Our 3k budget wedding planning

katie1812

I cannot believe you are doing your wedding for £3000!!! I WISH lol! Ours is costing around 9000. That's for 85 people in the day and around 120 in the evening, so the numbers are quite big. And our families put together are very big too so we don't really have much choice. We have gone for a pretty average costing reception venue I would say although definitely the best looking

MrsDrink

Anyone mind if I put an update too while I'm here?
I have pretty much got the whole honeymoon sorted And it's come under budget - so as things stand the whole wedding and honeymoon should easily come to under £6k.

So the honeymoon: 7 nights 4* AI in Sharm El Sheikh, with 10 dives each (including equipment hire) for £2709.51.
Here's a breakdown of our costs:

New Passport (including passport photos)........................£82.5
Flights, Accomodation, and extra sports baggage..............£1409.65
Diving & Equipment hire................................................£524.43
Carpark......................................................................£22
Holiday Insurance.........................................................£24
Diving Medical Insurance................................................£73
Spending Money...........................................................£501.58*
Odds and Sods.............................................................£72.35

* I doubt very much we will spend anywhere near this but I'd rather take too much and use the rest up on our next holiday, than take too little and be scrimping over things.

The odds and sods includs travel adapters, sun cream, digital luggage scales (never bothered with before but with the possibility of being back slightly damp wet suits we'll need to be sure we're not over weight), and a new suitcase to carry our dive equipment.

VERY pleased with this as my original budget was £3550, so I've come £800 under that :T Cannot wait till I have the wedding all paid off and I can do a similar break down for that!! (It's still looking likely to be £3k)

74jax

Please keep updating Mrsd. I'm using your wedding as my guide......just incase you hadn't worked that out already. If you don't update with millions of photos after your day you will have many disappointed MSEers.

MrsDrink

If you insist This is how things currently stand:

This is our 3k wedding:
* Tuesday 17th July 2012 - MrD, me and our immediate family only at our local registry office, BBQ at ours afterwards (Total invited, included us, = 19).
* Saturday 21st July 2012 - party at our house/garden for extended family (not including cousins) and friends (Total invited, including us, = 53).

Things paid for completely so far: £1597.35 + £879 paid by our parents
Giving notice..................................67
Wedding insurance..........................18.20
Invites & Thank you Cards...............75.42
My wedding dress..........................120 (the remainder 795 was paid for by my mum )
My shoes......................................79
My jewellery..................................61.99
My bouquet & buttonholes...............37.96
MrD's outfit...................................38.75 (his suit, 75 + 9 for alterations, was paid for by his mum, along with a tie )
MrD's shoes...................................48.94
Our underwear...............................50.70
Decorations..................................247.61
Gazebos.......................................34
Garden games...............................42.78 (already have music streamed around the house so will just move the speakers outside)
Photographs..................................205.49
Alcohol/drinks................................360.51
Hired seating and tables..................109


Things part paid for and what's left: £449.96 paid and approximately £939 left to pay
Our rings......................................300.08 (20 left to pay to get my ring plated)
Cake (including stand).....................19.94 (approx 51 left to pay)
Catering (including plateware etc)......58.12 (approx 250 left to pay)
My hair ........................................30.95 (approx 80 left to pay)
Registry Office Fees........................0 (250 left to pay)
Gifts.............................................40.87 (approx 30 left to pay)
Marriage Certificates (x2)..................0 (8 left to pay)

Hen 'do'.........................................0 (approximately 250 to pay)


TOTAL SPENT SO FAR TO DATE:.....£2047.31
TOTAL LEFT TO SPEND:................£939

SUB TOTAL COST TO US...............£2986.31


TOTAL GIFTS FROM PARENTS.........£879

GRAND TOTAL:...............................£3865.31.

OVERALL TOTAL (INCLUDING HONEYMOON & GIFTS)... £6574.82


Please note in all of my costings I've included everything - for example I included the craft knife I had to buy to make the invites.
(Oh and we're not having bridesmaids/best men. MrD probably isn't having a stag do. And we're not having cars, he can use our car to get to the registry office, and my mum can drive me in her car.)

