Wedding Tips start here...

cutiepieabf

Hello everyone!!
I am a newbie to this thread and am just having a read through the many hints and tips you have all given. Thank you so much for sharing them.

We are getting married on 14th Oct 2011 and all i have really done so far is book the venue.... however i have lots of frugal plans for the rest of the arrangements.
The venue itself is the most expensive element - £2800 for the ceremony and evening reception including buffet food for 80, reception drink for 80, dj, crockery, table decs, etc, and room for bride and groom on wedding eve, so i think thats quite reasonable. We are having an outdoor ceremony (so i hope the weather is dry) at 4pm that will then lead straight into the buffet and then party.
I have already got my dress which was £60 tailor made from china. the 2 bridesmaids dresses i bought from debenhams jan sale. my mum is making the invites and my friend in work is making the other stationery (menus, place cards, wishing well for presents, etc), i am making the cakes with my step-son (fairy cakes with a top cake to cut). i am not having bouquets of flowers i am having seasonal foliage instead (ivy, teasels, autumn leaves, etc). i am making the table planner as a tree with branches coming off to each table.

favours - we have found enviro friendly lanterns which we may use, and i like the idea of home made fortune cookies - i have a recipe but havent tried them yet. does anyone have any other enviro friendly/frugal ideas for favours?

photographer is the other costly thing - if anyone has any ideas for that i would be grateful. also, hair which will be kept simple, and i am not a makeup person anyway so i'll just keep that natural.

we are also asking guests that wish to, to leave a donation towards our honeymoon instead of presents as we have lived together for 5 years so dont really need another 5 toasters. we havent booked the honeymoon yet but we would like to go somewhere full of culture like hong kong, china or thailand.

if i think of anything else i'll leave a post but i think thats it for now!

JuniorSherlock

Hiya
New to the board so hello everyone! I managed to get married spending just £1,750 and that even included free sparkling wine for toasts for our guests. Here are some of my biggest tips:
If relatives want to be bridesmaids, ask them to pay for their own outfits. If you stick to white as a colour for bridesmaids you can coordinate their dresses using large coloured ribbons to tie around their waists.
Handmade wedding invitations cost a fraction of the price and are much nicer because you've put the effort in.
Oxfam have dedicated wedding shops for low cost bridal gowns and suits.
Keep numbers low. Friends and distant relations can attend the reception, but only those who are important to you should benefit from the whole day with dinner.
Having a pub dinner is now the done thing with celebs like Kate Winslet popping out for pie and chips on her wedding day. It'll cost half of what a hotel would charge and will probably be enjoyed much more because it's so informal and different.

I recently came across a site called www.TheFizz.co.uk and they have a couple of articles on keeping to a wedding budget along with a budget planner. There are some good ideas in there.

Hope everyone's wedding goes to plan and you all have wonderful days!

Sars10

gizzyben0 wrote: »

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has ever used a company called 50th Studio? I have seen the wedding dress I want there for alot less than it is here but I dont know if they are good/honest company etc can anyone help????

I googled it and if it's "50thstudio" as in one word- it sounds like a chinese manufacturing company- they produce copies of designer dresses- sometimes of poor quality. I've heard good and bad reviews, not of this particular company- but I don't think it's worth the risk. Just found a review on a website called weddings online discussion- it won't let me post the link here as I'm new- so I've copied and pasted the relevant post below:

"Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:33 ami- I hope it's not too late but hopefully this will be helpful to anyone else looking to order from 50thstudio.com

they seemed like a legitimate business. however, i ordered a dress and was under the impression the dress was from the actual designer. they asked for my measurements and i thought that if the finished product looked the same for 50% of the cost, then it would be fine.

i sent them my bust, waist and hip size. they only got 1 measurement out of the 3 correct. the dress did not fit and could not be altered for a reasonable fee. they said they had to abide by their refund policy of only refunding me a portion and would not refund shipping. i kept telling them that this was their error, it wasn't because i changed my mind but they refused. we came to an agreement and said they would pick up part of the shipping costs in the refund. they lied about the shipping costs and when i confronted "alice" she said that was the price she was told.

