Why is stuff so expensive!

ljbnotts

Trying to organize my wedding and everything seems so expensive. We have a largeish budget and yet everything seems so expensive. When i look at others weddings i am so impressed and i still don't know how to cut our budget down at all,

We are having a church service then a marquee reception. (90 during the day and 200:eek: ish in the evening, although the evening cost dosent really matter as it is very cheap).

I know marquees are expensive our cheapest quotes are coming in at £5000. Any hints on how to get it cheaper?

Caterting quote has just come back at £4000 for the day food. Again any ideas on how we can haggle?

I have a feeling its really obvious and i just cant see it! I know many people are spending less on their weddings and i wondered how you are doing it!

I know our venue and catering are going to be the biggest expenses and we can afford to have them if we cut back slightly on other stuff, and we won't be getting into debt.

I am going to :

make my own cake
make my own invitations
use ebay for bits and pieces (flowers, decorations veil etc)

Found a friend who will do our hog roast in the evening for cost price.
Found a friends band who will play really cheaply, mates rates.

Anything else i can do to keep costs down?

I need everrything else!

A dress etc
Bridsmaids dresses 2 adult and 1 flowergirl, although i think i may use ebay, have found some lovely ones!
grooms, ushers, best man suits (mother in law to be is a dress maker so will make waistcoats, cravats etc)
Church decorations
photographer
cars x2
bar/drinks

Plus all the other things!

Any ideas? Help, i'm getting really stressed!

floss2

Do you have to have a marquee? Can you find a venue that can accomodate your evening party and do your daytime catering for less than £9k?

As regards haggling with marquee & catering quotes, I have always found "How much?! That's much too expensive and way over our budget" usually helps!

However, it may help to have an idea of what you realistically be prepared to pay, so you can start the haggling process - they start high, you go very low, they come down, you go up & agree on the figure you had in your head all along

frannyann

I'd haggle the caterers! £4k!! No way accept that! As you are having a Hog roast (lush BTW) the day time catering doesn't need to be that big!
The W word does seem to put £££ signs in some eyes!

pretzelnut

Hiring suits will be just as cheap as making them yourself, i think unless you want a fabric that the hire company doesnt do.

weddings are expensive and i think you have chosen a type of wedding that is always going to be expensive as it involves a marque and getting your own bar in.

Your marquee hire is the cost of my entire wedding minus my dress. Does the marque hire incllude all the tables, chairs, dancefloor, decor etc.

£4000 for 90 guests for food seems very expensive but you havent said exactly what food you are having. Ok its £44.44 a head. Id definately haggle that. Or cut it down a little as you r having a hog roast in the evening.

Are you paying for the bar or is it a cash bar.

You havent mentioned entertainement.

Not much help there was I?

ljbnotts

Thanks everyone for the speedy replies.

We cant find a venue we like that is near enough or cheaper! I do know that that having a marquee wedding is proberly the most expensive way to do it but it's what we want and we can afford to do it but the mse side of me wants to get the cost down in other ways.

We are gonna hire the suits but get mil to make the cravats and waistcoats as nowhere seems to have the colours that we want!

Marquee hire covers, marquee, chairs, tables, toilets, swags, lighting, heating, power, flooring, setting up and taking down, dancefloor, catering tent, entrance bit, bar (if we want it)

Catering covers: 3 course meal, serving, crockery, cutlery, clearing, glassware, linen.

Def gonna go back to the caterers and try to get the cost down! Haggeling here we come! Also gonna try more caterers!

Entertainment we are going to have a band (at mates rates) and a dj (i think! is included with this) So not to worried about that! (just everything else!)

pretzelnut

ljbnotts wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the speedy replies.

We cant find a venue we like that is near enough or cheaper! I do know that that having a marquee wedding is proberly the most expensive way to do it but it's what we want and we can afford to do it but the mse side of me wants to get the cost down in other ways.
Its your wedding spent whatever you want. We all have different budgets.

We are gonna hire the suits but get mil to make the cravats and waistcoats as nowhere seems to have the colours that we want!
Super and it gives MIL a job too.

Marquee hire covers, marquee, chairs, tables, toilets, swags, lighting, heating, power, flooring, setting up and taking down, dancefloor, catering tent, entrance bit, bar (if we want it)
Seems a fairly standard price.

Catering covers: 3 course meal, serving, crockery, cutlery, clearing, glassware, linen. Id defianately haggle this.

Def gonna go back to the caterers and try to get the cost down! Haggeling here we come! Also gonna try more caterers! Never settle for the 1st quote.

