Avoid the Wedding Credit Crunch!: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Avoid the Wedding Credit Crunch! (Part 1)
by Nicola Nelson.
Date: 1 November 2009
The current average cost of a UK wedding is somewhere in the region of fifteen to twenty thousand pounds. In today's credit crunch climate, it is surprising however that this is still the case.
Wherever we turn on the high street or whenever we open a newspaper, we are greeted with promises of fantastic sales across the UK.
So how can the Bride and Groom to be get in on the act and avoid breaking the bank to pay for their big day?
Well, with a bit of creativity and a few helpful hints and tips gathered from here and there, there are more than a few ways to save thousands of pounds on your wedding, and over the three parts of this article we'll see a few examples of how.
Shop Around
Firstly be sure to shop around. As an example, designers tend to charge over £100 for a bridesmaid dress, where as evening dress lines or bridesmaid ranges in department stores can be just as nice and are often half the price.
If you don't mind your bridesmaids wearing different styles, this can help with the cost as well. You can often find dresses of the same colour but differing styles in the sale towards the end of the season.
As we know, it is often the case that one style doesn't suit all so here you have the added bonus that your bridesmaids will probably thank you for this as well!
A fun way to stick to your budget and have fun at the same time is to set each other challenges to see who can find the best price on items such as the wedding cars. A handy hint here is that where the venue is fairly close to the church many companies will do two trips rather than expect you to hire two cars.
Avoid Minimum Order
When it comes to wedding stationery, many companies require a minimum order, making it difficult to save money when ordering from a catalogue yet bespoke handmade stationery which often doesn't require a minimum order can be very costly so why not try your hand at making your own stationery and even the wedding favours as well?
With literally everything you could need as well as a book on 'how to' under one roof at shops such as Hobby Craft, you can't really go wrong.
And if you feel that this is still too complicated then ask one of the more crafty guests to help you out as their wedding gift to you.
Ask Family and Friends To Help
It can often be handy if friends or family can provide an item for the wedding as their gift to you.
For example, when it comes to the cake, you may well have an abundance of offers from older family members.
Don't be put off with thoughts of a traditional masterpiece covered in flowers and piping.
If you prefer something plainer you don't need to pay an average of £400 for the cake and neither do you need to offend those offering their services. Simply thank them kindly for their offer, tell them that their cakes are absolutely amazing and you would love them to help out.
Ask if they would mind simply icing the cake very plainly as you would love to tie the cake into your theme (hearts, feathers or whatever) and let them know that you already have some lovely decorations for the top in line with this theme.
There are many cake shops selling modern sugar craft which you can place on the cake relatively easily or if brave enough, you can give the person making the cake strict instructions as to how and where to place these!
Alternatively
you could try out a supermarket cake – you can decorate them yourself and you may be surprised by the taste.
Read Wedding tips Part 2
