Tips for Planning a low-Cost Wedding

With June drawing closer, there will be a lot of talk about weddings on longer days when your guests don’t have to be cloaked up in thick layers and coats.

I have also been daydreaming about weddings as we help our sister plan her own outdoor wedding. The planning has been tense at times but has also been a lot of fun. The hardest part has been to stay within the budget so we don’t spend more than we have to.

I am going to share below some of the tips we have for making the wedding cost much less than it otherwise would have. You can really make a lot of savings by doing what you can do yourself, and saving to buy or pay for expenses where you have no choice or control.

The planning phase for your low-cost wedding

• Remember to consider whether the majority of your friends and family will be able to attend on the date you want. (You are more likely to get monetary and other help if people are able to make it.
• Make use of the sunshine and make it an outdoor affair if the weather is right (it might just be cheaper)
• What about doing your own printing of your invitations and wedding programs? The cost of buying the paper and printing them at home will definitely be less than printing professionally.

Don’t let flowers blow the budget for your low-cost wedding

Ok, chances are that you have asked around about flowers already and have been told some exorbitant prices. Don’t despair!

First of all, there is no rule written anywhere that you must use fresh flowers! Just get that thought out of your head!

• Go with faux flowers found at Poundland or craft shops
• Make your own bridal bouquet, boutonnieres, corsages etc with faux flowers and pins
• If you don’t have the skills to do it, watch a few YouTube videos and you’ll be set
• If you can’t find the colour flowers to match your colour scheme, use white roses and other flowers and just use spray paint to get them the colour you want
• Make your own floral centrepieces using the same cheap flowers, wine glasses and candles. This video should help

 

I got these bunches of flowers for £1 each and they are the perfect colours for my theme

Choosing a venue for your wedding

IF you are like me, you have been dreaming about your wedding venue since you were a child. If you don’t have a rich friend with a large, lovely garden to allow you to use for free or for cheap, then you will have to pay. Here are some suggestions for you to consider:

• A beach or lakeside wedding
• A country house like Cain Manor
• A rustic looking country church
• A community hall with a lot of pretty flowers

Sure you can do food cheaper if you are doing a low-cost wedding

Most likely the food you will want at your wedding will be food you are familiar with and that matches the cuisine your guests will be expecting. So here are a few things to consider:

• Are there food items that you can get help with making?
• Is there anyone in your family who is good at cake making? Would you consider asking them to make your wedding cake?
• Depending on the time and style of your wedding, some items, like jams and preserves, can be made weeks or months in advance.
• I make fruit cakes months in advance of when I need it, so this is something you could consider too.
• Instead of renting cutlery and other tableware for £4 each, order and purchase the amount that you need from Poundland

So there you have it! I am sure you will be pleased with these tips for planning a low-cost wedding, particularly if you haven’t gone ahead and bought or paid down for a lot of items already.

Do share with us your ideas for saving money too! The more, the merrier. Do pop over to our Facebook group and learn and share other money saving tips too.