ninth Might 2025
Studying Time: 8 minutes
If you should plan a funds marriage ceremony, you’re in the best place. As prices for suppliers and venues rise because of their elevated buying and selling prices, so do marriage ceremony budgets. In line with Hitched, in 2024 the common marriage ceremony value £23,250 (with one in ten {couples} spending over £40,000!). Evaluate this to the 2021 common of £17,300 and it’s simple to see how rising costs have affected how a lot a marriage prices within the UK.
The truth that individuals take out loans and different traces of credit score simply to pay for his or her dream marriage ceremony means many {couples} begin off the remainder of their lives collectively in debt. As a substitute of splurging tens of 1000’s on one huge day, reducing again to a funds marriage ceremony and utilizing the cash saved to turn out to be extra financially safe, could possibly be a good way to start married life collectively.
Price range, Price range, Price range!
We might speak about them lots, however budgets are so helpful and vital in retaining on high of your funds – particularly in the case of weddings. As a substitute of planning your dream marriage ceremony after which making an attempt to work out the way you’re going to pay for it, ask your self first what are you able to feasibly afford to spend in your marriage ceremony with out entering into critical debt. And follow it! The Hitched Nationwide Wedding ceremony Survey revealed that 60% of respondents needed to lengthen their authentic funds, as they’d underestimated and never researched sufficient.
It’s really easy to get swept up in marriage ceremony planning and be pushed to place down deposits on varied issues, however ensure you enable loads of time to check quotes first. This may assist you to create a practical funds earlier than you begin spending something. Be sure to have a dialog about areas you’re prepared to compromise on, and non-negotiables, to avoid wasting arguments down the road.
The simplest technique to hold monitor of all the things is inputting each spend, irrespective of how small, right into a spreadsheet. Google Sheets is right because it’s all managed on-line and each you and your accomplice can edit it from any gadget – that means you possibly can hold it up-to-date if you’re out and about. Arrange separate tabs for every of the main spends of the marriage – venue, catering, ornament, leisure, and outfits. As you make purchases you’ll be capable to immediately examine how a lot you’ve already spent to how a lot of your funds you may have remaining, making it simple to watch and ensure you don’t overspend.
Skip Costly Hen and Stag Events
Not solely do hen and stag events that contain weekends away or costly actions value you numerous, they will value everybody else money, too. No person appreciates being anticipated to drop just a few hundred kilos going to a hen social gathering solely to spend the identical quantity once more attending the identical particular person’s marriage ceremony!
Return to fundamentals: get pleasure from a easy bar crawl in your native city, or be completed with custom and have a joint backyard social gathering at dwelling. Take your hens out for a day tea on the native resort, or go paintballing collectively. Select one thing that’s reasonably priced for EVERYONE, and don’t insist individuals attend, both. The less individuals who go to your hen and stag social gathering, the much less doubtless you might be to rack up an sudden invoice!
Minimize Down Your Visitor Listing
In the end, one thing that can closely decide how a lot you find yourself spending is the visitor listing. In any case, if you’re paying for meals, drink, and leisure for every one among your visitors it shortly provides up. Go for a extra intimate event with a visitor listing of 30 or much less. You’ll be capable to think about smaller (and cheaper) venues, like hiring a personal room in a pub or restaurant, for instance. As venues are a key value in a marriage, if you’ll find a technique to get a less expensive possibility it can save you 1000’s.
Another choice is to maintain your visitor listing small on your marriage ceremony, however host a a lot bigger celebration on your first anniversary. This provides you time to avoid wasting individually and means you received’t have to fret about blowing a big chunk of your marriage ceremony funds on the reception.
In case you’re feeling strain to have a giant marriage ceremony due to household and buddy expectations, STOP. That is about celebrating your partnership, not what different individuals need. In case you can’t get individuals to agree, you might all the time elope! Many {couples} now select to have a personal registry workplace marriage ceremony and announce their nuptials after the actual fact at a celebration (birthday, anniversary, home warming – whichever excuse will be discovered!) as a substitute.
Postpone Your Honeymoon
In the same line, delaying your honeymoon may help together with your marriage ceremony prices. If, for instance, you resolve to go on your first anniversary as a substitute, and even after 6 months, you’re giving your self an additional time to plan and save for it as a substitute of getting to pay all of it upfront. Travelling low season may even assist you to save massively, learn our article on the way to seize your self a vacation discount right here.
Suspending your honeymoon additionally provides individuals time to donate in the direction of it as a marriage present, too. As a substitute of getting a present registry (who wants one other toaster?), you might ask for money donations in the direction of the honeymoon. You would even make your personal ‘registry’ by itemizing actions you wish to do in your honeymoon, like a metropolis tour or going snorkelling, and the way a lot they value. Individuals can then really feel like they’re shopping for your recollections as a newly married couple as a substitute of throwing money into the ether and never understanding what it’s spent on.
Go for Inventive Catering
For a funds marriage ceremony, keep away from the normal 3 course marriage ceremony breakfast adopted by a night buffet. Why not select to get married afterward within the day after which serve a big buffet for each the day and night visitors? This manner you’ll solely need to pay for one meal, and it’ll be less expensive than a bigger sit-down meal.
Contemplate different cheaper meals choices as nicely. Having a day BBQ, creating enjoyable picnic hampers for visitors to share out, or hiring a meals truck for the day are all enjoyable methods to have scrumptious meals on a funds.
Additionally, save on having to offer a dessert as nicely and serve up your marriage ceremony cake for dessert as a substitute! You can even have ice cream carts and confectionary stands to permit individuals to decide on their favourites. You’ll be able to even rent a doughnut wall!
