BIG wedding tiny budget!

skyvicky123

Hi guys, I am hoping you might have some suggestions for me.

We are planning a wedding for next summer. We want all our friends there but we also both have huge families (divorce on both sides and loads of children)

We're talking 80 to the day do and 150 (total) at the evening do.

We're happy to cut out the sit down meal but I don't want a totally informal wedding as I still want it to flow like a normal wedding.

We have a few ideas already but wondering how others would set about planning a do like this. We have a budget of about 7K but a lot of people to feed!!

Your help or suggestions would really be appreciated!

darkrev

just got our bouquet arranged for our civil partnership. it was originally £170 each as a starting price we were quoted so instead of going for a tear drop or waterfall bouquet. we are going for a few stems of orchids with bear grass. looks elegant and beautiful. £30 each. So having your own ideas and getting quotes for that is cheaper and if you go to an independent florist they will quote you better. Another tip is some flowers are cheaper in silk and some fresh so you can do a mixed bouquet and no one will know..... for example Calla lillys are better silk, but roses, fresh Also we are going to our fav restaurant which is usually closed on a monday, so cos we are marrying on a monday they are opening for us, and we have the place all night, so no hire fee and no other customers!!! Hope that helps x
http://www.myweddingflowerideas.co.uk/wedding-bouquet/white-orchid-wedding-flowers-flflorist.html

White_Sapphire

Hi skyvicky123!

I have a similar guest list and budget to you, and am having a sit down meal. You actually have a very good budget so everything you want to do is feasible

Firstly, are you havinga church, civil, or Humanist ceremony? Civil ceremonies can cost quite a lot if you have it at a venue instead of theregistry office- the registrar will charge tocome to the venue, and the hire fees forvenues witha civil licence can bequite high. They're also the ones which tend to have a lot of restrictions on which vendors you can have, and how your day will run overall. Make sureyou shop around fora venue with some flexibility so you can choose your own entertainment, cake maker, florist etc if you go down this route.

The next most important consideration is to find out your family andfriends' skills anddon't be afraid to ask them to use them. People are generally delightedto be asked to contribute to your day, so if your Auntie bakes amazing cakes or your sister makes her own greetings cards then talk to them before approaching a professional. Also, consider doing things yourself - there are loads of tips on here and elsewhere (youtube for example) on doing your own flowers, hair and make up, cake decorating, invite designing etc. BTW, asking friends and family for help also includes asking them ifthey know someone - you may get mates' rates that way!

Ifyou are thinking of having a buffet but still want an element of formality to it, you can still have the whole seating plan you'dget with a 3-course meal, and get peopleto go to the buffet by table - that way you don't get people queuing for 1/2 hour! They can sit attheir tables until called, maybe with some nibbles tosnack onwhiletheywait. Oh, and wedding cake instead of dessert may save you hundreds.....

One more thing that springs to mind is to consider having your weddinglater in theday. This will push the weddingbreakfast to nearer thetime people normally eat dinner (say around 6pm), so you won't needto feed them much in the evening. We're considering startingtheevening do at about 8pm which gives evening guests time to eat before they come out - we'll say something on the invites like "a light finger buffet will be served" to indicate that they won't get the equivalent of a full evening meal.

Oh, and keep looking on here - loads of helpful tips spring up every day, especially if you join the thread for your month.

Good luck!

x

AutumnBride85

Perhaps you could have a hot buffet in the day and something like a hog roast on the night?

Im thinking of serving wedding cake as dessert to cut costs, but not sure yet.

I think drinks bulk up most of the costs so maybe have a cheap drink like pimms and lemonade on the guests arrival after the ceremony and have wine on the tables with the meal, which they could use to toast with instead of ordering loads of expensive champers?

Good luck

Sammy85_2

Hi,

Your budget is entirely doable if you DIY things and are savvy.

We had similar numbers to you and had a big wedding with all the bells and whistles for £10k. If i hadnt have splurged on some things it could easily have come in at £7-8k. Equally, if i hadnt DIY'd the other things i could have made a significant dent in £15k, if not more.

