Wedding budget

weddingplanneronabudget · 18 January 2018 at 8:05PM

So I was hoping to pick a few brains on how to plan a wedding without costs spiralling, everything seems to be escalating and I am getting worried!
So I have appeared to have blown the budget on a tent, we are doing it in a family garden- in a tipi, this is £4,500 with all decor/tables/chairs/dance floor/lights/heaters etc included but I really hate the white ones and decided that we were happy to cut on everything else to have this

The latest appointment we can get at the registry office is 11.30- hence now I am worrying what everyone (50 people) will eat until dinner (pizza oven in garden-£9pp) at 18.00, looked at a pub but that is going to be crazy money.
Was thinking of getting everyone to bring something but I have no idea what.

So far costs are:
Tent- £4500
Food (eve) - £900
Invites - £30
Suit - £400 FIL buying
Dress- £800 my mum buying
Rings-£600
Photographer -£1500 (decided was better to spend a bit more and not have crap photos)
Booze- £1500 -doing a booze cruise & FIL paying
Band- ??? no idea where to even start looking or how much.

need_an_answer · 19 January 2018 at 4:15PM

Have you booked the registry office yet?
11.30 seems quite early for a last spot,have you approached any other venues where they will allow a later service.I believe that by law you can marry quite late into the day maybe 5pm.

We recently went to a 4pm church service which would back up my theory of a later ceremony.

Is it a summer or warmer weather wedding that you are having?
Presumably you have a venue for the tent that you could get to with your guests after the wedding.
How about a picnic either asking them to bring a blanket and some food or even looking at the possibility of producing small picnic hampers.

What about a vintage tea and cake party with simple Victoria sponges,scones cream and jam and a few dainty triangle sandwiches.Then that can all lead on to your pizza evening reception.

Don't forget that you can take up quite a bit of time by going somewhere after the registry office for photos so again with a bit of careful planning you could stall everyone arriving at your tented venue.

A few things you may not have thought of in your budget, or thought of and dismissed.

Bridesmaids
flowers
transport to registry office and onward to venue
Cake
Hair/makeup/shoes
Fees for registrar/giving notice

With regard to the band,unless you know one they can be quite expensive but sometimes you can strike lucky by asking on facebook groups if anyone has a son/brother who knows someone!

I'm totally with you on the photographer front,out of all the things we spent money on for our wedding the pictures are the reminder that is left after the day!

weddingplanneronabudget · 19 January 2018 at 4:29PM

Hi thanks for your ideas, we have also thought of swapping it round and doing pizza when we get back and snacks in the eve, but the picnic sounds great. Yes it is a family members garden so plenty of room and going there after the registry office.

We have gone for this one because its in a beautiful old house not in the council buildings and because its on a Saturday (end of Aug) they go out and do hotels for the afternoon slots which is annoying!

Decided against bridesmaids,
1 bouquet of 'wild' flowers picked from a field/garden!
Cars, designated driver is who ever has the cleanest car on the day!
my sisters is making the cake & doing hair and make up
forgot the registry, that is £290

need_an_answer · 19 January 2018 at 4:40PM

It sounds absolutely lovely!

Please keep your thread open I am sure others will be along with some ideas and suggestions.
It would be good to hear how its all progressing.

Good luck with your planning,and if you have room for one more on the guest list......

Yes please!!!!

Misslayed · 19 January 2018 at 5:20PM

I made my own bouquet from supermarket flowers, and though I say it myself, it was as good as any from a trendy florist! I watched you tube videos to learn how, bought essential supplies online - such as sticky green tape - and did a practise run, which taught me that I could easily make it (and the buttonholes) the day, or two days, before. The problem with wild flowers is that they can droop alarmingly, very quickly, and cannot be guaranteed to be there in flower on the day! I had planned to use flowers from my own garden, as I sat looking at them exactly a year before our wedding day, and they would have been perfect. But on the day itself it would have been a nightmare finding enough. So the supermarket was my back up plan. You could try googling ‘alternatives to bridal flowers’, you might spot something that takes your fancy. There are some very creative people about. I hope you have a wonderful day!

pigpen · 19 January 2018 at 5:35PM

There are lots of very beautiful artificial flowers at very reasonable prices. My friend does wedding flowers with fresh flowers she grows herself and also with foam ones which look very realistic and beautiful.. I hated lugging a bouquet around for my wedding, is was shedding bits of greenery and the odd petal, it made my hand ache and the tape turned it green.. nice I know! .. I would go for a corsage rather than an actual bouquet now.. though, I am so odd that might annoy me too.

