We’ve set a budget but at I’m scared we’re going to be over by A LOT,...

We've found that the best way to avoid going over the overall budget is the break it down with little 'mini' budgets for each thing e.g £300 for the cake, £100 for invites, that kind of thing. That way, you have a guide to stick with for each thing and you'll know that as long as you don't go over that then you'll be fine. I've also used those amounts as a goal to try and beat, so although I had £300 budget for the cake, I've found one for £250 so that's a little win for me :)

I totally agree with Victoria! We have s budget of £100 for the cake ( family friend making it) £50 on invites, we were under the £50 so the extra will go towards something different, I have budgeted £100 each for my bridesmaids and suits is up to my Prince Charming

Sounds like you’ve got the main things sorted.
You haven’t said about your theme though. If you decide on a theme woodland rustic is a cheap option as you can spend time going for lovely long walks collecting items to make decorations and then top up at IKEA . This will also double up to get into shape so savings on gym sessions. If you choose a theme you can save money by writing a list of things you need to buy and getting them on Amazon. Hope this helps

Yes break it down like the others have suggested - have you got a spreadsheet up and running? Always good to have what you've budgeted and your actual costings so you can keep track of everything and can see any variance.

If you use bridebook it asks what your budget is and breaks down suggested amounts fir everything and lets u put what you have actually spent

Set yourself budgets for everything! Set yourself a list venue. Dress. Grooms suits. Bridesmaid dresses. Photographer. Flowers. Hair make up. Insurance. Favours. Invites.
Then do your homework. Have a budget for each. Then aim to achieve less than your budget for each. Lots of stuff you can plan and save yourself. Eg make your own invites. Make your own table decorations. Go high street or asos or sales for bridesmaid dresses. Some bridesmaids may contribute to help with cost if it's a dress they can wear again! Grooms men can hire suits but some places you maybe be able to buy the suits cheaper than hireing also they may contribute towards cost of suit if it's a suit they like and would wear again.
Rather than a dj you could make your own music cds for different stages of the day.
M&S and other high street brands do wedding cakes now which can be cheaper than a bespoke cake. Then you can decorate it yourself if you want.

I did alot of diying on invites, decs and flowers. Got our cake for £80 from m&s and cake decs off eBay for £15 and a cake stand off eBay for £30 which had been used at 3 weddings now. Got my dress from an outlet cost under £300 including alterations. Got flower girl dresses second hand. They were gorgeous. Also got married on a weekday. Which cut so much off the venue and registry costs.

Try and do as much as you can your self, e.g invites and center pieces. Also eBay and amazon is your friend lol. Xx

I'm making my own invites which are going to be around £20 rather than the £60 i was quoted. Also going for a non traditional wedding cake as have found the price is a lot cheaper when you don't ask for a "wedding" cake x

I had a budget of £6K, I’ve gone over that by £2K and that was with scrimping and saving on everything and I mean everything!!
My dress was only £158, and my partner is wearing his own kilt, I’m only having 2 bridesmaids, not having proper flowers, I made my invites and all stationary myself as well as table decorations and favours etc.. I know people in the right fields also so got venue £2K cheaper than I should have as I know the general manager of the hotel, our DJ is a friend and not charging us for his time, my sister in law is doing our cake.
However the one thing I cannot scrimp on is my guests and I still have 60 day guests and over 100 evening but honestly unless you know someone or you can do it yourself, weddings are just really expensive 😣
It is very hard to stick to budget 🙈

We are going to hire our photographer from the local college or uni :) photography students want experience for their portfolio.

Break down what you need, ie favours flowers etc, I'm making my own favour boxes and getting a job lot of keyrings and sparklers. Bridesmaid gifts I will be making their jewellery myself, table plan I'm doing myself and table place names, mum will be doing my cake, invites, done by me! Decorations, me! Pretty much everything I need will be made by myself and family, all I need to fork out for is the actual ceremony and reception, flowers, dresses and suits.

