Best Ways To Save Money On Your Wedding Day

There’s no getting away from the fact that a wedding costs a considerable amount of money. In fact, on average, in the UK a wedding can cost anywhere between £14,000 and £20,000. But of course, there are always ways you decrease costs by following some handy wedding money saving tips.

We all want our big day to be as beautiful and special as possible but it’s easy to do this on a budget. So, in this guide, we list 20 of the best ways to save money on your wedding, without having to miss out on the things you really want.

Tip 1. Do You Really Need A Brand New Dress?

OK, hear me out. I know that most brides dream of having the perfect brand new dress but if you’re looking to save money, buying vintage could be a lot more affordable.

According to experts, the average wedding dress in the UK can cost up to £2000! That’s a huge chunk of your budget. But you could go to a vintage shop or even a charity shop and pick up a 60s, 70s or 80s gown for a fraction of the cost.

As long as it is clean and in good condition, there’s nothing wrong with this. What’s more, you could hire a seamstress to make alterations and turn the dress into something truly unique and fantastic.

Tip 2. Make Your Own Wedding Invitations

Make Your Own Wedding Invitations

If you or your betrothed have a bit of artistic talent then making your own wedding invitations can save you a ton of money.

It’s also really nice to have that personal touch and it just makes everything feel a little more special.

The cost of buying card, stamps, ink, decorative items and glue will be much lower than forking out the price that some suppliers ask for wedding invites to be designed and printed.

Tip 3. Or Send Digital Invitations

If you don’t fancy making your wedding invites then you can also save money by using a digital invite. The cost is a lot lower as you don’t have to pay for the card, envelopes, liners and even the postage fees.

What’s more, you can have a lot more input into the design process as many websites will let you create something from scratch so it’s personal to you.

Plus, this is a much more eco friendly option and that’s never a bad thing!

Tip 4. Try Out A Newbie Photographer

By this, we don’t mean hiring Gt Uncle Bert with his vintage camera, that isn’t going to get you the wedding shots of your dreams.

But you might decide to try out an up and coming new photographer who will probably be charging much less than some of the more seasoned wedding photographers out there.

As long as you can be confident in their work, there’s nothing wrong with hiring someone new to the scene. What’s more, you’re helping local small businesses to grow and that’s always a plus point.

Tip 5. Don’t Go Mad On Bridesmaid’s Dresses

I recently played the part of bridesmaid at a wedding and was asked to buy my own dress. Fortunately the bride had only one stipulation; it had to be purple. Myself and the other bridesmaids put our heads together to make sure we all got the same dress and amazingly purchased each dress from ASOS for around £60 each!

There are a lot of companies that now offer bridesmaids dresses for a fraction of what you’d pay if you went to a bridal boutique. You may need to have the dress altered slightly for a great fit but this doesn’t cost a lot.

Tip 6. Do Your Own Hair And/Or Make Up

Do Your Own Hair And Or Make Up

The cost of hiring a hairdresser and make up artist for your wedding can be extortionate. Yes, it’s nice to be pampered but if you’re working to a strict budget then you need to cut costs where possible.

Most of us are confident in applying our own make up and styling our own hair. For wedding looks, you may need to practice but with the sheer number of online tutorials, you’ll be a whizz at your chosen look in no time.

Even if you just cut out the make up artist and still hire a hairdresser, you’ll save a decent amount of money, especially if you’d have been paying for other members of the wedding party to be made up as well.

Tip 7. Consider Getting Married In The Week

You could end up paying thousands of additional pounds by having your wedding on a Saturday. For this reason, more and more couples are choosing to host their big day during the week and as a result, they’re savings really mount up!

You might also choose to get married on a Sunday which is considered to be an off peak time and so again, you’ll end up saving quite a lot.

Many people worry that their guests won’t be able to make a mid-week wedding. But if you give plenty of notice, you will find that most people will be able to get the time off work. If you’re inviting guests that don’t have children, you won’t need to worry about them getting time off school.

Tip 8. Consider The Venue

We all usually think of a wedding being somewhere extravagant like a fancy hotel or a swanky golf club. But you don’t have to pull out all the stops here. It’s perfectly acceptable to scale down the venue and go for something much cheaper.

Hiring a function room at a local pub or social club is incredibly affordable. Village halls are also great options and what’s great about all of these is you’re given a blank canvas to decorate how you see fit. And again, you’re helping out local businesses.

Tip 9. If Music Be The Food Of Love Play On

Save Money On Wedding Music Tip

And if that sentiment really is true then you don’t need a DJ or a live band to feel the romance. Grabbing a CD or a digital playlist and using your own sound system allows you to play exactly the type of music that’ll make your day special and won’t cost a penny. Well, unless you include your Apple Music subscription but you’re paying for that regardless of whether you use it for your wedding or not.

Tip 10. Food Glorious Food

Is it vital that you have a five course sit down meal for every member of your extended family? It might help you keep up with the Jones’ but you won’t be keeping up for long once you see the bill for the meal.

