How to have a dream wedding without a nightmare bill

So the time has come when you have finally decided to tie the knot! And now you have a wedding to plan. 

You may have a very clear vision of how you want your wedding to be. Perhaps it’s something you have dreamed of since being knee high. On the other hand, the exact details may not be that important to you. You are excited about getting married, but don’t want a lot of fuss.

But whatever kind of wedding you have, even the simplest, it will cost money. In fact, according to Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2024, the average total UK wedding cost is now a staggering £20,775! And this doesn’t include the engagement ring or honeymoon : add those on and the figure rises to £25,952.

The good news is that there are many ways that you can minimise the cost. Which means that you can have a dream wedding without the kind of nightmare bill we’ve just been looking at.

In the rest of this article we will look at seven ways in which you can keep the costs of your wedding down, but still have the best day of your life.

Seven ways to cut the cost of your wedding

The outfits

Wedding dresses can cost hundreds of pounds but do not have to. The most important thing to do first is to decide the style of dress you want. This does not have to be a traditional wedding dress, it is your choice. Then there are various options to explore to keep costs down:

• Wedding and celebration dresses from High Street and online stores;
• Hand-made, if you have a family member or friend who could do this;
• Vintage or second-hand, for example from eBay or Vinted;
• Hire a dress, either from a bridal shop, department store or general clothes hire site such as Hurr.

The above also applies to bridesmaids’ dresses and groom’s wear. Or you may be happy for them to wear something they already have, perhaps with an accessory or splash of colour to coordinate with what you are going to wear.

The ceremony

Wherever you hold your wedding ceremony you will need to pay a fee. Weddings must take place in a venue that has been given a full and legal marriage licence by the local authority, for example churches, stately homes or registry offices. 

To hold a wedding anywhere else, for example a private garden, you would need to go through a long expensive process of trying to obtain a licence to cover the venue for a one-off occasion, which is probably not worth the hassle.

So the cheapest option for a wedding is likely to be a register office, which usually costs around £350-£400. But you can usually save a bit of money by having the ceremony mid-week rather than on a weekend. 

The wedding ceremony itself also has fixed costs that you will need to pay wherever it is taking place. You will need to pay a registrar, which costs around £56 at a register office and £104 at a registered religious building, but may be different at other approved premises. The registrar’s cost also includes two copies of your marriage certificate. 

Photography and flowers

Another area to cut costs is photography and flowers. Rather than take out a personal loan just for one small aspect of your big day, why not explore some alternatives.

Some couples decide not to hire a professional photographer at all, and just rely on family and friends to take as many photos as they can. Then afterwards these can all be uploaded to Dropbox or a shared drive, for you to choose the ones you like the most. 

Similarly with flowers. To have them supplied and arranged professionally can cost a lot of money, but if you are happy with a simpler arrangement, there is bound to be someone in your circle of family and friends who would love to do this for you.

Another option with both the above would be to see if there is a local vocational college who could perhaps recommend keen and able students to do the job for you for a much lower cost.

The reception venue

There are many possibilities for good value reception venues. One option to explore is having the reception in the same venue as the ceremony. For example, if you are having a wedding in a church or other religious venue, see if there is a hall where you could have the reception afterwards. They may be able to offer you a good price.

Also explore a range of other options including church halls, village halls, community centres, pubs or even a home or garden if it has enough space. The main thing is to find somewhere that you like, is good value, and you know will enjoy.

Enlist as much help as possible to make the venue look fabulous. With decor and flowers personalised to your own taste, you can create the perfect ambience in which to enjoy your special day.

Catering

Food and drink is usually one of the largest expenses of your wedding day. But always remember that the most important thing is not how much money you spend on this, it’s how much you and your guests enjoy celebrating together. 

There are many alternatives to a traditional sit down meal. So be creative and think outside the box. A few ideas to get you started are:

• Have a self-serve buffet instead of a sit down meal. Ask everyone to bring a dish of their choice and you will end up with a wonderful array of food;
• Hire a street food van, such as pizza or curry;
• Order food to be delivered in bulk, for example fish and chips;
• Time the wedding so that you can serve an afternoon tea instead of a main meal;
• Ask family and friends to bring a bottle to mark the occasion.

Also for your wedding cake, consider getting a celebration cake from a supermarket and decorating it as you wish, rather than having a cake baked especially. This will save a lot of money and will usually taste just as nice.

Entertainment

If you’d like some entertainment at some stage, it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Don’t immediately go online and grab the first act you find, as these are likely to be the more expensive options. Three alternative ideas that may help are:

• A local band. There are many local pub bands around who may be willing to play for you for a good price and a fair share of the food. So ask around family and friends : someone is bound to know someone who can help.
• DJ. If you prefer a DJ playing tracks then also try word of mouth or local networking. Also ask the venue because they may have a resident or regular DJ, or may know of someone to recommend. Or perhaps one of your friends would be prepared to do something a little lower key, for example, playing a specially created playlist for you.
• Background entertainment. If you prefer something less upfront – perhaps a string quartet, table magician, photo booth, or children’s entertainer – anything is possible. Apply the same rules as above – ask around and look locally – and you will hopefully find just what you are looking for on your own doorstep.

The honeymoon

If you really want a dream honeymoon but can’t afford it, one idea is to plan it for later in the year, and ask for contributions towards it as wedding gifts. There are a variety of holiday and travel vouchers available if you would prefer these to cash, so let people know which you would like.

A mini moon after the wedding is a very popular idea, and enables you to have a couple of days quick break after all the organisation and then plan your longer honeymoon in a more leisurely way.

We hope that the above information helps you to plan a lovely wedding without breaking the bank. If you do need some additional funding for your wedding, remember that Loans 2 Go offers online loans that may be able to help. 

Do visit us here again soon for more lifestyle and financial tips from Loans 2 Go.