- Wedding ceremony itself - Church or Civil? We found both to be similar prices once you paid fees for the registrar to come out and room hire fees at a hotel. We had a church wedding for the religious meaning to us (£508), but we could have had a civil wedding in a registry office for alot less.

- Wedding reception - We looked for venues other than the usual wedding hotels. In the end we went for the town hall which was £25pp for a 3 course meal. The hotels were looking at £40+ for the same. The town hall staff really seemed to care, i dont know if it was because it wasnt the norm for them or what, but they gave it 100%, we werent just another wedding.

- Drinks - we supplied our own and paid corkage of £6 per bottle. Wine was 3 for a tenner at Asda and Netto. It meant we could really go to town on the drinks and still not spend more than the venue supplied costs were.

- Night do - we catered for 80% of guests, doing pie and peas at £4.75pp. There was still too much food.

- Dresses - i wanted a real fairytail dress so bought a second hand dress with a huggggeeee train and including alterations it cost around £220. Bridesmaids dresses were full length gowns and were £60 for the pair including alterations.

- Church and daytime venue decor were DIY and i spent around £50 on supermarket flowers in total. They looked great.

- All stationary was DIY at around £150 all in.

- Photographer was £900 and then another £150 extra as we wanted a different album than was included in the package.


We had a few unavoidable expensive items, like my hubbys uniform which cost almost £400 and things i wouldnt go without such as the rolls royce at £365.


Towards the end though i had several incidences of "I cant be arsed DIYing/ what the hell" spends which had i not have had i would have come in at closer to your budget.

- Professional bouquets(3), button holes (6) and corsages (5) - £230.

- Professional hair and makeup for me, bridemaids and mother - £180

- 5 piece swing band at night do - £500

- harpist at reception - £240

- balloons at night do, incl dancefloor canopy - looked Amazing. - £230

- Videographer (worth EVERY penny) - £540

- Flowergirl dresses x2 very young girls that grew out of the bargain dresses i originally bought them. Bought new the week before the wedding as oculdnt be bothered searching through ebay - £120

- Gifts for attendants x8 - £200

- charity favours - £140

hp3

Hi,

Our budget and numbers are the same. We are having a 'usual, normal' sit down meal in the day and just having hot roast sadwiched in the evening. quite a few bridal shops have sale gowns for brides and bridesmaids, (my bridesmaids have come from one) and looking through them for my wedding dress. Also many places do suit hire at a discount or groom goes free if you have more than 5 men hiring suits. Our venue has also said that if there is a fair number of guests staying over (more than 10) they will do us a discount on our room. BHS have sales on and I've heard through the forum Vista print are very good at invites.

Hope these help!

skyvicky123

Hi all, thanks so much for the suggestions. I am beginning to see that it is totally do-able!

I am going to have silk flowers as I am not much into flowers anyway, we have organised OH's 3 step sisters to do the photos as they are all into photography. Cake by OH's mum.

We are getting married at the venue so the registrars fee is high, but made up for because we won't have to pay for cars to get there!

We have decided to have a sit down meal during the day and hoping for a hog roast in the evening.

Got a late deal at the venue which effectively makes the hire free!

will try to control the cost of my dress but am expecting that won't happen...!

Sammy85_2

skyvicky123 wrote: »

will try to control the cost of my dress but am expecting that won't happen...!

Go into the dress shop with a budget in mind and tell the lady what it is. That way they are less likely to give you a dress to try on that is way out of your reach.

If you find a particular dress you like then have a look around to see if you can get it for less elsewhere, either online or another shop.

skyvicky123

Little nupdate on this as i am feeling quite pleased with myself for finally setting a date of 12 May and having booked a vicar and a venue. Hurrah!

Next on the list is the food, then my dress and BM dresses

bubbles0169

hi skyvicky so have you gone for a church and seperate venue now as you mention vicar? dont forget to include your transport costs now if you have
its all still doable but you have to research research research x

skyvicky123

Yes, church and separate venue. Venue is very cheap though, and we are skipping 3 course meal for a 1 course hot buffet, then hog roast in the evening.

Will need to think about a coach to take people to te church as there is little parking. Then a car for me.