Money Saving Tips for Weddings

1. Plan! Do your research from the beginning and set out what you intend to spend. Keep a track of everything you are spending from stamps to gift bags. This way if you find you are spending more for one element of the day you can adjust others.

2. Have a contingency fund. It is amazing how often little extras creep in to the wedding spends – forgotten VAT on a supplier invoice, extra button holes, extended staffing costs or an additional guest.

3. Prioritise what is of most importance to you. Decide whether you want knock their socks off stationary or a knock their socks of dress! You may have to make compromises on some elements of the day to ensure others live up to your dreams.

4. Take on extra work to raise funds. If you can turn your hand to waiting or bar work contact your local restaurant or social club to see if they have any shifts available. Use your selling skills to host at home parties selling make up or books for example. If you can drive think about take-away delivery. A few hours a week for a year could add a few thousand to your budget – and being out working means you are not out spending!!

5. Take a look at your finances. We all get into bad habits of buying lunch every day or treating ourselves to a coffee on the way to work. Making your own sandwiches and taking a flask of tea to work could save over £1000 a year! Convince your partner to do the same and you have significantly added to the wedding fund!

6. Use a cashback site such as TopCashback or Quidco and don’t forget your in-store points cards. This can soon add up over a year or so of planning and can help buy things closer to the wedding or be part of the honeymoon fund.

7. Make use of the talents of family and friends. People are always keen to lend a hand making stationary, baking cakes, playing an instrument, making bunting, doing hair and make-up or being a chauffeur for the day!

8. Holding your wedding on a Friday doesn’t always produce the savings it used to do but why not consider other week day options. Extend the weekend the other way with a Monday wedding.

9. Plan a winter wedding as often venues suppliers will have discounts for off-peak times. Most people dream of a sunny, flower filled day but a cosy candle filled day can be just as romantic.

10. If you are struggling with the cost of a wedding dress then consider Oxfam Bridal (bespoke stores around the UK), sample sales, eBay or Still White. You can pick up an amazing bargain and sometimes the items are new.

11. Be brutal with your guest list! Set a rule of ‘Are we going to be friends with this person in 10 years’ time?’ When you work out the cost per head of each guest it soon brings the reality home of being strict with who you invite. Remember it is your day, not anyone elses!

12. High Street stores and internet retailers now offer amazing options for low cost wedding dresses. Have a look at Phase Eight, Monsoon, ASOS along with more bespoke companies such as Hope & Ivy and Needle & Thread. Wed2Be is a fantastic chain located across the country selling a huge selection of gowns at often a quarter of the price of traditional bridal wear retailers.

13. Give a contribution to your Bridesmaids and Groomsmen to their outfit but give them free reign to choose what they would like along a particular colour theme. This will help your budget and stop you being pressured into a more expensive option to keep everyone happy. Plus, everyone will be happy as they have picked something they are comfortable with.

14. Look at local bars, restaurants and pubs at potential reception spaces. Often they will not charge a ‘venue’ fee, and just charge you for the food and drink. This can save 1000s.

15. Consider Village Halls as an option to hold your reception. The daily hire rates are often a small percentage of the cost of an official wedding venue and can be just as beautiful

16. Get creative with your bridal party! Hold a craft day or evening where you can make décor or stationery….just be careful about the quality control after a few glasses of wine!

17. Never underestimate the power of Ebay or Facebook for everything from shoes to table decorations. Think creatively and it is amazing what you can find. One bride I know got a pair of £90 this season shoes for 99p all because the seller had not cleaned them up. Also don’t forget if you wanted it, someone else will. Think of items you can sell on after the wedding and instead of ending up with a loft full of wedding paraphernalia sell it and make some money back.

18. Buy items out of season in the sales. For example, pick up summer Bridesmaids dresses in the September sales. Buy candles and fairy lights in the January sales after Christmas.

19. Ask your florist to use the same flowers for your ceremony as your reception. Many florists will stay on site and move the arrangements after your ceremony so your guests will never know any different. If not put the ushers to good use while your guests are sipping bubbly!

20. Think about the time of day you are eating and the meal you provide your guests. Do you really want a 3-course sit down meal for your wedding breakfast or could you have afternoon tea or grazing platters instead? We wouldn’t normally eat a full meal at 15.00/16.00 so save a significant amount of money by having a more casual approach to dining.

21. A lot of suppliers will ask for a meal to be provided depending on their role. If you are having a three course sit down meal this could be costly! Ask your caterers to provide a sandwich buffet – the suppliers will be just a happy!

22. Hold a bake off with friends and family to provide the Wedding Breakfast dessert. Just check the caterer is happy to serve this.

23. Do a DIY buffet for your evening meal – at that stage most people are happy with cheese, sausage rolls and crisps! Don’t forget that you will need to allocate a couple of ‘responsible adults’ to put it out and pack it away.

24. Be cautious on what you scrimp on! Good quality linen is an absolute must to set the scene but you can cut on things like napkins. Linen napkins can cost upwards of £1 each, but do an internet search for ‘Linen Like Airlaid Napkins’ and you will find an array of colours for bargain prices!

25. Get your Best Man to take control of researching everyone’s favourite songs. Ask him to create a playlist, put them all on his iPod, hit the shuffle button, et voila, background music for the day and/or dancing tunes for the rest of the night.

26. Having a photographer is a must at a wedding but costs can mount up. Book a professional who will provide you with a disk of images and use these to produce an album yourself. Ask your guests to send you their photographs to add in – you will be amazed at the selection you get!

27. Instead of buying bouquets for your Mums as a thank you present use your centre pieces. You will have lots of flowers left on the day so give them to the key people as a sign of your appreciation. If you want to get something else for them think of a meal or afternoon tea voucher to support other local businesses.

28. It is OK to ask guests for a contribution to your honeymoon instead of having a gift list. Place a sensitively worded poem in with your invites to explain your request.

29. Book a Wedding Planner! A lot of people think Wedding Planners are only for the rich and famous, think again. Wedding Planners are there to help you stick to your budget, find the best suppliers for your money and pull off your perfect day! You will more often than not pay back the cost of the Planner with the saving they will help you make.