With the average wedding now costing around £22,000, controlling your wedding costs has never been so important. But how can you have a day to remember whilst on a budget? Don’t worry; it’s entirely possible with some forward planning. Let’s look at several easy ways to trim the costs.
Don’t tell organisers that you’re having a wedding
Make enquiries instead under the guise of a party or event, as some suppliers automatically bump up the costs when they hear the ‘W’ word!
Keep the guest list under control
You only need to invite close friends and immediate family; avoid inviting long-lost relatives and people you haven’t seen in years. Simply explain that you are keeping the wedding small. Some people choose to exclude children as well, although they tend to be less costly guests than adults.
Consider going abroad
It can actually be less expensive to book an overseas wedding package for a small group of people and it saves on honeymoon costs too. Look at Eastern Europe, Italy and Morocco for popular destinations that do not cost the earth.
Pick your days
Saturday is the most expensive day by far for a wedding and you will pay a premium. Try to book your wedding on a Friday or Sunday instead and you’ll pay less for the venue. Consider having the entire event at one venue too, which saves on décor, transport and hire fees. You could even have a marriage later in the day, which would avoid the need for a sit-down dinner and allow you to serve just one buffet meal.
Choose food carefully
Apply wisdom to your choice of menu. Do you really need to serve a full sit-down dinner, or could you arrange a cheaper, quirkier choice? Options include a Sunday fête-themed buffet, a vintage tea party or even an Asian-inspired meal. Do you need dessert when you have a wedding cake?
Avoid an open bar
This is a quick way to damage your wallet, particularly as many venues will charge high premiums for their bar drinks. People also tend to drink too much when the booze is free! Instead, consider offering to pay for everyone’s first drink. Remember too that sparkling wine is just as good as Champagne for toasting – and costs far less!
Funding the day
Avoid getting into costly and complicated credit card debt and consider a secured loan from a specialist such as Evolution Money so you can manage the repayments within a certain time-frame and avoid having the debt hanging over you for many years afterwards.
In collaboration with Evolution Money
