Help me with my wedding :)

[Beccarollover]

I got engaged in February and we are starting to look around at venues to set the date for late summer next year hopefully.

Thing is, we have two young children, just about to move house and no savings BUT really want to get married and I really want to have a big day surrounded by friends and family (as oppose to running off and eloping or going abroad)

After my initial investigations I felt really depressed about how much it was going to cost us and thought we wouldnt be able to do it.

Firstly any money saving tips from you guys would be great, secondly this is what Im thinking......

Get married on a Friday (does this cut costs?)
Go to registry office for actual ceremony
Take 40 daytime guests to a restaurant for nice meal
Have evening reception at lovely venue
for about 150

Im thinking that this should be a way of still getting the kind of venue I want (but cant afford for the whole caboodle) - what do you think???

Forgot to say that we got a friend to drive me to the church (a mile and a half away) in his nice BMW and dh and I drove back together in his puma (nice to have a couple fo minutes to ourselves!). Soemone got ribbon for the car (and transferred it over) - which they also got the guests at the church to sign while we were having photos taken.

The only reason I know the costs is that I put them on an excel spreadsheet, which happens to still be on my work PC!

Are you in Newcastle, beccarollowver? Come to StGabriels and let me marry you!!!!!

We had v cheap wedding - made dress for me (75) and waistcoat for dh (30), bought bridesmaids dresses in the sales (2x 30), no cars, cake done by friend for cost (60), booze (c.500), sit down lunch for 80 (about 800). Do you have to have an evening party as well? I know its got fashionable, but it adds massively to the cost, plus it always seems a bit odd to me having people not come to the actual wedding - could you have everyone and just do a big fairly casual buffet, not a formal sit down meal (everyone gets bored with the standard wedding meal and speeches anyway)?

Other tip I;ve seen below is to avoid telling people its a wedding, and look at nice clothes that aren't sold as 'wedding' - the 'w' word seems to double or triple costs on the assumption that daddy has a nestegg to pay for it I think!

how brilliant would that be, one mumsnetter married by another

OMG the mumsnet marriage!

Our wedding in 2002 cost under £4000. We cut corners on alot , but still had everything that was important to us.
We held the do in the local community centre, and my family decorated the hall saving us £££'s on getting a company in. The hall looked fantastic -like a hotel - honest it really did! A typical examplke of what we saved is - local companies charged £ 6.00 for 3 helium balloons for tables - local market £1.50 - and they were exactly the same!
We paid my a friend of the family to do all the food. For lunch we had approx 70 people and had stuff like platters of meat, prawns , mash , boiled spuds, crusty rolls, pasta dishes rice etc. and for the evening we had 150 guests and had things llike sarnies , quiche, crisps vol au vents- all the normal party food.
We got a friend to video it.
My sister did the flowers for the venue. And as we had it in commnity centere we didnt have to pay corckage on the bottles of wine ( about £5 per bottle) and we got our wine from france for 1/2 the cost of it here.

I think the trick is to spend the money where you really want it - for example - the food cost us £400 max, and my dress cost £1000. Then youll get the day you want.

Oh yes and I had 6 adult bridesmaids too - and had 4 of the dresses 2nd hand - bought some more material and got a friend to alter them and make two new ones.

Yes Im in newcastle miranda (I met you at the Tynemouth meet )

That is a lovely offer and would be great BUT I had decided against a church wedding as neither of us are particularly religious and felt rather hypocritical having a church service.

By the way, if you really do want to cut costs....I have catered for two weddings in my house!!

First was a friends'. They got married in Hylands House and then we had 60 people back to ours for an afternoon buffet. She was very specific on the invites, reception was from 2 till 6. Borrowed tables for the garden, covered in white table cloths with lilac on top (looked very posh) forget-me-nots in pots for the table decs (v.cheap from the market).

Bought all the food from Costco (huge buffet) and had loads left. We provided the champagne as our wedding pressie and I prepared all the food. Someone else provided the cake, the car and other stuff. All in all I think it cost less than £1000.

BR
PS. Some of her friends were a bit off though. One of them tried to give me their empty glass as I went by clearing up!! Very nearly told them where to put it... in the kitchen of course!!

i got married in 1999 and it cost about £300!!! The only thing we bought was my wedding ring and dh's shirt and trousers and the, few flowers and the wedding invitations!! All the rest was bought as 'wedding presents' A friend made the cake and gave it to us as a wedding present, the same with the catering. I do wish we had a big proper do though. In fact, DH bought me a lovely ring anf asked me the other week (on our wedding anniversary) if I wanted to renew our vows and have a big ceremony etc...bless him!!! Will be a few years yet though!! Got to save up first!!

Congratulations Beccarollover!

I got married on last Saturday and we had a lovely day - just the wedding we wanted!

We had a civil ceremony with about 50 guests at midday at the local register office. Then we had a reception at one of the local village halls, hired via the parish council for 200 quid for the afternoon. The buffet food was done by a local caterer for about 12 quid a head, we had the pick of their menu to choose the items we wanted. They set everythin up, provided all crockery, glasses etc etc and cleared away afterwards.

Booze came form Tescos.com - look out for special offers. We got some lovely aussie sparkling wine, instead of champagne for half price.

DH has an e-type which we used as the wedding car.
My outfit came from Kaliko and I chose a linen suit so I can wear it again. I got some wonderful shoes in LK Bennett factory outlet to match and an unusual handbag from debut as well.
MIL made and iced the cake and I had a simple floral decoration on the top. My bouquet was a simple handtied number with calla lillies - cheaper if flowers are in season apparently.

Didn't have an evening reception, but a number of guests came back to our house afterwards and we had takeaway fish and chips!

All in all we kept to a minimal budget, apart from my engagement and wedding ring, which they are absolutely stunning....

The are some great ideas on this thread.
I hope you have fun arranging your special day .

becca did you see the dresses I sent you?

Where did you send them CD?

your hotmail

My friend got married on St Michaels Mount in Cornwall and it was fantastic. Everyone met up in the pub, walked across while the tide was out, wedding in lovely small church, photos, then everyone walked back before tide came back in, pub buffet then dancing and boozing till the small hours.

Can't remember exact timing of wedding v food but they only provided one buffet. You don't have to do the traditional sit down meal and then evening buffet.

Just seen them and replied!!

WOW I cant believe how cheap!!

Thank you all SO much for all of this, its making me think its all going to be possible - me thinks I should set a webcam link up so you can all watch???

Mumbo Jumbo - where is the LK Bennet factory outlet - I am having fantasies about going there!!

Does anyone know how you find out when and where Wedding Fayres are going to be?

HAHAAHAHAHAHAHA LOOK AT THESE DRESSES!!

HOW'S THAT FOR NASTY??

LOL That site is brilliant - would you tell your best friend if she picked one of those beauties?

LOVE that wedding dress site!! Haven't laughed so much for ages.

becca - wedding fayres,,,,

normally posted on silverlink roundabout lol!!

ring big hotels
gosforth park
the one near central station
the one at silverlink

they do them but usually around summer

becca - wedding fayres,,,,

normally posted on silverlink roundabout lol!!

ring big hotels
gosforth park
the one near central station
the one at silverlink

they do them but usually around summer

ooops

OH MY GOD - MY DRESS IS ON THAT SITE!!

NO WAY CUPPY??!?!?

The ugly site????