Last minute wedding for under £2.5k - am I mad?

Maysie

we went down the men wear a black suit they already had then went to http://www.mytuxedo.co.uk/sale-outlet we managed to find silver waistcoats for £4.99 each (measure by belly not chest as we had to buy bigger they had a very fast turnaround less than 3 days from return to replacements) and handkerchiefs £1.99 at the time. We actually got ties from asda as they were the right shade of pinks we wanted.

I did my own invites,order of service and a printable for the table

used this free downladable http://www.loveandlavender.com/downloads/garden-rose/ there are loads online just make sure you have a good virus software on pc as there does seem to be a few dodgy sites on google. Used a free to download font to make it more unique.

found an order of service online and used publisher to edit it.

Went on the martha stewart website and downloaded a free tree zodiac type thing which i cannot find anymore it was quite fun and people liked them. this site http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/decoration-templates
there are some great ideas for on a budget there as well as lots of printables

dibaby

At my sisters wedding they asked guests to request a song on the invites and then put them all on a wedding cd as a favour!

Robinred

Hiya, we're not having matching suits, I reckon buttonholes are special enough! Also I am planning to just get a silver ring for £10 and then upgrade later on in life, if you are happy to get cheap ones then you can go a lot cheaper than what you have budgeted for.

Also I reckon you can save on the decorations, you can get holly and ivy for free in the woods, borrow a load of fairy lights maybe, tealights in jam jars...

Oh yes and congratulations!:T:T

PS have you got someone who can help you sort out the flowers and decorations and decorating your cake and stuff, you don't want to be completely knackered from DIYing on the day!

kal25

Hi bananacakes it is definetley do able ....
For the buffet you may want to look around on google ...we managed to get a caterer to do ours at only £5.90 a head and gad deserts thrown in. (HUst a thought)
Suits...How about looking in matalan ..we got FIL2B for £70 I think but only as that was the one he liked....Also saw that greenwoods is having a sale so maybe you could try seeing if one near you is? They had jacket, trousers, shirt and tie for £50
Invites- if you plan on spending money...try vistaprint we paid £40 for outs and that was day and evening but then I paid a lot of postage as we needed quickly.
Wedding rings- Not sure of any help but I saw a post by someone that took all their unwanted gold in exchange for it being made into their wedding rings...just a thought and another option that may be possible
Cake - M&s is defo the cheapest I found...Only me being me didn't manage to get mine while 3 for 2 was on So am doing as bubble suggested amd getting main cakes and then adding cutting bars else my cake would cost £90:o

Idiophreak

bananacakes wrote: »

Stag/Hen Nights - probably not having any
It's entirely common for the bride / groom to not actually contribute cost-wise to the hen/stag...so don't rule this out. I honestly didn't pay a penny for mine (2 nights away)
Photographer - Free, my friend is a photographer and will be doing this for us as her gift to us
Have you agreed exactly what she'll provide? Odds on you'll end up wanting some kinda album - is she going to provide this, or will you need to pay? Best to be sure up front so you can make a realistic budget.
Stationery - £50 I was thinking of just doing the invites/order of service/place cards myself on the computer, hopefully this won't be much more than I've budgeted for
You can budget for this quite precisely...and the main factor is the postage...do you know how many invites you'll need to post?
Decorations - £150 - I've actually picked that number out of thin air, just hoping that will stretch! Table covers are included in the cost of the hall, I don't think we can afford chair covers but I'm going to either get a cheap roll of organza and make some bows for the chairs anyway or get this off ebay. There will already be christmas decos up in the hall so I'll just be adding to this really with some pound shop specials hopefully!
This actually sounds like quite a lot..you'll be amazed how far a couple of rolls of ribbon will go - and some people on here have done awesome table centre's for a couple of quid each...
Entertainment - At the moment we are not planning an evening reception because we can't afford to feed everyone twice but if there is money left over this may change, we have family members with a band/DJ equipment which can be used free of charge if we need it.
I agree with picklepick's suggestion about trying to have a late afternoon buffet and stretch it out - you'll feel like you've had better value for money that way.
Favours - £70 Either cheap christmas themed favours or donation to charity I'd agree with scrapping these to save money - nobody will miss them and you're giving gifts to the people that matter.
Honeymoon - not having one
Maybe ask for donations instead of presents? I think it's nice to get away as newlyweds, even if it's just for a couple of nights...
Groom's suit - £60 - Really don't have a clue where to hire or would it be cheaper to buy a cheap one? Is £60 enough? Advice needed please!!
Best man/usher suits - £200? Really stuck on this one. Is it too much to ask that the pay for this themselves or do we really have to pay for it? Do the fathers have to be matching? Not sure of the etiquette here! Help!
You can hire suits for around £60/each online...a little more on the high street. Personally, on your budget, I'd just ask everyone to wear their normal suits and tie them together with ties and button holes - been to a few weddings where they've done that and they've been great. Just an easy way to save £300 of your budget
Hairdressing & Makeup - £50 Friend is doing makeup, hair from cheap mobile hairdresser
Make sure you're being realistic about this. Will you have any other treatments? Try to budget for everything up front, will make life easier...so any nails/waxing/tanning/exercise regime etc all needs to be accounted for.