Instead, why not consider swapping this for something more simple. One wedding I attended had an afternoon tea instead of a huge meal and it was actually much better because it was cheaper for the happy couple and I didn’t feel as though I’d just eaten my weight in food.

Tip 11. Don’t Have Wedding Favours

Wedding favours often end up getting thrown away as soon as the guests get home. In many cases, they’re left behind on the table. What a waste of money.

Nobody would even notice if they sat down and there were no wedding favours so missing them out won’t cause a problem and you’ll save money.

However, if you have your heart set on wedding favours then why not try a DIY version? You can buy cute paper cups and fill them with pick n mix sweets, for example. Buying sweets in bulk like this doesn’t cost the earth and you can have fun taste testing as you put the favours together.

Tip 12. Narrow Down The Guestlist

Narrow Down The Guestlist Tip

Do you really need to invite Fiona that you spent three weeks being best friends with back in primary school and haven’t seen since? Does everyone in your office really need to be invited to the wedding meal?

The answer to these questions is probably no but a lot of people feel guilty about cutting down the guestlist. I’m here to tell you not to worry. If you’re forking out for people to enjoy food and drink then the last thing you want is to have to pay over the odds.

There is nothing wrong with cutting down the guestlist to only include those that are really important to you. You can always invite crowds of people to the evening shindig where they’ll pay for their own drinks or even go down the local for a few drinks after the wedding is over and that way you’ll be able to hire a smaller venue, with a smaller fee.

Tip 13. Don’t Go Mad On Decor

If you’ve chosen a beautiful venue then overdecorating it can actually take away from the setting. But even if it’s a pretty much blank canvas, you don’t need to go over the top.

As they say, less is more so choose your wedding decorations wisely. Where you can go for a DIY project, do as this will save a lot of money.

Tip 14. Scale Down The Wedding Cake

Another question to ask yourself when planning your wedding budget is whether you actually need a giant cake with five tiers. Yes, it might look Insta Worthy but what are you going to do with all that cake afterwards?

You can go for a smaller wedding cake that is just as stunning. Much like with the photographer, it’s worth approaching local small businesses who will usually offer a much more favourable price.

If you’re a dab hand in the kitchen then there’s absolutely nothing wrong in baking your own wedding cake. In fact, this could be a fun way to get members of the bridal party involved and you’ll be sure to have something unique.

Tip 15. DIY Flowers

DIY Wedding Flowers Save Money Tip

Hiring a florist for your wedding day does take a lot of stress out of organising things but you can end up paying a fortune.

I’m not saying that you have to do all of the flowers yourself but how about having a go at making your bridal bouquet? Or maybe you could create your own corsages? Then you can leave other floral arrangements, such as decorative ones to the professionals and you’ll have saved a pretty penny.

Tip 16. Choose Your Extras Carefully

So many weddings these days have 101 things to keep the guests (and their kids) entertained. Photo booths, balloon modellers, bouncy castles, sweet stands…the list goes on. But do you really need all of that?

For most people, as long as there is a dance floor, good food and drink and plenty of people to talk to, they’ll be more than happy at the wedding. Yes, it’s nice to have one or two things for extra entertainment but going over the top is only going to kill your budget.

Tip 17. Self Catering

If you can, catering your own wedding can save a fortune. If you’re planning on having a buffet at the evening reception then it’s more than possible to do this on a budget.

You will need to put in the effort of making the food but that’s what your bridal party is for; rope them in to help.

In terms of desserts and sweets, you can buy trays of mini cakes, donuts and other treats and arrange these beautifully which will look as good as any professional display.

Tip 8. Think About Accessories

Use A Friends Car For Your Wedding Tip

As if you hadn’t already had to spend enough on your dress, you’ve also got to think about accessories. But you don’t need to head to Tiffany’s for cute bridal gems and jewellery.

There are tons of high street stores, like Lovisa, that offer incredibly affordable yet stunning jewellery that’s perfect for the bride.

Also, it’s worth speaking to older family members to see if there are any family pieces that are special to them which you might wear on your big day. A proud grandmother would be more than happy to lend her granddaughter her favourite pair of pearl earrings as she marries her special someone!

Tip 19. Outfits For The Guys

Most men will opt for a suit for their wedding and the rest of the party will, well…follow suit! But buying a wedding suit can cost a lot of money and most men won’t ever wear them again.

For this reason, it’s usually better to hire a suit. You’ll just need to make sure that the reception doesn’t get so messy that the suit is ruined because then you certainly won’t be saving any money.

Tip 20. Use A Friend’s Car

Hiring your dream car for your wedding can be extremely costly but a lot of people have gorgeous cars that work perfectly as a wedding car.

If you know someone with your dream car then why not ask them if they’d be willing to let you use it to arrive in style? They’ll likely be honoured that they can be involved in the wedding and that you think their car is something special.