Store for Pre-Liked and Second-Hand Objects
Yow will discover nice bargains by looking for pre-loved and second-hand objects. Websites like StillWhite, Bridal Reloved, and Preloved, are three nice locations the place you’ll find offers on marriage ceremony outfits and decorations. You’ll discover issues at a fraction of the value of what you’ll pay in any other case, they usually’ve solely been used as soon as earlier than! Plus, Oxfam even have their very own on-line bridal store now, which is filled with much more nice offers.
Excessive avenue and on-line shops additionally supply extra reasonably priced bridal and bridesmaid choices. Monsoon, Joanna Hope, and Section Eight are nice locations to begin trying. Be cautious of ordering very low-cost custom-made clothes from abroad, nonetheless, as it may find yourself costly with customs charges and also you won’t get the gown within the image.
For males, shopping for a go well with will be actually costly and relying on the fashion, is unlikely to be worn once more or fairly often. In case you’re seeking to purchase a marriage go well with, as a substitute it may be price trying out excessive avenue shops like ASOS, Subsequent, and Marks & Spencers, which supply their very own cheaper marriage ceremony line alternate options.
Go for Lab Diamond or Various Gem Rings
Lab grown diamond rings are 100% actual diamonds, sharing the identical chemical composition and optical properties as mined diamonds, making them an ideal moral different for any newlywed couple! Oh and did we point out they’re additionally funds pleasant? Costing round 30% lower than naturally mined diamonds.
You don’t need to have diamonds, both! Sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are all widespread alternate options.
Don’t Insist on Matching Bridal Celebration Outfits
No person desires to be compelled to put on a bridesmaid gown that’s unflattering. Ask your bridesmaids to purchase their very own clothes, and groomsmen their very own fits, however give them the liberty to decide on what they need. Or, you might ask that they hold inside sure color tones of your marriage ceremony theme – however in case you do that, make certain your colors are impartial or one thing which means they will put on their outfit at different occasions after the marriage.
Make the Most of Supermarkets
Don’t overlook about supermarkets when planning a funds marriage ceremony. Whether or not it’s on your marriage ceremony cake, or becoming a member of a loyalty scheme, they could be a nice technique to minimize prices. Wedding ceremony truffles can value an extortionate quantity, however loads of supermarkets now supply cheaper variations. Marks and Spencer is especially recognized for its plain marriage ceremony cake choices that you may stack and adorn your self.
Plus, procuring with a loyalty card can earn you some nice offers within the long-run. Tesco Clubcard has probably the greatest reward schemes the place the worth of your factors triple in worth when spent at one among their reward companions. A few of which embrace luxurious jeweller Goldsmiths, varied eating places, and vacation and journey reserving websites. So why not put that cash in the direction of a less expensive honeymoon?
If you realize somebody with a CostCo membership, ask in the event that they’ll include you on a self-catered journey. It’s simple to select up low-cost and scrumptious bulk catering objects, from sandwich platters to a customized sheet cake that feeds 24 (with scrumptious white frosting) for beneath £20 a platter. It’s going to add a little bit further stress to your marriage ceremony as you’ll want to buy a day or two prior and have somebody to assist cater the meals so you possibly can focus in your day, however may prevent a whole bunch of kilos.
Price range Your Booze
Alcohol is among the most costly elements of a marriage. We’re not saying it is best to have a dry marriage ceremony to avoid wasting prices – however you possibly can take a look at different choices to scale back the invoice. You would possibly wish to put a sure restrict behind the bar, or prepare for a welcome drink, lunch wine, and speeches cocktail to be supplied with all the things else paid money on the bar.
Some venues will let you deliver your personal alcohol. There could also be a ‘corkage’ cost so examine what the charges are for that. You can even purchase wine and champagne from wholesalers on a buy-or-return supply, that means you possibly can return any unused and undamaged bottles for a refund. Majestic Wines is widespread and has a complete social gathering service, with free glass rent, chiller rent, and sale or return on merchandise.
Just remember to supply loads of non-alcoholic drinks, too. You would possibly, for instance, wish to supply elderflower spritz or a mocktail for everybody’s welcome drink (which additionally ensures individuals aren’t too fuzzy at the beginning will get going, too!).
Get Rid of the Stationery
Not solely is it expensive and not-so-great for the setting, nevertheless it’s additionally a very pointless value. Ditch Save the Date and RSVP playing cards and do all of it on-line as a substitute. Arrange a free, easy web site the place visitors can RSVP and you’ll electronic mail out particulars and any details about the marriage at no further value.
Skip the Summer season Weekend
Summer season Saturdays are essentially the most wanted day to be married on and also you’ll pay a premium to take action. Contemplate getting married Monday to Thursday when there’s a lot much less demand and also you’ll be capable to negotiate a deal at a fraction of the price.
Marrying fully low season between October and March is right for a funds marriage ceremony. Plus, for the notably savvy saver, why not get married at Christmas? Take advantage of the already embellished venues and save your self that further expense!
Negotiate Laborious
Reserving off season additionally provides you a better alternative to barter. Companies that want the commerce could also be prepared to chop costs with a view to safe a deal. In the event that they’re not capable of give you a reduction, see in the event that they’d be prepared to incorporate any extras included as a substitute. Possibly you might have a room improve? Or minimize your corkage prices?
Have a Contingency Price range
There’s solely a lot you are able to do to arrange and realistically, further prices are going to pop up if you least anticipate them. Put aside a part of your funds for this to be ready for the sudden. Ideally, 5 – 10% of your funds saved as contingency money could have you lined. Simply bear in mind to maintain it separate out of your major account so that you don’t end up tempted to spend it!
