Planning a wedding on a budget
Our wedding planner's top tips
My name is Jody Holden and I’m one of the Wedding & Events Coordinators for Devonshire Hotels Group.
With the average wedding day costing anywhere from a few thousand pounds, into the tens of thousands, I’m often asked how happy couples can keep to their budget. Here, I am going to go through my top tips on how to make your special day one to remember, without the struggles of paying out a fortune!
Firstly, the package you opt for with your venue is going to be your biggest cost - keeping your eyes out for those special offers may be your easiest way to save money! Some packages will be a blank canvas for you to build up yourself, whereas some may include absolutely everything you will need for your big day from your arrival drinks, to your room decorations. Across our hotels in The Devonshire Group we offer a variety of packages to try and support your requirements best.
My second piece of advice is to either make things yourself or buy them second hand from other couples if they aren’t included in your package. Table centrepieces can cost on average £50 per table, and that is just to hire. Many couples prefer to buy the items to make decorations themselves, to then sell on and make most of their money back. High street stores such The Range and Home Bargains all have a wedding range, where you can buy all the items you need you make a personalised centrepiece yourself. Alternatively, take something as simple as empty wine or gin bottles or even just mason jars, and fill them with fairy lights - it can have a beautiful effect! The same thing applies when it comes to things such as menus, place cards and table plans. We all have a friend who has beautiful handwriting, or alternatively buy some nice card or paper, type them up and print them yourself at home.
Favours are given to guests as a small gesture to thank you for attending the wedding – there is no need to pay a lot for these. At a recent wedding at The Devonshire Fell, I saw a couple make a £1 donation to a charity of their choice on behalf of each guest and gift the guest with a small badge representing that charity. By doing this they are not only expressing their thanks for attending the wedding, but also supporting a charity. If this isn’t for you, maybe consider making your favours - a small pot of homemade jam, a hand-folded box containing a couple of chocolates, or maybe even buying a large bottle of your favourite spirit, and splitting it amongst smaller shot sized bottles.
If you have somebody within the family who loves to bake, asking them to make your wedding cake is another way to save your budget. Alternatively, you could buy plain white iced cakes from the supermarket and just have somebody ice them for you if you don’t feel confident. To add that extra wow factor to your cake, add a couple of fake tiers – shape some polystyrene to the same shape of your cake, and ice just like your actual cake tiers. This with not only dress up your cake, but also save on wastage.
On your wedding day you want to look and feel incredible, but spending thousands of pounds on a brand-new dress isn’t always the way to do that. On many second-hand sites, people will sell their wedding dresses for a small percentage of the price they paid. All of these will have only been worn for one day, before being professionally dry cleaned, and put up for sale. The same dress on a different person, dressed with a different selection of accessories such as veil and jewellery can look completely different. Even factoring in alterations, this option will cut your costs dramatically.
These are just a few top tips on how to save money, but there are so many other things to consider for example:
Holding your ceremony and reception at the same place to save on vehicle hire to travel
Opting for seasonal flowers
Rather than having an official photographer throughout the reception, put a few disposable cameras on each table for the guests to capture the memories, or create an individual hashtag so you can easily find peoples photos on social media
Create your own wedding playlist
Do your own hair and makeup on the day, or ask a friend to do them for you
Whatever your budget, the Devonshire Wedding Team are here to help you create the day of your dreams. Between the team, we have nine years of experience of large lavish events, intimate celebrations for close family and everything in between. We’re always happy to support with suggestions of suppliers and alternative approaches to help you make the most of your budget.
Just give us a call on 01756 718155, or email weddings@devonshirehotels.co.uk and see how we can help.
Image credit: timemmerton.co.uk