
ninth Might 2025
Studying Time: 8 minutes
If it’s essential plan a finances wedding ceremony, you’re in the correct place. As prices for suppliers and venues rise as a consequence of their elevated buying and selling prices, so do wedding ceremony budgets. In accordance with Hitched, in 2024 the common wedding ceremony price £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 folks take out loans and different strains of credit score simply to pay for his or her dream wedding ceremony means many {couples} begin off the remainder of their lives collectively in debt. As an alternative of splurging tens of hundreds on one large day, chopping again to a finances wedding 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 necessary in preserving on high of your funds – particularly in relation to weddings. As an alternative of planning your dream wedding 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 wedding ceremony with out entering into critical debt. And persist with it! The Hitched Nationwide Marriage ceremony Survey revealed that 60% of respondents needed to prolong their unique finances, as that they had underestimated and never researched sufficient.
It’s really easy to get swept up in wedding ceremony planning and be pushed to place down deposits on numerous issues, however be sure to permit loads of time to check quotes first. It will assist you to create a practical finances earlier than you begin spending something. Be sure to have a dialog about areas you’re keen to compromise on, and non-negotiables, to avoid wasting arguments down the road.
The best approach to maintain observe of the whole lot is inputting each spend, irrespective of how small, right into a spreadsheet. Google Sheets is good because it’s all managed on-line and each you and your associate can edit it from any machine – which means you possibly can maintain it up-to-date once 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 have the ability to immediately evaluate how a lot you’ve already spent to how a lot of your finances you’ve gotten remaining, making it simple to watch and be sure to don’t overspend.
Skip Costly Hen and Stag Events
Not solely do hen and stag events that contain weekends away or costly actions price you numerous, they’ll price 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 individual’s wedding ceremony!
Return to fundamentals: take pleasure in a easy bar crawl in your native city, or be achieved with custom and have a joint backyard social gathering at residence. Take your hens out for a day tea on the native lodge, or go paintballing collectively. Select one thing that’s inexpensive for EVERYONE, and don’t insist folks attend, both. The less individuals who go to your hen and stag social gathering, the much less seemingly you’re to rack up an sudden invoice!
Lower Down Your Visitor Checklist
In the end, one thing that may closely decide how a lot you find yourself spending is the visitor listing. In any case, once you’re paying for meals, drink, and leisure for every considered one of your company it shortly provides up. Go for a extra intimate event with a visitor listing of 30 or much less. You’ll have the ability to contemplate smaller (and cheaper) venues, like hiring a personal room in a pub or restaurant, for instance. As venues are a key price in a marriage, if you could find a approach to get a less expensive choice it can save you hundreds.
Another choice is to maintain your visitor listing small in your wedding ceremony, however host a a lot bigger celebration in your first anniversary. This offers you time to avoid wasting individually and means you received’t have to fret about blowing a big chunk of your wedding ceremony finances on the reception.
If you happen to’re feeling stress to have an enormous wedding ceremony due to household and buddy expectations, STOP. That is about celebrating your partnership, not what different folks need. If you happen to can’t get folks to agree, you might all the time elope! Many {couples} now select to have a personal registry workplace wedding ceremony and announce their nuptials after the very fact at a celebration (birthday, anniversary, home warming – whichever excuse may be discovered!) as a substitute.
Postpone Your Honeymoon
In an analogous line, delaying your honeymoon might help along with your wedding ceremony prices. If, for instance, you determine to go in 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 also assist you to save massively, learn our article on learn how to seize your self a vacation discount here.
Suspending your honeymoon additionally provides folks time to donate in direction of it as a marriage present, too. As an alternative of getting a present registry (who wants one other toaster?), you might ask for money donations in direction of the honeymoon. You could possibly even make your personal ‘registry’ by itemizing actions you need to do in your honeymoon, like a metropolis tour or going snorkelling, and the way a lot they price. Folks 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 realizing what it’s spent on.
Go for Artistic Catering
For a finances wedding ceremony, keep away from the normal 3 course wedding ceremony breakfast adopted by a night buffet. Why not select to get married in a while within the day after which serve a big buffet for each the day and night company? This fashion you’ll solely need to pay for one meal, and it’ll be less expensive than a bigger sit-down meal.
Think about different cheaper meals choices as effectively. Having a day BBQ, creating enjoyable picnic hampers for company to share out, or hiring a meals truck for the day are all enjoyable methods to have scrumptious meals on a finances.
Additionally, save on having to supply a dessert as effectively and serve up your wedding ceremony cake for dessert as a substitute! It’s also possible to have ice cream carts and confectionary stands to permit folks 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 searching for pre-loved and second-hand gadgets. Websites like StillWhite, Bridal Reloved, and Preloved, are three nice locations the place you could find offers on wedding ceremony outfits and decorations. You’ll discover issues at a fraction of the worth 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 online bridal shop now, which is filled with much more nice offers.
