Weddings – how to keep costs reasonable
You probably have a rough idea of what your dream wedding looks like, whether it’s a traditional church wedding with hundreds of guests, a simple ceremony at the registry office, or an informal affair on a sun-drenched beach.
But with the average UK wedding now costing approximately £24,000, any savings you can make before the bill for the big day arrives is good news, regardless of the type of wedding you’re planning. With that in mind, we’ve compiled ten top tips to help you plan a wedding on a budget.
1 Timing is key
An easy way to reduce your wedding costs is to get married out of season and/or not on a weekend. The peak wedding season months are July and August; tying the knot in January or February is approximately £5,000 cheaper. Incredibly, arranging to have your big day on a Tuesday or Wednesday instead of a Saturday could save you as much as £6,000!
2 The venue
Traditionally, most people get married at one venue before heading to another for the reception. These days, however, numerous venues are licensed to carry out civil ceremonies, so now you can have the service and the reception under one roof, which also reduces the cost of wedding cars and your guests’ travel costs.
3 No corkage
Speaking of venues, most will try and tempt you with a costly drinks package when you book. However, many venues have a ‘no corkage’ policy which allows you to bring your own champagne and wine with no extra charge. Remember to enquire about this before booking and you’ll be amazed at how much you can save.
4 The guestlist
It’s incredible how quickly a wedding guest list can spiral out of control. Do you invite your friends’ partners? Are children welcome? What about ex-colleagues? To keep costs down, limit your guest list to close friends and family only.
5 The invites
If the cost of fancy invitations is scaring your wallet, you could always choose a digital alternative instead. E-vites allow you to email invites to your guests, eliminating the cost of stamps and envelopes, while websites like Paperless Post allow your guests to RSVP online, making it easy to keep track of attendees.
6 What to wear?
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting brand new, no-expense-spared dresses and suits, ask yourself this: how likely are you to ever wear them again? If the answer is ‘never’ then you could save a small fortune by either hiring your outfit, picking it up from a high street retailer – French Connection and ASOS have wedding dress lines; Next and Marks & Spencer have plenty of options for men – or getting a pre-owned one online.
7 The cake
Today, the average wedding cake costs approximately £350 but you could massively reduce this cost by baking it yourself or asking one of your friends to do it for you. Retailers like Waitrose and Marks & Spencer offer a variety of excellent – and comparatively cheap – options too.
8 The flowers
Another wedding staple that can easily get out of hand in terms of volume and price, flowers don’t have to cost the earth. Making your own bouquets that combine lots of greenery and foliage with a couple of large-headed flowers will keep costs to a minimum while also creating an eye-catching display.
9 Call in a favour
One of your friends is bound to be a keen photographer, wannabe DJ or frustrated rock star so why not ask them to help on the big day? Professional photographers and musicians aren’t cheap, so you’ll be saving yourself a significant amount AND showing your mates how much faith you have in their abilities.
10 Remember who you’re doing this for
Not only is it impossible to keep everyone happy, attempting to do so can also be extremely expensive, so focus on having the right wedding for you and your partner and don’t worry about pleasing all your guests.
Need some help for your big day?
With a loan from First Defence Finance, you could borrow up to £15,000 to help you enjoy the wedding of your dreams. Click here to find out more.