Budget wedding, you ask?
Even with a small budget you can achieve wonders when organising your special day.
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of a big princess like wedding, but then life happened, and I found that my values had changed and everything that I wanted before was no longer worth it.
As much as I still wanted to have an unforgettable experience on my wedding day, I knew that all the money included would have to be spent wisely.
So, every aspect of my wedding planning was with that in mind.
I endeavoured to make all things possible by hand or with only a few pounds to spend.
Assuming you have already announced your engagement, you are ready to get married and start making a checklist of all the areas that need planning for your big day.
First things first, be sure to think of your budget, the amount of money you are prepared, willing to spend.
You might be in position where your parents will pay all or most of the wedding by tradition. But if you are not, do not worry, there are still options to have a wonderful wedding.
Making a budget will give you a clearer picture of what you can afford.
This allows you to start planning!!!
Choosing a date might be hard as you should consider a few things like the season, exceptional absence circumstances or you wish to get married in another country.
Whether you decide on a wedding planner or set yourself up on that challenge, give yourself plenty of time to think things through.
Research what it will entail if you have never planned anything this big.
Use Pinterest or Google to find inspirations, new ideas, checklists and timetables to help you.
My husband and I decided to do it ourselves.
Challenge accepted!
After our three and half years of engagement, it was time to plan our big day.
Firstly, we made a list of things we wanted (a church ceremony) and didn’t want (traditions) to waste too much time and money on.
The result was to plan a small, intimate, budget-friendly wedding to remember.
Booking venues will depend on how many guests you decide on and whether you need to provide accommodation.
This might depend on some traditions, too.
So, keep that in mind.
Again, there are many options to choose from.
Remember that usually, all venues need to be booked well in advance.
A small wooden chapel for the ceremony and a big cabin in the mountains was what we envisioned and fulfilled.
With our 20 guests, we booked the cabin for three nights with ten en-suite bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a party room (with a small dancefloor and games), a pool and a sauna.
There was also a garden with an option to BBQ.
The first day was the primary wedding day, whereas the second was for more chilled, relaxing by the pool and sauna, eating good food and cutting our wedding cake.
Details to note:
Even booking a cabin as our venue, we had to provide a deposit to secure the booking (this is required possibly at every venue).
At this point, you might need to think of any additional transport.
We used our own cars to take us to and from the church and a horse carriage as the last bit of the road to the church did not permit cars as it was in the woods.
Great option for elderly parents with mobility issues.
There are plenty of options and price ranges to get the perfect dress.
Cannot decide whether you like simple or more complex gowns?
Even if you are not going to buy a dress from a bridal shop, I recommend experiencing that day with your mum or girlfriends paired with some champagne.
It’s a fun day out with a bit of research.
You might also want to consider custom-made; however, this is usually a pricey venture.
As this was my budget wedding, this was not an option, even though I considered this to start with.
I met a few sewists to find out how much I would need to spend for the gown I had in mind.
I focused on simple, flowy dresses, yet the prices they asked for were astronomical.
Ultimately, I explored the depths of the internet to find budget-friendly but still unique dresses.
To avoid disappointment, search the websites for as much information as possible, consult with a representative through a chat and don’t forget the measurement charts.
Be realistic with your size and maybe even size up; you can always alter it to fit you perfectly.
I had to have mine shortened as even with my shoes, the dress was too long.
My dress cost £60 with only £20 to alter.
Bargain!
Flower arrangements are usually another crazy expense.
Save yourself a big chunk on flowers and go foraging.
Please follow foraging guidelines in your area!
If you are not too lucky with wildflowers (or your wedding is in winter), try your own flower arrangement with a mixture of different supermarket flowers.
Also, pampas grasses and other foliage are a great way to decorate your tables or the ceremony room.
For tables, we arranged flowers into my mum’s old jars that we decorated with burlap and twine for a more rustic feel.
My youngest sister (also my bridesmaid) made me a little bouquet, as I didn’t even think of it.
Formal sit-down plated dinners are ideal for big weddings; however, I would recommend the buffet-style wedding reception that is cost-effective in comparison.
Our buffet-styled reception consisted of a homemade variety of cold salads and hot meats ordered for delivery just before dinner.
We brought out the bubbles for the first drink and for the rest of the celebration we had a choice of local wine and fruit alcoholic beverages.
Appoint one of your family members or bridesmaids to oversee everything and replenish what’s necessary from time to time so you, as the “Newlyweds”, can spend time with the guests.
We also opted for paper plates to save time and effort to clean up after dinner.
This is easier at more informal dinners or smaller receptions.
Nowadays, there are so many selections of pre-printed stationery with space to handwrite the details or entirely custom-made with all elements printed available.
But why not make your own with basic arts and crafts supplies?
It’s more fun and also cost-effective.
I skipped all the unnecessary stationery like menus and simply included the “save the dates” within the invitations.
I chose handmade petal paper from Etsy and handwrote a simple verse with all the details required.
If you have a specific design in mind you might want to go custom made, in which case I would suggest to allow plenty of time to make sure they are ready for your big day.
Pop into your local jewellery store to measure your ring finger for exact size to help you choose the correct one if you are planning to get your ring online like I did.
Another alternative is to pick second hand, vintage one.
My lovely Maid of Honour (my youngest sister) arranged one for me.
As I did not plan anything traditional and my wedding was not a traditional one , it was a lovely of her to organised a little surprise party with my sisters to go clubbing.
She also arranged for us to have a mask each and prompted us to wear something black to add to the vibe of the party.
As our wedding was some sort of a small gathering, we did not bother with a professional photographer.
However, we asked one of our friends, who enjoys taking pictures, if she could take some for us. She took some fantastic shots.
The only thing we regret that we did not have anyone taking videos. I would definitely recommend finding someone even if your wedding is a small reception like ours.
Maybe just to create a little collage of different times to keep the memories alive.
Music was another area that we did not think too much of.
We picked a song for our first dance and a few additional songs for dancing, but we did not have a DJ or anyone to play the music.
Basically, we connected our phones to the speakers and played our chosen songs on shuffle.
Do not make the same mistake and organise your music properly to avoid people standing around until it gets sorted.
Do you usually wear simple make-up when going to work, perhaps?
You could do the same and just intensify it.
The same with your hair.
All I did with my hair was curl it, which I believe I used straighteners, and pin the curled strands of hair loosely together.
To accessorise it, I used bridal hair pins purchased from eBay for £3.
You can always leave your hair down or create a messy bun and add a beautiful veil to cover it.
Two tier cake is what we decided on. Made by a professional baker to ensure the flavours were what we wanted.
For the rustic feel we asked for the cake to be only semi- iced, or semi-naked, as they call it I believe.
Finishing touches with fresh fruit and flowers placed by me made it that much more personal. Of course, I had some help.
Now that you’ve saved some cash on your budget wedding, you can splurge on your honeymoon!!!
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