Where can i make some savings? Updated

pretzelnut

My budget has sky rocketed, its not a problem but i find it silly to spend so much, but i am having serious trouble on deciding where to cut back.

Can you ladies give me a slap and tell me where i can trim things down.

VENUE (Church, Food, Drink)£300 Paid CC £2884
Bridal Suite 2 nightsBooking confirmed260
MinisterDate Booked50
Registrar Fee's70
Wedding Dress£300 Paid (S/0)2000
DJ - £60 Paid CHQ200Suits140
Rings400
Photograher - £40 Paid CC440
Flowers ?500
Chair CoversEbay?150
Sweet StationGlasses bought200
LanternsEbay?50
Cheesecake100
FavoursDone80
Drink or canapes?200
Gifts100
Shoes for BM's & OH & DS100
Extras200
CakeDone0CarDone0
InvitationsDone100
Hair & make up100
Hen Night0
TOTAL 8324

All the venue stuff is essential, so is the 2 nights bridal suite as we live so far away from the venue, im not having a hen night as its just to much of a logistical nightmare, I have 10 tables to dress with some sort of centerpiece but i dont know what, i cant decide between flowers, ballonns or NOTHING, is a center piece really that important? The cheescake cake made from cheddar will get served with crackers, pickles etc at the evening do alongside our wedding cake as that is our evening food as we are having the meal at 6pm.

I really cant see where i can cut back. Is there anywhere to cut back, I still feel like i am forgetting something major off my list.

(I had that all set out neatly in a little table and MSE make it go all funny)


EDIT:

Ok i have updated my spreadsheet and with the extras added, like the ice cream and more expensive chair covers + the budget scaled down in other places like flowers, rings, gifts, shoes, extras, people not coming and getting the church for free etc i have managed to:



:T:TSave £2000 off our budget today:T:T

(or £3000 from my very 1st budget when we first got engaged)

frannyann

What colour means already paid?

I'd lose the chair covers, lanterns, 1/4 the flower budget, drinks budget down to £150 max, gift budget is high and we can probably get that down to £50 and what is the extras budget for? Thats £600 saved!

Sorry for the questions, trying to see savings!

JenE_2

Can you reduce anything on flowers? We're just having a bouquet for me (no BMs anyway) and buttonhole for DF and some flowers for the cake, which is coming in at £110 (will try to haggle a bit).

For table centrepieces me and a gardener friend are going to plant up pots, probably 3 per table, with bedding plants in April so they're established by June. Plus I can give them away to people on the day. This should only work out at about £80-100....? Depends what time of year you're getting married though.

Also, do you really need chair covers?

Good luck!

pretzelnut

frannyann wrote: »

What colour means already paid?

I'd lose the chair covers, lanterns, 1/4 the flower budget, drinks budget down to £150 max, gift budget is high and we can probably get that down to £50 and what is the extras budget for? Thats £600 saved!

Sorry for the questions, trying to see savings!

The colurs mean nothing, i have only paid a deposit for those mentioned.

i could loose the chair covers, I wont get rid of the lanterns, i do these every year for my son who passed away and it is something very personnal to us, so thats not an option. Im tempted to get rid of the drinks option as we are paying for a toast drink on a bottle used basis so wont find put exact cost till after the wedding this is a quote price, The gifts could be reduced, I havent decided what to get for the best man / maid if honour etc yet, and the extras budget is for little things i will have inevitably forgotten like underwear for under my dress etc etc.

pretzelnut

The flower budget is to include my bouquet, my daughters bouquet, 4 button holes and the table center pieces.

We have been getting quotes of £40 per table for centerpieces which is ridiculous but there isnt much choice to go anywere else where we live. Our venue hires out there empty fish bowls and candellabras at £20 per table but we would still have to put something in the fish bowls and i dont want candles as they dont really work with my theme.

