To think its near on impossible to have a cheap wedding?

[DownUnderBound]

In our many years and dc together we have actually booked and cancelled two weddings packages! Each time turned into a circus, with everyone else thinking it was all about them, and taking over, moaning & making us feel guilty over small guestlists etc.(not inviting second cousins we literally dont even know) I have a feeling of its now or never, not getting any younger! But a googling session tonight has confirmed that it cannot be done! Am I wrong? Any tips?

[DiscoGlitter]

Course it can be done! Tip = don't listen to everyone else, and do what YOU want re guest list, it's YOUR wedding.
You'll go mad trying to listen to and keep everyone happy at once speaks from experience

[AuntieStella]

I think the way to do it is

a) elope
b) then throw a big party, in the smart version of your usual style (rather than a full-on wedding industry shebang).

[JanetOfTheApes]

Of course it can be done, you could get married for fifty quid if you wanted to. But you want a big package with accompanying dramatics, so that costs a bit more.

[Pufflehuff]

Registry office. It's like, £50 or something.

Then we took the guests to dinner. £180ish. Depends on your number of guests and the restaurant.

Obviously this is no good if you want a weddingy-wedding, with all the trimmings, but no, it is not at all impossible. You just scale it back. If the guests are your problem (why are you cancelling weddings over moaning guests?) then either elope or have a small guest list (ours was parents and siblings only) and just stick to it. People's reactions are their own problem and are helpful if you need to filter them out of your life anyway.

[MrsJayy]

Just go and get married and bugger the lot of them we got married on a budget mil caused a bit of a stooshie about aunty so n so not being invited we compromised and had aunty there and had a huge partyat night

[CMOTDibbler]

Of course it is. You decide your budget, what you and your partner absolutely want, book it and then tell everyone else.
You can start at £50 for you and 4 witnesses in the registrars office, 'we'll be at the pub after if you want to join us' and work up from there - £150 for the bigger room, and a bbq at yours after asking everyone to bring a dish rather than a present. Job done.

[Pollyputhtekettleon]

It's impossible to have a 'cheap' traditional wedding (ie 100+ guests, beautiful dress, suits, professional photographer, band, sit down meal etc)....although someone is going to come along and say they did all the above with leftovers from the Sunday roast chicken.

But do a different kind of wedding and it can be cheap. Just think outside the box a bit.

[WorraLiberty]

My first wedding was a big, grand, expensive affair - nice but totally unnecessary.

My second (and last!) was chilled out, relaxed and loads of fun.

Registry office with only parents and siblings, then off to the local carvery for a meal, before dumping the kids with grandparents and buggering off to a local hotel where we booked the honeymoon suite.

It was bliss. We even stopped at McDonald's for lunch on the way home the next day

[londonrach]

Of course it is. Wedding package? Just do your own. I think mine cost less than £4000. Limited our guest list, beautiful venue and food was amazing. Dress was in the sale but looked very good. Its the marriage thats important not the wedding. Decide whats important to you. My uncle and aunt (been together over 30 years) just want to register office in local town and thats it. Doubt it cost more than £50. Find out later in month when he told us and had massive family party in dsis house next month. Everyone bought a dish. I doubt a bigger posher wedding would have been right for them (they dont like fuss) and we had amazing time that day. It was a celebration of the family. Friend of mine got her stunning wedding dress from oxfam for £50. Tbh ive been to expensive weddings when the couple have split up within the year and quiet family events when the couple are still together after x number of years. Its about finding something right for you at a budget yiu can afford. Congratulations by the way x

[JasperDamerel]

Can you have a big wedding with lots of guests on a Saturday in July with a custom-made dress for a few hundred quid? No.

Can you have 60 guests in the off-season with a high street dress for £6,000? Yes.

Can you have a fabulous and stylish tiny wedding with a handful of special guests for £500? Yes.

Can you get married without any fuss, just the two of you and a pair of witnesses for under £200? Yes.

You can a wonderful wedding to fit your budget, but a lovely wedding on a small budget will be different (and in no way worse) than a lovely wedding on a big budget.

