It’s estimated that the average wedding now costs nearly £27,000. And while it’s thought that the cost is likely to be closer to £16,842 as brides and grooms are shunning hiring a professional for all of the traditional wedding elements, it’s still a rather hefty price to pay to marry the love of your life.
With 35% stating that they wished they had budgeted more effectively for their wedding day, another four in ten regret how much they had spent – instead wishing they had put the money towards a house deposit or into a retirement fund.
Saving towards a wedding isn’t easy, but with the Wedding Cost Calculator couples are able to answer a set of questions such as; how many of the bridal party will have their hair and make-up done on the day? Where will the service and reception be held? How many day and evening guests will there be? What table settings you require?
Couples are then presented with a cost to gauge an idea of how much they can expect to pay on their big day.
To help inspire you to make your wedding budget-friendly, we’ve listed a few of our favourite money-saving tips! 
Find a venue which lets you choose your suppliers
Some venues will stipulate that you are required to use their preferred suppliers if you choose to hold your wedding there. Therefore, ensure that you ask whether this is the case up-front –especially if you have already paid non-refundable deposits towards your own vendors.
While, using venue suppliers is often costlier, there is the possibility that your venue will have been able to negotiate special discounts if you use them – so do the maths before you immediately choose somewhere else to hold your wedding.
Get married at the end of the season
Yes, it would be lovely to get married on a Saturday in August, but that isn’t going to be quite so lovely when it comes to checking your bank balance.
Moving your wedding to a Friday or Sunday can help to cut the cost – or even better choose to get married mid-week for a bigger price cut. Just make sure your guests can get the time off work first!
Getting married at the end or start of the season can also keep the cost low – the weather is usually just the same (although in the UK this is never guaranteed) and you’ll find your availability of wedding suppliers will be far greater too.
Streamline table decoration
Pinterest has fuelled our inner bridezilla to new levels of crazy. But before you rush into replicating a Pinterest style wedding, purchasing the most expensive items you can find in the hope it makes your wedding just as Insta-worthy – it’s time to think about your purse-strings.
Table decoration is a big deal on Pinterest – so keep in mind these top tips to make your wedding budget-friendly:
• Swap glass for plastic or metallic vases – guests will find it hard to tell the difference
• Add lots of greenery – not only is it cheaper, but it also breaks up larger bunches of flowers to add depth
• Place candles (candelabras and tealights) down the length of your table. Not only will they had a subtle glow to the room, but will be much cheaper than keeping the table filled with flowers
• Choose fake flowers – if you want to keep your room decorated with flowers then mix in fake flowers with the real deal
• To make your table decorations go further, rather than creating one big focal point why not place single stem flowers in bud vases down the table
Create your own favours (if you want to)
Wedding favours can make a serious dent in your budget, especially when the guest list is getting longer by the day (hello distant cousin you’ve never met, please attend my wedding!). Let’s be honest, most of your guests are probably going to leave your favours behind, but if you still want to give your guests something to take home then these ideas can help to save on cost:
• Skip place settings and gift everyone a personalised candle – place name and favour sorted in one
• If you’ve got a photobooth, then keep a stash of photo frames nearby. That way everyone has a framed memory of the occasion
• Who doesn’t love pic ‘n’ mix?! Leave little bags of sweets with stickers on for your guests to devour
Keeping your wedding within budget needn’t be a difficult task; simply take the time to ensure that you have planned for every cost that you will incur, and don’t forget to budget a little bit extra just in case.
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