Weddings represent the most important day of a couples lives, so it’s important to get it right but even more important to keep the cost down. Here are some helpful cost cutting tips for your big day!
Venue
The venue is possibly one of the most important elements of the weddings, but also one of the most expensive. Nicky Geddes, a weddings coordinator for MacDonald Hotels and Resorts, advises that instead of having a summer weddings, plan your Wedding off season.
Geeta Randev, marketing manager at WeddingSite.co.uk, also advises to get married on a week day as the difference in price is astonishing. Some venues can charged up to £5,000 for a weekend summer weddings, whereas it would be around £800 on a weekday in the winter months.
Nicky also notes that if you choose a Christmas wedding, you will save money on expensive flowers at the church as most churches are already decorated for the festive season. So long as you match your colour scheme, you can save yourself an arm and a leg.
The Cake
If you’re very handy in the kitchen (or know someone who is!) then consider making your own wedding cake. It could potentially save you hundreds of pounds and you can make any design you like. If you’re no Nigella, then use Renshaw’s Edible Ribbon to smooth over those occasional lumps and bumps. It looks lovely and goes with any colour scheme! It’s available for £2.87 from Asda, Waitrose and Hobbycraft.
Geeta suggests that it’s a good idea to serve your cake as your dessert for your guests. It saves having to pay for a dessert as part of the meal and you could have the main one for you and your partner to cut and then some little cupcakes to serve as the dessert. There are many ways you could go about it, but any way means you will save money.
Alcohol
A wedding reception always has the alcohol flowing freely in celebration but unfortunately, alcohol doesn’t come cheap and the venue will charge around triple what you would pay in the supermarket so a good way to avoid this is to bring your own. You will have to pay a corkage fee to the venue, and some don’t allow you to bring your own so check beforehand.
Favours and Table Decorations
These are the little essential bits that can end up costing you a lot. Table decorations don’t have to be lavish and expensive; a simple one can look just a beautiful. Dunelm Mill do a lovely decorative birdcage that you could fill with artificial flowers, or little individual letters to your guests. For the nice little price of £9.99, they could really set the tone and theme for your wedding.
Handmade favours can save so much money. Nicky Geddes from MacDonald Hotels and Resorts says that it is always good to work with the season, for example, at Christmas you could have sprigs of mistletoe with handwritten tags, or mini chocolate eggs at Easter.
Get Help From Friends and Family
Your friends and family can help with so much on the run up to your wedding and on the day itself. Most people know a photographer who can do you a good deal, or even better, if you know someone who is trying to build up their portfolio, they’ll usually do it for free. Just remember to ask to see their work beforehand so you don’t end up with blurry, out of focus images of your big day.
Hairdressers and beauticians come thick and fast so ask if they’ll do you the favour of helping you and your bridesmaids with your hair, make-up and nails. They’ll usually help you out for free if you recommend their services, and most definitely will if you are close friends or family.
Everyone has that friend that has amazing handwriting, draft in yours to write your wedding invitations. Not only does it save money because you don’t have to have them made, but it adds a nice personal touch.
The Honeymoon
It’s important to remember that you don’t always need a honeymoon to finish your wedding celebrations off in style. If you can’t afford it then don’t put yourself in debt for it, you will have plenty of opportunities in the future so don’t think you have to go on a honeymoon the night of your wedding.
However, if you are looking to go away, it’s always nice to get more for you money so why not consider renting instead of paying for a hotel room? It’s cheaper and instead of just paying for a room, you’re getting an entire house, apartment, or in some cases, a boat! Housetrip.com have some great deals so go check it out.
Cara Mason
by Cara Mason
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