Dream day on a budget!
Be a budget-savvy bride and learn how to beat the credit crunch in style!
For every daydream you've had about your perfect wedding, did you ever imagine money being an issue? Didn't think so. In the real world, most of us have a budget to stick to, but that doesn't mean you can't have your dream day - you just have to be a bit more inventive about how you get it!
To give you the best ideas for cutting costs without cutting out your dreams, we've asked the real brides on our forum whether it's possible to have a dream wedding on a budget. "Definitely yes!" says Louise Finlayson (aka mrs.harker2b on the forum). "With £6,000 we wanted a full, white wedding and really believed we could do it." So creativity, determination and belief are key to being money-savvy.
Prioritising is also vital, explains Kirsty Pritchard (aka mrsnunny2b on the forum): "We thought about what was important to us rather than just for show and cut out what we didn't need, like lots of flowers and a sitdown meal (we're having a BBQ)." Another forum bride, Katie Boland, sums this up: "Allow yourself a few splurges, but then cut back in other areas - not everything is a must."
The perfect venue was a must for Jaz (evojaz on the forum): "The Rockingham Motor Speedway is where we met and where my h2b proposed. This was the only venue I wanted and I knew we would have to cut corners to afford it." So compromise can be good - cutting out less important things means you can get more of your dream wedding elements!
Venues and timings
When it comes to the setting, you can make huge savings with your choice of venue. Vickee Burton from the forum says: "Our venue is a working men's club (the Eastleigh Railway Institute), where my partner used to play snooker with his late grandfather. Because it is a members' club (my partner is a member), we got 20% off the hire and the buffet is being done in-house for just £12 per head!"
There are plenty of other low-cost options that can be transformed into your dream venue, as Lisa Magor (lisaloo on the forum) says: "Our budget is around £4,000 and we are on target! We're marrying in a registry office and our reception will be in a huge village hall (hire is only £250!), which we plan to decorate ourselves with beautiful and personal bits and pieces."
Holding your ceremony and reception at separate venues can cut hire costs, but you will also have to pay extra to transport the wedding party around. So weigh up the benefits of this compared to a venue where you can hold the whole day, or cut transport costs by involving friends with nice cars. Jaz from the forum says: "My wedding car is my Mitsubishi Evo, our friend Richard is driving his Sierra Cosworth Q8 to take the bridesmaids to the reception, while my h2b Paul is using his AMC Javelin as his wedding car."
If you don't want to compromise on your venue, what about changing the date? Ruth Hutchins (aka MrsGiz2b on the forum) says: "I've organised my wedding for 6th December 2008. Booking it during the off-peak season meant we got the venue at a discounted price and with lots of extras included, like a DJ. We also got many other things at a cheaper rate, like the videographer." Wedding suppliers tend to be busiest between April and September, so booking a date between October and March will cut costs in almost every area.
The day you get married also affects your costs, as bride-to-be Laura Varney explains: "We're getting married on a Friday and found that most venues do a generous discount." Most venues and suppliers will charge more for a weekend date, but for Louise Finlayson, it was worth it: "We went for a mid-week date originally but decided to pay an extra £300 for the Sunday because many of our friends and family work in schools and we wanted them to come."
Food and entertainment
Food, drinks and entertainment are often the most expensive part of your day, but our brides have some fantastic ideas for cutting costs. Jaz from the forum says: "We are buying our own alcohol and paying corkage charges, which is working out much cheaper than buying it from the venue direct." Always check with your venue about their corkage policy before stocking up on your own booze though. Bev Wilson (aka vetbev on the forum) is also saving money by making her own welcome drink: "We are having Pimm's and homemade lemonade, which I'm making a couple of days before the wedding."
When it comes to food, we've heard how the schedule of your day influences the cost, but Lisa Magor has some more tasty tips: "We are having a buffet for 97 guests, which has worked out at £8.50 per head - much cheaper than a three-course meal and it will suit our summer wedding. Plus, rather than serve dessert during the day, we're going to hand out mini cakes and my h2b's family's famous homemade Rice Krispie squares!"
Many couples also cut costs by serving their wedding cake as dessert, although you can also be money-savvy about where you buy the cake. Vanessa Ainley (aka Nessieb on the forum) says: "We are getting a massive bargain with a cake from Tesco - they start from £8 and go up to £15 for different sizes, in fruit or sponge." Marks & Spencer is another big budgetbusting cake choice, or ask a family member with a flair for baking. Even a plain cake can be made to look gorgeous, says Lisa Magor: "I'm decorating my shop-bought cake with ribbon and flowers."
