Planning our wedding

caz2003uk

Well we got engaged Christmas Day 2011.

We have been holding back on everything as money is the issue! We hadn't even set a date because of this! We have accepted the fact we wont be having a lavish wedding that we both dream of! So....We are now looking at a registry office ceremony (trying to get this as late as possible...16.00? maybe) then hiring a hall for the evening to have a wedding party. We can't afford to have a sit down meal so having a part afterwards where everyone can come and feel involved ticks that box!

We wont use the local registry office as its horrible...but the town about 15 minutes away is much nicer, or so I am told, we will be going to have a look at it next week, and hopefully provisionally booking the date. We are thinking June next year as we should be able to cover costs by then!

FIL+MIL have told us they can contribute £500 towards our wedding, which is much more useful to us than wedding gifts we dont need, so very happy with that!

My Mum has offered to buy my wedding dress, although I have no idea what style I want yet, but we are booked in for a wedding dress "try on" next week! (Im soooo excited!!!!)

So with Registry office costs inc. notice to marry being £119...we are aiming to do everything for ... wait for it..... £1000! Im very frugal with money since I had big issues and Im sure we can stick to this, esp. as there is no sit down meal to pay for! My family seem happy to help with organising the buffet for the evening, again bringing costs down!

I have 2 bridesmaids, my best friend, she's 24 and her daughter who's 5, and HTB's Best man is our mutual best friend! My bridemaid asked yesterday will her and her daughter be wearing the same, I said it depended how much the dresses were to have them matching, considering the size differences!

Any help, advice and encouragement on registry office weddings would be fantastic help! (I never wanted to marry in a registry office, but both me and HTB are having to accept that if we want to get married we have to do this. We will never afford to marry anywhere else unfortunately.)

Im sure I've missed bits out here but Im sure ill update :rotfl:

double_mummy

heya caz

a lot seems dependant on date a weekday is so much cheaper than a weekend

but everything for under a thousand is very do-able as long as you have some talented friends and family, photographers, cake, find someone with an ipod (or similar) who can do you up a playlist and have that as your music

if you are thinking june next year i would get booking it now as a lot of us have found that the summer time is really booked not just for next year but for the year after as well

i personally wouldnt have the BMs in matching with it being mother and daughter i would find dresses that compliment each other -also cheaper and easier to find (you could always ask for the BM to pay for her own stuff)

Make best friends with ebay and vistaprint and preloved and gumtree to find lots of cheaper than normal things

look on facebook for alternative suppliers - sugarwalsh has her own group which is pretty brill - and groups that support each other

i know this sounds terrible but 'think outside the box'

good luck and congrats!!! x

caz2003uk

Thanks for the really quick reply double mummy!

I have already said to my bridesmaid that I doubt they would be wearing the same dress, but we will look into what we can find and go from there!

The cake will no doubt be from Marks & Sparks, as Ive seen recommended on here, although I do know a very good cake maker, but whether she would beat the DIY cake styling we could do is another question!

I have messaged an old friend of mine who used to be a DJ to find out if he still does it, or if he knows anyone!

Photography - I know someone good with a camera, but Im also just thinking of asking people to let me have copies of the photo's they take and Im quite a wizz on photoshop so can edit them to suit what we want if need be! I'd love to have the whole proffesional photographer but costs of that are well out of range!

We are going to the registry office next week when Im off work, so will be able to make an 'official' date then! If we have to do it a different date, then so be it, at least if its later we get longer to save some pennys and make things better!

Ive found a hall in my home town on a friday night 6pm-midnight inc. kitchen for £175

caz2003uk

Spoke to my Mum last night, her close friend has offered to do the buffet for us! He reckons £150-£200 will cover it, but he will do all the work involved which we think is fantastic! Im sure we wont find a caterer to do the same lol

mel19632

Hi Caz, you sound very similar to me! We have literally just got engaged (on Saturday!) but I want a super budget wedding

I love the idea of having a late ceremony and then a party straight after - I hadn't thought of that but I'm keen now! We are planning to do a BBQ rather than sit down meal as that seems to be what racks up the cost!

My sister got married 18 months ago and ordered her wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses from China. it looked stunning and you would never know that it was only £100 including all the alterations!!

what sort of food are you having at your buffet?

thankfully I have some lovely friends - two are making the cake, one is being our DJ (he used to this as a job!), and one has always wanted to be a wedding planner so i'm going to rope her in! also I have two sisters who are married so i'm hoping they will really help me too

I will definitely be subscribing to your thread - i would love to hear any super tips you come up with!

