Saving money on the cost of your wedding day may not seem like the most romantic thing to consider. If you are a young couple starting out and are trying to save a deposit for your first home or perhaps start a family, it makes sense to watch those pennies. The good news is there are plenty of ways you can save money on your wedding day without it being any less special. Here are my top tips for a budget friendly wedding day.
Have your Wedding Midweek
There are only about twenty Saturdays in the peak UK wedding season. These are the must fill dates where venues and suppliers have to maximise their income. They are the bedrock of any wedding business, and suppliers are very reluctant to do deals on these dates. If you get married in the middle of the week you have the opportunity to save thousands of pounds. Midweek dates are much harder to fill and many suppliers will offer deals as these dates are much less in demand.
Choose an out of season wedding
If you want to get married on a Saturday but still want to save money consider having a wedding in the quiet season from late autumn to spring. There are plenty of venues that don’t need good weather. Harbour Hotel in Chichester is a good example, based in the middle of the city with a trendy bar and ample function room, you never need to go outside. Statistically, the winter is actually drier than the summer anyway!
Have Fewer Guests
Smaller weddings and elopements have grown in popularity since covid and have a lot to recommend them. Less guests means less stress and less cost. It is also not uncommon for couples to have a small family wedding in the week and then throw a bigger party later. That way you can save money without disappointing anyone.
Pick a Vintage Wedding Dress
A used wedding dress has usually been worn for a grand total of one day. Why not save money and protect the environment by choosing a pre-loved wedding dress? There are specialist charity shops that deal exclusively in bridal wear like St Catherine’s Hospice Bridal Store in Horsham so why not help a good cause too?
Choose a Village Hall
By opting for a multi-purpose space instead of a specialist wedding venue you have a great chance of making significant savings. Not just in the venue hire but also with all the ancillary costs that go with it. Wedding venues tie you into their in house catering and can even tie you to photographers and florists! A village hall in Sussex is usually a stone’s throw from a beautiful church. Oving Jubilee Hall for example is just a short walk from St Andrews which dates from the 13th century.
Arrange a bake-off!
This was one of the cleverer and more creative money saving ideas I have seen at a wedding. Instead of having a wedding cake the bride and groom invited guests to bake a cake and bring it for judging with a nice prize on offer for the winner. Not only did the couple save money on a cake, but they also added a fun event to the wedding that was a lot more entertaining than the traditional cake cutting. The guests could choose from a fantastic selection of different cakes to have with their afternoon tea! A win-win for everyone.
Have an informal meal
If you don’t want a formal sit down wedding breakfast there are plenty of alternatives that guests will really enjoy. Here are just some of the options that I have seen on a wedding day.
- Barbecue
- Afternoon Tea
- Mobile Pizza Truck
- Noodle Truck
- Buffet
All of these options were very popular with the guests. They can be great if your wedding is more informal. People can mingle throughout the meal rather than being stuck at one table for a couple of hours . It saves you the headache of having to arrange groups of people together.
Luckily, with the trend for more informal weddings, you can have a wedding with a lower budget without really compromising. Festival weddings and DIY weddings lend themselves to a more relaxed approach and are less about splashing out and more about having fun!
Toby
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