they got the measurements wrong, the dress was not close to what i had wanted, the color was off, the material is cheap, the stitching does not look professional.

i would never order from this company again and would highly suggest getting involved with them. they had terrible business sense and their dresses are of terrible quality. i would pay the extra money to get a dress that you know will be quality. i am in the US and had to go through the registration just so that i could post a reply to this question. i hope that noone orders from them because it ends up being a headache and a good chunk of money lost. "

I was tempted when I was looking for my dress- in the end I've found a dress maker in this country (see post above) to make a dress v similar (can't be an exact copy, but practically with only subtle changes) which works out cheaper than buying the dress from a bridal shop and it's made to fit- so saves all adjustment costs etc

vezza_2

Sars10 wrote: »

I'm getting my dress made by her too!

Hi all btw :wave: I'm getting married in Aug 2011 Thanks for all the info provided so far!

If anyone has any tips on how to select someone to do hair/makeup on the day- can you let me know how you went about it. How far in advance do you need to book and how much is it on average? I'll be wearing my hair down (might even have some extensions put in :eek:) but would like some nice curls etc. I'm guessing you have a pre-run before the big day?

Also chair covers- any recommendations on companies to go with? How soon do you need to book these by?

Thanks!

With regard to your chair covers i am using a company called Chairs with Flair they are based in Selby but they post the chair covers to you any way so it wouldnt matter where you are based. I found them to be the most competitive, i was shocked at what some companies were charging. I check out the samples and it is good quality. I think we managed to get her down to 150 inc deposit for 130 chairs and this was with a sash, it pays to haggle a little. If you want more details PM me. I found her on ebay.

Nic_Noc_Noo

cutiepieabf wrote: »

The venue itself is the most expensive element - £2800 for the ceremony and evening reception including buffet food for 80, reception drink for 80, dj, crockery, table decs, etc, and room for bride and groom on wedding eve, so i think thats quite reasonable. We are having an outdoor ceremony (so i hope the weather is dry) at 4pm that will then lead straight into the buffet and then party.

Hey there cutiepieabf!
I see that you're from Wrexham :T and as I'm wanting to get married there (hometown) around October time 2012 - I was just wondering where you are getting married? (if you don't mind sharing that is). That deal sounds amazingly good value - was it something you created yourself or were you limited to a set buffet menu? also is that hot or cold buffet you're having?
Thanks in advance

Ms.SassySaver

Hi everyone!
Just new to the site and loving all the wedding advice!

I'm planning my own wedding for May 2012 and here are some ways I have saved money so far:

1. Photography ( a big expense usually!) - a friend who has studied photography has kindly agreed to take our photographs outside of the church etc. for that professional touch. He is just going to use my 14 megapixel digital camera no fancy equipment needed! His fee will be a drink on me - can't argue with that! At the reception we are setting up our digital photo printer at a "photo booth" this printer is stand alone and does not require a pc or laptop. Guests will be encouraged to take pictures with their own digital cameras. Then they can take their memory card, slot it into the printer and print out pictures instantly, then stick them into a huge album with a note or dedication. This way I feel our photos will be more personal and we will have fun looking through them the next day. All together this will cost us £150 for the photo paper and a nice big album. Even the printer is only £100 to buy new so it wouldn't cost more than £250!

2. Venue - A lot of people can overlook perfectly good local venues. Castles and manor houses are lovely but are very expensive and an be quite impersonal. My family run a local miners welfare and although on first appearance it's not very fancy, inside the building is really beautiful. it was built a hundred years ago by skilled craftsmen and the woodwork and details are second to none. It is re-upholstered regularly and everything is polished and immaculate. It has a real community atmosphere and sense of history you can't get from modern venues plus the food is amazing and soooo cheap! £100 deposit, menus start from £10 per guest, and drinks prices are cheap!

