Weddings aren’t known for their affordability. The average cost of a UK wedding is now around the £20k mark, which is hardly small change!
Luckily, weddings can cost as much or as little as you want. If you’re not bothered about all the glitz and glam, you can nip off for a secret wedding with no guests. Even if you’d love a wedding with all the trimmings, there are ways to curb your spending and cut the cost.
I went for a budget wedding, as we just don’t have tens of thousands of pounds lying around. It was a great day and I don’t think any part of it looked cheap or as if we’d skimped. The whole thing was beautiful and we were surrounded by loved ones, just as we’d wanted.
As someone who didn’t spend loads on the wedding, I feel like I’m an authority when it comes to saving. These are my best tips for a budget wedding.
Kicking the whole thing off
Before the wedding comes the engagement, but even that might be something you’re putting off due to cost. There’s a saying that recommends an engagement ring should equate to roughly three month’s salary. Personally, I think that’s a bit extravagant if you’re living off a normal sort of wage, and I can’t imagine any modern bride expects that. Especially when you can pick up a beautiful cheap diamond engagement ring that sparkles as much as anything twice the price!
Buy a dress off the rack
Wedding dresses are another big expense. Often they require a level of tailoring that turns them from a sample dress to a bespoke gown. If you’ve got a dream dress in mind, then you probably can’t avoid spending big, but if you’re open to suggestions you can save a tonne. Wedding dresses often go for a fraction of the price on clothes selling sites and Facebook. Or if you don’t want a second hand dress, there’s been a increase in off-the-rack dress shops that you can buy as-is. Often they’ll have an in-house seamstress for alterations (which tends to cost a lot), but if you can get it altered somewhere else too, you can make a big saving.
Plan everything carefully
Careful planning with attention to detail can save you a heap of cash. Plan what you want, then shop around for it. Look for short cuts, call in favours and save absolutely every penny you can by planning. Often places will offer an earlybird discount and funnily enough, if you don’t mention it’s for a wedding, that can cut your spending too.
Marry off-season
We had a beautiful November wedding and definitely saved some money by doing so. The summer months are always popular and can get booked years in advance. Autumn and winter tend to be colder, and the weather usually worse (which can sometimes be a problem for photos). If you don’t mind the possibility of all photos being taken indoors, then a winter wedding can save you a pretty penny.