An average wedding in the UK costs £30,355 now. No wonder many couples are seeking money-saving wedding planning tips to get married on a budget.
Here are our best wedding planning tips for a wedding on a budget:
1. Keep the wedding guest list intimate. Invite only close family and friends could cut your costs massively.
2. Make use of the mid-season and end-of-season sales as much as you can. You can find everything from the grooms’ suits to bridesmaid dresses and if you are lucky, a stunning wedding dress too.
3. Printing your wedding stationery could save you a fortune. You could find thousands of gorgeous wedding templates on Etsy and customize them. If not, then try e-vites. You can save the money of printing and keep track of the guests as well.
4. Asking your friends and family for help/services at the wedding instead of a wedding gift is one of the best wedding planning tips. You could use a friend who is a photographer, DJ or has a catering business in the wedding could save thousands.
5. A function hall or building is expensive. Instead of renting a place, do your wedding outdoors. Look up budget wedding venues. If you would like to consider barn wedding venues, try Swallows Nest Barn, a picturesque spot on the edge of Cotswold's. The 19th-century barn was recently restored to its former character and lists among the gorgeous barn wedding venues.
6. It is not unheard of bakeries, florists, photographers, caterers, and musicians to increase their prices for weddings. Designers up the prices for formal white gowns too. Try not to mention ‘wedding’ to them when you are getting quotes from them. Cake? Say it is for a corporate event/party. Photography? Say it is for a high school reunion.
You will have to tell the truth while signing the agreement eventually, but when you can get an estimate without revealing that it is for a wedding, you are at advantage of better negotiation and they cannot apply a huge wedding mark up for those services.
7. Try to bring your drinks to the venue. It can cut costs significantly by avoiding pricey packages. All venues do not allow it, look for barn wedding venues with ‘no corkage’ policy so you can bring your wine and champagne.
8. While planning a wedding on a budget, prioritise what matters the most to you. Then cut costs according to their important and remove the elements you can easily do without.
9. On average, wedding rings in the UK cost £1,483. Wedding rings are important, sure. But they don’t have to cost you your month’s salary.
10. If you have your wedding ceremony and reception at the same venue, it could reduce the cost of wedding cars and transportation and remove travel time between two different budget wedding venues.
11. Wedding cakes cost between £500-700 on average. Try making it yourself and cut costs significantly. Or you could ask a friend who is a good baker to make it for you a wedding gift.
12. Do not spend a fortune on the wedding flowers. Mix lots of foliage and greenery into your bouquet with two or more large blooms along with smaller filler flowers.
13. People tend to get carried away with wedding catering. But the guests do not want to stuff themselves with snacks when there a wedding feast awaits them. See that the evening food is for 70% of the guests so that you can save both money and food wastage.
14. Try to support the local businesses as much as you can while planning your wedding. They would be affordable compared to the big names. Also, they would invest more money and effort to ensure that your wedding is a success.
While planning, just focus on your wedding day and what it means to you both. This would keep you from overspending on extra stuff that is not needed.