Wedding on a budget

missterial

I thought this story about a couple doing a wedding on a budget was very interesting and apt to the site
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7565534.stm

I do not know if I would want to do a budget wedding for my own 'big day' though (if it ever comes).

Softstuff

In some ways our wedding was cheaper than theirs, in others dearer. We paid I think about $125 for my wedding dress (about 50 quid), but sold it the week after for $120... so $5 total! (2 quid). I actually made a profit reselling the shoes I'd bought off ebay.

Invitations, place cards, table decorations, and favours..... since that used to be my business in the UK the total for the whole lot of those was about 15 quid.

Over here in Australia you can get married near the beach with council permission, you just have to find a celebrant. I met a nice one in a temp job, he did it for the petrol money, about 20 quid again.

Our photographer was a dear element I didn't want.... but my mother in law decided we'd regret it if not, so bought him for us. It was a neighbour of theirs, the total cost of that including a DVD of images with no copyright was about 100 quid.

Our rings are simple platinum bands, not dear, but hubby paid so I don't recall how much. My engagement ring was the same with a teensy diamond.

It is possible to do things on the cheap but have no-one any the wiser. My dress wouldn't have been better had it been made to measure - it was exactly my size and perfect.

Paparika

Mine was for less than £100 back in 1989

My dress was loaned to me
His suit hired from some hire shop
The registry licence
Hire of a upstairs room in a restaurant
£30 for 2 gold plated rings

from proposal to marriage was 2 months. (it's ok i knew him and lived with him a good year before that)
mind u i divorced him 10 years later, he got stingyer as he got older, a proper MSE, to the extreme that i wasn't even allowed money for ahem ladies personal things

kirstle99

My friend is getting married next year & she gave me a great tip for my wedding the year after. She is a graphic designer and wants to edit my wedding album for me. She suggested I get up to my local college & strike a deal with a photography student. They get a subject for their project, I get my wedding pics.

lostinrates

Well, we did it for less than that too, but we did it alone with just two friends as witnesses and had lunch together afterwards (we paid for lunch!). DH wore a vinatage jacket, I wore an evening dress and picked roses from the garden in the morning to carry.

Our families ..and us...were planning a very large and expensive wedding for us, but I do not regret our choice for a weding on the cheap. Far from being second choice I look at it as the most wonderfully intimate and romantic day. We held hands ALL day and didn't have to separate to greet lots of people and worry about family tiffs or people upset over seating arrangements etc.

Cheaper is not always 'making do'. While I sometimes wish I had a beautiful dress and all the trppings whatI really wanted was to be married to one of the best men in the world, and that cost the price of the license and registery office only. Sometimes the long term view is that while our wedding might not have been grandiose our marriage is, we gave ourselves to each other wholeheartedly, and our marriage is very blessed. We now have significant savings towards the purchase of our future home, at when we have secured that we hope to have a large party with our friends nd family then.

suki1964

Not quite as cheap as theirs but got change out of a grand 5 years ago - and that included new shoes,dress and fascinater for myself ,shirt tie and shoes for hubby,rings flowers, decorations, cake and food and drink for 40

Savvy_Sue

MOVING THREADS FOR BETTER RESPONSES


Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to the Weddings and Anniversaries board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

missterial

Sorry savvy_sue, I had not noticed the other board, still trying to my find my way around LOL.