Budget weddings: cut the cost of your big day Cut the cost of your wedding reception

Budget wedding reception

Use our clever cost-cutting tips to organise an elegant wedding reception to suit your budget

1. Be open minded about your choice of venue

Choose to get married in a castle, stately home or top hotel and you can expect to pay a king’s ransom – but pick a local community centre, village hall or small hotel and your bill will be more budget-friendly.

A cheaper venue doesn’t have to mean a less luxurious day – decorating simple surroundings with flowers, bunting, candles and lanterns can bring them alive.

Meanwhile, bringing in caterers for a barbecue-style meal or hog roast could be great fun, and a far cheaper alternative to organising a traditional sit-down dinner for your guests.

Other touches, such as hiring vintage cups and saucers for an afternoon-tea style reception - or tracking down antique crockery at car boot sales in the run up to your day - can be both stylish and economical in a simple setting.

2. Pick an unusual date and time

Many people choose to get married on Saturdays throughout the spring and summer months, which means paying ‘peak’ rates for venues and catering.

However many hotels charge lower prices per guest for winter weddings - so if you’re on a budget you may want to think carefully about the time of year you choose for celebrating your big day.

Likewise, it’s also worth thinking about the time at which you choose to start your wedding day. If your ceremony is at 11am for example, you may need to provide your guests with two meals as well as canapes – whereas having a late afternoon ceremony means you’ll probably only need to feed your friends and family once, at dinner time.

If you choose to celebrate your wedding in the afternoon or evening, there’s no reason for anyone to guess your motivation is financial. By creating an elegant atmosphere with candles and black tie or evening wear, you’ll convince everyone you’ve simply made a stylish choice.

3. Keep your guest list under control

Planning your wedding with a ‘the more, the merrier’ attitude is bound to stretch your budget – especially if you’re planning to have a traditional ‘wedding breakfast’ dinner.

Reducing the size of your guest list – or at least keeping it within reasonable limits - is the quickest and easiest way to cut your wedding spending.

Remember: the more people you invite, the more food and drink you’ll have to pay for – not to mention the extra invitations you’ll have to buy and send and the extra money you might have to spend on hiring a larger venue.

4. Don’t scrimp – or splurge – on drinks

Your wedding guests are bound to expect some sort of refreshments immediately after the ceremony – so beware missing these out in an attempt to cut costs. People are likely to be thirsty and keen to start the celebrations, so failing to provide drinks at this stage could put a dampener on the day.

However, don’t feel you need to provide free-flowing wine or champagne here – it’s the gesture that counts. Offer juice and water as well as alcoholic drinks, and consider creating a low-cost ‘signature’ cocktail to add a personal touch, as well as trim the drinks bill.

Some couples put money behind the bar at their wedding, but don’t feel pushed to do so if you can’t afford it. If you’ll be offering a cash bar at your reception, make this clear to guests in advance – particularly if credit and debit cards are not accepted.

5. Save money on your wedding menu

A formal wedding breakfast is traditional – but it’s also the priciest way to feed your guests.

Stylish alternatives include an evening canape reception, an afternoon tea party or vintage-style dance with delicious cakes, a buffet or a barbecue.

If you do want to provide your guests with a ‘proper’ meal, consider avoiding expensive cuts of meat and seafood in favour of warming, tasty dishes like sausages and mash or even fish and chips.

You could also skip the dessert course and use your wedding cake as afters – or hire a chocolate fountain for your guests to dip into.

6. Book budget-friendly wedding entertainment

Booking a DJ, a singer or a band for your wedding reception could be costly – so think carefully before shelling out. You should also be sure to either audition your chosen group, or ask for recommendations from friends when looking for wedding entertainers.

Shop around for a good deal from performers you trust, or consider asking one of your guests to be in control of the playlist for the evening.

7. Spend less on a wonderful wedding cake

Wedding cakes – particularly decadent fruit cakes – can cost hundreds of pounds. Think about how important the cake is to you before parting with your cash, and remember that plenty of people prefer a simple, affordable sponge to traditional, rich wedding cake.

Home-making the cake, or having a friend bake your cake as a gift, will save you money – as will opting for a cupcake tower instead of a single large, decorated cake. Alternatively, you could dispense with a cake altogether and have a chocolate fountain or cheese tower.

If you want to stick with a wedding cake, consider doing without intricate sugarcraft and stick with cheaper plain icing. Then you can top it with fresh flowers or sugar petals for a natural, pretty look.

8. Don’t pay too much for party favours

Party favours are a nice touch, but are not a must-have wedding item. You could cut them out altogether (and a decent proportion of your guests may not even notice) – or you could go for fun but inexpensive favours such as packets of seeds, retro-style sweets or home-made preserves.

9. Consider the need for wedding cars

If you want to make a big entrance at your reception venue, splashing out on vintage wedding cars may be worth it – but make sure you shop around for the best price you can find.

If your guests are all likely to be inside by the time the bride arrives at the wedding venue – particularly if the reception is being held in the same place – ask yourself whether expensive wedding cars are worth shelling out hundreds of pounds for.

10. Don’t forget photography

While some brides and grooms are prepared to break their budgets for better wine or clothing, it’s all too easy to forget that once your wedding is over, the photographs taken on your big day will be the main thing you have to remember it by.

Think carefully about how much you want to spend on photos, compare what different photographers offer and get the best quality pictures you can for your money.

Don’t forget to ask your photographer to take shots of the things, and people, that matter most to you. If you’ve stretched yourself to buy an amazing cake, or want a special picture of particular family members, make this clear before the big day dawns.

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