How to do your wedding on a budget
Friday, 03 September 2010 12:00
By Kate Saines
Weddings are expensive at the best of times. But during a financial crisis the ridiculously high costs are particularly hard to swallow.
It's not just brides and grooms who are verging on bankruptcy in their bid to arrange the perfect day, reams of research is currently being published, as we hit the heights of wedding season, revealing that being a guest at a wedding is not cheap either.
But help is at hand. If you are balking under the stress of finding the cash for your nuptials, or need a loan to attend all the weddings you've been invited to this year we have some tips to ease the burden.
We have asked brides and grooms who have had weddings during the credit crunch and recession for their tips on how to cut financial corners when organising a wedding.
Buy the dress from a charity shop
In a world where vintage fashion garments are coveted as much as designer items, and where the most on-trend people create their own look by blending new styles with old, going to a charity shop for your wedding dress is more than acceptable.
Clare Regis, a mum-of-three, was overwhelmed with compliments about her bridal gown on her big day. Little did her guests realise, however, that her dress cost her £100 from Oxfam.
"With such a big family," Clare said, "we couldn't afford to spend more than £4,000 on the entire wedding."
"Most dresses I was looking at, however, were so expensive I would have blown literally our entire budget on them. So I looked into buying something from Oxfam.
"No one had a clue it was second hand, it didn't look second hand and everyone was shocked when I told them where I bought it."
Oxfam has 11 bridal stores across the UK. And you can browse dresses online. There are retro and vintage gowns, classic bridal dresses and items which are more formal. And prices start just under £100 and go up to around £600.
EBay is also has affordable wedding dresses. And it's always worth checking out the sales at bridal or department stores.
Get married out of season
The summer months are the most popular times to tie the knot, while November, January and February are the least likely to see much wedding action according to Ecclesiastical Insurance.
The fact that budgets are tight in January and that many are suffering post-Christmas gloom has been attributed by the insurer to the reasons that so few people choose this time of year to hold their wedding. That and of course the bad weather.
But with so few people booking venues, hiring caterers, using the services of photographers and the like, there is plenty of room to negotiate on prices.
What's more, booking the less traditional weekdays for your big day can also help reduce the cost. You can make savings of thousands of pounds at some venues by having your nuptials on a Thursday or a Sunday.
Danielle Woodward, a 35-year-old sub editor, and her husband David got married on a Sunday in a bid to save some cash.
She said: "Having the wedding on a Sunday reduced the cost substantially. It cost us around £3,500 to hire the location for the day but it would have been double that on a Saturday."
Get a friend to take the pictures
Wedding snappers can cost as much as £1,000 or more to hire for the day. If you know someone, a close friend or family member for example, who is either a professional photographer or a decent amateur why not ask them?
Julie Gannon, a 30-year-old school cook, said she asked her best friend to take the pictures at her wedding after getting jaw-dropping quotes of as much as £1,500 from local photographers, who were also quite rigid about the type of shots they would take.
"My friend Ruth had taken official photos at another friend's wedding and I really liked what she'd done. She offered to take mine as our wedding gift, so I jumped at the chance," said Julie.
"I actually felt more comfortable being photographed by a friend and she was more flexible."
Julie also put a cheap throw-away camera on each table at the reception. This meant the guests could record all the antics at the evening bash so Julie had a record of the entire day, not just the formal part.
Go wholesale
Everyone knows that as soon as you mention to a caterer, flower supplier, stationery creator or any other business you want their product or service for a wedding, the price soars.
The answer is, of course, to not mention the nuptials. But this is often tricky, especially if you need to provide details of locations, for example.
Another way of getting around this is to see if you can source your items at the wholesale stores used by the florists, caterers and other wedding providers.
Robyn Halliday, a 25-year-old student, did just that after discovering a florist would charge her £1,250 for all her requirements. So she concocted Plan B.
"We bought the flowers wholesale for about £100. The church's 'flower lady' did the arrangement at the church for a small fee of £100, much less than the florist, and the profits went to the church.
"We made our own centrepieces [for the tables] and I made my bouquet which saved £150."
Altogether Robyn and her husband Darren paid £1,000 less for their flowers than if they had got the full package from the florist.
Get guests to contribute instead of buying a present
Weddings can be a financial strain on the guests too. According to Direct Line the average amount spent on a wedding present these days is £80, Santander reckons it's a slightly more generous £131.
And the bank also found that if the guest is attending the wedding of a best friend, and has been asked to be best man or bridesmaid, they will spend an average of £165 on a gift.
So, why not help your guests reduce the financial burden and save some money yourself by asking them to use their skills or creativity to contribute to the wedding instead of buying a present?
Danielle Woodward asked her friend to make the cake for her wedding and she was delighted with the results. The cake cost Danielle absolutely nothing but allowed her friend to provide her with a personalised and unforgettable present.
Likewise, the cost of hiring a car can be cut completely by getting a guest to drop you off at the wedding venue. If you are having a ceremony at the same place as the reception you will probably not need an impressive vehicle anyway.
If you have friends in a band, why not get them to play at your reception? Or if you have a friend or family member who is a hairdresser or beauty therapist, could they do your hair and make-up?
Cook your own food
Robyn and her husband Darren not only saved money on their flowers, but did their own catering on their big day. They had a picnic lunch earlier on in the proceedings, where guests bought their own lunch to eat on the lawn of their wedding venue.
And then, in the evening, they and a team of volunteers rolled their sleeves up and cooked dinner themselves.
They already saved a packet by hiring a village hall instead of a stately home or hotel for the reception. It cost just £250.
Robyn said: "We hired a cooker, gas stove, fridges, pots and pans and got the food wholesale from a market, at a cost of £500. It cost us approximately £12 per person for a three course meal. The equivalent, from a caterer, would have cost around £45 per person.
"The village hall also had a large stock of plates, glasses and cutlery which we hired for £25 - much cheaper than from Waitrose or caterers."
Naturally, the down side to this money-saving method is that you might not want to do your own cooking - it's hard work and means you'll spend less time with guests. Some couples taking this route often ask family members or friends to do the catering. Either way, it will certainly save you cash, so if you are keen to slash the cost, it could be worth it.
Is there anything you can do without?
If costs are really mounting up, it might be worth looking at what you can axe from your big day. For example, do you really need 19 bridesmaids? Is it really essential to have a champagne fountain at the reception?
Danielle decided to reduce the costs of flowers simply by going for something that wasn't very elaborate. She said: "I chose flowers in season and bulked the designs out with a bit of greenery as this helps reduce the cost."
Perhaps you could reduce your honeymoon into a 'mini moon' and just take a short break after your big day.
A third of couples, according to a survey conducted by esure, are ditching a mammoth two-week post wedding honeymoon for a short two night break in a bid to save money.
A fifth, the survey found, were also delaying their honeymoon by weeks or even months - some by up to a year - so they could save up after the wedding for a honeymoon.
And, of course, many couples are now asking wedding guests for contributions to their honeymoon instead of presents.
Instead of paying for the full beauty treatment, why not try to get a freebie? Robyn saved cash by getting her make-up done at a department store cosmetics counter. She said it costs just £10 to £20 for a make-over.
Why get your hair done at a salon for trainees where prices can be as little as £10? Companies like Headmasters have academies throughout the country where you can get your hair done by a student, who will be monitored by a trainer.
Making stationery yourself is another way to reduce costs. Robyn and Darren paid out only £50 by making their own invites, thank you cards and order of services.
And by making your own table cloths and chair covers, not only will you save money, but if they are good enough you can sell them on eBay afterwards to recoup some of the cost.
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