Dream wedding in a castle budget of £2500.. can it be done?

lupyloo

Hi I have been reading this thread intently for the last few days since my fiance said we could set a date. It has to be in August due to work commitments and there is just one thing i really want and that is to be married in a castle preferably on an evening. The trouble is there will be approximately 30 family members coming and I dont know how or who to ask for help. Obviously if anyone could help I will be so grateful.

Things I know I can cut the cost on so far are

flowers - make myself
dress - from china (thanks primmer for recommending a seller on a different thread)
cake - from marks and sparks

but thats as far as I have got, I have now got a panic on thinking about all the little details that will need sorting and wether we can really afford to do it. I am so stressed already and would love some advice x

trying_2_b_good

First things first...do you know which castle? If so, contact them and get a price. If you are willing to marry in the registry office then go on to the castle, that will save you a few hundred quid (especially if you have to hire the room at the castle).

Are you thinking of having a buffet? This would be miles cheaper than a sit down meal. HTH

littlemissleek

Firstly, where are you based and where would you like to get married?

I found Auchen Castle do a wedding for £1000 package: http://www.auchencastle.net/hotel/gallery.html

I'm not sure if this is the sort of venue you're picturing though?

Another thought could be photos in castle grounds or a late deal?

lupyloo

Thanks so much for the quick replies, was still busy finding ways to save money lol. I would really love to get married at Comlongon castle and I certainly would not mind having a buffet as it will be a late service, however I am worried about how we will get from hotel to venue and then back again as we are thinking of travelling there by train. We live in County Durham and close family have all said they would prefer to go on train. I am so confused trying to think about everything. Auchen castle looks good to, but i kind of have my heart set on gretna green now....help. i have also read that the Smiths hotel is nice but have no idea about prices

pinkteapot

First thing to do is make a proper list of everything you need to budget for. As a starting point:

Official fees (registrar etc)
Rings
Venue fees (ceremony cost, reception venue hire cost, food, drinks (standard to supply drinks during the reception then let guests pay themselves later in the evening), accommodation)
Entertainment (DJ, band)
Clothes (dress, shoes, accessories, suits, bridesmaid/groomsmen outfits)
Flowers
Cake
Stationery (invites, thank you cards)
Photographer

A lot of these items are optional (you only actually need a registrar, the two of you, two witnesses and some rings!), but start by making a list of exactly which elements you do want. Then start budgeting for each - read up on prices here and start looking into suppliers.

Our venue costs were just over half of our total budget as a very rough guide.

If you are thinking of this August then you may find the more popular venues are already booked up. You can usually save a good amount of money by going for Monday-Thursday rather than Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Saturday will be the most expensive day.

lupyloo

Thankyou for that, will definately be looking for midweek. off to write down some costs now, should i phone the castle and enquire about booking or should I wait for more replies? Just wondering if anyone knows how expensive it will be to transport guests to and from venue? Just wrote my list and there will be 32 people including me and fiance dont know if that helps or not x

trying_2_b_good

Call the venue. They'll be able to give you lots of help regarding transport etc. An enquiry doesn't mean a solid booking, so just be confident and get as much info out of them as you can. Ask them for a quote for 32 people, then get a clear indication of what that includes (DJ/cake stand etc). Then you'll have a much better idea of how much of your budget is left for everything else.

trying_2_b_good

I've just been on the castle's website. Have you seen that they have a calculator on there? I put in 32 people for a wedding buffet, with one glass of wine each, on a random wednesday in August & it came out at £1,321 - which is £41 per person - which is EXPENSIVE!

http://www.comlongon.com/output/wedding_calculator.asp?submit=Next+%BB&day=24&month=8&year=2011&stage=2

lupyloo

Ive just booked an appointment at a local wedding dress shop so I can get an idea of what I want, soooo excited now just hope I can afford to do it how I want x

lupyloo

OMG that is expensive, what about getting married at the castle then going elsewhere for buffet, would this help much with costs?

trying_2_b_good

I don't think that the quote I got even included the ceremony? you really will have to ring them