Weddings can be incredibly expensive. Estimates suggest that the average cost of a wedding in the UK is around £16,000, which might sound eye-watering, but when you add everything up, you’ll quickly start to see where that amount comes from. If you’re planning a wedding yourself and despairing at the cost, you might want to think again; it’s entirely possible to plan an unforgettable event without breaking the bank. Here are 10 of our best tips and tricks for holding a wedding on a budget.
1. Pick an off-season time to marry
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the majority of weddings take place in the summer. After all, this is when the weather is nice and guests can enjoy their time outdoors before entering the hall for the service. If you want to save some money, though, you could consider getting married in the autumn or the winter. January and February are great months to hold your wedding; they’re relatively quiet in terms of competition, so you could get a great deal.
2. Look around for funding
If you can get creative with your funding sources, you’ll find your wedding goes that much more smoothly. For instance, you could find yourself a very bad credit loans direct lender to take the edge off if you need to get yourself a loan. Alternatively, you could shore up funds from friends and family (if they’re willing to assist, of course) or even sell old possessions you’re not using anymore for a quick cash injection. There’s always a way to amass funds if you get creative!
3. Buy your dress pre-owned
We’ve often found that there’s a bizarre reluctance on the part of soon-to-be-brides to buy their dresses pre-owned. A pre-owned dress isn’t lower quality or less magical just because someone has already worn it; your wedding is your special day, and it’s the memories that will make it that way, not the clothing everyone wears. Charity shops and other pre-loved stores often get wedding dresses in, because people frequently only wear them once. As far as we’re concerned, that’s a waste. That said, make sure to use a new pair of panties for the occasion. There are a lot of sites where you can get panties online, such as EBY.
4. Don’t overstuff the guest list
Keeping your guest list small and intimate is a good way to cut back on wedding costs. The fewer guests you have to invite, the less you’ll have to worry about catering, favours, and other potential expenditures, and you can focus on what really matters: marrying the person you love. If you don’t have a lots of social obligation and you want to make your marriage as one of the lifetime moment you can go for an altogether different way, just like this couple from California did, the couple married on Mount Everest. Think about who really, really needs to be at your wedding and who you can regale with tales of its magnificence after the fact. If your friends are true, they won’t mind not being invited and should understand your decision.
5. Ask for cash as gifts
It’s customary to give wedding gifts to the happy couple, but there’s no reason you can’t direct your guests to give you cash. Many couples already suggest that if guests can’t think of a good gift idea, they give cash instead, but why not simply ask your guests for ash in the first instance? It’ll help you to get settled into your new married life, and will be far more useful to you than a gift you might never use (with the best will in the world, of course).
6. Find talented friends and ask them for help
One of the biggest expenditures at a wedding can be entertainment; musicians for the ceremony itself or the reception, DJs for the afterparty, et cetera. Think about whether you know anyone who would be willing to provide their services to you at a lower rate. We don’t think it’s a good idea to ask people to perform for free; they’re professionals, after all, and deserve to be paid for their services. However, if you can secure “mates rates”, it could save you a lot of money.
7. Make your own decorations
Rather than buying expensive store-bought decorations and accoutrements, why not try making some yourself? Not only will this save you money, but it will also add an important homegrown touch to the event that will make it feel that much more personal. If you aren’t particularly crafty, ask around your friends and family to see if anyone would be willing to help you. With the right approach, you can make decorations that look just as good as those you can find in a store, but at a fraction of the price!
8. Don’t spend for spending’s sake
In the age of social media, there’s a lot of pressure on those who are getting married to make their wedding as spectacular and Instagram-worthy as possible. Don’t bow to that pressure. One can learn from Colombian wedding. The most important thing about your wedding day is that you enjoy yourself and create those unforgettable memories, not that you can put pictures on social media and show off to your friends. If you’re happy and your wedding “feels right” to you, then that’s what’s important.
9. Ask guests to take photos
If you don’t want to spend money on an official wedding photographer, then why not ask your guests to take some photos? This can add a lovely personal touch to your memories of the event, and it can also mean that you don’t need to splash out on a photographer. At the end of the night, provide a URL for your guests to upload any photos they’ve taken. Add your favourites to a digital scrapbook (with their permission, of course!) and voila – you’ve created something truly special.
10. Don’t leave your venue
Often, couples will elect to hold their wedding reception in a completely different place to the actual ceremony. This is, of course, their prerogative, but it can sometimes incur unnecessary costs. Venues will often offer packages that have much more favorable rates if you decide to hold both the ceremony and the reception in the same location, so you should think about doing this, especially if saving money is your priority. Sometimes, this can even make the night more special, because nobody will have bad memories of travelling across the city for the reception!