Flowers is my bug bear - I think these will be really expensive! Have you looked into them yet?

Mel x

caz2003uk

mel19632 wrote: »

Hi Caz, you sound very similar to me! We have literally just got engaged (on Saturday!) but I want a super budget wedding

I love the idea of having a late ceremony and then a party straight after - I hadn't thought of that but I'm keen now! We are planning to do a BBQ rather than sit down meal as that seems to be what racks up the cost!

My sister got married 18 months ago and ordered her wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses from China. it looked stunning and you would never know that it was only £100 including all the alterations!!

what sort of food are you having at your buffet?

thankfully I have some lovely friends - two are making the cake, one is being our DJ (he used to this as a job!), and one has always wanted to be a wedding planner so i'm going to rope her in! also I have two sisters who are married so i'm hoping they will really help me too

I will definitely be subscribing to your thread - i would love to hear any super tips you come up with!

Flowers is my bug bear - I think these will be really expensive! Have you looked into them yet?

Mel x

Firstly...congratulations on your engagement

Thanks for your comments Mel!

We 'have' to have a super budget wedding as we have no other option! But tbh after the debt problems Ive faced I don't want an on credit wedding neither one that will cripple us!

The BBQ sounds like a great idea, but remember this is weather dependent..... (not to ruin your ideas, but being practical!) or like what he have in mind have a late ceremony and a buffet evening reception! Saves the sit down costs and people can pick and choose what they like when ever they want to!

We are still very early on and nothing is arranged yet officially, but Im presuming the buffet for that cost will consist of sandwiches and cocktail sausages and bits and pieces, something simple and something everyone enjoys! As long as tummys are full, and your budget hasn't been over spilled and you enjoy your day then thats what matters at the end of it! You could go with other big idea's for food but it could be something no one likes and gets left ... all that money for nothing....just my opinions of course so please don't change your mind because of what i say!!

Ive read some awful horror stories about ordering dress wedding dress from china, including one on here which scared me off it! Altho I have found a lovely dress, which on further research would appear its a chinese one..., see Im a larger lady and wedding dress shopping is scaring me!! Although I have just in the last half hour found a new bridal shop not too far from me that only stocks wedding dresses from size 18 upwards, so no stigmas there!! I really need to try some of these dresses on as I have no idea what style will suit me, (I don't wear skirts or dresses :rotfl:)

I haven't looked into flowers yet, but I think Ill definitely be going down the artificial silk flowers route, as Im sure these will definately be cheaper!

I think ebay is going to be my friend lol

mel19632

yes BBQ definitely weather dependant - difficult with UK weather! another friend has just told me that her mum is a florist (lives in Aus though!) but that she would like to help with the flowers so that is hopefully another thing ticked off!
i'm definitely more of thoughts that most people aren't going to appreciate how much has been spent so i'd rather keep it simple (and cheap!)

we are also thinking about a venue where we can bring our own alcohol - will make it much cheaper!

caz2003uk

Awww that's fantastic about the flowers, my fingers are crossed for you!

Yes I agree, I'm in the hunt for a hall at the moment, that not only aren't extortionate but that allows that too!

It will be done, this wedding will go ahead and I will not let myself get stressed....I wonder if i keep telling myself this it will happen lmao

Debbiecatal

Hi you could also look at a paying bar run by a local pub. We have a paying bar for the evening which they are doing really cheaply. We had the choice of it being free to us and they would add a small premium to the drinks to cover the extra costs, or we would pay their costs and they would charge normal pub prices. We have chosen this option and we are paying £25 for the licence plus £6 per hour for the bar staff so it is not too expensive and fairer on the guests.

I would recommend looking for village halls, there are some really pretty ones and they are cheap to hire. Ours has a bar and a kitchen and we have it from 2pm on the Friday to midday on the Sunday for a really reasonable fee, so we can decorate it the day before and then clear it the day after. We are not local to the village, but if we had been, it would have been 1/2 price as well!

caz2003uk

I've also now been told to buy the flowers at wholesale and an old friend who just got married herself will arrange the flowers for me!!

It's amazing who comes forward offering help!! Feeling very loved

yummymummyoftwo

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