Planning A Wedding On A Tight Budget

It would be wonderful if we all had the luxury of being able to afford a lavish wedding and not have the worry of how we are going to pay for it. If you are on a tight budget do not worry too much - you are certainly not alone.

The first thing to remember is the reason you are getting married in the first place. Even if you have a modest budget, getting married should be about what makes you happy within the financial and logistical limits of your own circumstances.

Whatever you decide, family and friends will be overjoyed for you and it really will not matter to those who care for you how you celebrate your big day.

So do it the way you want to - do not feel guilty and just make sure you prioritise. It is much better to go into married life without a huge debt hanging over your heads. With some imagination and time you can have a magical and memorable day without breaking the bank

Top tips

It is who you know. Do not be scared to ask for favours. We all know people with talents so put them to good use! Are you looking for a photographer or someone to shoot the video? Ask family and friends if they know anyone who has an interest or is studying photography or any related multimedia type subject.

At both of my daughters weddings we knew a young man of just eighteen - he was at university and actively studying photography. He arrived in the morning, took photos of the bride and bridesmaids in our home, then went on to take more shots at the church and later at the reception. He produced a disk of 400 edited photos for just $225! I have to say we were very pleased with the results.

If you do not know anyone that can help, put an ad in your local newsagents, as well as putting a card or notice in your local town or village hall. Alternatively, find out where the local photography night classes are held and ask around there. You will be surprised at how many people will be very willing to help as it gives them vital experience.

Finally, try out the local colleges and universities to see if anybody can help there. I am sure they could do with the money, however modest your contribution is.

Your wedding cake

You may have a very clever member of the family who loves baking. If not ask around. Someone close to you who does it as a hobby (and not a business) will be cheaper and sometimes as good if not better. A simply bought iced cake decorated with
fresh flowers (flowers in season will be cheaper) can be very effective. Plain iced cakes can be found in most supermarkets and cake stands can be hired.

Cup cakes are very in trend at the moment and not difficult to make in any way. They can be put together in batches, frozen, taken out a couple of days before needed, iced and left in a dry cool room until the day. Alternatively, you can add a fun element to proceedings by having your guests decorate their own on the day. Or break the mould, have cheesecake, profiteroles, chocolate cake - let your imagination go wild. It is your day, so make it a reflection of your combined personalities.

Collect from hire companies and collect your wedding flowers, rather than have them delivered, someone will always be willing to help do this on the day, so ask.

Venues and catering

Reception venues and catering are one of the main expenses. However with a little thought and imagination you can save a lot of money and also be original. There are many very pretty village halls and quaint public houses that are less pricy than hotels, lavish halls and stately homes.

The wedding breakfast does not have to be 3 or 4 courses, a hot and cold buffet, fish and chips, afternoon tea with scones clotted cream and jam may suffice. A picnic, complete with picnic Basket and blankets, or what about a camp out!

Public places such as parks (unless otherwise stated) are just that, public places and are free to use. However, you have to be prepared to share it with the general public, so if you live near to the beach or a country park make use of it.

Be careful not to trespass onto private land and be responsible when it comes to B-B-Qs and fires. It is best to make inquiries first and ask. Outside bars are either free to hire or very inexpensive as they rely on sales at the bar and they will set up and tidy away.

For catering purposes always ask family, friends and neighbours. Pubs, outside catering companies, Cafes, Bistros, Restaurants and even your local Indian, Greek, Italian restaurant may do outside catering.

Do your home work and see and taste samples as you go and always go on recommendations from people you trust. If the food they serve uses fresh ingredients and is of a high quality, then their catering packages should follow suit. They should also be willing to cater to your needs and be prepared to do something a bit different whichmay involve helping with a particular theme.

Always take the timing of your wedding into consideration if you go for a later rather than an earlier in the day wedding, you could get away with providing one meal rather than the wedding breakfast and then a buffet in the evening, or instead of a full evening buffet after the wedding breakfast, give your evening guests something lighter, such as cheese and biscuits. Hog (or meat) roasts, Paella, fish and chip van, or mobile catering vans are an alternative and fun idea.

Live music

If you are on a tight budget you probably think you cannot afford a good live band. Anything is possible with a little effort and it can be done.

Go to gigs at village pubs and open mike nights. There is a lot of young talent out there. You may know someone who plays guitar, piano, keyboards or sings, do not be afraid to ask, the worse that can happen is they will say no. We knew someone in Cambridge who went up to two very good street entertainers and asked them if they would be interested. They agreed to do the job and were cheap too.

So remember, if you find someone you like, they may be looking to gain experience and could end up costing you far less than originally thought - ours did.

The dress

OK so the budget will probably fail to stretch to a $2000 designer dress - and that is not expensive these days. There are many high street stores with dresses that can be adapted to suit and will not cost you a fortune. Be willing to compromise and experiment.

Why not try something more individual and shop around for a good dress maker. Even though they are dying breed they are still out there. Having your bridesmaid's dresses made in this way can be a cheaper option than buying from a wedding shop and then paying extra for any alterations.

You may also decide to break from traditional white or ivory. A beautiful ball gown especially if bought just after Christmas would be a canny buy. If you have an imaginative personality then your wedding day is the perfect excuse to show it. What about fancy dress! And get your guests to follow suit.

Finally, I would like to add that even though I know how to achieve a wedding on a tight budget, you will certainly need to allocate sufficient time to plan for the event. If you do not know where to start or how to plan a budget and are short on time, then a wedding planner can come in very useful.

It may only cost up to $150 for an hour or two of a wedding planners time, and this could be money well spent. They can help with working out a budget, or give you some inspirational ideas and contacts they have tried and tested, saving you valuable time. So it is worth checking them out before you decide not to use one.

I sincerely hope this has been of some help to all of you thinking (and planning) your big day. If anything, I hope I have convinced you that it is possible to have a day to remember even on the smallest of budgets. We did.