OK I think I've covered the big things but I've probably forgotten all the little bits! So far that's all coming to a grand total of £2389.50 so not much room for extra bits and pieces. What do you think?

Other things to think about (off the top of my head):
Underwear - are you going to buy anything new for the wedding?
Likewise, will the groom want new pants/socks or anything (I know it sounds stupid...but these little things add up )
Will you buy any jewellery?
Are you going to buy each other wedding gifts?
Are you going to have any meals before / after the wedding with your family? Again, be realistic about what you'll spend in the days before and after - it adds up.
Are you going to have a guest book? Cameras on the tables?

Have fun planning...and congratulations!

kr15snw

bananacakes wrote: »

Hello all! :j

Stag/Hen Nights - probably not having any
Agree with others, you could at least have something which would be of no cost to you. Or if you want a cheap one they are surprisingly easy! I (for example) did a weekend at Alton towers including petrol, accomodation for 2 nights, entry into the park and fast track tickets for £50! Then didn't pay for food as the girls insisted I didn't pay.
A friend of mine wants a cheap one so we're having a 'slumber party' at my house (I have the biggest front room). Everyone is paying £20 (except the hen) and we're having (asda) pizza, cocktails and LOTS and LOTS of junk food while watching seriously pants dvds (think all the girly classics). All in our PJs and then we will all sleep on my front room floor
Gifts for wedding party - £70
This could be dropped, what kind of thing were you thinking? Who do you have to buy for?
Stationery - £50 I was thinking of just doing the invites/order of service/place cards myself on the computer, hopefully this won't be much more than I've budgeted for
Can def be done on the cheap if you'r not after anything majorly fancy. Do you have any friends who are talented on a computer who could knock you something up?
Im the 'talented friend' in my group and recently did a batch of 100 birthday invites (which could be changed to wedding easily) for £10!
Entertainment - At the moment we are not planning an evening reception because we can't afford to feed everyone twice but if there is money left over this may change, we have family members with a band/DJ equipment which can be used free of charge if we need it.
I Pod DJ? Or you could have a 'drinks reception'. For our engagement we have an iPod in the background and kept the lights up and everyone just had drinks and mingled (think like a pub). Was actually nicer than a disco. We still said a few words but easily got to talk to people
Favours - £70 Either cheap christmas themed favours or donation to charity
Make some cheap ones yourself! We had bags of pick and mix which we made ourself and cost about £20 for 70. How about a candy cane (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FULL-TUB-50-PEPPERMINT-FLAVOUR-CANDY-CANES-20GRMS-EACH-6-16CM-/300603383886?pt=UK_Sweets_Chocolate&hash=item45fd5ba04e#ht_500wt_842) with the persons name tied to it like a tag. Also doubles up as a name place then
Wedding Cake - £100. Hoping to get one from M&S or maybe try buying plain from somewhere and decorating myself?
Have you thought about doing cupcakes yourself? Alot easier and then you could do a cutting cake for the top!
Wedding Rings - £120. We're just going to buy cheap and cheerful ones from H samuel for now and perhaps in 10 years time if OH has a fantastic job we will get new ones, but to be honest we're not that fussed. Please let me know if you know of any good cheap online jewellery shops!
Do you have a club card? We got my ring from Goldsmiths completely paid for with clubcard vouchers
Groom's suit - £60 - Really don't have a clue where to hire or would it be cheaper to buy a cheap one? Is £60 enough? Advice needed please!!
Hubby needed a new suit so we decided to buy one. Have a look at M&S. We ended up buying the cheapest one (£59) and it was lovely! Try https://www.formaltailor.co.uk for waistcoast etc if you want them. We got waistcoat, cravat, hanky and shirt from here and it was cheaper than renting! You could however go down the route of just wearing a nice tie with a shirt and not bothering with the rest Does he not already have a nice suit?
Best man/usher suits - £200? Really stuck on this one. Is it too much to ask that the pay for this themselves or do we really have to pay for it? Do the fathers have to be matching? Not sure of the etiquette here! Help!
Fathers can be matching, BUT they don't have to match at all! My friends wedding none of the suits matched and they just wore matching ties. Looked very smart. We were going to buy matching suits for the best man and father of the bride, but both insisted on going halves. Plus we got them on sale, so ended up spending £40 for 2 suits