I cant decide if i even want flowers on the tables, or balloons or something else, all i do know is that i dont want candles.

floss2

What are you getting for your catering? We are paying £2500 for a welcome drink, 3-course meal & wine, coffee/tea & fizz for toasts.....
Do you need chair covers? What state are the chairs in?
Why lanterns? Would you be able to get everyone outside at the right time for them?
Get some quotes for your flowers - I take it that is for the church as well. Do they have Flower Ladies who could arrange flowers you buy?
Do you need a sweetie table?
Look for gifts on Ebay
Centrepieces - will people be able to see over them to talk to each other? We are having silver candelabra & table confetti to add a bit of sparkle in the candlelight - all included with our venue. Why not have a look for table confetti or rose petals to match your colours? Don't forget, less is more

P.S. sorry, cross posted

What are your chosen colours?

frannyann

princesswoo wrote: »

The colurs mean nothing, i have only paid a deposit for those mentioned.

i could loose the chair covers, I wont get rid of the lanterns, i do these every year for my son who passed away and it is something very personnal to us, so thats not an option. Im tempted to get rid of the drinks option as we are paying for a toast drink on a bottle used basis so wont find put exact cost till after the wedding this is a quote price, The gifts could be reduced, I havent decided what to get for the best man / maid if honour etc yet, and the extras budget is for little things i will have inevitably forgotten like underwear for under my dress etc etc.

Of course you must keep the lanterns then x

The extra budget is the thing I wouldn't have (cos if I had it, I'd spend it LOL)

I thought the coloured numbers were a code I didn't get

Your price for the bridal suite is flipping good BTW!

As to flowers, the trick is not to mention the W word, if you want a nice display for your tables then I would get some cheap vases and then go to local supermarket (or M&S if flush) and get nice bunches of flowers to go in them that should set you back no more than £100. Flowers for you and BM, aim to spent no more than £75 (it can be done, local florist is doing mine for £45 and BM's for £25!)

Horace

Are you sure your registrar's fees are £70 - it seems a bit low to me.

Have you considered insurance?

The rings are missing from the list - I don't remember seeing the groom's and best man suits on the list either.

floss2

Why not have bear grass (that long slim stuff) coiled up inside the fishbowls, with some flower heads to match your theme? Nice and cheap, and would half the cost for the table decs & reduce your flower budget.

pretzelnut

floss2 wrote: »

What are you getting for your catering? We are paying £2500 for a welcome drink, 3-course meal & wine, coffee/tea & fizz for toasts.....
Do you need chair covers? What state are the chairs in?
Why lanterns? Would you be able to get everyone outside at the right time for them?
Get some quotes for your flowers - I take it that is for the church as well. Do they have Flower Ladies who could arrange flowers you buy?
Do you need a sweetie table?
Look for gifts on Ebay
Centrepieces - will people be able to see over them to talk to each other? We are having silver candelabra & table confetti to add a bit of sparkle in the candlelight - all included with our venue. Why not have a look for table confetti or rose petals to match your colours? Don't forget, less is more

P.S. sorry, cross posted

What are your chosen colours?

catering we get Free room hire, church hire, 3 course meal (we have created it ourselves so it cost a little bit more because of ou food choices and has a few added surprises for our guests food is important i dont want to srimp it) Use of the grounds which are stunning, toast drink side dishes for the eveing food as we are supplying the cheese. It really hard to say exactly what we get but i know we have got an amazing price for what we do get.

I dont need chair covers, the chairs ore ok, but there gold, i guess noone would know if they were or werent there.

Lanterns reason is explained above.

Im not having flowers in the church its gorgeous as it is.

I havent spoke to the florist yet about flowers, and no there is no local people other than the companies who know us brides are limited on choice so up the price.

Yes i do need a sweetie table, its really the only thing i do want at the wedding.

I want people to be able to talk to each other without haing to look round something and i dont really want my view blocked of our guests either.

pretzelnut

Horace wrote: »

Are you sure your registrar's fees are £70 - it seems a bit low to me.

Have you considered insurance?

The rings are missing from the list - I don't remember seeing the groom's and best man suits on the list either.

Im in scotland, we are having a retired minister conduct the ceremony at a cost of £50 and just have to apply to the registary office 2 months before for the paperwork, its £65 at the minute but is due to increase slightly in April.