How much can you save?

RoxieW

Hi to moneysavingwannabee - congrats on the wedding next summer!
I got married in april and we saved for 18mths to pay for it ourselves and without putting a thing on credit - we even managed a dream honeymoon. I'm so glad we put the effort in because a lovely day was made better by the fact that we knew it was all bought and paid for. have you booked your venue etc yet? sounds very odd I know but we got married on friday the 13th april (scary!!!) but got 2 amazing rooms in a 4 star hotel for half the price because obviously very few people want that date!

setmefree2

Just found this thread (havn't read it all yet:o) but wanted to say it's fantastic:j What a great idea.:money:

RoxieW

can anyone explain the olympic challenge to me? or point me in the right direction - thanks!

djbd1973

moz86 wrote: »

I'm going to get my TV in january I think. Luckily mine hasn't broken like yours! Im fighting the urge so hard to buy it now on credit!

January for me too Moz. My wife is in the process of getting a new fireplace installed in the house and is now talking about a holiday too!!!!

"Is that a spending holiday dear??...." CRASH - as the frying pan circles my haircut and knocks me into next week for being cheeky.

At this rate I won't be fighting the urge but fighting the bottle!!

moneysavingwannabe

Hi RoxieW,

Congrats on your wedding too!:beer:

Yes we have booked the venue, we are doing a bit of moneysaving cos have been together 13 years (will be 14 next year - not quite as brave as you to do it on the 13th year!!LOL)

We are having a church and then a local Italian restaurant and then a local bar which lets you have the place for free cos they are hoping everyone will drink lots! We are trying to keep the cost down but I haven't looked at dresses, photographers etc, etc, etc...:eek: Any tips gratefully received.

save-a-lot

moneysavingwannabe wrote: »

We are trying to keep the cost down but I haven't looked at dresses, photographers etc, etc, etc...:eek: Any tips gratefully received.

We had an M&S Wedding cake, you buy each layer separately, which looked good and was a fraction of the price when compared to specialist Wedding cake makers prices. I think choosing a good photographer is important though as the pictures are what you will remember the day by for years to come.

Woodyrocks

RoxieW wrote: »

can anyone explain the olympic challenge to me? or point me in the right direction - thanks!

Here is the latest OC thread. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=488117&highlight=olympic+challenge

It is never too late to join either! Start on the first thread and if you want to join in just leave a post once you know the deal.

RoxieW

Hi moneysavingwannabee

it sounds great - italian is my favourite yum! top tip is start now! it pays to be organised. start shopping around for the best deals - and dont be afraid to haggle! Our venue wanted to charge £65 per bottle for their cheapest champagne but they didn't do pink champers so I arranged to bring my own bottles (£20 each on half price offer!) and knocked their corkage down from £15 to £10 per bottle. Why should I pay over the odds when they dont have what I want?
I bought my dress in a closing down sale at 75% off and had some alterations done - it was stunning!
The internet is brilliant for compairing prices and you cant go far wrong with confetti.com or confetti stores for ideas! I bought tons of LED fairy lights for a few quid and they made my venue look magical! Also tea lights and a bit of glitter confetti went a long way. I also got my florist to reuse the daytime flowers (all white) for the evening but to add a few pink and purple flowers and some colouring to the water - gave a whole new look to them without having to pay for 2 lots! And let them work to your budget - I told her I had £20 per table centre and she had to work within that.
All the main supermarkets to plain white cakes in 3 sizes that you can decorate - or think creatively - we had a stack of cupcakes but you could have donuts, fondant fancies etc. Forget about all the things you're meant to have and just have what you want instead. We didn't want traditional fruit cake so we didnt have it.
We put a single choc heart at each place instead of fancy favours.
I'd also agree with getting a good photographer - luckily our friend is a professional and did ours as a gift but do work from recommendations and make sure you like the person - they're a big part of your day!

Finally, above all - do all your stressing before hand - I was still stressing at 12pm the night before! But on the day relax and let go. DELEGATE. All my best friends had something they were in charge of. Enjoy!

moneysavingwannabe

Hi,

Thanks for your advice! :j I will try and get organised soon.
But am a bit caught up in extension work at the moment. We are ordering the kitchen tomorrow so I am beginning to get excited now!!

(Also slightly hysterical at the thought of all the expense!!):eek: :rotfl: :j

slowlyfading

I hope its all going well! x