Shock horror – weddings can be pretty darn expensive! Having worked on hundreds of weddings, read on for some of our best tips on how to save money on your wedding day.
The average cost of a wedding in the UK now sits somewhere between £20-30k (depending on which stats you look at.) This should be taken with a pinch of salt, but nonetheless – those couples who plan to have all the usual trimmings for their big day including a nice venue, catered food, a room full of guests and an exotic honeymoon could end up spending as much as a down payment for a house or new car.
It’s your one big day so you don’t want to cut corners on everything. However, read on for some simple ways that you can save money on your wedding day without having to compromise too much on what’s included. And obviously still have an awesome day!
Read ahead for our top tips to save money on your wedding day:
Draw up a budget and stick to it
First off, congratulations on your engagement!
Once the initial excitement has peaked and the urge to plan kicks in, our advice is to map out the main costs based on what you would like to spend on the various elements such as the venue, catering, rings, dresses and suits, entertainment and so forth. Then do some research to ensure these figures are realistic.
Write down your budget, but allow for a 10% contingency fund on top of this, as inevitability there will be costs you haven’t foreseen or items that will over run (who knew wedding stationary was a thing!?)
This will help to buffer the shock factor if costs spiral! If you prepare for this beforehand, you might reduce the sting if you’ve already allowed for a few unforeseen expenditures.
Define your budget early on and work out how much you will both be able to save before the wedding. If you are lucky enough to have friends or relatives who may be able to assist financially, delicately put the feelers out to determine what contributions you can hope to receive from them. Whether it be a loan, lump sum or purchase of a particular aspect such as the dress, venue or honeymoon for example.
Your budget will then be your bible in working out your priorities and where you are happy to cut corners or make concessions down the line.
Consider the day you are getting married
For most venues, Saturdays will be the most expensive day. If you haven’t got your heart set on this, consider a Friday, Sunday or even midweek which can be a lot cheaper.
But beware – from our experience, a midweek or Sunday wedding may mean guests don’t let their hair down as much and party until the early hours due to not wanting to have an extra day off.
If the drinking and dancing is important and you are hoping for a late night – our top advice is to go for a Friday – it could be a lot cheaper than a Saturday and guests will have the whole weekend to recover after the wedding shenanigans.
This tip can easily save you hundreds or possibly or even thousands from the cost of your wedding day as many venues will offer much cheaper rates outside of the peak days.
Consider the time of year
As above – summer weddings will nearly always be more expensive.
As the prime time for suppliers and venues and with demand high – and most of their income earned during this period – costs will be at their highest with less movement on price.
This will be the case for popular wedding venues and suppliers. You may be able to benefit from discounts or special offers during the quieter season when demand isn’t as high, but you won’t find many discounts for a wedding on a Saturday in July!
On the other hand, you may be able to make big savings on a wedding during the quieter period of October to April (we would advise against marquee or outdoor festival style weddings though for obvious reasons!) If you’re flexible on dates, research prices for your favourite venues during these times and see if there is a deal to be had.
Depending on the venue, they may already have discounts or attractive offers in place. If not, consider haggling or seeing if you can get any extras thrown in such as chair covers, centrepieces or drinks etc for catering.
Employ your skills to save money on the big day
Do you have a skilled amateur photographer or baker as a close friend or relative?
Will the hens or stags pitch in to help decorate the venue or create centrepieces? Do you have friends that are fantastic at hair or makeup?
Is uncle Bob a genius on the BBQ that could take control of your evening food, or are there any classic or luxury cars owned by your nearest and dearest that they would be happy to use as the wedding cars for the day?
Are you lucky enough to know someone with a farm or barn that you would be able make your own for the day?
There are some big savings to be made here from your wedding day if you can capitalise on your own skills and of your friends and family.
Be imaginative, play the wedding card (with a big dollop of charm and appreciation) and you’ll be amazed at how wiling people will be to help. This can add up to big savings considering the cost of a photographer, a professional wedding cake or wedding cars.
The only caveat you would be wise to remember is that you may have to be prepared to compromise slightly – remember friends and family will be helping you out for free!
Pay close attention to your guest list
The venue and the catering will definitely be two of your main expenses, so it pays to be ruthless.