Artificial ones can then be used in a display in your home.. rather than spend a week watching them all die.

What are the legalities on picking wild growing flowers? Some are endangered species and it is illegal to pick them

"Cultivated flowers Flowers growing in council parks are legally off-limits, as Errington's children discovered; the same goes for council-maintained displays on roundabouts or verges, any gardens planted by a particular organisation (ie community gardens), and nature reserves or protected land. And if you persistently snaffle daffodils from your neighbour's front garden, you could face prosecution for theft, as well as the sharp end of their tongue.
Wild flowers According to Dominic Price of wild plant protection charity Plantlife, "it is not normally an offence to pick the 'Four Fs' – fruit, foliage, fungi or flowers – if the plants are growing wild and it is for your personal use and not for sale." Dozens of rare or endangered plants – from the lady's slipper orchid and adder's tongue, to threadmoss and sandwort – are, however, protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, so pick those and you could face arrest (though you're unlikely to stumble across too many of them). Whatever you do, don't drag up the whole plant to resettle it in your own garden – the law firmly forbids the uprooting of any wild plant." The Guardian.

need_an_answer · 19 January 2018 at 5:51PM

Reading about the "wild flowers" and their durability has reminded me about button bouquets and brooch bouquets.
They were quite popular a few years ago,reasonably easy to make,very easy to personalise and make a lovely keepsake.

Still a few tutorials online,and although they can be time consuming they are certainly a conversation point if you like something sort of quirky.

Whatever you decide re the flowers you carry is up to you but at least have some lovely flowers or plants around your relations garden.
Even small pots of growing wild flowers might be nice just to make mention of your original preference somewhere in the wedding!

or you could make small seed packets of mixed wild flower seeds and leave out as wedding favours for your guests.

LadyP01 · 21 January 2018 at 8:53PM

Hey just stopping by, I’m also trying to plan a budget wedding and you budget and cost cutting is very inspiring.

Some ideas Iv seen is big barrels of booze on ice with a nice chalk board sign or but jugs of punch to help yourself and next to it snacks and nibbles laid out and displayed for people to help themselves anything from crisps, chocolates, pasta pots. All easy and cheap to keep people going till the pizzas arrive or to snack on after the pizza if you do it the other way around.

I think you have saved money in the right areas, thanks for sharing as it’s given me some ideas

DD265 · 23 January 2018 at 12:19PM

I asked crafty friends and relatives to each make me a flower for my bouquet. So far I have a paper one, a filmy-plastic one and a beaded one. Somebody else is crocheting me one, I'll have one from fabric etc. It might look totally weird but I'm committed now. :rotfl:

I'd do a larger meal for lunch because otherwise people might get very drunk on empty stomachs - of course it depends how long you plan to keep the reception going for. You know your crowd; if we were having a wedding like yours, I'm sure family would be happy to bring a dish.

You don't need a band and could use an MP3 player with some speakers, or hire a DJ. Ours was included in our venue package so I'm not sure what the individual cost is. You may also find some teenagers willing to do it on the cheap - asking on FB is a good idea.

Not to add to your costs, but have you checked whether you need any insurance? Just thinking if somebody breaks something in your relative's house, for example.

Theglovner · 23 May 2018 at 12:28PM

To chime in with regards to the music/entertainment choice.

Although you may say I'm biased since I play in a band, I would never consider asking some young lads on the cheap through FB to provide the music. I'd recommend against just an MP3 player of your own choices as well.

If you really want to save money go with a DJ at least he can react to the crowd and alter the playlist accordingly (something that can't be done with a pre-prepared MP3 playlist very easily on the night), the worst thing you can do is hire a cheap band (there is a reason some bands are cheap and other bands are expensive) as this could ultimately ruin the feeling on the night.

This is the entertainment for what is hopefully a once in a lifetime event, the quality of entertainment that people will experience for 4+ hours will be a big part of what is remembered. A quality live band can really make the difference.

For a four piece band of good quality I would expect the pricing to be around £700 - £900 depending on your actual location. You are generally looking around £150 per member as a fair price for what they do.

Wedding budget

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