How to plan a ‘Budget’ Wedding

First things first, the word budget grates and makes me think of a low-cost airline… So we are going to go with ‘Economic’.

There are so many ways to get the day you want without having to re-mortgage your house. Have a read of our top 10!

 Flowers
When thinking about your bouquet, start by telling your florist which month you are getting married in and ask him/her to tell you the flowers that will be available seasonally without having to source blooms from far and wide. You would be surprised how much you can save!

Centrepieces
Flowers can be one of the most expensive parts of your day, especially if you are going to have them on the table too, so how about trying something different for the centrepieces that doesn’t have to cost much but will still look stylish and personal. Get photographs of you and your groom throughout your relationship and place them in photo frames.

Centrepieces

Place settings and Favours
If you like the idea of favours (small gifts that the guests take home), but don’t want to spend a small fortune, why not get favours that double up as place names?

Personalised cookies, Cake Pops or how about miniature photo frames with names inside, or shot glasses filled with sweets with the guests’ names engraved on them.

Food
Believe it or not this is one area where you really could cut back on costs without having to skimp.

The traditional 3 or even 5 course meal can be unnecessarily expensive.

There are loads of other great options available that could really wow both you and your guests on the day:

Serve a traditional Afternoon tea – cute sandwiches, delicious warm scones, posh little scotch eggs, you could get lots of chintzy plates and cups from an antique store or car boot to really make it special.

A BBQ or Hog Roast could work well in the summer; serve with a selection of nice salads, slaw, and potatoes.

Or how about pancakes… not just for Shrove Tuesday. You could start with a savoury selection followed by sweet ones – have a table set up with lots of different toppings.

Dessert table provided by ‘avid baker’ guests
The Great British Bake Off has spawned a new generation of avid bakers.

Where once only your great aunty would be able to whip up at a Victoria sponge at a minute’s notice, now even your most fashionable of friends are getting in on the act.

Why not ask each of your amateur baker friends to contribute a cake for your dessert table?

Cupcakes

Use family heirlooms
Buying new jewellery for your wedding can be incredibly expensive.

Instead of choosing just one item for your ‘something old,’ ask aunties/grandmas and the mother-in-law-to-be if you could borrow earrings/bracelets/necklaces.

Do your own wedding make up
Professional wedding make-up artists can be very expensive.

However, if you pay a visit to a big-name beauty counter at a department store, they can do your make up for free and give you tips and advice that you can use when doing your own bridal make up.

Borrow a car
Rather than hiring transport to the ceremony and reception, ask your friends and family if they have a luxury car you could borrow.

Get crafty with your decorations
Ask your friends over one evening for a ‘wedding craft’ evening, making decorations and favours.

Paper bunting is a cost-effective, quick and easy way to create an attractive feel to a wedding venue. You can use paper bunting to drape from lighting fixtures in a marquee or to highlight a particular area like the bar, cake display or the table plan.

Invitations
As soon as you add ‘wedding’ in front of the word ‘invitation’ the cost can sky rocket! So why don’t you give them a go yourself? You would be surprised how easy it could be.

Head to your local craft shop and peruse the card, ribbons, and twine. You could even choose miniature flowers that are the same as those from your bouquet and thread them through the card. Using either a good quality printer, or practise your calligraphy skills.

 

So there you have it, 10 ways to plan your wedding for less!

After all that effort, Green Glass Photography can provide great value wedding photography that doesn’t break the bank.  All the images are yours and there’s even a beautiful hand-made album included in the price.

Visit our prices page for more information.