Few notes above for you

lisajane8482

Guest book: £2.99 from Card Factory, the shop near me has two types, 1 with teddy bears getting married on and a sliver and black one with Love written on it. I took the black ribbon off and stuck three burgundy roses on the corner and hey presto it matches our colour scheme.

I got my wedding ring from pandora, it's little love hearts, it's sliver and cost £35 and I love it to bits.

If you were going to do favours you could get each guest a lottery ticket, thats what we are doing, then wrapping it into a scroll with our name, wedding date on and a little poem then tied with a piece of burgundy ribbon.

picklepick

bananacake, you have a PM!

tania27

hi I dont know if thus is part of ur bydget but I could make ur jewellery and bridesmaids gifts at a fraction of the cost you could have gemstones, or faux oearls depending on ur budget pm me if ur interested I wish u well I can make earings necklace and bracelets. Tania
Well after saving and saving for two years and not getting anywhere me and my OH decided sod it, it's just ONE day and we'd rather not wait another 2 years to save up for a big wedding, we're just going to have a nice cheap affair with a budget of £2500 and we've booked it all for 6th January 2012!! So I have 82 days to plan everything! *gulp* I know that I am going to be pretty much living on this board over the next 3 months as I am desperate to do everything as cheap as possible!

Below is the budget - if anyone has any advice on how to get the best deal for the items in red I would really appreciate it!

Also if there's anything I've forgotten and I'm sure I have then please let me know!

