Shoe-String Wedding

sarahmtly

My partner and I have set a date for our wedding for March 11th next year. Im so excited but our budget is very very small.

The church will cost £550 all in apparently and we have managed to book the function room in our local British Legion for free just costs £80 for the DJ for the night.

My Sister is doing the photography and we are doing our own buffet.

The only thing that might be expensive is the dress and my future husbands suit. I have a hand-me-down wedding dress given to me by his sister but I tried it on the other day and it just looks awful on me, so I'm wondering if anyone has brought one made from China on Ebay as these seem very in-expensive and look lovely on the photos. Im just a bit worried about ordering one and it turns out awful.

Also if anyone has any other advice on how to keep the costs down as much as possible I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

clairec79

My sister in law did - hers was lovely - she did pay for some alterations here though

clairec79

BTW my daughter's bridesmaids dresses were also from one of the chinese people on ebay and the only thing they needed was the hem taking up as they were too long for them

pigpen

check out charity shops for dresses.. Also a lot of places selling prom dresses reduced them enormously out of prom dress season.. I picked up my daughters reduced from £495 to £150.

I'd not risk China dresses if I am honest.. they never look like they do in the pictures. I've got my eye on one on ebay which is £59 .. look around there are superb bargains to be had.

try local skill swap groups on facebook.. maybe for a few hours helping someone out with something means they can do you some freebie flowers or dress altering.. its all worth a look.

clairec79

oh and make sure you go on measurements not on size (ie don't think I'm normally a small - my 13 year old was in a medium)

harrys_nan

check out BHS stores, they have wedding clothes.
How about putting an add on your local facebook selling page or preloved?

theoretica

Also have a look on ebay and gumtree, especially if you live in a big town, in case there is something used you think worth asking if you can try on.

KxMx

A friend got a eBay chinese wedding dress and it was stunning.

She did need it altered because she had ordered a laced back and it came zipped, with not enough time for a replacement to arrive.

Rambosmum

There are some great outlet stores which sell 'proper' wedding dresses at a fraction of the price, there's 3 near Manchester and I know there are some elsewhere.

Serendipitious

Oxfam?

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/bridal/wedding-dresses?pscid=ps_msn_bing_shop2014-brand&dclid=CO_orfOXoMkCFaiTwgodLLgDOg

And well done for doing it on a low budget, so many people rack up immense debt over weddings.

I always said if ever I remarried, I would keep the guest list really short and restrict my side of it to those people who sent me a birthday card in the preceding year. On the basis that if they didn't know me well enough to send a birthday card, they couldn't possibly know me well enough to be invited to my wedding! Not had chance to exercise that yet, but here's hoping!

Wishing you much happiness on your special day and throughout your life together.

xx

pigpen

Serendipitious wrote: »

those people who sent me a birthday card in the preceding year. On the basis that if they didn't know me well enough to send a birthday card, they couldn't possibly know me well enough to be invited to my wedding!

wow.. I've not had a birthday card in 4 years... my guest list would be tiny! I don't even get a card from either of my parents or my OH.. hahaha