Cheap Weddings | UKbride
Whether it means saving a bunch on your wedding flowers, driving down the cost of your wedding transport, or snapping your photography costs in half, we've come up with a range of top tips for a cheap and cheerful wedding!
In order to pull off the ultimate cheap wedding, you just need to be a prudent planner, a savvy spender, and a nuptial negotiator!
One of the best ways to achieve a wonderful wedding on the cheap is to involve as many people as you can in the wedding planning process! By asking friends and family to contribute something towards your big day — perhaps instead of buying you a gift — your wedding will be special, unique, and perfectly personal, as your nearest and dearest will all have had a part to play in your pre-nuptial plans!
If you're planning a cheap wedding, read on and make use of our expert advice on each and every aspect of your wedding; from frocks to food, and flowers to photographs...
Be wary with your wedding dress, because — as we all know — a bride in a boutique is easily beguiled! If you're really determined to adhere to your budget — be completely honest with sales assistants from the start, and stipulate that you don't want to see, or try, any dresses which fall into a price bracket above what you're looking to spend.
Whilst you should be extremely careful when looking for cheap wedding dresses online (the quality and reliability vary significantly) there are bargains to be found on website such as eBay. Look into the options of ordering a custom made-to-measure dress from abroad, where tailoring is top notch, and a fraction of the price of some of the other dresses on the market. Do not however, get stung by an unauthorised online retailer selling fraudulent fashion.
Off the peg wedding dresses are also widely available nowadays for women tying the knot. The British High Street is brimming with bargains for budgeting brides, so try perusing popular stores such as Debenhams, BHS or even Tesco, all of whom now stock a range of occasion wear.
Shop around — whilst the average price of a wedding dress is around £1,500, chances are you'll be able to find a dream dress to fit with your budget!
Perhaps you know an aspiring Mario Testino — passionate about photography — just starting out as a professional wanting to build up his portfolio. Many aspiring photographers need a solid portfolio in order to build a reputation and adequate client base, so it can be well worth scouting out a friend or a beginner!
When deciding upon a photographer, make sure that they're willing to let you have the negatives and full usage rights to the full resolution files after they've covered your day — this means that you have have reprints done at your leisure, and you will bypass the markup some photographers make on wedding photography prints.
As with the majority of wedding services, you'll also find that many photographers offer a discount for weekday weddings, so even though the average price of a wedding photographer is roughly £950, tying the knot on a weekday is another means of achieving a cheap wedding.
If you're getting married in a church, consider having your wedding before or after a popular religious festival such as Christmas or Easter. You'll often find that churches are decorated lavishly for these occasions, eliminating the need to source a cheap wedding florist elsewhere.
Taking the flowers from your ceremony to your reception is an additional crafty cost cutting exercise — it'll save you a bunch on the average price of wedding flowers!
Many of the larger hotel chains actually offer 'Wedding for a Grand' packages, which are perfect for the budgeting bride-to-be.
For example, Holiday Inn offers a buffet (including wine,) for up to 100 guests, a wedding ceremony, planner, disco, and accommodation for bride and groom. In addition 'Old English Inns' offer a three-course meal (including a glass of wine,) a glass of champagne for the toast, and a disco for up to 50 guests. Britannia Hotels also do a 'Wedding for a Grand' — a package comprising of Bucks Fizz and a three-course wedding breakfast for 50 guests, and an evening buffet, room hire, and toastmaster to accommodate 100 guests.
The average price of wedding venues varies completely depending on the number of guests, and the provisions you require.
Time equals money when it comes to wedding cakes! The fancier the design, the greater the cost — cake decorating is a fine art! Tried and tested cheap wedding cakes include those from Marks and Spencer and Waitrose, whilst Asda and Tesco also offer cut-rate cakes.
If you're not keen to compromise on your cake, learn how to haggle and put your nuptial negotiation skills into play! The average cost of a wedding cake lies around the £400 mark, but you can save up to £200 by reducing the number of tiers you require!
There are several alternatives for those looking for cheap wedding catering, which is lucky considering this is renowned as being one of the most expensive aspects of a wedding! We suggest thinking outside the box and putting your own unique stamp on your wedding. For instance, swap a three course meal for an afternoon affair serving High Tea, or keep it contemporary and classy with champagne and canapés.
If your own culinary skills have been complimented by friends or family, you could even take matters into your own hands and do your wedding catering yourself — impress your guests with something cheap and cheerful and make your marriage mouth-watering!
If you're opting for a professional catering package, make sure you are clear on what is, and isn't included — beware of those hidden 'added extras.'
If you can't afford to operate a free bar for the wedding's entirety, consider providing a drink just for the welcome, or the toast. However, in the event that you are willing to provide drinks, contemplate budget booze from France! In particular, if you're from the South East, a trip across the pond for a booze cruise is well worthwhile — just ensure that the savings you make will outweigh your travel costs. In addition, serving cocktails such as Bucks Fizz or Bellinis will reduce the amount of alcohol required by half. You could even swap Champagne for cava to really cut costs, which may well be necessary as the average price of wedding catering — combined with your venue — is just over £4000!
And finally...
Weekday weddings are the easiest way to cut costs — because the majority of couples get married at the weekend, venues tend to put their prices up to meet high demand. If you are committed to having a cheap wedding, this is the single most simple way of achieving it! Whilst it might be disappointing that some of your guests may not be able to attend due to work obligations — that in itself is actually another money saving method! Marrying outside of peak season is another penny pinching practice — why not try the wow-factor of a winter wedding?
- Borrow bridal magazines from friends who have recently tied the knot instead of buying them yourself.
- Utilise the the talents of your friends — if you've got a friend who's handy with a camera, or a dab-hand in the kitchen, ask them to contribute to your wedding instead of giving you a gift.
- If you've got a friend who you admire for her tasteful hair and make-up, ask her to help you with bridal beauty. Failing that, look into getting your make-up done for free at a local beauty counter.
- Scout out free services in your area — for instance, Waitrose offer a free glass hire service.
- Stay in tune with latest music — an iPod and speakers can cut costs.
- The 'Staycation' has been in its element during the Recession — if you still want a Honeymoon but can't afford to fly, there are hundreds of cheap alternatives right on your doorstep.
- If you've got a friend or relative with a luxury car, ask them to be your personal chauffeur for the day!
- Be ruthless with relatives — make sure you're fully in control with numbers, and if you're struggling apply a hard and fast rule such as 'Friends, not colleagues, and relatives up to and including first cousins only.'
- Splash out and save — if you decide on something excessive in one area of your wedding, compromise on something else.
- Shop around, gather at least three like-for-like quotes for each and every aspect of your wedding, and be assertive when talking to suppliers — let them know you are exploring other options in the area; they'll be keener to drop their prices to avoid their competitors winning your commission.
- Get all quotes in writing!
- Relationships are key to negotiating — establish a professional but friendly bond with potential suppliers to get the best deals.