Wedding Tips start here...

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  • Andrea
    Andrea Posts: 368
    I've been Money Tipped! Chutzpah Haggler Newshound! PPI Party Pooper
    Forumite
    Something I just remembered about Debenhams' wedding lists. I'm not sure if this is still the case as my wedding was nearly 5 years ago but when I got married Debenhams gave us a percentage of the value of everything that had been spent on presents from our list in Debenhams vouchers. Its worth asking if they still do that. I can't remember what the percentage was I'm afraid.
  • Andrea
    Andrea Posts: 368
    I've been Money Tipped! Chutzpah Haggler Newshound! PPI Party Pooper
    Forumite
    Oh, and another thing (I'm on a bit of a roll aren't I?). Not a money-saving tip but a good one anyway.

    I think all couples getting married have the same dilemma when it comes to mentioning the wedding list on the invitations. Its really hard to know how to say it but some friends of mine put it really well. Their invitation said: "we would rather have your presence than your presents".

    Oh, just had deja vu. Sorry if I've mentioned this already somewhere else.

    Andrea :)
  • Well, Martin seems to be getting well and truly into this wedding lark (anything you want to tell us, Martin? ;))

    I've just been leafing through my new copy of "Cosmopolitan Bride" and point 6 in their "Money Makeover" article consists mostly of a quote attributed to "This Morning's money expert Martin Lewis" about playing the finance system by swapping your credit cards round to get the best deals (old news to us!) and tells readers to visit https://www.moneysavingexpert.com.

    Unfortunately the article misses off point 10 - don't buy magazines costing £4.25 that are not much more than one long advert or point 11 - if you have to indulge (like me - I can't help mooning over all the pretty things; I'm such a girl!) NEVER take any of the blatant propoganda to heart. Sure, they've got an article on saving money but it focuses on saving now so you can splurge on your wedding and buy all the things they advertise!
  • Oh, I've got another thing, too!

    Well, two - firstly, I can't find the list of people you have to tell about changing your name. Maybe I dreamt it? :) But I'll have a good think about it.

    And secondly, about receptions: I love Georgina's tip about renting a youth hostel. Unfortunately none of them are close enough to our ceremony venue to work for us. But it ties in with my tip of "Think outside the box" and approach anywhere and verywhere that might have the space for a reception to see if they do them, even if they don't advertise.

    We finally booked our reception last night at a residential college on the edge of the village that our church is in. It's an old Manor House but with an annex of bedrooms at really good prices so loads of guests can stay over (our families will be travelling down from Scotland) very cheaply. As they have the ability to do receptions they do them but don't push it or even advertise it as they don't really need the business. And because they're not really part of the "wedding industry" they are really laid back about it and will let us do basically whatever we want. The prices for meals and drinks are very reasonable and we get exclusive use of the place for the weekend with no additional hire charge. And it's as gorgeous as some of the places that charge up to £3,500 for just the hire, with everything else on top of that!

    Next, I'm going to be looking for ideas for moneysaving hen nights (without any L plates or strippers!) I'm thinking along the lines of eating, drinking and pampering in no particular order, without asking my friends to pay a couple of hundred quid for the pleasure (which seems to be happening more and more.)

    All ideas gratefully received, as ever! :)
  • Galstonian
    Galstonian Posts: 1,292 Forumite
    Should we all send our snail mail addresses or are you planning on just using private messages for invitations?

    ;)
  • Hmmm....

    As a true Money Saving wedding you could all come as long as you provide for free some service we would otherwise be paying for! Anyone a dab hand at dress-making, kilt-making, flowers, cakes, or got a 1955 Rolls Royce? :D

    And, of course, you'll all bring your own packed lunch and wine and pitch tents in the gardens. ;)

    And PM's will be much cheaper then even our attempts at home-made invitations, so PM's it is.
  • mini
    mini Posts: 833
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    Hi again

    I have some wedding cake decorations on my hall shelp, boxed & I don't know what to do with them? Does that get me an invite?

    Where you have booked sounds lovely, We only had a small wedding with everyone in staying in the same hotel, we had taken over the hotel & it was great.

    I didn't buy any wedding magazines, but I did spend ages searching through peoples wedding photos on google to findthe flowers I wanted, I didn't want to rely solely on my descriptive skills

    Looking forward to hearing of your ongoing plans.

    regards, mini
  • Hi again, I'm back at last.

    Thanks for the tip about looking at other people's photos - could save me some serious money on overpriced magazines!

    Cake decorations?.... mmmm..... Will they go with my colour scheme? ;) Which I haven't decided on but will probably have to be very plain to avoid clashing with hubby-to-be's tartan! Dam* us Scots and our frivolous menswear. :D

    About changing your name - how does this sound for starters?

    Bank, Building Society, Employer, Tax Office, DVLA, Passport, Insurance Companies, Credit Cards, Utilities Companies, Your e-mail address?, any clubs / organisations you belong to, any subscriptions you have to magazines, etc, any charities / churches you belong / donate to.....

    It seems endless! Hope it helps a bit.

    I've got another small money saving tip inspired by all the wedding magazines. The shameless propoganda tries to convince us that we MUST carry out an intensive, and expensive, beauty routine in the run-up to the wedding. Apparently this involves monthly facials, manicures and pedicures.

    Basically my tip is just do it at home. Face masks (in tubes / tubs, not individual packets work out much cheaper) can be great these days. Much better than the old days when all they did was upset my skin and make it worse! And you can keep your hands and nails in good condition by using a basic hand-cream every day (on hands and feet) and rubbing it into your cuticles to stimulate growth, and keeping your nails short and neat. The best thing is you can do all this in the comfort of your own home in front of the TV! I assure my H-to-be that I will keep it up after the wedding, too! Something I couldn't afford to do if I was going to salons for it all.
  • mini
    mini Posts: 833
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    Hello again Ms ThriftIt's great to hear about your wedding plans, are you getting married anywhere close to Scotland? I have a great photographer who was the bargainof the day if you are.

    On the subject of salons, I found something on confetti.co.uk just before my wedding about Estee Lauder (I think) & their 'free' bride service, you start going to them months before & they pamper you & try & flog things to you, itdepends if you have the nerve to go & not buy, I am not sure if they offered make up advice too.

    I keep realising of other people I need to tell of my change of name, I realised my AA card was incorrect & I wouldn't have any matching ID if I should need to call them out.

    Do you have a cake decorating shop near to you, I got my hand made decorations & ribbon for my M&S cake from a superbly helpful lady who ws so used to people using M&S/Asda cakes, she knew exactly what I needed (just as well as I didn't have a clue)

    I shall look around for the confetti thing & get back to you if I find it....

    bfn Mini
  • About name changes...

    Some institutions (Investment companies mostly) will only accept an original marraige certificate as proof of name change.

    In light of this, you may want to think about asking for a duplicate marraige certificate to go with your original (in case one goes walkies!).

    Tony
    Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!
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