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From the flowers to the cake, invitations to the dress, music to the food... how on earth do you plan a wedding on a budget?
Fortunately there are plenty of ways to keep costs down. Here are our top tips for a recession-busting wedding...
CUT YOUR CLOTH
You don’t have to spend thousands on a wedding dress to be a beautiful bride. Oxfam has 11 bridal departments across the country offering specialist advice and affordable frocks.
Many are donated by designers, so you can buy the wedding dress of your dreams for much less than you would expect. Go to www.oxfam.org.uk/bridal to find out more.
GREAT RECEPTION
You can cut the costs of your wedding reception substantially if you are prepared to decorate the venue yourself and arrange your own catering.
Another way to lower costs is to plan your big day for a weekday rather than a Saturday... it’s usually much cheaper.
The website www.cheap-wedding-success.co.uk has some good suggestions for inexpensive reception venues.
If you want someone else to sort out everything for you, then some hotels offer deals for people on a budget.
GET CREATIVE
Make your own wedding invitations rather than paying someone to make them.
The site www.weddingcrafter.co.uk shows you how to create your own design or you can use one of the ready-made kits.
Keep an eye out for sales and take advantage of special offers.
You could also consider sending out online wedding invitations to save on printing and postage costs.
LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS
Think about the skills your friends and family have, then rope them in to help at your wedding.
Are any of them talented photographers who could take your wedding pictures?
Or do you have an aunt who is good at making cakes? If they don’t feel confident making a big cake, then cupcakes can look just as impressive on the right stand.
HONEYMOON WHIP-ROUND
If you can’t afford to go away on honeymoon after your wedding, then you could ask guests to chip in towards the cost as their wedding present.
Some websites enable your guests to make online payments directly to you.
Guests can print off a special gift certificate so they have something tangible to give you.
If you want to see how the site works, you can try it free for a week and there is no obligation to sign up after that.
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