Where do I start??!

You can do it on 5 NO problem!!

First off, pick a date you want to get married and where (church, register or licensed venue). then you know how long you have got and can start to plan properly.

Then do a budget. With a list of deffinatly need and would likes. Budget accordingly.

would you want a late in the day wedding, followed by a big party for everyone, a small and intimate with a meal after, or meal and party?

Depending on this there are ways of making it much cheaper. Some venus wont do a hire charge if you marry there too, or no charge for evening if you have a meal there too. Its also usually cheaper to get married mid week.

If money needs to go on deffinates, cross off would likes.

Then, with your budget in mind pick your place of marriage and a venue.

Once that is in place you are all set to start your planning!!

Hi! Welcome to Hitched. A £5000 budget is very achievable, and its not too early to start looking at all! There are plenty of brides on here who aren't getting married til after you!

You can start with the Budget calculators on here, but I found they stressed me out a bit as my wedding was going to cost a fortune according to them! If you're willing to do a bit of research, and do some DIY you'll easily manage it.

Not quite accurate, but my budget is around £7.5k, but for that I'm getting married abroad then having a party back here - and that includes my holiday and spending money! So probably around £5k for the wedding and the party.

Bec XxX

5k is definitely do-able.

You need to work out how long it's going to take to save that amount and then set your date based on that. Start looking for venues that fall in your budget and requirements. Consider using a village hall for reception, or having a late wedding and just an evening do. Weekdays are cheaper. You will also need to work out how many guests you want.

Have a look in bridal shops, but maybe consider getting your dress in Debenhams, Monsoon, BHS, Littlewoods etc.

THere are many other ways to cut costs.

And if you are planning for the end of next year. I'd reccomend starting looking for your venue.

Firstly...welcome to Hitched! And have a virtual hug - you sound a little overwhelmed ?

Believe me, I know exactly how you feel! When my OH and I got engaged I was also still at uni and we were saving to buy a place, so we planned to leave it for 3-4 years until we actually started planning the wedding, once we were in a place, I had graduated and started full-time work etc. (and by the way, that time just whizzes by!) When I started doing some wedding planning research it really did seem so daunting to me too, and I also remember going to a wedding fair and only staying there for about 5 mins because it all just went over my head!

But seriously, once you start looking into everything it does start to come together in your head. Joining Hitched is also a great start, as I know I have already had soooo much initial help from the advice on here and my wedding isn't until next July. I would firstly say that of course £5000 is feasible, you can literally spend anything these days and I know of plenty Hitchers who have had a similar budget to that and have had their dream day still. I would say a good place to start is to think about how many people you want there, as often that will decide on the type of venue you can go for and also fit it within your budget. Then send off for some venue brochures and have a look at their price lists so you start to get a rough idea of what you're looking at venue-wise. Are you looking at a 2010 or 2011 wedding?

Then I think it's a good idea to think about the other things that matter to you on the day. Regarding dresses and other bits and bobs like that, they are areas where you can really cut back and still have gorgeous things. There definitely isn't an amount a wedding dress 'should' cost, for example - you work within your means. Me and my OH for instance have quite a large guest list and it was always going to be that way, plus we found a dream venue which is a little on the pricey side, so to accomodate that we are cutting back quite a bit on all other areas, like the photographer, the dress, flowers, cake, stationery, etc etc. That's just because the venue was one of the main important things to us about our day.

I think I'm waffling a bit now but what I'm trying to say is yes it is do-able, don't let yourself get overwhelmed and don't be afraid to ask questions on here about everything, because the advice is amazing! Oh, and about your H2B - I think a lot of B2B's have found that it's difficult to get their men 'interested' as such, especially at the start of the planning - so if he's happy to leave it to you I would do all the research (if you're happy to, as well) and just consult him on the things that are most important, unless of course he wants to be involved in everything.

Hope that helps a little!

£5K is definately do-able ? I think you might want to work out what areas of the day are going to be the most important to you e.g. dress, photographer, venue..? Once you know that then it will make your budgeting a lot easier ? Have you thought about having somewhere like a Village Hall (and doing it up with decorations), a pub (Kate Winslet did this) or even a restaurant you both love? You may even know someone with nice enough land to have a marque? If you did something like a village hall or marquee you could even have a buffet, bbq or spit roast instead of a formal sit-down meal - this should save quite a bit. If going with this option you could also get someone to make up a lot of punch or something similar prior to the wedding to take care of your alcohol ? I would just use hitched and the internet to just research a few different ideas and to get different advice to help you out - plus enter as many competitions as you can - you never know - you might win! ? Do you also have someone that could make your cake for you? Also if you organise someone to do your hair and make-up then your bridesmaids might just be able to do their own if you chose a simple style for them? Hope that some of this helps & that you enjoy the planning! ? xxx

Some good advice so far......but one glaring element has been omitted.....the entertainment.

Bands and DJs are often booked up 1 or 2 years in advance! Also, they vary considerably! A DJ doesn't just turn up and press play.....they can make or break a wedding. Also there are more and more DJs that are offering a whole day package where they provide ceremony music and lapel mics (so everyone can hear your vows), background music for your wedding breakfast, MC the whole day (making announcements, keeping the day flowing, co-ordinating other suppliers and generally taking the pressure off you to allow you to sit back and enjoy the day), children's entertainment, and also the disco. Some DJs offer entertainment in the disco such as games, quizzes, ceilidh dancing, karaoke. The choice of wedding entertainment is vaste...and such an important element.

My best advice.....always ask to meet with your potential DJ prior to booking.

Whilst studying for my Event Management and Wedding Coordination diploma I had to put together a wedding for £5k. And it's very achievable. In fact, a site I found which was really useful is http://www.cheap-wedding-success.co.uk/wedding-under-5000.html and then I went and found several articles with tips and ideas. For example, https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/weddings/Weddings-160.html

I have found that working on a budget (especially a small one) is hard but can be so rewarding. My only bit of advice I can give is always sleep on it before you spend it or book it (espcially if there is a booking fee involved). The amount of times I bought something on impulse only to discover I didn't need/want it has set me back a bit. Work with colours and mood boards to give you a really good idea of how things will work together. And use sites like EBay. They're great for picking up bargains.

Aww, thanks everybody, you've been really helpful ?

I had a word with H2B and told him I'd like some help and input, he said that he was only being so distant about it because he's actually quite excited but doesn't feel he ought to be as he is the Man! Bless him!!

We're gonna have a little sit down later and talk about the stuff you've all mentioned, give me a chance to use my little Bridal Notes book for the first time ? And I might even drag my bridesmaid along to go try on some dresses, just to get us in the mood! lol

Be prepared for many more planning related questions in the near future tho! hehe!

Alex ❤️

x x x

I'll be keeping an eye on your progress, because that's roughly the figure that we'll have to work with.

Hello and welcome by the way ?

Hiya - welcome to Hitched

Im etting married next april - a civil ceremony followed by formal buffet for 65 people then a party for 120 for less than 5grand.

As already said - you have to look at what is important - my dress and BM dresses will be from high st store and we aren't having a videographer. Ive made my own save the dates, and as a booked everything last year we have got most things like DJ, Phtographer and venue at 2007/2008 prices.