Jennifer Birtles
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 resulting from their elevated buying and selling prices, so do marriage ceremony budgets. In response to Hitchedin 2024 the common marriage ceremony price £23,250 (with one in ten {couples} spending over £40,000!). Examine 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 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 grow to be extra financially safe, might be a good way to start married life collectively.
Finances, funds, funds!
We could speak about them so much, however budgets are so helpful and essential in protecting on prime 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 moving into critical debt. And follow it! The Hitched Nationwide Wedding ceremony Survey revealed that 60% of respondents needed to prolong 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 be sure to enable loads of time to check quotes first. It will enable you create a sensible 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 save lots of arguments down the road.
The best option to hold monitor of every thing is inputting each spend, regardless 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 machine – that means you may hold it up-to-date whenever you’re out and about. Arrange separate tabs for every of the key 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 funds you will have remaining, making it simple to observe 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 a large number, they will price everybody else money, too. No person appreciates being anticipated to drop a number of hundred kilos going to a hen celebration solely to spend the identical quantity once more attending the identical individual’s marriage ceremony!
Return to fundamentals: get pleasure from a easy bar crawl in your native city, or be carried out with custom and have a joint backyard celebration at house. 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 folks attend, both. The less individuals who go to your hen and stag celebration, the much less doubtless you’re to rack up an surprising invoice!
Minimize Down Your Visitor Checklist
In the end, one thing that can closely decide how a lot you find yourself spending is the visitor listing. In spite of everything, whenever you’re paying for meals, drink, and leisure for every one in every of your visitors it rapidly 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 non-public room in a pub or restaurant, for instance. As venues are a key price in a marriage, if you’ll find a option to get a less expensive possibility it can save you 1000’s.
An alternative choice is to maintain your visitor listing small to your marriage ceremony, however host a a lot bigger celebration to your first anniversary. This offers you time to save lots of individually and means you received’t have to fret about blowing a big chunk of your marriage ceremony funds on the reception.
If you happen to’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 folks need. If you happen to can’t get folks to agree, you could possibly at all times elope! Many {couples} now select to have a non-public registry workplace marriage ceremony and announce their nuptials after the very fact at a celebration (birthday, anniversary, home warming – whichever excuse might be discovered!) as a substitute.
Postpone Your Honeymoon
In an analogous line, delaying your honeymoon might help along with your marriage ceremony prices. If, for instance, you determine to go to 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 will even enable you save massively, learn our article on learn how to seize your self a vacation cut price right here.
Suspending your honeymoon additionally provides folks time to donate in the direction of it as a marriage reward, too. As a substitute of getting a present registry (who wants one other toaster?), you could possibly ask for money donations in the direction of the honeymoon. You can even make your individual ‘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. Individuals can then really feel like they’re shopping for your reminiscences as a newly married couple as a substitute of throwing money into the ether and never realizing what it’s spent on.
Go for Inventive Catering
For a funds marriage ceremony, keep away from the standard 3 course marriage 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 visitors? This fashion you’ll solely must 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 supply a dessert as nicely and serve up your marriage 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 possibly can 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 objects. Websites like StillWhite, Bridal Relovedand Prelovedare 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, and so they’ve solely been used as soon as earlier than! Plus, Oxfam even have their very own on-line bridal store now, which is full of 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 attire from abroad, nonetheless, as it may well find yourself costly with customs charges and also you won’t get the costume within the image.
For males, shopping for a go well with might be actually costly and relying on the fashion, is unlikely to be worn once more or fairly often. If you happen to’re trying 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 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 funds pleasant? Costing round 30% lower than naturally mined diamonds.
You don’t must 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 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 could possibly ask that they hold inside sure color tones of your marriage ceremony theme – however when you do that, make sure that 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 to your marriage ceremony cake, or becoming a member of a loyalty scheme, they could be a nice option to minimize prices. Wedding ceremony desserts can price an extortionate quantity, however loads of supermarkets now supply cheaper variations. Marks and Spencer is especially recognized for its plain marriage ceremony cake choices which you can stack and enhance your self.
Plus, purchasing with a loyalty card can earn you some nice offers within the long-run. Tesco Clubcard has among the best reward schemes the place the worth of your factors triple in worth when spent at one in every of their reward companions. A few of which embody 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 choose 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’ll 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 may focus in your day, however might prevent lots of of kilos.
Finances Your Booze
Alcohol is without doubt one of the most costly elements of a marriage. We’re not saying you must have a dry marriage ceremony to save lots of prices – however you may take a look at various choices to cut back the invoice. You may need to put a sure restrict behind the bar, or organize for a welcome drink, lunch wine, and speeches cocktail to be supplied with every thing else paid money on the bar.
Some venues let you deliver your individual alcohol. There could also be a ‘corkage’ cost so examine what the charges are for that. It’s also possible to purchase wine and champagne from wholesalers on a buy-or-return supply, that means you may return any unused and undamaged bottles for a refund. Majestic Wines is widespread and has a whole celebration service, with free glass rent, chiller rent, and sale or return on merchandise.
Just be sure you supply loads of non-alcoholic drinks, too. You may, for instance, need to supply elderflower spritz or a mocktail for everybody’s welcome drink (which additionally ensures folks aren’t too fuzzy at the start will get going, too!).
Get Rid of the Stationery
Not solely is it dear and not-so-great for the setting, but it surely’s additionally a totally 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 visitors can RSVP and you may e mail out particulars and any details about the marriage at no further 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. Contemplate 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 fee.
Marrying fully low season between October and March is right for a funds marriage ceremony. Plus, for the significantly savvy saver, why not get married at Christmas? Benefit from the already adorned venues and save your self that further expense!
Negotiate Onerous
Reserving off season additionally provides you a larger alternative to barter. Companies that want the commerce could also be prepared to chop costs as a way 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 prepared to incorporate any extras included as a substitute. Possibly you could possibly have a room improve? Or minimize your corkage prices?
Have a Contingency Finances
There’s solely a lot you are able to do to organize and realistically, further prices are going to pop up whenever you least count on them. Put aside a part of your funds for this to be ready for the surprising. Ideally, 5 – 10% of your funds saved as contingency money could have you coated. Simply keep in mind to maintain it separate out of your foremost account so that you don’t end up tempted to spend it!