. Then, serve the guests with sheet cakes. If the venue is handling the food, you can ask them whether it’s all right to bring your cake and dessert. Some venues allow clients to choose their cakes.

Do Some Tasks Yourself

Some activities are easy to do yourself, which can save money. For example, you can create and print invitations at home. Also, you make centerpieces by buying flowers from your local grocery store, and have a ready-made playlist instead of hiring a DJ. However, if you’re not the type that can handle such, this may not be the best option for you.

Conclusion

Getting married is a beautiful thing in your lifetime. Doing a wedding also comes with an open-ended budget depending on what you want, where you get services, and how many people you’re hosting. Therefore, before you start spending money, sit down with your partner and discuss the most important thing in the wedding. Strategic budgeting and knowing where to put your money will ensure you have everything you need without leaving you broke.

The healing powers of cannabis are indisputable. Sadly, for the longest time, the war on drugs ensured that cannabis was demonized rather than utilized to its full potential. In the last few decades we have seen the public view shift. People are waking up the truth about cannabis. More nations are legalizing the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Smoking or vaping cannabis has a number of health benefits. It is a potent painkiller, making it extremely useful for patients suffering from chronic pain. It is also a muscle relaxant that has been extremely helpful for people suffering from parkinsons. It also has a number of mental side effects such as reducing stress and anxiety. And the main thing that separates cannabis from traditional medicines is that it is non-addictive.

Not every nation has yet legalized cannabis for medicinal use. But the number of nations that have is increasing each year. Today we are going to look at a few of the nations that have legalized medical cannabis.

Germany

One of the latest nations to legalize medical cannabis. The bill was finally passed by the German Federal Council in March of 2024. The bill came into full effect in April of the same year. Alongside this the German government also legalized the recreational use of cannabis in public spaces as well. But, it is still hard to get a hold of cannabis plants without a prescription. In the years to come we will likely see a number of cannabis dispensaries pop up within the nation.

The Netherlands

People often assume that cannabis is 100% legal in the Netherlands. Primarily due to the popularity of the Coffeeshops that are strewn throughout cities like Amsterdam. But it is actually a gray area. It is technically illegal to own or sell large quantities of cannabis. But there are a few loopholes that the coffeeshops use to get around this. And the government often turns a blind eye due to the amount of money that this industry brings into the nation.

Medical cannabis, however, is legal in the Netherlands and has been since 2003. The Netherlands is arguably one of the easiest nations to get a medical cannabis prescription in. But the Netherlands has a very closed system when it comes to the cultivation, import, and sale of medical cannabis. Meaning no private entities are involved in the process.

United Kingdom

The UK has been pushing for the decriminalization of cannabis for years now. But, due to the pushback from the Conservative government, it has been stifled at every turn. Luckily in 2018 the nation did finally legalize the use of medical cannabis. Including irradiated cannabis. This was a huge boon for many people considering the NHS has been under considerable strain for years now.

Irradiated cannabis isn’t used in many nations. The UK made a huge push for its usage during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The important information about irradiated cannabis is that it is much safer for people with a compromised immune system. Such as people with cancer or those suffering from Long Covid. We expect many more nations to follow in the footsteps of the UK in regards to the use of irradiated cannabis and the legalization of medicinal cannabis.

South Korea

South Korea finally made cannabis legal for medicinal purposes back in 2018. But only for specific medical conditions such as epilepsy, HIV, or certain types of cancer. South Korea was the first country in East Asia to legalize medicinal cannabis.

It is important to note that all recreational cannabis is still highly illegal within the nation. Both to cultivate or to use. Even possession of small amounts of cannabis could land you in a lot of trouble. And they take this very seriously too.

The United States

When discussing America the topic becomes quite tricky. The legalization of cannabis is handled at a state level, rather than nationally. As it stands there are currently 11 states where the use of medical cannabis is illegal. But, out of that 11, 7 of them do allow the use of CBD oil for medicinal purposes.