Entertainment we are going to have a band (at mates rates) and a dj (i think! is included with this) So not to worried about that! (just everything else!)

There are loads of MSE things you can and are doing like invite, cake, favours etc.

ljbnotts

Thanks princesswoo, i think it's all staring me in the face sometimes and the obvious things i'm missing! your right i should never settle for the 1st quote and i need to start haggling!

mse will be:
dress (hopefully i dont fall in dress with something expensive!)
invites
cake
favors will be a dontation to charity

Feel a bit better now! Just freaking out! I guess once these 2 things are out of the way the rest will be much cheaper and easier and fun!

pretzelnut

I got my dress first as i knew i needed to order ot and fell in love with one that was 4 x my budget - ooops but i love it.

Then i booked my venue, when i had done that all the other stuff is a case of working your way down the list.

We do one thing a week.

1st week was invites as i was making my own, 2nd week was getting my mum to make and ice my cake, 3rd week was bridesmaid dresses as i was ordering them cheaply from america and needed to allow myself enough time to order replacements but i dont as there here now and there perfect, 4th week was photos, 5th week is DJ, theres a few other bits i have done along the way like grab some bargain favours etc.

I find one task a week is more than enough otherwise my head becomes a shed.

You'll get there in the end.


P.S can i have an invite - ive never been to a marque wedding and i really wanted a hog roast but our numbers didnt make it worth it.

ljbnotts

Yeah come on down! I'm still slightly confused as where we know 200 people from! A few more won't make a difference!

There seems to be so much going on at the moment, buying a house, planning the wedding, just started a new job etc! Everyone else is so excited but i'm not. DF and my mum say its just because this is the boring bit and i'm more focused on my job (which i love!) so your advice to take it one thing at a time is a something i will def do! On the plus side by the time of the wedding i will be super skinny with all the stress! haha!

welshgirl78

As you may recall I am another marquee bride and it is outrageous compared to the deals others seem to get! I guess it is a choice based on spending more cash!


We cant find a venue we like that is near enough or cheaper! I do know that that having a marquee wedding is proberly the most expensive way to do it but it's what we want and we can afford to do it but the mse side of me wants to get the cost down in other ways.

We are gonna hire the suits but get mil to make the cravats and waistcoats as nowhere seems to have the colours that we want!

We are hiring suits, but this seems reasonable money... apart from the fact we have 7 to get... think we will hire cravats, waistcoats as it isn't much difference for ours (£10 I think , same to make?)


Marquee hire covers, marquee, chairs, tables, toilets, swags, lighting, heating, power, flooring, setting up and taking down, dancefloor, catering tent, entrance bit, bar (if we want it)

yip, marquee £4K (just over) but we "only" have 130 people so I guess it is slightly smaller (PM me if you want more details to compare - it'd be interesting!) I had 3 quotes and this was easily the best, slightly cheaper and hard floor with new carpet - I can see where the costs add up - apparently old carpet is not an option, I feel I could have put pot plants over any stains but they didn't agree...!!!

Catering covers: 3 course meal, serving, crockery, cutlery, clearing, glassware, linen.

Our catering is nearer £5K, canapes, 2 courses in picnic hampers, and all the stuff you mention, fridges blah blah... plus a hog roast in the evening - we seen to be having a theme!!

Def gonna go back to the caterers and try to get the cost down! Haggeling here we come! Also gonna try more caterers!

Tried a few, this was the best we found!

Entertainment we are going to have a band (at mates rates) and a dj (i think! is included with this) So not to worried about that! (just everything else!)

My dress wasn't MSE either... and neither are my flowers - I feel I need lots to fill a marquee and this was the first price my fiance was actually shocked about (oops!)

I am however having a band for expenses, cheap ish but lovely rings (arrived today, they are simple and perfect) average photographer price for amazing guy, cheap sock monkey favours, average ish invites, lovely but bargainous accessories, ma's friends for choir and organist (paid with a drink and a couple of canapes), bridesmaids dresses from china (hopefully, the first one is being made as I type as a test). MIL making cupcake cakes, my father attempting to source cheap booze for the welcome drinks, meal and toasts - I initially though we could do drinks all night but am rapidly coming round to getting a pay bar for the night even though we have no night guests!

We are generally trying to save money but with the marquee/food price being soooooo much it is all a bit of a drop in the ocean!!

Good Luck and feel free to ask any questions - or give me some amazing money saving tips!


PS Edited to say sorry about the essay!

ljbnotts

Thanks welshgirl i do remember you are having a marquee too! It's nice to find someone else in the same boat! Will def be asking you some more questions in the future! Going to go and relax now and forget about the wedding till tommorrow!