I noticed a lady on my facebook wall was looking for a photographer less than £500... now to me photography was something i was not scrimping on.

I was just curious what you ladies have scrimped on for your wedding?

Just trying to scrimp and haggle on nearly everything - the photographer we are hoping to save on with a family friend being a professional wedding photographer - failing that it would be the one thing i'd pay full wack for!

We're scrimping on everything too. Not getting a professional photographer, just having guests taking pics. Making our own invites, growing our own flowers, dress from the bay, free venue, buffet for main meal, no DJ will just play our own music on an ipod, making own cake (hopefully). The idea of paying someone £500 for photography fills me with horror, as that it approx one third of our whole budget, so obviously just not a possibility or priority.

We didn't scrimp but just looked for deals and cheaper options on the things that were less important. For instance, we didn't rate chair covers or favours as important so didn't have them. The money was put to other things, such as the honeymoon etc. We just couldn't see the point of paying out for the most expensive option when there wasn't much difference in service/quality (sometimes you pay for the name or designer etc).

I wouldn't call it scrimping, but I'm definitely focusing my spending on the things that are important to me and not those things I don't think are important. For example the biggest spend will be food and alcohol, but I'll be printing my own invites and wedding stationary to save money. I'll be sending online save the dates.

Velcro, how do you make your own champagne? I didn't know that was possible.

I have to try that. I love elderflower.
Thanks :)

My wedding car was free and our photographer is professional and a very good friend charging us £300, our venue inc food and arrival drinks wine on table £1300 flowergirl dresses from bhs before it closed near me x4 £10 each, £40!

I wouldn't call it scrimping a bargain more less we did scrimp on day guests though cut it from 80-40 lol xx

Ive done the same as most, best advice i was given was dont take the first price given.

I had £1200 quid knocked off my wedding dress, squeezed half aa bottle of wine per guest. Bought bridesmaid dresses 15 each on the bay.

Our friends own a furniture store and said we could borrow whatever we needed.

Photographer i dont mind paying a few hundred for.

Im not scrimping on anything. Just changing real flowers to silk, Doing my own invitations and that's it :) because of our wedding locations we managed to get our photographers for 1000 instead of 1500 so im happy with that. Also BM i'm shopping around for them.x

I got my photographer for £495, It was half price as i booked on the day at a wedding fair he is brilliant and has done well over 500 weddings. I have made loads of diy, I have made my own table plan, My flowers and the bridesmaid bouquets, mens buttonholes and started a clay bride and groom and some other bits. Also got place name cards and mens wedding socks so cheap. I got my ring cushion for half price. My bm's tiaras jewerelly were like £2 each(pics in my album) And 2 out of 3 of my bm's are hairdressers so thats great. Other then that I have only booked what we have both wanted. The venue/food/drinks we wanted was expensive but its amazing and fits our theme perfect and even then it includes h/m suite dj and some1 who can do toastmaster. My dress is also expensive but again its what i wanted, I would have paid double lol i had to have it, And my cake was another, When we see it we knew it was perfect for our venue and theme so had to get it. We also get a big wishing well post box for £10 hire as we ordered our cake from her which is a bargain, as someone else wanted £30 hire for one which was really small compared to ours, And what you can buy in j*f for like £8.99 at one point lol. I think you just know at the time if something is right for both of you and if its worth it or not. Mine all seem to just fall into place. I had always planned and saved for my own transport as my quotes 2 years ago were coming in at £2000+ but i found it this year at half price so i was way under budget on that. I was trying to make my own invites as i really dont want to have to pay some1 loads for them but i have had 3 printers now and cant get 1 of them to work so annoying. I think when booking early you get much better deals as well.

We are not having wedding cars or any transport. Also, we are having a small intimate wedding with only 25 guests - not to save pennies but because we wanted it that way.
xx

i havent scrimped on anything but have tried to get the best deals that i can, e.g. 10% off here and there. our parents have helped a little with the dress and photographer and flowers so its meant that we can have nearly everything that we want. if i had another £1000 then we would have everything that we want e.g. fireworks, ice cream trike and harpist/pianist for the wedding breakfast. but they arent essentials and will be last minute spends if we find the cash x

Alot of what we have got has been sale items or things on offer. My dress (which i didnt know the price until after i tried it on and said i wanted it) was that day reduced to £399 from £999,I got my photographer from groupon for £299 for half day coverage,dvd and usb of images,story book of images and a canvas.My card post box i bought plain and im decorating it myself so saving a bit of cash,The thank you cards for Bridesmaid etc im going to (attempt) to make myself.Ive also just been buying bits and pieces as we've been going along and putting them in my 'Wedding box' :) xx

A friend is doing our wedding cake she is doing it for £170 instead of £400 I made my own evening/day invites, post box, and I paid my moh smil to do my order of services, I'm having real flowers as I love them so much we are having a spray in the top table which I will take home in the night, I have a navy blue Bentley and my h2b a navy jag both his friends cars :) we're really lucky cos if h2bs profession xx

Ive not really scrimped on anything but did get a bargain on Bay of E. 4 Children's British H S bridesmaid dresses at 11.99 each brand new.