Tell me about your basic / low cost wedding?

[blesbliss]

The cost of a traditional wedding is prohibitive and if we're going to do it, it will have to be very basic / low cost.

I have another post considering a registry office followed by a pub meal but also wanted to hear of any other ideas to keep the wedding very low key.

• Had the ceremony in our local church, they let us take pictures in there after.
• Paid a friend with a good camera £150 to take pictures, we got some beautiful shots.
• had a meal with our closest family and friends afterwards.
• made the favours my self - ordered some from Etsy.
• went to the flower market and bought all the flowers myself, made them up with my bridesmaids the night before. I think we saved thousands doing this. Made like 20 button holes, 4 bouquets.
• bought flower girl dresses, shoes and my veil from SHEIN
• the most expensive thing was my dress and the altercations

It was a beautiful day, with amazing weather for feb, wouldn't change it for the world.

I forgot to add we got a massive cake for £55 from cake box, fed all 30 people and loads left over

Registry office, ordinary suits for the men (my DH did get a new suit, because he wanted to), a pretty full length dress for me and reception at my mum's house, The food was all done by ourselves with a bit of help from aunties who had come to stay and my reluctant brother. I made the cake and decorated it myself (of which I'm still quite proud) relatives and close friends only, a bit tight on space but the weather was very kind! We paid for a few flowers, buttonholes for the men, an orchid spray that pinned on for me and a small spray for the top of the cake, and for photographs, but not OTT. It was a great day, everyone seemed to enjoy it, very low key and relaxed.

The thing that costs the money is the guests.
Invite less people and it will cost you less money.

We got married during Covid. Church cost £800. Flowers £150 for my bouquet and button holes x 5

Marquee for home £2000 inc tables and chairs and linen.

Afternoon tea for 25 plus wedding cake - 350
Fish and chips for 25 - 175

Booze for everyone - 400

My cousin recently got married. Registry office, no guests, just 2 witnesses.
Then invited the whole family out for dinner (16 of us) and paid for that and told us their good news.

I think it cost them less than £2k in total

I am foreign, so it was just the registry office and his family. I wore casual clothes, just bought the top brand new. We are together and for life, 13 years later

yes, his family spent few days around us and the area and we had couple of meals out but this was not part of the wedding. All I wanted was to just sign and start for a baby :)

Church + relative taking photos afterwards. Friend made lovely (non trad) dress at cost. Reception at village hall was a byob party with picnic type food. SIL baked fab choc cake. Friend was DJ. No dress code, no speeches, lots of dancing.

Looking back I’d spend more on bottles of wine/beer/pop rather than byob and (loads) more snacks - and would have had bunting. But nothing else I’d change. Everyone who was there attended knowing we didn’t want a big ‘do’ just to share to a special day together to share the love. People we care for weren’t fussed about fancy bells and whistles (or if they did then hid it well). Look back on it with a lot of joy.

Do what you and your partner want to do and don’t get caught up in wedding prep madness. It’s possible to have a really special celebration on a budget that fits you both rather than aims for some insta moment. Then spend some of what you’ve saved on an incredible holiday.

Hi! Can I please ask how much that meal cost you? 🌹 Sounds like my idea od a wedding. :)

@SoInLuv it was a while ago! Was a small local place. We had a room to ourselves and took our own champagne, it was a couple of hundred quid I think but as I said, a while ago!

Small local places can be a good bet. Usually happy for the custom and flexible.

We had a registry office wedding. It’s a lovely building as it used to be part of the old mansion house.

We’d been together for 12 years before we got married and both had been married before. Neither of us wanted a big wedding so just had our 4 kids (who were all part of the ceremony in some way), our parents, my siblings and DSS’s girlfriend. Just 13 in total!

We had our wedding at 11.30am on a Saturday which is cheaper than the afternoon and then went back to our house for food and drinks. I ordered food from a local cafe, our cake was a gift from our neighbours who are good friends and we had small bouquets and button holes done at the local florist for about £100.

My dress was from Vinted for £8 and so was my son’s suit and my daughters dress from Shein.

It was simple, beautiful and very us! Everyone had gone home by 8pm and we were in our tracksuits drinking tea 😆 It cost about £1k in total.

Many thanks for the response, it's a good idea.

We are doing everything ourselves. We found a venue that was £240 for the hire for the day. They have a wedding licence, so we have paid the register office to come there just short of £700.
We have spent about £800 on decorations, but I hope to get some back from that.
We are having afternoon tea as our day food, and pie and peas, bacon butties and chips as evening food. Total food cost is £2800
My dress was £100 from Local hospice wedding dress sale.
Other clothes are around £500
Cake has been gifted.
Time to help decorate the venue had been gifted.
We have budgeted £600 for champagne on the day(still waiting on prices for that)
And £500 miscellaneous

This is for 160 guests, in UK Feb 2025

My pal did a lovely registry office in London with beautiful room and then we all trooped off for a local restaurant dinner. They'd paid for the set menu for everyone and we all paid our own drinks which was fine, restaurant was briefed so basically we ordered a round and it was paid immediately on a card so didn't have any awkwardness at the end with bills.
I made them a wedding cake which was basically a massive 2 tier sponge with white lemon icing and a couple of decorate flowers and a congratulations thing which I bought.
We did the cake back at their house with a couple bottles of bubbly that someone else had bought. It was all absolutely lovely and very intimate

We got married at home, in the garden.

Bought a marquee from B&Q. Hired tables and chairs etc from a local catering place. Humanist celebrant, huge BBQ, loads of drinks, employed 3 local teenagers for the day to help serve, dish wash, tidy up etc. 30 people.

No transport, minimal flowers, told guests not to dress up, I didn’t wear a dress, photographer was just starting out and wanted to do weddings so got her free of charge - literally was in the right place at the right time when she was asking.

DH and I didn’t sleep apart the night before so no hotels. All very informal and yes, I’ll blow my own trumpet, family and friends still talk about it often and say what a great, relaxed day it was. 23 years on.

Registry office followed by lunch w 18 guests (closest family and a couple of friends)
no expensive cars, no decorations, no bridesmaids or flower girls.
DM paid for my dress, bought my own shoes, just one ring (DH didn’t want one).No wedding cake (regret this a little bit now) as dessert was included in the restaurant.
i had a nice bouquet and a hairdresser and make-up. Neither were amazing, maybe because I wanted to save money.

In retrospect I wish I would have spent money on a better photographer (she seemed half interested as I only paid for half a day), and better hair and make-up person. But I hardly think about it now and felt great on the day.

We had a small registry office ceremony, pub meal for immediate family , who'd been to the ceremony, then a party in pub function room .

We had no stag / hen do , no flowers, balloons or photographers .

I second the advice not to scrimp on the photographer. We had a lovely, small DIY wedding but now I have very little record of it.