MrsDrink

Oh and once we're married I'll also add how much I could have spent if I hadn't gotten things in sales/discounted etc, or DIYd things myself. So far I'm on for a saving of around £2357.31!!

jtr2803

Hi ladies!

You are all doing so well with your budgets . As mine is of a similar amount I thought I would join in so you can call point me in the right direction or tell me what I have forgotten?

Our budget is a max of £4k but I would like it to be closer to £3.5k, so will see how I do!

I'll break it down below with comments and also where I think we can make savings.

Ceremony
Booking Fee: £20
Notice: £70
Ceremony Fee & certificate: £184

Total £274

Reception
Meal package: £1,050 - £35 x 30 people (the package is a 3 course meal, glass of sparkling wine, tea/coffee and 500ml of wine per person). Possible saving - I have budgeted for 30 adults but we are at 25 adults plus 3 children, could be around £100+ less.
Evening: £217.50 - not having a traditional evening fuctions so this is based on canapes for wedding party at £3.25 per person x 30 and party platters catering for 20 at £6pp.
Misc drinks: £100 - for soft drinks, water on table etc.

Total £1,367.50

Clothing etc
Dress: £400 - hoping to get ex sample or preloved, includes alterations
Suits: £200 - possible saving here, OH bought a new suit this year and am sure best man has his own, probably just buy waistcoat/cravat, approx saving £100
Bridesmaid: £100 - only having one, this includes shoes and hair piece too.
Brides Accessories: £80 - for tiara/shoes, already have my own jewellery.
Hair/Beauty: £100 - best mans girlfriend is a hairdresser so hoping she will do it, if not, I will just have it down, it's curly anyway! Would like make up and nails done so might go over this.

Total £880

Other costs
Photographer: £500 - not negotiable! I want a decent tog, even if only for a few hours!
Cake: £150 - planning on 30 cupcakes for wedding party, 30 mini cupcakes for evening attendees and a fudge cake for top. Possible Saving - cupcakes quoted at £2 each, minis at 80p each plus £15 for fudge cake = £99, saving of £50.
Stationery: £30 - will make day invites myself as already got lots of card making bits and bobs here, evening invites a la vistaprint. No table plan/place names or table names. Thank yous also vista print or handmade from what I have.
Bouquets: £70 - mine and BM, both foam roses or similar from Ebay.
Decorations: £270 - Planning on a sign with our names/wedding date for top table at £15, my fish related centre pieces will be about £50 total, some tea lights/flowers around £100. Possible saving around £50 as I'll make as much as I can or buy 2nd hand.
Rings: £150 - not sure OH will have one as a manual worker and I am saving all our clubcard points to use at Goldsmiths, mum is giving us her points too. We already have £50 worth
Gifts: £60 ?

Total £1,230

GRAND Total £3,751.50
With possible savings: £3,451.50

Doesn't look too bad at first glance, I have not budgeted for transport as am happy to go in the bridesmans car!

Anything obviously wrong with my budget?

MrsDrink

Nothing that I can see straight away I look forward to hearing how much everything ends up costing and how close to your budget you come (Nothing like a bit of a challenge to focus the mind!!) That being said since it has been sooo long since I did any wedding spending I have just bought the meat we need for our BBQ (after the ceremony for maximum of 14 guests), and I didn't cut any corners - which I suppose is the 'right' thing to do - but I could have saved more by buying less expensive cuts/posh burgers etc. Oh well.

geordievik

74jax wrote: »

It was such a gorgeous morning I had a stroll along the beach and took some photos of our wedding venue. Looks lovely in the sunshine.

This looks just like down the road from me on the longsands!

74jax

geordievik wrote: »

This looks just like down the road from me on the longsands!

It sure is.:j

Stephb1986_2

Blimey you are totally MSE and good on you! We've just booked our venue 60 guests 3 course meal with drinks package + coffee and mints + evening hog roast with extras, chair covers + sashes, cake stand, use of candelabras mirrors etc toast master and all the other general bits come to £3700 for us.

So got left, dj/ entertainment, registra fees, dress, mens suits, rings, flowers, cake, hair and make up, don't need cars, bm dress etc, flower girls dresses etc favours, anything I've missed out?

We're hoping to keep it under 5k fingers crossed

Steph xx