Avoid the Wedding Credit Crunch!

The current average cost of a UK wedding is somewhere in the region of fifteen to twenty thousand pounds. In today's credit crunch climate, it is surprising however that this is still the case. Wherever we turn on the high street or whenever we open a newspaper, we are greeted with promises of fantastic sales across the UK. So how can the Bride and Groom to be get in on the act and avoid breaking the bank to pay for their big day? Well, with a bit of creativity and a few helpful hints and tips gathered from here and there, there are more than a few ways to save thousands of pounds on your wedding, here are a few examples of how.

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Shop Around

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Firstly be sure to shop around. As an example, designers tend to charge over £100 for a bridesmaid dress, where as evening dress lines or bridesmaid ranges in department stores can be just as nice and are often half the price. If you don't mind your bridesmaids wearing different styles, this can help with the cost as well. You can often find dresses of the same color but differing styles in the sale towards the end of the season. As we know, it is often the case that one style doesn't suit all so here you have the added bonus that your bridesmaids will probably thank you for this as well!

A fun way to stick to your budget and have fun at the same time is to set each other challenges to see who can find the best price on items such as the wedding cars. A handy hint here is that where the venue is fairly close to the church many companies will do two trips rather than expect you to hire two cars.

Avoid Minimum Order

When it comes to wedding stationery, many companies require a minimum order, making it difficult to save money when ordering from a catalog yet bespoke handmade stationery which often doesn't require a minimum order can be very costly so why not try your hand at making your own stationery and even the wedding favors as well? With literally everything you could need as well as a book on 'how to' under one roof at shops such as Hobby Craft, you can't really go wrong. And if you feel that this is still to complicated then ask one of the more crafty guests to help you out as their wedding gift to you.

Ask Family and Friends To Help

It can often be handy if friends or family can provide an item for the wedding as their gift to you. For example, when it comes to the cake, you may well have an abundance of offers from older family members. Don't be put off with thoughts of a traditional masterpiece covered in flowers and piping. If you prefer something plainer you don't need to pay an average of £400 for the cake and neither do you need to offend those offering their services. Simply thank them kindly for their offer, tell them that their cakes are absolutely amazing and you would love them to help out. Ask if they would mind simply icing the cake very plainly as you would love to tie the cake into your theme (hearts, feathers or whatever) and let them know that you already have some lovely decorations for the top in line with this theme. There are many cake shops selling modern sugar craft which you can place on the cake relatively easily or if brave enough, you can give the person making the cake strict instructions as to how and where to place these! Alternatively you could try out a supermarket wedding cake - you can decorate them yourself and you may be surprised by the taste.

Avoid Unwanted Gifts

You will have heard many storied of unwanted wedding gifts but are probably wondering how best to avoid this. If you do want specific gifts, one option is to start a gift list within a department store. Keep your eyes peeled for the best deal however, as stores often have a free gift card to lure you to sign up. Many of the gifts available from store to store are the same, so go for the one with the free gift card! The good news is that the wedding gift tradition is actually a pretty good way to pay for part of the wedding or the honeymoon. If you would like cash rather than physical gifts but feel this cheeky be aware that many travel agents offer a honeymoon account. This simply means that they will send out notifications to guests inviting them to donate towards this account. Not only is this a great way to save on your honeymoon but also a much less embarrassing way to ask for cash. Alternatively just ask outright in a letter within the invitations or use one of the many cleverly worded poems available on the internet

Every Picture Tells a Story

One area where extreme caution should be taken is the wedding photos as these really will be with you for life. After spending hours on end planning your day, it is vitally important that you are happy with the quality of the photographer that you choose. Many photographers have recognized the fact that wedding albums can be very costly and now offer CD only options. This usually includes all of the photos on CD with full copy write which means that you can choose how much and when you spend on prints. Packages average around £600 making this a great alternative to getting an album produced from the offset as this often costs thousands of pounds. If your photographer hasn't been recommended by someone who has used them before, make sure that you check them out fully before booking them. A good indication of a good photographer is variety of content on their website as well as a recognised qualification or membership of a professional photography group. Remember to also ask whether their previous clients have reviewed their work anywhere as there are now many websites where customers can rate wedding businesses.

Less is Less!

Venue decoration options seem endless these days. Many people choose seat covers to disguise dowdy hotel chairs or to co-ordinate with the rest of their table decorations or venue lighting to really make an impression and follow their colour theme through. Whatever the case, again there is opportunity to make savings. Choosing a theme such a monochrome keeps your decoration simple yet highly effective. Black and white is often a lot cheaper then some of the more adventurous options and comes with the added benefit of adding an element of timelessness to your theme. The use of simple items such as feathers in place of more expensive floristry arrangements will knock pounds off your budget.

In fact, over recent years, table flowers have graduated from massive bouquets to simple arrangements. This is handy when it comes to cost saving. Displays featuring between three to five stems are extremely effective and even more so with the introduction of masterpieces such as colored water or bamboo. This keeps costs down and looks amazing to boot meaning that in this case, less is actually less in terms of pounds! Remember also that your bridal bouquets will not be with you all day and therefore needn't cost a fortune. Simple wrist bracelets are very popular for bridesmaids and a great way to save on your flowers. If you are having flowers in the church, ask your florist to move these to the reception. Your florist will be able to recycle the arrangement and create new ones within a very short space of time.

Dress to Impress for Less

If there is one item that you won't want to compromise on, this is sure to be the wedding dress and this does make sense after all! All is not lost however, use Google to search for discount codes for local wedding suppliers which will often include the dress and don't forget wedding planning websites, join as a member and gain access to fantastic wedding planning tools to help you plan your big day as well as many discounted wedding products and services which will again include dress shops. Many bridal boutiques now have offers such as Groom's suit for free when you purchase the wedding dress or a discount when you hire a certain number of suits. For the more adventurous bride to be, it is worth knowing that you can often find designer dresses on eBay many of which have never been worn!

Bargain Bubbly

You will often find that the price of wine at your venue will be more expensive than in your local supermarket. Although the venues tend to charge corkage if providing your own drinks, shop around as you will often still be able to beat the price on offer at the venue through buying in bulk even with the corkage charge included. Nowadays it is rare that a couple provide a free bar, so don't feel pressured into doing so as it is very unlikely that this will be expected!

Better Late than Never

More and more couples are opting for a later wedding these days, and this can save you a great deal of cash! Getting married mid afternoon gives opportunity for a buffet type wedding breakfast. If this doesn't suit you then cut down on the evening buffet as very rarely does this run out, in fact in many cases guests end up taking this home with them! Remember that getting married on a day other than a Saturday or Sunday can also save you money, on average this will save you around £1,500!

Don't take no for an answer

And finally, barter, barter and barter again. We are in the midst of a price war wherever we turn. It may be bad news for business but it's great news for brides! Gone are the days when cheaper suppliers means lower quality goods, these days even the top suppliers in the country are having to fight for their position. The message here is simple, don't agree to the first price that you hear, don't be afraid to challenge those prices and don't take no for an answer!

Avoid the Wedding Credit Crunch!
Wine Charms In Bulk

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