Hi Everybody, I am new to the site and was wondering if anybody has got any good tips on keeping the cost down. We have not got a lot of money and only have a budget of £2500 total.
CommentAuthorKizzy81
Beg, steal and borrow. Oh and cash in every favour anyone owes you! x
CommentAuthorMrs (Dove) Pidgeon
Hi and welcome and congrats.
Money saving tips... Mid week and off season can save you quite a bit with suppliers. Dresses- some great bargain hunters on here can help with that Ebay is your friend Later ceremonies (e.g. five pm)- only feed guests once Think outside the box- village halls, pub function rooms, sport clubs etc are cheap to hire for receptions. DIY- saves loads.
Good luck. xx
Now a extremely happy German housewife and now a Mother!!!!
Islay Jean born 24th June in Hannover.
CommentAuthorMrs Daltry
hi hun and welcome to uk bride,a wedding can be fantastic what ever you budget,use ebay,shop for bargains,haggle and were possible find local people who can help with things like the cake flowers and so on,plus on here wer a welth of information,iv done my wedding just under £5,000
CommentAuthorcharlotteverity
ebay is a life saver. they have so much for weddings on there. see if you no any1 that does anything you want in the wedding eg flowers, photography etc and see if they can do it as a wedding present or cheaper for you. xx
Make your own invites! (But as many girls on here will tell you, you'll need patience, and you'll need to start early!)
There's a whole bunch of threads on here about people making their own cake. I'm told that it's perfectly possible to make a decent one with practice.
CommentAuthorlyndseynjason
thank you all for your replies
CommentAuthorcharliemeg
hi hun and welcome, i agree with everyone else on here Ebay is my best friend done most of my wedding shopping on there from dresses and suits and shoes, to my chocolate fountain. Also hobby craft have a great selection of wedding stuff, from flowers to favours at pretty reasonable prices too. definately worth a look xxx
CommentAuthorcharliemeg
if you dont want to make your cake you could always get supermarket one, im getting mine from m&s not bad priced either :)
CommentAuthorL JO
Hi Lyndsey...congratulations and welcome have you booked your venue yet?...and I agree with the others EBAY all the way xx
CommentAuthorlyndseynjason
I have fallen lucky cause I have got family and friends that are doing the cake, flowers, transport and entertainment for us free (or should I say as a wedding present). I think my biggest costs are going to be the food, dress and photographer. Not sure how much a photographer would cost though, anybody got any ideas?
Again thanks for all the ideas xx
CommentAuthorL JO
Some photographers are really expensive we are paying £250 really good bargin I put a message on FB asking if anyone new of anyone in our area and got this chaps number he doesnt advertise but he's been doing weddings for 22 years went and saw his pics they were amazing and H2B wants to do the album his self as he does photography so we are just going to have the pics on a dics xx
CommentAuthorhay
hi hun congrats and welcome, ebay is great for bargains i've got everything off there apart from my invitations my wedding dress only cost £102 off there made to measure from china and its gorgeous :) xx
CommentAuthorlyndseynjason
I have looked at dresses on ebay but have been worried that they would not be like they are in the pictures and with the budget we have got, every penny counts so dont want to be having to lose money. What company off ebay did you buy your dress from and I will have a look.
CommentAuthorMrs (Dove) Pidgeon
If you want to see the dress first look onthe high street like BHS Debenhams or Monsoon.
Now a extremely happy German housewife and now a Mother!!!!
Islay Jean born 24th June in Hannover.
CommentAuthorL JO
Hi hun..I've put a post on your wall :-) x
CommentAuthorCeCe
Welcome!!!
CommentAuthorDan and Lisa :o)
Hey hun, welcome to the madhouse and Congratulations! ;o)
We are making our own food and that is saving us a load on catering. Ebay is fantastic and for reception ideas try partyshowroom.com.
Have u thought about second hand for your dress? That is a gr8 way to save money.x
CommentAuthorOfficially Mrs Nicol
ebay is definately ur friend... u can get almost anythin on there... :) And congrats btw... :) nic
CommentAuthorlyndseynjason
Thanks L Jo, Your dress is beautiful. I will have a look. x
CommentAuthorHolly
if you go into your local wedding dress shops they might have a sale on i was going to buy a dress that i feel in love with it was reduced from £700 to £99 adn they usually take them in for you if you need it,wedding fairs are usually really good to as they take there end of line or "last season" dresses with them. What sort of dress are you looking for and how much did you want to spend also what size are you as i may know someone that is getting rid of their dress and it is gorgeous!
CommentAuthorL JO
Just realised your getting married the week after me :-)....times flying by wooooo hoooo lol xx
CommentAuthorlyndseynjason
I am not sure of a budget as yet but would like something with a little detail that is strapless. (i know it sounds like most dresses). I am a size 12.