Do your own invites and most your decorations and look on ebay or peeloved for second hand stuff and plus go to boxing day sales xx

instead of going for photgraphers that are charging £1000-£2000 you can get a newly grad photographer this is just as good if not better for £600-£800, try making own decorations we are having family members save mason jars and coffee jars and using fairy lights and flowers and little stag heads to create an effect xx

Try asking friends and family for ideas. My neighbor is doing the photography at our wedding. She is only charging £350 as she does it as a hobby but, has covered a few weddings. Also my fiancé knows someone who does cakes so that should be cheaper too. I've also bought a lot off Amazon (save the date/evening cards, wedding favour boxes etc). I've saved a good bit that way.

Bridebook is a great app that's really helped with my budget. Helps you keep track of spend and helps you see what you should aim to spend! X

The best thing is what many have already said, make mini budgets for each thing left to do and shop around for things online. We had a vintage theme and got loads of stuff on eBay and places like home bargains to help decorate the tables, invites were ready made from hobbycraft cos they fitted our theme, I made the bunting to decorate the reception with, we saved over time glass jars to put flowers in on the tables and decorated them with lace, string and hessian all from eBay. Even bridesmaid dresses were from eBay but were BHS ones brand new with tags still on! You'd be surprised how much you can save with little things like this.

Silk flowers are sooomuch cheaper than real ones. A friend has made 12 table centres for under £100 and the bouquets and button holes will be under £150. M&S cakes

We had a spreadsheet which helped as most places will ask for a deposit so helps you to track what is left to pay. There are some things you won't want to or can't save on so work out those first and then other things such as flowers and cake etc you can alter to reduce costs. I had a nightmare and my florist didn't turn up, I managed to get a bouquet for myself but there were no other flowers and it wasn't something we actually missed in the end!

Own photography... make your own centrepieces... x

Yep set a budget and it will only probably double
However there is so much you can do to save money try not to pay people for something you can do
I did our own save the dates, invites, favours, table plan, table numbers, bottles of spirits for the tables, the quiet room decor, bridesmaid and bridal coat hangers, confetti boxes, orders of the day, sweetie table, light box .. there is so much to save if you're willing to put the time in.
It's difficult it really is however I also did a house renovation at the same time
Anything you can't do yourself shop around for deals or bundles for example damcefloor photo booth can usually be done as part of a package. Good luck! X

Decide what's important to you - do you really need favours? What about fabulous invitations/centrepieces? Streamline your work load and budget - don't give in to marketing peer pressure! And think creatively - a smaller wedding cake with sheet cake in the kitchen, January sales high street bridesmaids dresses....

Find suppliers based from home as this cuts down on their overhead costs so they're normally cheaper. Our invites/stationary and bridesmaid dresses were made by my Aunty who is very good at card/dress making. Most people know someone who is good at making cakes as a hobby, see if they can make your wedding cake

use artificial flowers for bridesmaids bouquets.

We had a budget and spreadsheet and cut costs with alot of diy stuff and bargins. I.e dress from a sale off the rack saved me over £600 even with alterations. Done my favours myself all the decorations i did and center peices. Im not the most crative person but i made lovely stuff with little work needed.

Ask your friends who has ever made wedding bouquets before , wedding cake & if they are willing get them to make them as way cheaper .... For fresh flowers delivered to your house on the Thursday before sat use www.trianglenursery.co.uk as way cheaper , as I did find it reduces costs a lot .... Try booking without using the wedding word for quotes ...locate bridesmaids dresses in january sales ....warm wishes ....

Im doing the bridal and bridesmaids flowers myself (silk from a local supplier with very reasonable prices), decorating venue ourselves and using alot of items bought off FB wedding sites, dress was bought in a sale, wedding rings off ebay (amaze-balls bargains and gorgeous too), waiting for Xmas sales for my shoes, staying at hotel night before rather than hiring cars (worked out loads cheaper), shopped around for photographers who offered great deals pays (again, FB wedding groups) and just don't be afraid to haggle for deals. Good luck hun xxx

Go on the wish app you can get all wedding stuff on there very cheap xx

Download Bridebook its amazing and its FREE !!! The budgeting tool on it has been so helpful

I've realized it was bound to happen so I brought a wedding pot any spare coins or notes at the end of week/month goes in; then when I get close I can break it, bank it and think that paid for the flowers or accommodation for example. When you save the odd £ here and there you don't really miss it.