Cheap wedding?

[rolzii]

Hi all,

I have been engaged for the past year and a half and haven't booked a date for the wedding yet.

I am 27 and me and my partner have our own house, but I would love to get a wedding booked.

The only problem is, weddings are extremely expensive and tbh I just can't justify it. I've looked at a few venues and we're talking around £16,000 for the venue alone without the dress, suits, etc.

I can't think of anything worse than spending £20,000 odd on a wedding when that money could have gone on so many better things.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to have low budget weddings? Ideas on something different? I really want to get married but not for the prices that I have been quoted!!

As above, if you want to be married, just sign the register and go to the pub to celebrate. Job done.

@GladAllOver in the nicest way possible... RTFT!! I want a wedding not just a marriage. Of course the most important part is being married at the end of it, but I want an actual wedding.

If it's the full wedding thing you want then you're just going to have to pay the inflated prices that it costs, there's no way round it. You're the customer they are all looking for.

@GladAllOver you are right, the second the word 'wedding' comes in to it the price just heightens!! For example, we had a local band play at our engagement party which cost £500, for the exact same band to play for the exact same amount of time at a wedding it'd cost £1,000!! (Not planning on getting them but this is just an example)

There have been some great tips on this thread for bringing the price down, but it's still not going to be as cheap as I would like x

One of the best weddings I ever went to was at Claridges in London. Just 24 of us (bride, groom, parents, grandparents, siblings and then their very best friends). A beautiful ceremony and a sit down meal all around one huge table in a private room mid week lunchtime. Speeches were done there as the father of the bride was very nervous about public speaking and it felt so intimate and heartfelt - like we were all family.

We then all got the train to their local pub (sounds rubbish but it was so fun - everyone was congratulating the couple, the guard made a special announcement, the photos were great and it was only 15 mins). Admittedly their local is very pretty and they were regulars so the landlord closed it for them with a minimum spend criteria. All their other friends and colleagues and relatives were invited but it was a “just rock up” affair and nobody had to RSVP. There were nibbles put on and everyone had a voucher for a free drink when they arrived. Everyone from their cul-de-sac turned up - neighbours they knew but not people you’d normally splash out on inviting to a wedding.

It just had the best vibe. I think because there was no expectation of some big fancy wedding. People weren’t having to splash out on outfits, hotels or travel and didn’t need to take a day off work so they were happy buying their own drinks and ended up with a lot more gifts than they expected (which was zero). It felt extremely special and the bride made no compromises at all having the ceremony in such a swanky hotel.

This is a while ago now but the whole thing cost less than £10k and it’s up there as one of my most memorable weddings because it was so different.

I like we can have an off day, own it, apologise and both graciously accept it.

I am serious. My dress needs a home. If not for you, anyone who is looking let me know. I can try and post a photo. It's a 12.

@rolzii Do you have a rough idea the number of guests you would like there? 😊

I'm planning my wedding and have booked a Registry Office for the day and a cricket club for the night . There will be a buffet in the day and a hog roast in the night . I haven't bought much yet and only paid deposits but it looks like it's coming in at around 5-6K .
I will still be having a wedding dress .
They do some lovely artificial flower bouquets on eBay and I will be doing my own centrepieces.

I want an actual wedding! Unfortunately a registry office followed by a pub is not going to cut it for me!

You do realise a wedding ceremony in a registry office is "an actual wedding" ?
and
a Reception in a pub or Social club or Sports club is an actual wedding Reception.

Your comments are quite offensive.

Everyone that gets married has to choose what they are willing to spend money on and what they aren't. It is a tale as old as the hills.
Yes, it is really frustrating that prices double or triple when the word 'wedding' enters the conversation - but that is hardly new. It is the same for everyone.
There are lots and lots of ways to get married for a lot less money, but you don't want to do that, so therefore you have to pay the money.

@NewName24 I do apologise, I worded that wrong. By actual wedding I guess I meant traditional wedding, in the sense that I wouldn't want to go to a registry office followed by a pub. The comment you are referring to is me responding to someone who suggested a registry office followed by a pub meal which is not what I want.

However, you are wrong as many suggestions here have already brought the price down by quite a bit! So I can still have the type of wedding that I want for a cheaper price. I've found a venue where I can have a slightly later ceremony (3pm) meaning we'd only feed guests once at around 5/6pm - this has already knocked £5,000 off the price which is unbelievable!

What about Eloping? It is romantic and you could have a party after and announce it? How many guests do you want?

A register office ceremony is cheaper on a weekday than the weekend. I grabbed a summery dress out of my wardrobe 5 minutes before we set off for the register office, DH called my family and told them on the way home, my parents are elderly and don't like traveling so they were happy they weren't obliged to attend, (I live in a different country).

Some suggestions:

Have the wedding later so you only need to feed people once (I see you've already looked into this :)) - a 4 pm wedding or later. 3 pm is still a bit too early for just one meal IMO. 4 pm means you can have a 30 min wedding, 1.5 hours canapes / drinks, then sit down at 6 pm and start eating at 6.30

Limit your guest list. The biggest expense is feeding and watering people.

Go for an all-in-one venue; makes life so much easier and cheaper

Secondhand wedding dress on Stillwhite, bridesmaid dresses on ASOS, no unecessary frills (e.g. bridesmaid proposal boxes)

Cheap cake / cupcakes

I had a very standard traditional "white wedding" and didn't splash out on lots (but also didn't look to penny pinch), and it was ~£30k for ~100 adults and a few kids, but it was money we were happy to spend.