Get married on a budget: How you can save money on your wedding day | Personal Finance | Finance

It’s wedding season and whether you’re a guest or the happy couple, it’s also ‘expensive season’. It doesn’t matter if your nuptials are just around the corner or a year or two away – there are plenty of ways to save on your wedding without feeling like you’ve scrimped.

MoneyMagpie is all about living a richer life – and that includes knowing when to save and when to splurge. Try these tips to keep your wedding within budget (and maybe some cash left over for the honeymoon!).

Go Seasonal

When it comes to both food and flowers, seasonal will always work out cheaper. You could also opt for artificial flowers, particularly if you want keepsakes – but be mindful fake flowers aren’t environmentally friendly.

Opt for simple, fresh flavours over fancy dinners, using local seasonal food where possible as this reduces food miles as well as supports small business. Negotiate with local suppliers and ask your caterers to be flexible based on what is seasonally available for the wedding breakfast.

If you’re planning a winter wedding, opt for seasonal décor, too – namely, the venue will already be decked out for Christmas so you can save on decorations!

Minimise the Reception, Maximise the Ceremony

While people like weddings for the free bar and dinner, consider flipping the celebration around to have more people witness the ceremony instead. Choose a larger venue for the ceremony, and include a drinks reception with canapes afterwards.

In the afternoon or evening, have a sit-down meal at a local restaurant with your nearest and dearest instead. It will feel more intimate and avoid arguments about seating arrangements! Guests will feel touched to be included in the ceremony, too – after all, that’s the bit you’re celebrating.

Think About What You Want Remembered

Things don’t have to be perfect. Think about what you can remember from weddings and events you’ve been to. Could you say if the dinner was delicious? Perhaps you think the wedding favours were tacky? Maybe the music wasn’t to your taste.

Focus on a few key things that you want people to remember for years to come, and splurge on that. They may not value the string quartet playing you down the aisle, but they will remember if you didn’t feed them well!

Forgo the Favours

Wedding favours are often forgotten and left behind at the end of the reception. Do you really need them? If you insist, consider something fun like giving everyone a lottery scratchcard – that’s sixty favours for £60 and you could end up making someone a millionaire!

The same goes for confetti. It gets everywhere, isn’t environmentally friendly, and some venues won’t allow it at all. You could opt for alternatives, like blowing bubbles, which will make for some interesting and fun wedding photos.

Don’t Skimp on the Photographer

Speaking of photos, it’s tempting to save money by asking a friend with a camera to do the wedding photography. However, this is only one day and you won’t get the chance to take the photos over again – so it’s worth hiring a professional.

You don’t have to have someone for the full day, though. If ‘getting ready’ photos don’t float your boat, book the photographer from the ceremony onwards. Or, you might only want the ceremony and immediate reception (to avoid those overly-drunk photos in the evening…).

Talk to your photographer about what you want from the day, and negotiate a suitable package. This is one thing you don’t want to skimp on.

Appeal to the Sweet Tooth

Do you really need a wedding cake and a dessert? People are often very full by the end of the wedding breakfast and would rather reach for another drink instead.

Tackle this by either using your wedding cake as the dessert or ditching one of them altogether. You could also hire a confectionary, ice cream, or even doughnut cart to allow those with a sweet tooth to enjoy themselves without wasting lots of desserts.

Try Karaoke

If you’re a fan of live entertainment, you might find the best comes from your wedding guests! A DJ or live band can take up a large chunk of your wedding budget, so think about alternatives.

As long as you hire a decent PA system, which most venues will have, you can create your own playlists to get through the dancing portion of the night. And for those with an extrovert flair, try a karaoke machine to up the entertainment factor!

Guest Tip: Wear an Old Outfit

Before you go to buy a brand new wedding outfit, rummage through your wardrobe. Have a look for something you already own, first. You could even look at upcycling something if you’re a bit handy – such as turning an old dress into a smart playsuit. There are lots of tutorials online for this kind of crafty strategy.

If you don’t have a lot of clothes to choose from, but have friends in a similar size, ask to borrow or swap clothes with them. This can help you find loads of new accessories or ways to dress up a more basic outfit for the wedding, without spending any cash.

You can also try charity shops – there will be plenty of options at this time of year as people have a spring clean to make room for their new summer wardrobe.

If you have several weddings to go to this year, don’t feel you have to buy a new outfit for each one, either. A classic occasion dress can be worn for most things, as can a navy suit.

Guest Tip: Rideshare

You don’t have to spend a lot on taxis and trains if you know other people going to the wedding. Either arrange a taxi rideshare so you can all split the fare, or ask the non-drinker in your group (very nicely) if they wouldn’t mind driving you.

If you’re travelling in a large group, look to hire a mini bus between yourselves – this can be a great way for wedding guests to save money!

Guest Tip: Offer Your Time

Wedding gifts can be an expensive chore, especially if you have lots of weddings to go to in one season. If you can’t afford to keep splashing out, think about something else you can offer which is invaluable: your time.

Offer your time ahead of the wedding to help organise something, set out chairs at a venue, or arrange the booze run. Or, gift your skills if you have them – can you sew some of the bunting for decorations? Maybe you make amazing cupcakes ideal for a wedding cake alternative. Or perhaps you’re a secret DJ. Offering skills is a great way to support the happy couple in a way they’ll appreciate, instead of getting yet another toaster.

Guest Tip: Say No

If you can’t afford to attend the wedding, say no. Sometimes, it’s unavoidable, such as when it’s a close relative – but you can still set boundaries.

Say you can do the wedding, but not the hen or stag do. Perhaps you can attend for the day but not stay over in the pre-arranged hotel.

It’s their wedding, but your money. So, if something about the wedding causes you financial concern, put your foot down. Don’t dance around the subject, either: “Sorry, I just can’t afford it” is all you need to say.

The good friends will understand, and the ones that cause drama? Well, they’re not real friends anyway.

Guest Tip: Look for Discounts

You don’t have to spend a fortune on wedding gifts but if you want to buy one, there are plenty of ways to save money.

Of course, there is the classic DIY version where you put your crafting skills to work to create a customised piece of artwork. If you’re handy at knitting, crochet, sewing, woodwork, or metalwork this can be a great gift!

However, you can also find discounts online to make your budget stretch without compromising on the luxury level of a gift. Try sites like Groupon or Wowcher to get discounts, or make the most of retailer sales to get a great discount. We also love TK Maxx and HomeSense for some brilliant deals on accessories and homewares at a discounted price. Nobody needs to know you spent less than the retail price!