Five Top Tips for planning your wedding on a budget

Five Top Tips for planning your wedding on a budget

Planning an event can be stressful at the best of times.  Planning a wedding on a budget can add in a whole new WHOA factor but it doesn’t have to. Bumble Events has come up with our top five budget friendly wedding planning tips.  You can thank us later!

  1. Seasons

When you choose to hold your event will undoubtedly have an impact on your budget.

Choose winter months for your wedding (September to March, give Christmas a miss) and you can save loads on venue hire costs in some cases.  Autumn and Winter events can be stunning with the changes in nature plus you can give your guests something to look forward to after summer is over!

Negotiate with venues (natural born hagglers will shine here) as they are very prone to striking a deal in the quieter winter months.  Wedding season is over and venues will start offering deals on venue hire.

Get married on a weekday.  More couples are opting for weekday weddings to reduce their wedding costs.  Hold your nuptials Monday to Friday and you can save up to 40% on wedding venue costs.

 

  1. Drinks

Look for venues that don’t charge a corkage fee.  With corkage fees ranging between £7 and £15 per bottle, finding a venue with no corkage fee can save you money leaving more to be spent on the other wedding essentials.

Are you having a cocktail hour?  Choose a signature cocktail and non alcoholic version for guests.  Serving one cocktail can reduce  your costs on alcohol significantly.  The ingredients can be purchased in bulk and there is less faffing around for the caterers as they only have one cocktail to serve.

Have a paid bar.  Paid bars at weddings are a sure fire way to reduce your wedding costs. This will mean you only have to buy wine and water for the wedding breakfast and your guests will buy drinks at the reception.  If you’re not comfortable with asking guests to stump up the cash for drinks, consider having a cocktail hour followed by a paid bar?  Ensure the venue can take card payments and be sure to inform your guests in advance so that they come prepared.

Drinks for toasting. Prosecco and cava are good champagne alternatives for wedding toast drinks.  With a bottle of prosecco costing on average £7 per bottle you’d be crazy not to. Save the champers for when you’re on honeymoon soaking up the rays.

 

  1. Favours

Do it yourself. Well not all yourself! Why not get your bridesmaids around for a day to make up your wedding favours.  It’s a great bonding experience as well as a top money saving tip. Scour websites like Ebay, Etsy and Amazon for all you need to make up lovely low cost wedding favours.

We will be doing a write up on wedding favour ideas soon so make sure you check out our latest blogs.

 

  1. Flowers

 

Bridal bouquet.  Opt for less costly flowers for your bouquet and bridal party flowers. Speak with your local florist and explain your budget.  Lots of florists will suggest in season flowers for a range of budgets.  Find florists close to your wedding venue to save on transportation costs.  Think about wedding flowers like carnations,  lillies, daisies and even roses.

Buying flowers for your church decoration is not essential.  Your guests will be too busy eagerly awaiting the bride’s arrival to notice what flowers are adorning the church.  With most services lasting only an hour we feel this is a great way to maximise your wedding budget.  Some churches and registration office already have flowers and or candles for services so it’s worth enquiring when booking your date.

 

  1. The Dress

 

Whilst your inner Carrie Bradshaw may be instructing you to rush into London’s Mayfair and buy a custom made Galliano dress, I’m a firm believer that you can get a fabulous dress for a fraction of the price.

Sample Sales at wedding dress shops and wedding exhibitions are a great place to find your dream wedding dress with a lower price tag. Vendors are much more open to negotiating a deal at these events.

Go a bit further afield.  When searching for my dream wedding dress, I found it in the third shop I visited which also happened to be in central London.  I noted the model of the dress down and searched for retailers outside of London.  I found my dream dress in a lovely bridal dress shop in Ramsgate.  As well as being £150 cheaper than the London shop, the service was impeccable and tailored to my every need.

Preowned wedding dresses. Think about it.  Most of us brides will wear our wedding dresses once……I like to think. We wear the dress on the day and then pack it away never to be seen again.  There is a great online market (think Ebay, Sell My Wedding Dress, Etsy) for second hand wedding dresses and it’s definitely something to consider when looking for that dream wedding dress on a budget.

 

We’d love to hear your ideas and tips.  Tell us what has worked for you.  Good luck with your budgeting!

 

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