Excessive avenue and on-line shops additionally supply extra inexpensive bridal and bridesmaid choices. Monsoon, Joanna Hope, and Section Eight are nice locations to start out wanting. Be cautious of ordering very low cost custom-made attire from abroad, nevertheless, as it will possibly find yourself costly with customs charges and also you won’t get the costume within the image.
For males, shopping for a swimsuit may be actually costly and relying on the type, is unlikely to be worn once more or fairly often. If you happen to’re trying to purchase a marriage swimsuit, as a substitute it may be price testing excessive avenue shops like ASOS, Subsequent, and Marks & Spencers, which provide their very own cheaper wedding ceremony line options.
Go for Lab Diamond or Different 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 various for any newlywed couple! Oh and did we point out they’re additionally finances pleasant? Costing round 30% lower than naturally mined diamonds.
You don’t need to have diamonds, both! Sapphires, rubies, and emeralds are all in style options.
Don’t Insist on Matching Bridal Celebration Outfits
No person needs to be pressured to put on a bridesmaid costume that’s unflattering. Ask your bridesmaids to purchase their very own attire, and groomsmen their very own fits, however give them the liberty to decide on what they need. Or, you might ask that they maintain inside sure color tones of your wedding ceremony theme – however should you do that, make sure that your colors are impartial or one thing meaning they’ll put on their outfit at different occasions after the marriage.
Make the Most of Supermarkets
Don’t neglect about supermarkets when planning a finances wedding ceremony. Whether or not it’s in your wedding ceremony cake, or becoming a member of a loyalty scheme, they could be a nice approach to reduce prices. Marriage ceremony muffins can price an extortionate quantity, however loads of supermarkets now supply cheaper variations. Marks and Spencer is especially identified for its plain wedding ceremony cake choices that you could stack and embellish your self.
Plus, buying with a loyalty card can earn you some nice offers within the long-run. Tesco Clubcard has among the finest reward schemes the place the worth of your factors triple in worth when spent at considered one of their reward companions. A few of which embody luxurious jeweller Goldsmiths, numerous eating places, and vacation and journey reserving websites. So why not put that cash in direction of a less expensive honeymoon?
If you already know somebody with a CostCo membership, ask in the event that they’ll include you on a self-catered journey. It’s simple to choose up low cost and scrumptious bulk catering gadgets, from sandwich platters to a customized sheet cake that feeds 24 (with scrumptious white frosting) for below £20 a platter. It would add a little bit additional stress to your wedding 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 might prevent a whole bunch of kilos.
Price range Your Booze
Alcohol is likely one of the most costly elements of a marriage. We’re not saying you must have a dry wedding ceremony to avoid wasting prices – however you possibly can have a look at various choices to scale back the invoice. You would possibly need to put a sure restrict behind the bar, or organize for a welcome drink, lunch wine, and speeches cocktail to be supplied with the whole lot else paid money on the bar.
Some venues permit you to carry your personal alcohol. There could also be a ‘corkage’ cost so test what the charges are for that. It’s also possible to purchase wine and champagne from wholesalers on a buy-or-return supply, which means you possibly can return any unused and undamaged bottles for a refund. Majestic Wines is in style 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, need to supply elderflower spritz or a mocktail for everybody’s welcome drink (which additionally ensures folks aren’t too fuzzy in the beginning will get going, too!).
Get Rid of the Stationery
Not solely is it expensive and not-so-great for the atmosphere, nevertheless it’s additionally a very pointless price. 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 company can RSVP and you’ll e mail out particulars and any details about the marriage at no additional price.
Skip the Summer time Weekend
Summer time Saturdays are probably the most wanted day to be married on and also you’ll pay a premium to take action. Think about getting married Monday to Thursday when there’s a lot much less demand and also you’ll have the ability to negotiate a deal at a fraction of the associated fee.
Marrying fully low season between October and March is good for a finances wedding ceremony. Plus, for the significantly savvy saver, why not get married at Christmas? Benefit from the already embellished venues and save your self that additional expense!
Negotiate Arduous
Reserving off season additionally provides you a higher alternative to barter. Companies that want the commerce could also be keen to chop costs to be able to safe a deal. In the event that they’re not in a position to give you a reduction, see in the event that they’d be keen to incorporate any extras included as a substitute. Possibly you might have a room improve? Or reduce your corkage prices?
Have a Contingency Price range
There’s solely a lot you are able to do to arrange and realistically, additional prices are going to pop up once you least count on them. Put aside a part of your finances for this to be ready for the sudden. Ideally, 5 – 10% of your finances saved as contingency money may have you lined. Simply keep in mind to maintain it separate out of your foremost account so that you don’t end up tempted to spend it!