Cut the cost of your wedding without spoiling the big day

People get engaged and married every single day, and many people spend a hell of a lot more than what they can afford. I read an article recently that said the average cost of a wedding has now reached £27,000!! Wowsers. Wedding loans are on the up too, and no one wants wedding gifts anymore – it’s all about the money in the card to put towards the honeymoon.

It is a very important day in your life when you marry your significant other, but is it worth breaking the bank and leaving yourself short for several years afterwards all because you had to have that ice cream cart, and a bouncy castle, and 250 guests and that £3,000 dress? There are ways to make your wedding a day to remember without getting yourself into a financial tangle.

Pay less for the venue.
More often than not, venues that cater for marquees are a lot cheaper. Farmers fields are great and you also get great views!

Pick a less pricey area.
We often have couples who live South of Sheffield that pick venues up North because they tend to be cheaper. Shop around a little if you don’t mind travelling a bit further for your celebrations.

Find best deals on food and drink.
Aldi wine. Bloody brilliant. We bought boxes of the stuff for our tables and it was perfect, and the fraction of the price you’d pay for corkage at a hotel. We hired in a bar from Drinks Now, and they were great and really reasonable. But you could also buy all your own booze and have an honesty box for your guests. We had a bbq followed by a pizza oven at night. It was a help yourself setup with no fancy 3 course meals, everyone loved it and we weren’t skint afterwards.

Do it yourself.
And if you can’t…get your friends and family to help! Got a friend who loves to bake? That’s the cake sorted. Know someone who is handy with a camera? That’s a big expense saved.

Keep tabs on what you’re spending.
Set a budget. Work out what you want and then what you can actually afford. To us the most important thing was getting married…and the booze and food afterwards to celebrate!

Hope this small but effective tips help. Happy wedding planning x