Every other state has legalized cannabis for medicinal use. But a large majority of them have completely decriminalized it and legalized its use for recreational purposes too. California is the poster child state for the legalization of cannabis. It was back in 1996 they legalized the use of medical cannabis. But it was Colorado that first legalized the recreational use of cannabis back in 2014.

Since there have been people, there have been trends. As humans, we have the habit of latching onto what is in and what everyone else is doing. Following all of the new trends is a natural instinct that we all have, as those who decide to go against the grain usually face criticism or exclusion.  

As quickly as they are introduced, trends are gone. This is because the world around us is constantly evolving and every minute there is a new design or a brand new product set to take the world by storm.  A skill that we have all tried to develop is guessing what the next trend will be and when the current trends will eventually fizzle out. Some people are even employed based on their ability to make accurate guesses, but for the rest of us we usually don’t figure it out until it’s too late.  We know just how frustrating it can be when you miss the memo of a trend no longer being cool, so worry not. Here is what is in right now and our predictions of when it will be out.  

The E- Revolution

Something that you may have noticed in the last year or so is an uprising of people dressing in alternative clothing, wearing crazy makeup, and donning colorful hair. For those of you that once fell victim to the emo subculture, there may be a glimpse of hope that you can raid your wardrobe for your favorite chained skinny jeans and hit the town. Unfortunately what you are seeing is not the return of emo culture, but the introduction of E-girls and E-boys.  

The E look is very in right now and all those people who used to call you emo on the street seem to be hooked on it. People who are following this trend can be expected to be seen wearing striped clothes and black nail polish as if that is some brand new fashion statement. Love or hate this culture, it doesn’t seem as though it will be sticking around for much longer. As the hotter months have started to approach, people are already abandoning their e-outfits in favor of something a little more comfortable and less suffocating.  

We expect that this trend will have another surge in the next few months, but we don’t see this trend making it past 2022, so if you are thinking about spending a ridiculous amount of money on a new E-wardrobe, don’t. 

Smoking  

Smoking is unfortunately one of the longest-lasting trends that the world has ever seen. Since the introduction of tobacco, the world has been hooked on the addictive substance. Thanks to the help of scientists, the world now knows just how bad smoking cigarettes is. For decades, smoking has slowly decreased in popularity, but it has not managed to disappear completely.  

Thankfully it looks like we are going in the right direction to see the end of smoking. Fewer and fewer people are buying cigarettes and that is something to do with steps that the government has started to take. The first way in which the government tried to cut down the number of smokers was by increasing the price of nicotine products. There are now also strict rules about smoking in public spaces, which makes smoking even more inconvenient for those who do it.  

There has also been an increase in the number of people choosing to use vapes over cigarettes. Vapes are taking the place of cigarettes for a number of obvious health reasons, but on top of that people are making the shift for economic purposes.  The longest lasting disposable vapes stick around much longer than your standard pack of cigarettes, which means you are spending far less money. We predict that in the next five years smoking will be completely out of style.  

Short bangs 

Now let’s turn to the world of hairstyles. Unfortunately in some countries around the world, hairdressers have been closed for the last year. Now, we can only go so long before we need a haircut, which means some of us were forced to cut our own hair.  

Most people limited their hair cutting attempts to just trimming the hair or shortening the length, but others saw this as an opportunity to completely restyle their hair. This means that over the last year we have seen some pretty crazy haircuts, with some being more successful than others. The short bang look is one of the most popular cuts of the year due to the way the bangs nicely frame the face and the longevity of the look.  

Short bangs are also a great way to cover up any mistakes that may have been made during the hair cutting process, after all, if something isn’t even, you can also continue to make it shorter- right?  Though we love the short bang look, we, unfortunately, do not see it sticking around for much longer.  Hair grows quite quickly and everyone’s incredibly short fringes are already starting to disappear and with the hairdressers open, we don’t think we will see the short fringes return anytime soon.  

However, there are still some people out there that are hanging onto their shorter hair, so there could be hope. Our overall prediction is that this trend will fizzle out by the end of the year, so enjoy it while you can.