If you are planning to feed all of your guests – particularly if you are having a traditional three course wedding breakfast/evening reception for example, this will be one of your largest expenses of the day.
Bear in mind that feeding 100 guests at an average cost of £50/60 per head equals £6000. This price can vary enormously depending on your venue and catering choices, but this will be just one of a few significant costs to factor in for your day.
The answer in short; trim down your day time guests to your closest family and bestest buds and invite all of the rest – your not quite as close friends, wider family and work colleagues along to the evening do.
Little savings here will add up to make a big difference. Likewise consider not having kids along (your cousins ten kids will cost an arm and a leg) unless very close family.
This may cause a bit of a challenge for babysitting duties but in our experience, weddings and kids don’t always mix that well especially if you want all of your guests to let their hair down and avoid the dance floor turning into a skid pan for knees and sugar charged children.
You may also choose to keep ‘plus ones’ to those that you know well (play this by ear as this may be contentious and always use an evening invite as a fall back option!)
Wedding gifts
For the guests that do make it onto the coveted table plan (and even some that attend the evening do), tradition dictates they will give you some kind of gift albeit financial or something of their choice.
Make a list of stuff you actually need (consider making a DIY gift list using wedding gift list companies such as Prezola – use this link to get £50 free to spend.) Alternatively, if you have something in mind such as the honeymoon – politely request donations towards your chosen cause, saving you from forking out yourself.
Some guests may prefer to give you a physical gift rather than cash for you to have a momento from them for the day, but either way most guests will be happy to contribute towards something that they know you actually want or will enjoy.
This can also stretch to experiences such as a hot air balloon ride for example or paying for a dinner or a massage on your honeymoon for example. Be grateful for what you receive and send thank yous where possible.
Planning what gifts you would like in advance will make the most of people’s kind contributions and may help you save money on your wedding day and thereafter.
Online wedding gift list companies can streamline this into a simple process. Just choose your gifts, share the link and then guests can pick an appropriate gift from your wedding gift list according to their budget.
Negotiate
When speaking to suppliers and venues during the planning process, politely ask if the price is the best that they can do. Sometimes it will be and I’d recommend you don’t overdo it unless you want to get suppliers backs up (especially if you have your heart set on using them.) Remember it is their livelihoods after all and there will be less movement during peak times.
However a polite ask may result in a reduction or an unexpected add on as part of the package. If they want the business they will want to keep you happy, however don’t be that couple that wants discounts and then wants everything else thrown in for free.
Good relationship management here is key. If suppliers feel they are valued they will be willing to go the extra mile later on if needed and help to make savings on the costs of your wedding day
Suppliers – check for any package discounts
Depending on the extras you are having on your day, whether it’s chair covers and venue decoration, sweet cart, photo booths, light up dance floors, djays, marquees, flooring and so on – consider whether one supplier offers a number of items you are looking for.
If the answer is yes, there is a good chance you should benefit from a discount for multiple items hired from them (if not, why not) as it will all be extra business for the supplier.
Generally speaking you should expect at least a 10% discount off of additional hire items from one supplier. This should smoothen out logistics for the day, will involve less points of contact and emails for you to manage and could add up to generous wedding savings.
Just make sure you are happy and confident of your suppliers to start with as you will be relying on them more heavily the more eggs you have in one basket! Using fewer suppliers can be much more efficient and also makes an easy way to save money on your wedding day.
Prioritise
This is key. Once you’ve drawn up your budget, you need to identify which parts of the day are most important to you.
Whether it’s the evening entertainment, the food, the dress, the venue, professional photographs or getting married on a beach in the Bahamas. By identifying early on which aspects you really want to be absolutely perfect, it will help you determine and allocate resources and funds accordingly.
Few couples have an endless budget to spend on their wedding day. By identifying your priorities early on, you will have a clearer idea which areas you are happy to compromise (or not include) later on.
Consider using a traffic light system – green is must haves, amber is need to be included but need to be cost effective where possible, whilst red are aspects you can include if the budget allows or not if funds are too tight. Employ the tips above and you will be well on your way!
Good luck – we hope you enjoyed our top tips to help you save money on your wedding day. Checkout our guide to a stress free wedding day and please comment below if you have any feedback or other suggestions of ways to save on the big day.
