Is it really possible to have a fairy tale wedding on a budget?

When my Husband and I got married our budget wasn't very big. By not big, I mean £3k! It was both our second marriage so I do think we were a little wiser about what we wanted, what was important to us and how we wanted it to look.

My first advice is to ask yourself, what is it YOU want? Not want society, social media, family or friends want- what is important to you both as a couple? Whilst social media has its uses and thrusts lots of ideas down our throats, it is not without its issues. Often we see celebrity weddings where thousands, if not hundreds of thousands have been spent and we can fall in to a trap thinking that's what we need, want, or what we can afford. The reality; it is often not want we want and it's certainly not within the budget.

So when the ring is placed on that finger, the initial excitement of wedding planning can sometimes dwindle into overwhelm, disappointment and disheartenment.  The shear planning of the wedding can create stress, anxiety and a whole lot of pressure on you both which I am sure is not how either of you wanted to start off the engagement.  

So, sit down together and think about what makes your both happy and both be honest; is it quiet and chill, is it a big party, are you a foodie couple or is cake LIFE? From this, prioritise your non- negotiable's. For us, photography was important, but I couldn't afford someone all day, so we compromised on hiring someone for a few hours to capture the important bits. Another non-negotiable was regarding food. We didn't want a sit down meal, we wanted a relaxed vibe and we both loved BBQ food- so that is what we had and it was perfect! But our most important non-negotiable was our guest list. We only wanted family and friends that we had a connection with, that meant something to us. Now, I'm not saying this didn't go without its challenges, but is something to this day that we don't regret.

Now, please do not be mistaken, I am not saying you don't need these things. If you have the budget or they are important to you then go for it. But I also understand what it is like trying to plan your dream day on a shoestring so I want to help.

Here are my top tips that may help you organise a wedding on a budget.

The Legal Bit

To get married legally, you currently need to be in a licensed venue with registrars, or within a church. If you choose to get married in a venue rather than a registry office there is usually an additional fee of £600-£800 for the registrars to travel to your venue. But, there is a cheaper way to do this if you are happy to do the legal bit on your own!

You can get married legally by doing a 2+2 service at your registry office. This is usually around £50-70 with 2 witnesses. How does this help? You can then use any venue to have a ceremony in with either a celebrant (costs incurred) or with a friend/family member. Many of my couples choose this option so they can have their ceremony on the beach, in their back garden or in a pub! Guests are none the wiser, particularly with a Celebrant, as they tell your love story, complete exchanging of the rings, hand fasting, broom jumping and signing of paper work.

H0wever, if you do have your heart set on getting married legally in front of everyone then my top registry offices across Dorset, Somerset and and Hampshire are Poole Guildhall, Wimborne Town Hall, Winchester West Gate registry office, Abbey Manor Business in Yeovil, Bridport Registy Office, Lyme Regis Guildhall.

THE timing

It goes without saying that there are certain times of the year that are more expensive. Lots of venues will have out of season offers on- Orchardleigh House have a fantastic winter offer which includes food, drink and venue hire! If you do have your heart set on the peak season then book vendors in advance and consider a weekday to reduce costs. I have noticed an increase in Thursday weddings this year, and I even had a Monday wedding too.

Time of day also makes a difference to budgets too. Getting married later in the day may mean only feeding guests once, but you do compromise on a shorter wedding day, so try not to squeeze too much time in if  you choose a twilight wedding!

THE Venue

Find a venue that feels special to you, but also going super cheap isn't always the best option! Finding a venue that is naturally pretty means you don't have to spend extra on decorations. This also saves on having to spend time decorating on the day. Some venues have their own decorations that they are happy for you to use too like The Old Milking Parlour at Cavokay House. It is worth spending time to find the right place. Local village pubs can be a good shout with their stone walls and wooden beams, even beautiful beer gardens. Alternatively, there are lots of village halls that have draped linings to look like a marquee like Willowbed Hall in Chickerell, Weymouth.

The Decorations

It is certainly worth looking into hiring decorations to see if this is a cheaper option for you. However, I love a charity shop and as an eco alternative you can really grab some bargains. Ive had couples find bud vases and decorate with their garden flowers, vintage cake plates and make their own high tea.

The Cake

If you are not too bothered about cake, I mean who does not like cake... then you can choose some cheaper alternatives such as the M&S naked cake, or get a friend to make some cup cakes, or even use the Colin the caterpillar cake. One wedding I went to the couple had made a tonne of brownies and cookies and had a huge pile instead of a cake! YUM!

The flowers

When creating floral pieces create them to be multi use! Flowers that you can use in the registry office or church can also be used at the reception too. Your Bridesmaids bouquets can be put in a vase on tables as centre pieces, and any arches can be moved to go over your top table. Simple bud vases and freshly picked wildflowers from your garden look stunning too.



The outfit

This may be a non negotiable, and that is fine, but there are alternatives to save on the dress or suit! Bridal Reloved in Dorchester offer second hand dresses, and there are outlet stores across the UK too. Many shops sell their dresses and suits at a reduced price when new fashion comes in and could save you hundreds! I have also seen couples use Vinted and Ebay to purchase outfits, which is a great eco alternative too- just remember to budget in alterations,

The Car

This is one thing I have seen lots of couples sacrifice this year, the wedding car. Often guests are inside the venue when you arrive and do not see you arrive, so this could be a way to save money if mode of travel is not important to you. Equally, finding a friend with a nice car, or hiring a taxi is a cheaper alternative. If you have everything in one place then you won't even need a car

THE food

Having a later service around 2-3pm means you can skip out on mid day feeding, and save huge amounts of money too. Most of my couples have chosen a 2pm wedding, with food around 4-5pm followed by a buffet, snacks, pizza at 8pm. Consider the food you want whether that is sit down or buffet style and find vendors who can work within your budget. Cutting out a course can save a few pounds per head, whilst some couples opt to use their wedding cake as the pudding to save money. One couple chose not to ask for gifts, but requested that their guests all bought a plate of food! There were homemade bread, booze, cakes, salads, dried sausages, tarts you name it!

The Music

So for many of my couples this is a non-negotiable- they love to party. But I have had a few couples use speakers and Spotify to dance  the night away and it still had an amazing atmosphere.

The Photography

Ok, so you totally know I'm going to be bias here.... Photos are so important , and getting someone you trust to capture it is also very important. So what are the options? You could have a shorter package to cover an element of your day. Bear in mind that if you are choosing the high season lots of photographers may not be able to accommodate shorter packages. That being said, I and lots of other photographers are often happy doing this for weekdays in high season! Other options, create a photo bingo for your guests to take photos through out the day and upload to a WhatsApp group for you to see.

What does a budget wedding mean?

Honestly, it maybe harder work, more DIY, more thrifting but it certainly does not mean less of a marriage or less of a special day. Just remember to listen your own heart and what you really want and go from there.