Notice to Registrar - £67.50
Stag/Hen Nights - probably not having any

Church Ceremony - £200 donation
Flowers - £50 this may be ambitious but I plan on doing my own bouquets and then using silk flowers (or cheap holly!) for button holes. We won't have to decorate the church as it will already be done up for the Christmas season
Gifts for wedding party - £70
Organist - £50(I am actually a church organist, bit gutted I can't do this myself! )
Photographer - Free, my friend is a photographer and will be doing this for us as her gift to us
Stationery - £50 I was thinking of just doing the invites/order of service/place cards myself on the computer, hopefully this won't be much more than I've budgeted for
Transport - Free. The venue is round the corner from the church so won't have to bus people anywhere and my friend's dad has a nice car and has offered to play chauffeur for the day
Reception Venue Hire - £100. We're hiring out the hall in a masonic lodge, it's not too shabby looking but I plan on attacking it with fairy lights to make it extra nice
Catering - £747.50 - we're having a buffet for £11.50ph, 70guests but 13 of them are children so we're catering for 65? I hope this is enough.
Decorations - £150 - I've actually picked that number out of thin air, just hoping that will stretch! Table covers are included in the cost of the hall, I don't think we can afford chair covers but I'm going to either get a cheap roll of organza and make some bows for the chairs anyway or get this off ebay. There will already be christmas decos up in the hall so I'll just be adding to this really with some pound shop specials hopefully!
Entertainment - At the moment we are not planning an evening reception because we can't afford to feed everyone twice but if there is money left over this may change, we have family members with a band/DJ equipment which can be used free of charge if we need it.
Drinks - £150 We want to put 2 bottles of wine on each table and there's 9 tables, we're thinking about getting them cheap from Aldi and corkage is £3 per bottle so that's £108 for the wine and hopefully what's left will cover orange juice. Don't think we can afford to give anyone anything sparkly on arrival or a drink to toast with, I know, how stingy but if we have money left over we will put it towards this.
Favours - £70 Either cheap christmas themed favours or donation to charity
Wedding Cake - £100. Hoping to get one from M&S or maybe try buying plain from somewhere and decorating myself?
Honeymoon - not having one
Wedding Rings - £120. We're just going to buy cheap and cheerful ones from H samuel for now and perhaps in 10 years time if OH has a fantastic job we will get new ones, but to be honest we're not that fussed. Please let me know if you know of any good cheap online jewellery shops!
Wedding Dress - £50. Already bought it on ebay, Littlewoods catalogue return rrp £290!! Love it!
Veil/Shoes/tiara - £20. Already got shoes I can wear, getting veil and tiara from ebay.
Groom's suit - £60 - Really don't have a clue where to hire or would it be cheaper to buy a cheap one? Is £60 enough? Advice needed please!!
Bridesmaids dresses - Free as they're buying their own from high street instead of giving a gift and are choosing themselves so it's something they can wear again.
Flower Girl Dress - £25. Our baby will be 1 year old and will be our flower girl! Picked out her dress on ebay.
Best man/usher suits - £200? Really stuck on this one. Is it too much to ask that the pay for this themselves or do we really have to pay for it? Do the fathers have to be matching? Not sure of the etiquette here! Help!
Hairdressing & Makeup - £50 Friend is doing makeup, hair from cheap mobile hairdresser


OK I think I've covered the big things but I've probably forgotten all the little bits! So far that's all coming to a grand total of £2389.50 so not much room for extra bits and pieces. What do you think?

Banana x[/QUOTE]

continualdiamond

I got married this Aug and the total cost was £2554.18 exact, lol.

We ourselves only paid £737.70.

My parents & his gave us cash towards it, plus then mine paid for extra things along the way. That only happened as my parents & sister visited from Australia (I'm from Australia & hadn't seen them in 4 years) so my mum then insisted on paying for wedding make up and hair at the hair dressers etc.

I won't give you every cost, but here are some:

Flowers: £56.95 including p/p off ebay (Fake cream flowers with teal ribbon and tiny teal flowers) just mine and my sisters



Invitations: £27 (40 invites, 10 spare for mistakes) again off ebay. Then £12 for all craft items, paper, butterfly punch, gems etc to personlise the invites as they were just printed front/back. We had no place cards as had an informal reception.

Venue: £300 from 11am - 11pm. Got married and had the reception in the same place. Local village pub.

Food: £420 for 25 guests - buffet and little pots of ice cream to go with our cupcake wedding cake.

Cake: Free, was made by my friend




Table decorations: 50p vases from ikea, teal gerbras from ebay £8.15 including p/p, beads from local shop £25

Guest book + photo album: again off ebay, lol. £20.08 including p/p. Were £7.99 each and personalised. I just used my craft items to have the colours match up to my invites.

Car: free. Favour from husbands uncle



Bridesmaid thank you gift: £6



It can be done. In fact I had a great time planning it all and loved looking on ebay for lots of things. Enjoy and pm me if you want to know anything more etc.