CommentAuthorlyndseynjason
I know, we booked it in January and haven't really got much sorted cause we are getting married 100 mile away from where we live. Really need to get my head on and get down to business lol
CommentAuthorHolly
ok how tall are you?
CommentAuthorL JO
Your find loads of help and advice on here huni, everyone is lovely xx
CommentAuthorlyndseynjason
I am 5'2 and I am already finding this site really helpful. Think I will be on here all the time nicking ideas lol
CommentAuthormrsr2b
hi... just wanted to say welcome... cant really add much to all the advice uve already been given!!! enjoy the whole experience tho, as much as u can Helen xx
CommentAuthorHolly
lol it is a great site and everyone is so nice, i only joined it yesterday and have found everyone so lovely and helpful, i'm not planning my wedding yet but still just come on here for a chat :) what colour dress did you want?
CommentAuthorlyndseynjason
Not sure white or ivory (light colour). The colour theme is burgandy. If i had known about the site before now I would have joined a long time again. I cant believe how nice everybody is. Its a great site!!!
CommentAuthorHolly
I'll find out if she is still selling her dress and let you know and get some pics for you,i'll let you know tomorrow..even if you don't like the dress still gives an idea of what is out there and what people have got etc. congrats on your engagement and wedding plans i'm sure all will come together we will all help too i'm sure. :)
CommentAuthorHolly
also just a quick thought as i was looking through the site yesterday you can buy dresses on here too and at some very good prices. x
CommentAuthorlyndseynjason
Thanks Holly, everything helps xx
CommentAuthorcatch
hi lyndsaynjason welcome to ukbride once you get started it is rather addictive, you will make loads of friends and get tons of idea's from them with pic's to look at it's all here, so budget idea's 1. e-bay is your most powerful tool, great bargins 2. loads lovely dresses on here ukbride for sale or check out all local boutiques sale rail xdisplay stunning bargins 3. make all your own favours and rope in all your mates 4. bridesmaids tons dresses on offer in debenhams/bhs good luck x
CommentAuthorkaris
dresses from oxfam bridal- so so lovely and cheap too, you get to try on your dress and you know exactly what you're getting. A lot of the dresses haven't even been worn, they get loads of donations from catwalk shows. I got mine from there for £300 and its amazingly perfect. They have a massive selection. x x x
CommentAuthorDan and Lisa :o)
Do u know, i didnt even know oxfam did stuff like that! Thats really gr8 ;o)
CommentAuthorauntiewoo
You aren't suppose to advertise on the forum. Naughty!
CommentAuthorkerdav
Hey we wanted cupcakes at our reception and was quoted 5 quid per cupcake, i almost fainted as we are having about 200 guests, so we are baking our own at a fraction of the cost and using ebay to get cupcake wrappers, looks the same a fraction of the price, congratulations on getting engaged and good luck with the tips :D x
CommentAuthorone day
Ooohh crikey, only joined yesterday I didn't know sorry ....
CommentAuthorDiana89
Check with your local college/uni for photography students, if possible get a couple of them just in case, they will generally do it for next to nothing for experience. You can do the same with hair and make up. Catering for yourelves is your best bet, there was a topic yesterday but can't remember what it was called where we were talking about it, general idea was special order things from places like costco and supermarkets. Iceland do great party food, especially things like cheescakes and gataux.
CommentAuthorhgee87
Hi hun, welcome to uk bride,
I have posted a little something on your wall about the dress, hope it helps good luck with all your plans and everyone on here has already given the best advice
xx
CommentAuthorLaura
Hi Hun, we are also on a very tight budget, rougly the same as yours. What you need to do is prioritise what is most important to you, we decided that having a church wedding was the most important thing to us along with my dress. Try considering things like:
Village Hall as the reception venue - ours is costing £130 for the whole day! Do the catering yourself - we are saving a fortune! Make your own Stationery - much cheaper and more personal
Ebay is great, I have found endless amount of bargains!
Also ask friends and family, I have free cars for the day, my dress and bridesmaids dresses being made for free, flowers being done for free!
Also try your local college for students doing photography courses, you may find that they would do you pics for a very cheap price!
Hope this helps xx
CommentAuthormrshodges2b
i have a dress already but have lost alot of weight since i brought it its a plain white strapless dress size 20 the length is quite long as i am 5"11 i am selling this as i am buying another of ebay for £90 its beautifull if anyone wants to but it i am open to offers i will put a picture on of it soon x looking for £50 ono x
CommentAuthorTotallyLovedUp
bumped
making your own is the key to lot of things. for place settings we are having apples! ebay I fab for dresses, garters, veils etc and you can go as simple as facebook etc for invites! Also, shop around. Get imaginative with things like centrepieces. Things like flowers, try growing your own and watch tutorials on how to tie/make bouquets on youtube for example. Brooch bouquets are both very pretty, and, if you hunt for them they can be quite cost effective too! If you want garters buy a plain one from the bay and customise it!
I think making your own things is both more unique and more fun!