[Starwarsorbaby]

I had a lovely wedding, with sit down meal for 40 guests, professional photographer etc and spent around 3k. My dress cost £30 and fil made a scrummy, huge cake. We made our own decorations and didn't bother with a buffet for the evening.

Had a wonderful day/night, and everyone said what a lovely wedding it was (and loved my dress!) Was all dh idea - I wanted registry and a restaurant meal!

Some people did try to control some aspects, but you have to stay in charge - it's your (and dh) day!!

[NeedACleverNN]

Yes...we spent just over £1000 for everything.. And it was a brilliant day

[Janeymoo50]

My wedding in 80 days (yikes), is small (roughly 45 guests), but is still costing nearly £4K.

[DownUnderBound]

I have found a gorgeous nude embellished prom style dress on ASOS 72 quid! My ring is going to be made out of my old jewellery melted down into something new, so that would all be inexpensive. First dance, sit down meal etc are all things we now realise we dont want or need! I never dreamed of a big white wedding, but at the time it just seemed like 'what you do'. Registry office etc would be ok with me, but I couldnt organise a piss up in a brewery, so just do not know where to start in regards to what we do afterwards? Couldnt afford to pay for everyone at a resturant, maybe a house party with gazebo? Pub room hire? Anyone done anything like this? Dont want to sound boring, but we just want to be married, I just cannot stand all the fuss, it poured cold water over the whole thing and we snapped & cancelled. TWICE!

[DownUnderBound]

Forgot to add, eloping with dc is a definate option.and.party upon return, but trying to put the feelers out to see just how upset all parents would be.

[MadameDePompom]

Registry office + house party

Done.

[ChablisTyrant]

The hard part for any sort of party is catering on a budget. We had a big meal at our reception at minimal cost by just paying for the hog roast. Then one friend did canapés, another made bread and rolls, another vegetarian food, another did salads. It was lovely - so much nicer than most hotel wedding main courses.

[MadameDePompom]

It's the idea of planning a wedding that I find more off-putting than the cost to be honest. Couldn't be fucked thinking about bunting or table decorations.

[Ilovenannyplum]

I'm getting married in December, on a Wednesday.
Week day and completely off season saved £££ on the venue.

We're having sit down for 55 guests and with all the traditional aspects, ushers, bridesmaids, white dress, photographer, evening buffet etc we're looking at spending around 7k

I couldn't justify spending anymore than that but we could definitely have done it cheaper yes we wanted a white wedding not a registry office

[Oysterbabe]

What's your budget?

[CoughsNColds]

Depends on how many guests you want there, I think.

Perfectly possible to have a small (lovely) wedding on the cheap.

We had a tiny wedding in a registry office. I got a a dress in a sale, DH had a copy of his favourite designer suit made by a tailor.

Taxis to a restaurant afterwards.

Because of the small number of guests, we could afford to book lunch in a private area of really beautiful, top notch restaurant in a lovely part of London.

Afterwards, we had more champagne in a lovely bar with views nearby, then DH and I got taxis straight off to our honeymoon.

The wedding itself cost £1,500. Honeymoon £3k.

We had a big party in a bar when we came back, which cost under a grand.

Its the sit down meal feeding the five thousand and all the faff - cars, flowers, bridesmaids etc - that cost.

You can cut all that out easily.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

Ok, dress and ring sorted. If you want flowers you or a friend can do them, or organise a small hand tied posy, don't mention 'wedding'

Now makes a list of who you two want to come and we can brainstorm from there.

[gallicgirl]

Registry office is £50 plus £70 for notices.

Hire a church hall and get a hog roast. It'll probably be about £500 for 100 guests. Go to a cash and carry for booze or get a supermarket deal. If family are prepared to help with a buffet rather than hog roast, it could be really inexpensive. Alternatively check out party platters at Morrisons or Costco.

[x2boys]

It depends what you want I married dh six months after meeting him si obviously there was no big build up my whole wedding nearly 11 yrs ago cost £1000 this included marriage and reception for 25 guests I had the ceremony and reception in a hotel my mum's friend made my cake and dress they were both simple and lovely we didn't have an evening do just a sit down meal I wanted it small and simple plus I got married on a Friday which reduced the cost considerably if you want a big wedding with all the trappings then I would expect you would pay thousands more .