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Budgeting for a wedding: rule number 1 - decide what you can afford and stick to it. Here are some money saving tips to help you cut down on expenses.
Choosing the Day: the Venue, registrar and some suppliers will be cheaper on a weekday, especially Monday - Thursday, but Fridays are still cheaper than weekends. September to March class as out of season enabling you to save on cost of venue and enjoy cheaper supplier costs and of course, the sales!
Less Guests: Be strict - feeding guests is expensive - only invite those you really want there. You can invite further guests to your evening function and also invite them to the ceremony but let them know that the wedding breakfast is for intimate family and friends.
Gift list: If you are having a gift list ask for contributions to the wedding or the honeymoon. Either as money, vouchers or people paying for certain items.
Alcohol: Assuming Venue allows this, you will save £100's on the alcohol by providing it yourself but you may have to hire glasses etc - be careful of corkage charges at venues as these can vary from £5 - £20 per bottle of wine/champagne. Serving sparkling wine or champage cocktails e.g bucks fizz will obviously be cheaper than champagne. Let people buy their own drinks at the bar - or put a fixed amount behind the bar and when it is spent people get their own.
Catering: A Buffet is cheaper than a sit down meal but you could try a Garden party, BBQ, picnic - perhaps even get guests to bring their own hampers/BBQ food. Depending on your Venue regulations, do your own catering or get a family memeber to do this so you can sit back and enjoy your day. £100's more can be saved doing this. Read our catering guide for things to consider
Favours & Gifts : Don't have them! Or make your own. If you do want to buy them aim to keep them under £2-3 each, which can easily be done if you shop around enough. Also consider lottery tickets, small candles, seeds or flower bulbs. Alternatively make something yourself which will have more meaning as a memento for your guests.
Flowers: Do your own flowers or ask a friend/family member. Many colleges offer short courses in flower arranging.. remember to allow the time for this especially with fresh flowers. Don't take on too much the night before your wedding! As an alternative try dried, silk or pressed flowers. Hire plants from a garden centre for your venue decor.
Hair and Make-Up: ask a friend or do it yourself! Instead of expensive veil and tiara opt for decorated combs, sparkly spirals or make your own tiara.
Honeymoon: Go last minute (it's worth a risk) or find a country that is out of season as travel and hotels will be cheaper. Or ask for honeymoon vouchers or contributions instead of a gift list
Jewellery: Silver is cheaper (and more hard wearing) than gold and just as pretty. A local silversmith/jeweller may be able to produce the rings and other jewellery for less than a chain store. With the added bonus of it being unique and handmade.
Photography: If you have a talented friend or family member ask them to help out or contact a university and see if they have a photography student who would do it at a fraction of the cost. Also consider using disposable camers for all the guests to contribute their snaps Remember the photos are one of the few aspects of your wedding that last a life time and is something worth paying for as you wont have a chance to re-do them.
Stationery: Try out your own creative talents or ask a talented friend/family member to make your wedding stationery, including menus, cakeboxes and table decor. Inserts can be printed on your pc and many craft shops sell the individual items you'll require. You could also send out RSVP prompts and thank you's using our e-vites
Table Decorations: These don't have to be grand flower arrangements, try floating candles with flower heads, tealights, oil burners, miniature hired trees or weighted balloons - be creative. Use petals as confetti (many churches/venues don't allow confetti) or scattered on the tables for decoration or bubbles! Alternatively use glitter for sparkle on tables around your decorations
Venue: Many venues will offer extra's such as first night free, cake knife, place names as well as negotiating room rates for your guests to ensure they have affordable nights accomodation too. You could even share the venue. Joint weddings are often talked about but rarely done - have a separate ceremony but share the reception, especially if you are close friends/family and share a lot of the same guests. Alternatively use your own home or that of a family member for a venue- if you/they have a large garden opt for an outdoor event as long as there is room indoors if it rains!. Marquees are incredibly expensive but gazebos can be bought cheaply and offer some shelter/shade.
Wedding attire: As a rule of thumb the budget for a new dress is around £800 -you can save a lot of money by buying secondhand, in an online auction, factory outlets, local paper, wedding website classifieds, or you can consider hiring your dress for the day. Even handmade dresses will be cheaper- find fabric from haberdashery or factory outlet, and find a seamstress to adapt a simple gown to your specifications. For shoes and attendants/page boy wear, avoid bridal chains and look in high street stores or online auctions. Also look for people who hand make accessories as these will be cheaper than main stream stores.
And after the wedding- resell your dress and accessories to hire shop or advertise it for private sale in wedding classifieds in order to gain back some of the money you spent.
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