Good entertainment is vital to ensuring that your guests enjoy your day, but what do you do if you need entertainment on a budget? Laleh Afshar from Shooting Star Weddings says: "One of our brides recently needed just this, but didn't know any musicians herself. So she called her local music college department and found a fab student band that was much cheaper and just as fun as professionals."
The outfits
For many brides, the dream wedding means getting your dream dress. Lisa Magor agrees: "The only thing I am not saving on is my dress, I simply refuse!" If you feel this way, too, that's fine, but there are other ways to save money on your outfit.
Shooting Star Weddings' Laleh Afshar says: "Find out the dates for sample sales, which generally happen once a year. It's a great opportunity to get a designer dress at very low prices. To save even more money, you could rent your wedding dress - this would ensure that you get to wear the dress of your dreams, even if it is over budget for you to buy. You could also buy your dress from a high street store like Monsoon, Debenhams or BHS, all of which have a beautiful and affordable selection of bridal gowns."
Jaz from the forum found her dress in a sale: "It was a sample dress from All Things Bride and Beautiful, reduced from £1,250, and the lady there was a complete star." A bridal shop is usually the best place to buy your dress, but you can save money elsewhere, as Bev Wilson explains: "If you buy your dream dress from a shop, they often charge a lot for alterations so get them done elsewhere or by a family member. And get your wedding jewellery as your 'something borrowed' from a friend."
So if you want to splurge on your dress, you can cut costs on your accessories. Jaz from the forum explains: "I bought all my accessories online and Wedding Ideas helped me find my hair accessories from Mango Gems - I got some gorgeous crystal grips for only £12 for six, and they are handmade to my colour specification."
You can also apply all these top tips to your bridesmaids' dresses, as Sarah (aka Sarah0808 on the forum) says: "My mum has made all five bridesmaids' dresses for £300 and we've found a place to get their shoes made from the material remnants." Meanwhile Louise Finlayson from the forum is planning to look on the high street: "My bridesmaids and I will be looking at ballgowns when it gets closer to Christmas and the party season, although we have started looking already!" And don't forget the groomsmen's suits! Louise adds: "We are going to a department store chain for the men's suit hire, which is costing £350."
A bridal outfit is rarely complete without flowers, but bouquets and buttonholes needn't cost a fortune, says Bev Wilson: "Pick your bouquet flowers for you and your bridesmaids from your garden - in my case, from my garden, my mum's garden, my cousin's garden and my aunt's garden!"
Or consider investing in a floral bouquet that will never die, like Lisa Magor: "My wedding flowers are artificial but absolutely gorgeous, from Sarahs Flowers, with roses, bear grass and diamanté for around £40!"
Table details
Stationery is a huge area where you can make savings, and Bev Wilson is bursting with ideas: "If you're sending out save the date cards, send them in your Christmas cards (if the timing allows). Make your own invites and print your own order of service, menus and table plan. Buy a cheap frame for your table plan and decorate it to suit your theme."
Or you can cut out stationery costs altogether, like Sarah: "We sent most of the invites by email, which saved a lot of money, and we realised that a lot of our friends would lose the invites anyway. We've also put all the wedding info on a website and people have been much better at replying that way."
The centrepieces of your tables are an ideal place to be creative with saving money. Jen Hill (aka mrsfeenan2b on the forum) says: "We're getting married in December and our centrepieces are glass bowls filled with Christmas tree baubles (bargains from the January sales!), decorated with our names and wedding date, which guests can take home at the end of the night."Laleh Afshar from Shooting Star Weddings also has this top idea: "The centrepiece could be a selection of pictures of the couple, either alone, with family and friends or as children - inexpensive, personal and they'll get guests talking. A low-cost favour idea is a flower bulb in a little bag with a hand-written thank you note."
Picture perfect
Photography is a vital part of your day, and is usually the only lasting memory you'll have of it, so it's worth setting aside a good part of your budget for this. You'll be very lucky if you have a friend or family member who is an experienced photographer, who you trust to capture your day. Otherwise, try to negotiate with photographers - Jaz says: "Our photographer has been very flexible and we got a package for £500 that includes a CD."
Finally, what about your honeymoon? Do away with the gift list and ask guests to contribute to your dream holiday instead. Alternatively, Sarah has this idea: "We've been saving airmiles for years and we've used them to buy our ideal honeymoon in the Caribbean!" Don't forget that a dream honeymoon is the vital finishing touch to a perfect wedding - which really can be done on a budget!
Words: Becky Skuse