Cutting the cost of a wedding isn’t always about doing without or, resorting to asking Uncle Tom to bring his camera or Auntie Gwen to bake your cake, (unless of course, Uncle Tom is a wedding photographer and Auntie Gwen a baker). It’s more about budgeting wisely whilst still feeling confident that your wedding is in the hands of the professionals. After all it’s your Big Day and you want it to be perfect in every way. However, there are ways of tailoring your wedding budget to all your needs, without missing out.
Choose local wedding services and suppliers to avoid travel expenses - yours and theirs.
Weekday or Sunday weddings can be less costly.
If you don’t want a Wedding Breakfast (the traditional name for the wedding meal), consider having your wedding later in the day followed by a buffet or, in the summer, a barbeque.
Have an early wedding followed by a cocktail/ canapé reception for all your friends and extended family before leaving later to have a quiet meal with close friends and family.
If you are having a Greek, Spanish, or Italian theme, check out your favourite restaurant to either hold your reception or provide the catering.
Choose Pimms or Sangria as the welcoming drink and a good sparkling wine instead of Champagne for the toast. (A well chosen sparkling wine is a better choice than cheaper champagne.) Also, Elderflower Presse is a delicious alcohol-free alternative.
Provide sufficient numbers and choice of canapés to serve as the first course. Or, if a winter wedding, provide a welcoming cup of hot soup.
To reduce the drinks bill, and its effects, provide absorbing entertainment: a fun casino, a mini-quiz, charades, etc. In the evening arrange live entertainment, a magician or dancing with a professional dance caller.
After the wedding breakfast, it is perfectly acceptable for guests to buy their own drinks. To avoid confusion, put "Pay bar after 7.00pm" on your invitations or pre-set a "drinks limit".
Consider having pedestal floral arrangements rather than individual table flowers at your reception. Or hire tree or plant displays.
If you choose to have adults rather than little girls as your bridesmaids, make them "attendants" instead. This means they’ll have their own outfits and you need only provide matching bouquets.
Cocktail and evening dresses can be a classy alternative to a wedding gown and can also be worn again.
Unless you are friends with both, invite only your workmates and not their partners. As long as they know other people there, they will look on it as a work night out rather then a family gathering.
Don’t automatically invite the children of friends and family. Some parents may appreciate having a day/night out without their offspring. (See our Stationery Section/Invitations for suggestions on how to explain the situation to your guests.)
Choose a wedding cake, or a mountain of small cakes, that will also serve as the sweet course. Negotiate a reduced rate with your hotel or caterers who could still make the same profit margins after reducing staff wages.
For that "borrowed" item: a friend’s tiara, mom’s veil or Granny’s antique jewellery.
If marrying in church, share the cost of the church flowers with the other couples getting married that day then choose something grand and flamboyant.
Use your table decorations as gifts to your guests. For example, table flowers could divide up into smaller sprays for the ladies to take home and miniature bottles of spirits are perfect for the men.
In the run up to your wedding, tell friends and family to dry the petals of flowers from their garden for you to use in your Flower Girl’s basket.
Sprinkle glitter, rose petals or foil stars to decorate your reception tables.
To prevent all that wasted buffet food, order one meal between two.
If you are catering at home, savings can be made on drinks and cheeses by taking a trip to Calais. Look out in local press for discounted ferry or coach trips.
Hire all the menswear outfits from the same supplier to receive discounts or the groom’s outfit free.
A framed wedding photograph or a copy of your wedding video or DVD makes a perfect present for parents and grandparents and gives you the opportunity to negotiate a discounted package rate.
Ask family members or groups of friends to contribute to a wedding cost and make this their gift to you. For example, they could pay for the wedding cake or, for your flowers to be preserved (a process of reconstructing your bouquet and mounting it in a frame).
Buy your wedding rings from the same supplier as your engagement ring and the jeweller will probably do any alterations free of charge.
Arrange for a group of friends and family to "block book" beauty treatments, aromatherapy, make-ups etc so you all receive quantity discounts. Or, organise a cosmetics or make-over party with a local beautician or salon.
If your reception venue caters for more than one wedding on your day, consider sharing the evening’s entertainment with the other wedding party to enable you to book something quite extravagant and share the cost. For example, a celebrity guest appearance, or a "look-a-like" tribute band.
Start amassing Air Miles for your honeymoon.
At the airport, tell them you’re on honeymoon and ask for an upgrade. (Dress smartly to be considered.)
Have a double wedding with a relative – after all you’ll be inviting many of the same guests.
