Weddings tend to be expensive affairs, the venue and the dress alone are guaranteed to set you back a few thousand pounds and that’s before you’ve fed and watered your guests! But not to worry, there are plenty of ways you can keep the cost down. Being a personal jeweller, I’ve learned a trick or two over the years, with that said, these are some of my top tips for marrying on a budget.
Not every Tom, Dick and Harry needs an invite.
It goes without saying that the more people you invite, the more expensive your wedding will be. Contrary to popular belief you don’t need to invite everyone you know. Your butcher and postman will not be offended if they don’t make the cut. My advice would be to take a step back and think about the people you truly want there, the people you couldn’t get married without, like your family and friends. Doing this will help you to cut out the riff-raff.
Think outside the castle.
There are many venues which are both beautiful and affordable. While you might have once dreamed of marrying your Prince Charming in a castle, the realisation is that castles are costly. Think about alternative wedding venues like village halls, parents’ back gardens and holiday homes. Sure, at first glance it may not look like very much but with the right décor, you can create the perfect romantic setting!
You don’t ask you don’t get.
Many couples now already live together before they get married so, gone are the days of toaster and gravy boat buying. Instead, it’s now quite common for brides and grooms to ask for money instead of gifts. This may be to help with the honeymoon or to fund the wedding. Just don’t be afraid to ask! Ultimately, no one wants to waste their money on a gift you don’t like or want so, be honest. There’s plenty of friendly little ditties now too which can help to take away of the awkwardness.
Food for thought.
Hopefully, by this point, you’ve managed to narrow your guest list down but even then, feeding them all can seem like a challenge. Offering a buffet rather than a sit-down meal can be one way of limiting the cost. Plus, you’ll probably find that a lot of your guests prefer the option of choosing their own food and who doesn’t love a sausage roll? But, that’s not all, you can also cut costs by cutting down on the cake and this is tried and tested by yours truly. When myself and my now wife got married the price of our chosen cake was a little hard to swallow (£900), made worse by the fact that we’d have to collect it ourselves. So, we got creative! We headed to every nan’s favourite retailer, Marks and Spencer brought a cake and then had it dressed in flowers at the florist, saving us a whopping £700!
Compare more than just the meerkat.
Your wedding will be one of the biggest days of your life and so, you’ll want to make sure you’ve given yourself enough time to not only plan but to save too. Give yourself enough time to shop around and compare prices. You’ll be surprised at just how many bargains you might find, especially in sale season!