Tips to Save Money | UKbride

One of the best ways to save money is to involve as many people as you can in the planning process. By asking friends and family to contribute something towards your big day, perhaps instead of buying you a gift, your wedding will be special, unique and personal.

Wedding Dress: Be wary with your wedding dress, because, as we all know, a bride in a boutique is easily beguiled! Be completely honest with sales assistants from the start, and stipulate that you don't want to see or try any dresses which fall into a price bracket above what you're looking to spend.

Look into the options of ordering a custom made-to-measure dress from abroad, where tailoring is top notch, and a fraction of the price of some of the other dresses on the market. Do not however, get stung by an unauthorised online retailer selling fraudulent fashion. The British High Street is brimming with bargains for budgeting brides, so try perusing popular stores such as Debenhams, BHS or even Tesco, all of whom now stock a range of occasion wear. Be aware the average price for a dress is £1,500 when dress shopping!

Photography: Many aspiring photographers need a solid portfolio in order to build a reputation and adequate client base, so it can be well worth scouting out a friend or a beginner to take your wedding photos.

As with the majority of wedding services, you'll also find that many photographers offer a discount for weekday weddings, so even though the average price of a wedding photographer is roughly £950, tying the knot on a weekday is another means of achieving a cheap wedding. On average, a wedding on a weekday cuts costs down by a third.

Wedding Flowers: If you're getting married in a church, consider having your wedding before or after a popular religious festival such as Christmas or Easter. You'll find that churches are decorated lavishly for these occasions, eliminating the need to source a florist elsewhere.

Taking the flowers from your ceremony to your reception is an additional crafty cost cutting exercise.

Venues: Many of the larger hotel chains offer 'Wedding for a Grand' packages, which are perfect for the budgeting bride-to-be.

For example, Holiday Inn used to offer a buffet including wine for up to 100 guests, a wedding ceremony, planner, disco, and accommodation for bride and groom. The average price of wedding venues varies completely depending on the number of guests, and the provisions you require.

Cakes: Time is money when it comes to cake. The fancier the design, the greater the cost. Tried and tested cheap wedding cakes from supermarkets are also a good option.

If you're not keen to compromise on your cake, learn how to haggle and put your nuptial negotiation skills into play. The average cost of a wedding cake lies around the £400 mark, but you can save up to £200 by reducing the number of tiers.

Catering: Swap a three course meal for an afternoon affair serving high tea, or keep it contemporary and classy with champagne and canapés.

You could even take matters into your own hands and do catering yourself; impress your guests with something cheap and cheerful and make your marriage mouth-watering.

If you're opting for a professional catering package, make sure you are clear on what is and isn't included; beware of hidden added extras. Also beware that the average price of wedding catering combined with your venue is just over £4000!

And finally...

Weekday weddings are the easiest way to cut costs — because the majority of couples get married at the weekend, venues tend to put their prices up to meet high demand. If you are committed to having a cheap wedding, this is the single simplest way of achieving it! Whilst it might be disappointing that some of your guests may not be able to attend due to work obligations — that in itself is actually another money saving method! Marrying outside of peak season is another penny pinching practice — why not try the wow-factor of a winter wedding?