8 genius ways to cut the cost of your wedding without sacrificing your dream day




A recent survey has suggested that the average cost of a UK wedding is now £25,000*.

Ouch.

 But don't assume that spending less means compromising a bigger vision. Fortunately, the lovely people at Money.co.uk are on hand to share their top tips for cutting the cost of your wedding without sacrificing your dream day. 


 8 genius ways to cut the cost of your wedding without sacrificing your dream day



Having your dream wedding doesn’t have to break the bank. There are plenty of ways to celebrate without spending tens of thousands of pounds. Here are our top tips to get the wedding of your dreams without needing to re-mortgage your home.


1)  Swap paper invites for your very own wedding website

Not only will you get your RSVP’s back quicker, you’ll save lots of money and time if you invite your guests via your own wedding website.

It’s easy to design and invite guests using your own site - there are plenty of free templates online. You can make your guests feel an essential part of your day by including information like directions to the venue and gift lists, dress code, accommodation suggestions and pre-wedding photos and blogs.

Not only will you save money on paper invites and postage but you’ll save time writing out dozens of invites and asking for everyone’s addresses too. If you have any last minute changes this is the easiest way of communicating with all your guests at once.

Why not include a video from the two of you too – that personal touch will guarantee to make your guests smile.




2)  Playing the wedding guest numbers game 


Having a large number of guests at your wedding will be sure to drive costs up. If you’re paying for the wedding yourselves, you ultimately get to say who makes your guest list so draw up a list of criteria to help you decide. 

If you answer no to two or more of the below, the chances are you don’t really need them at your wedding;

·       Have you seen/spoken to this person in the past year?

·       Did this person invite you to their wedding?

·       Will it create a huge family drama if you leave this person off the list?

·       Would you be upset if they didn’t invite you to their wedding?

·       Has your partner met this person? 


3)  Plan for a wedding, tell them it’s a party and haggle haggle haggle 

When you’re starting to plan your big day don’t mention it’s a wedding. Some suppliers  charge more if they know you’re planning to say I do, so it’s always worth finding out what the costs would be for a birthday party first so you get a price to aim for.

It’s worth negotiating prices for all your marriage items, never accept the first price they offer, it doesn’t harm to ask what’s the best price they can give you. What’s the worst that could happen? They tell you they don’t give discounts – OK fair enough but at least you’ll know you paid no more than you needed to.






4)  Ways to pay 

Think about how you are going to pay for your big day well in advance. Add saving for your special day into your monthly budget and work out what you can realistically afford. If you pay for wedding-related items and deposits with a cashback credit card you can get as much as 5% back and the added bonus of Section 75 protection so your card provider is jointly responsible if things go wrong.


5)  Spreading the cost


For the more expensive parts of your day like the venue, caterers and florists ask if they will let you spread the cost and pay in instalments. This will help you to budget in the run-up and mean you won’t be tempted to borrow money you don’t have.


6)  Where you get married could save you thousands 


If you haven’t got your heart set on a particular venue consider doing the legal bit on another day with just the two of you and a couple of witnesses. This frees you up to dream up the most radical wedding you can imagine – you can get married wherever you like! The beach, the woods, the local village hall, on top of a cliff or in the middle of a velodrome – the skies the limit!

There are no limitations to where or how you get married and it could save you several thousands of pounds too. Just remember there are some rules around public liability and alcohol licences in public places but as long as you do your homework you could save loads and set a trend!





7)  Hire a pop-up restaurant


Mobile catering units like the ones you see at festivals are becoming fancier all the time. Gone are the days food vans would only offer burgers and chips. Falafel, noodles, paella - why not considering hiring one to feed your guests. If you’re not getting married in a traditional wedding venue or hotel, getting caterers in could get pricey. A pop-up restaurant could be the ideal solution, save you a small fortune and it’s a novel way of feeding your friends and family.


8)  Ask for your guest’s talents instead of gifts


You probably have a wealth of talented friends and family so why not ask them to help you out on your day rather than buy you a wedding gift. There are a number of talents you could make use of which could save you a fortune. If you thank them in your speech you’re also helping to promote their talents and don’t forget to credit them on social media to help promote their business too;

·       Photographers and videographers

·       Bakers, chefs, great cooks

·       Musicians

·       Dress makers or tailors

·       Florists

·       Jewellers

·       Hairdressers and beauticians

·       Printers


If you'd like to learn more about budgeting, section 75, cashback credit cards or to find out about more financial information then be sure to visit the money.co.uk website.



*hitched.co.uk 2016 survey.



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