10 tips for a stylish (low-cost) wedding
Don't start married life in debt. Organise your dream wedding without breaking the bank using these tips for savvy brides-to-be
1. The Budget
Agree a wedding budget that won't bankrupt you as a couple, and stick to it. Decide priorities like a honeymoon or rings and bargain hard for everything else. Remember you can actually get married for as little as £200-300 although the average wedding last year cost £17,250. At the end of each month do a quick tally and cut back if you are heading into the red.
2. The Venue
Your choice of venue is crucially linked to the final cost of your wedding. Venues range from castles (around £10,000 per day) to your favourite restaurant (probably just the food and drinks bill). Remember that many venues tie you to their own caterers, florists and bar charges. If your budget is tight, try to retain maximum control of who supplies what. Consider using a friend's or relative's house, an art gallery or park. For ideas on dressing a Village Hall (cost around £250) visit www.weddingdiaries.co.uk
3. Team Power
Forget Wedding Organisers and recruit friends and family to form a team or people who genuinely care about your wedding. Consider skills like design and floristry as well as extra drivers, first-aiders and a 'fixer' with a mobile phone and address book. Encourage talented musicians and speakers to play a part. Issue everyone with a Time Plan of the wedding day; outlining who will do what and when.
4. Decorations
Shop smart in post-Christmas and end of summer sales. First, create a scrapbook of ideas cut out of bridal magazines and brochures. Then head for the bargain shops to save on tea lights, silk flowers, costume jewellery and floaty fabric to swag the tables. Remember that items like candles are often exactly the same, whether from an expensive wedding supplier or your local pound shop.
5. Home Crafts
Create your own gorgeous stationery using a PC and digital camera. That way, one hundred invitations, menus and Orders of Service could cost as little as £25. Don't forget to print off clear venue directions and a timetable for the day. Other home crafts to sample include drying your own rose petals for confetti (in the microwave) and hand painting your own place cards.
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