3. Favours - I really wanted something a bit different and quirky. I looked online and found organza bags with personalised tags for dirt cheap. I am going to use a friends cash and carry membership to by lots of retro sweets and candy and set up a candy bar at the side of the room, then guests can be invited to fill the bags with sweets to make their own favours! The rest of the sweets people can get stuck into during the evening plus the kids(and big kids) love it! Wholesale sweets for up to 200 people - £100 max!

keep the tips coming!

cutiepieabf

Nic_Noc_Noo wrote: »

Hey there cutiepieabf!
I see that you're from Wrexham :T and as I'm wanting to get married there (hometown) around October time 2012 - I was just wondering where you are getting married? (if you don't mind sharing that is). That deal sounds amazingly good value - was it something you created yourself or were you limited to a set buffet menu? also is that hot or cold buffet you're having?
Thanks in advance

Hellooo!!! Where abouts in wrexham did you live?

We looked at a lot of venues in wrexham and flintshire but we were really taken by Llyndir Hall in Rossett. It has lovely surroundings and the price is really reasonable. there are a choice of different menus and we have chosen a bbq which if the weather is bad, they will cook in the kitchen and serve indoors, but im hoping it will be nice (fingers crossed) so people can sit outside if they wish. they also have a number of drinks packages but we opted for just a reception drink for toast (people dont expect free drinks at weddings).
The reason it is cheaper is that it is on a FRIDAY and is an OFF PEAK month. Also, when we had a tour with the manager we explained we were not having a lot of guests and she said that was fine. however when we had our costing through it said there was a minimum number of guests required (90 i think) which is more than we are inviting (our families arent huge and dont have huge quantities of friends - half the guests are kids!!) so i swiftly sent an email saying how disappointed we were and that we werent willing to invite people for the sake of it so we would have to take our business elsewhere. Had a grovelling reply saying that they had misunderstood and our guest numbers were fine. lol.
i would definately recommend giving them a call for a brochure but get in there fast because they book up quick!
We did look at Bodidris Hall but you were really paying for the view more than anything. you'll have to let me know what you go with!

santashelper_2

Hi I am looking to get married in a church in cornwall and wonder if anyone living in Truro or surrounding areas could suggest a small quaint romantic church that would suit what i am looking for.

Thanks

Nic_Noc_Noo

cutiepieabf wrote: »

Hellooo!!! Where abouts in wrexham did you live? town centre

We looked at a lot of venues in wrexham and flintshire but we were really taken by Llyndir Hall in Rossett. It has lovely surroundings and the price is really reasonable. there are a choice of different menus and we have chosen a bbq which if the weather is bad, they will cook in the kitchen and serve indoors, but im hoping it will be nice (fingers crossed) so people can sit outside if they wish. they also have a number of drinks packages but we opted for just a reception drink for toast (people dont expect free drinks at weddings).
The reason it is cheaper is that it is on a FRIDAY and is an OFF PEAK month. Also, when we had a tour with the manager we explained we were not having a lot of guests and she said that was fine. however when we had our costing through it said there was a minimum number of guests required (90 i think) which is more than we are inviting (our families arent huge and dont have huge quantities of friends - half the guests are kids!!) so i swiftly sent an email saying how disappointed we were and that we werent willing to invite people for the sake of it so we would have to take our business elsewhere. Had a grovelling reply saying that they had misunderstood and our guest numbers were fine. lol.
i would definately recommend giving them a call for a brochure but get in there fast because they book up quick!
We did look at Bodidris Hall but you were really paying for the view more than anything. you'll have to let me know what you go with!

sounds good to me - i've looked at loads on internet to try and narrow it down a bit, bit too far to just nip in! lol
i need somewhere with rather a lot of bedrooms to accommodate the contingent from Yorkshire that would be coming over so that's a task and a half in itself....seen a couple of places though and have sent my parents round to them to scope them out
unfortunately I'm restricted to a Saturday BUT I'm going for October like you so hoping to get some savings if I can, like the idea of a BBQ, nice and informal (I'm not one for all this "which fork do we use now?" business lol)
x

spoongirl

Hi,

I'm planning on getting married this year (June/July/September saturday), but struggling for a nice venue at a reasonable price. I had a conversation with a lady in John Lewis who said her friend used a company that sold venue cancellations. It was really cheap and the friend had a brilliant venue and food. Any one heard of such a company?

SG