How to get the best value from planning in advance?

When we decided to set a date (we were engaged for years before this point but weren’t actively planning) we had around a year to plan. So, I haven’t got any tips for planning a wedding in a few years time as we had 12/13 months.

I will say that we’ve got a budget on the low side (£9k) and do have a few tips for making you’re money go further.

1. In terms of the venue, the year, month and date will all be key in getting more for your money. When we found our venue we were looking at early 2019 wedding but went for November 2018 instead. The wedding corodinator had figures that she had to meet so was more open to negotiation if we booked a 2018 date (which worked for us as Nov was the date we originally wanted until I called loads of other venues who didn’t have any availability). Obviously booking an out of season or weekday wedding is also a money saver as lots of venues offer discounts. If you don’t ask you don’t get. We bought a package deal that had already been reduced as we wanted to book Nov 2018 but also negotiated a discount on ‘add ons’ like wine corkage, guest rooms, DJ etc. and agreed to pay upfront (this was my parents gift to us). It might also be worth checking late availability packages as you can get AMAZING discounts on these.

2. Look at the sales and second hand sites. We bought a lot of decor (lanterns, fairy lights etc.) for our venue in the January sales while it was cheap. We also got a couple of wedding bundles from gumtree for a great price with loads of tealight holders/glass jars, lanterns, fairy lights, bunting etc. Buying your own decor also means that you can sell it on afterwards to make some money back and, again, reduce costs.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask suppliers to offer a discount or to price match. When booking my chair covers, I went with a company who did both those and flowers as it was one less supplier I’d have to organise if I got them from the same place. I did however get a cheaper quote elsewhere which I spoke to the supplier about and she was able to price match this.

4. The dress! If you want to reduce the costs of your wedding dress, look in sample sales or visit places like wed2be. Also look out for sales as you might get a further discount.

Good luck

Hi,

I was in the same situation- got engaged July 16 and get married next month. We booked our venue and got it at that year's price and also booked most of the main suppliers 18-24 months in advance before any price increases for the new year happened. This also meant that we didn't have to compromise on anything as none of our first choice suppliers were already booked

We made the most of the Black Friday sales last year (normally I hate sale shopping!) and got huge discounts on wedding rings and a few other bits like confetti, an instant camera for our guest book etc.

Having plenty of time also meant we could easily DIY things like our invites, table plan, order of service etc as we haven't been rushed at all- this has saved us loads! We've also tried to spread the costs of things like thank you gifts, bits and bobs for the table centrepieces etc which has helped as the costs haven't all come at once.

Everyone will say this but the 2 years really will fly by! Happy planning!

Thanks so much for the tips! I am coming around to the idea of negotiating prices... Sales for decor great idea, black friday sales for ring shopping hadn't occurred to me - great idea. I'm hoping to DIY alot of the stationery if you have any suggestions?

Our venue us dry hire so planning on a trip to calais for the wine and supermarkets for spirits. Possibly local brewery for beer but needs investigation.

The idea of booking the venue sooner for lower prices is a great one - we got engaged in Feb and booked our venue for Sept 2019 at 2018 prices.

I struggle with the haggling, as I always feel really cheeky! My chap is pretty good at it though, although he seems to use the technique of asking for more things for the money, rather than asking for a lower price.

The sales are a great idea though! And yes, wedding fairs are great - companies often do discounts or freebies. We booked a mobile bar in a VW campervan at a fair, and got a free £250 voucher to cover welcome drinks and toast drinks.

We also booked a photobooth after we saw them at the fair and they gave us a 10% discount.

If your venue is dry hire, could you do BYO? I've been to a couple of weddings like that and it's worked really well. The couples just set up a bar area, and put a few beers/ciders/wine behind it, then everyone brought something and added to it. It does depend on the venue's licence though, so check with them first.

Regarding stationary - Google search images or use Pintrest, find something you like the look of and try and copy it. I bought all my supplies for invites (including a glue gun, which I'm REALLY excited about using!) for about £60. We're not doing save the dates - people we really want there will be told the date by us anyway.