Yahoo Finance 10 ways to cut the cost of a wedding – without upsetting anyone
The average wedding this year will cost £24,109 – up 11% over the past 12 months. Anyone tying the knot during the traditional wedding season – between now and September – will spend even more. It’s a mind-boggling cost, and enough to horrify anyone who proposed without realising quite what they were letting themselves in for.
By far the easiest way to cut wedding costs is by inviting fewer guests, which slashes the price of everything from the venue to the food. However, this can cause all sorts of needless family dramas that ricochet for years, so before you start trimming the guest list, it’s worth considering other options. Fortunately, there are ten alternative ways to cut the cost without putting anyone’s nose out of joint.
1. Forget the summer
If you opt for a winter wedding – especially in November, January or February – CompareWeddingInsurance.com estimate that you will spend an average of 16% less. The venue is the biggest outlay and these are far cheaper in the colder months.
2. Consider a midweek wedding
Saturdays are much more expensive than any other day of the week, so while it’s irritating for your guests, as long as you give them plenty of warning, they may still be able to come if you opt for a Friday.
3. Get married late in the day
The longer things go on for, the more it will set you back in terms of food and drink. An early evening wedding will wipe out the need for canapes and post-ceremony drinks, because you can go straight to dinner.
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4. Get a great photographer – but not for very long
You can do without a photographer altogether, but if you’re keen to get some perfect shots you can hire a professional for less. You can opt for a half day or a few hours – so they catch the arrivals, the ceremony and the group shots – and you can rely on your friends for the rest. You can ditch the official album too, and get a digital-only package. That way you can print off the shots you like, and share them in any way you want.
5. Be picky about the venue
The perfect venue is one that doesn’t require much decoration, doesn’t charge ridiculous corkage, and lets you bring in your own caterers. It’s not easy to track down, but it’s worth it for what you’ll save on flowers, food and drink.
6. Negotiate
You’ll be surprised how much wiggle room you have. You don’t need to push people to provide the same for less, you can compromise over what you’re asking for. Give your caterer or the venue a ‘per head’ cost, and ask what they can do for it.
7. Help yourself
The fewer waiting staff you need, the cheaper things will be. A buffet is the bargain option, but if you really want a sit-down meal, ask for food to be served on platters for each table to help themselves. Likewise, wine on tables, cupcakes rather than wedding cake and a self-service bar will mean fewer people to pay. Plus, if they have a sound system you can hook up a laptop to, you don’t need a DJ or a band.
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8. Cut out anything you don’t value
A massive industry has grown up around weddings, so you might feel you have to have all sorts of things you wouldn’t ever have at any other kind of party. You may be able to ditch everything from chair covers to button-holes and balloons. If you have a wedding cake, you may well be able to do without a separate dessert too. If you have bridesmaids or groomsmen it can add significantly to the cost. You can either cut back on both, or just ask them to wear something they already have in the wardrobe.
9. Buy a second-hand dress
Everywhere from Vinted to eBay and the Oxfam bridal shops have some beautiful dresses for a fraction of the price of a new one. In several cases you can buy them brand new with tags from people whose wedding plans didn’t quite work out. The average cost of a wedding dress is £1,350, but second hand one can shave £1,000 off the bill. If you don’t like the idea, consider asking family members if there are any vintage dresses hanging around in attics or wardrobes. Most people have no idea what to do with their dress after the day and might appreciate it getting some use.
10. Try not to borrow money
It’s always tempting to get carried away and spend more than you can afford, but it’s not worth it. One day, when you’ve been paying interest on it for months – or even years – you won’t be able to remember why it was so important to spend £500 on flowers. If your money will stretch to a handful of close family at a registry office, there’s no reason why this kind of wedding is any less meaningful than one costing over £24,000. You can always throw a lavish party to celebrate your golden wedding anniversary instead.
Having said that, if you can’t help it, and you need to borrow, make sure you’re not paying over the odds for it. Plan any borrowing, so it doesn’t end up on an expensive credit card or pushing you into an overdraft.
Sarah Coles is a personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown and co-presents Switch Your Money On podcast.
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