Can someone show me their budget - approx 6k

I made a spreadsheet with a list of what we wanted with an approx list of what we would realistically spend. The approx figures came from reading wedding magazines as I would never dare ask another couple how much they spent (sorry!)

I know its not the answer you were looking for but if you do your research based on reading articles - either online or in mags - you'll get an idea of the expenditure expected and tailor it to fit your day. If that makes sense. For example we decided we would not spend anymore than 1000 on a band. I found one for much less!

goodluck with it

I'll do my best but our wedding was 5 years ago...

Civil ceremony in castle + registrar £600

Dress £800

Suit hire £180

Flowers - BQ (calla lily) £45 (shopped around and asked for price match on each florist

Buttonholes done by flower stall at the market £2 each, corsages were £3.50

Table decs done by mum with flowers bought from ASDA £25

Cake £140 for 2 tier sponge/mississippi mud pie

Photos £150 (photo book, trad album, disc and all prints. We asked a uni grad who had just finished her photography course.

Video was done by BIL

Stationery cost about £50. Day invitations were bought, the rest of the staionery I did on the computer.

Shoes, tiara, make up, jewellery etc were either gifts, borrowed or bought in the sales.

Sit down meal for 25, evening buffet for 100, disco and bridal suite cost £1500

Hired Bay trees £25

Wedding rings £45 and £70 bought from the Jewellery Quarter in Brum

Dads friend was my chauffeur and he drove my dads car.

It definitely can be done. We scrimped on the things I didn't think were that important (like stationery and the car) and splashed out on luxuries like food, the venue and my dress. Make as much use as you can of friends and relatives talents.

The problem I found when looking in the magazines etc was they mainly featured weddings that cost way over £10k. They were great for getting ideas but not so good for budgeting.

Hi ya Leni

Where abouts are you located? The reason I ask is because the Holiday Inn at Gloucester which is a 3/4 star hotel are offering a full wedding package for 50 people, civil ceremony room, venue hire, bucks fizz, 2 glasses of wine, 3 courses, evening buffet x80, disco, plus all the extras, red carpet, cake stand etc etc for only £2500!!!! It may be that if there is a Holiday Inn near you you might be able to get the same deal.

However, you can plan a wedding within your budget. If you like, I would be happy to put something together for you free of charge to help you out. Let me know if you'd like the help.

Ruth

x

Thanks all

Our issue is, we haven't done enough research yet.

The venues we've shortlisted are working out at between £3500 - £4000 for ceremony, breakfast, drinks package, evening buffet and our accomodation.

I'm quite creative so we're possible will be making things and have accounts with many trade only places for invitation and table dec supplies.

Suits I saw a local advert for £60 each to hire

My dress - my mum said she's buying but don't think she realises how much they cost! so £300.00 towards it.

Photography - not a clue yet, although am comtemplating getting a photo's only deal and creating our own album so about £500-800.00

Hair and Make - could be cheeky and get as a gift but budget of £80.00

Rings - £1000.00 - Platinum though?

Table Decs and Flowers- £300.00

This comes to £6640.00 but no entertainment, transport, bridemaids and probably other things I've forgotten

Eeek! Ok, here goes...

Venue hire (ceremony and reception) - £750

Food and drink (for 50ish) - £2900

Registrar - £400

Stationary - £30

Transport (to venue and to hotel, traditional black taxis) - £50

Dress - £250

Bridesmaids (2) - £100

All flowers (handtied bouquet, two posies, three button holes, 8 tables - bought from flower market and made ourselves) - £60

Gifts for mums, bridesmaids etc - £80

Photographer (photography student) - £300

DJ - £150

Cake (cupcakes) - £60

Both rings (1 yellow gold, 1 titanium) - £100

Groom suit etc - £150

Hair (bride) - £50

Total = £5430

SOme of these figures are an estimation as we haven't organised everything yet, but are more than we anticipate spending such as flowers and photographer but overall are what things are costing. We are having our ceremony and reception at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park which is a gorgeous edwardian estate. My dress is being made by Millybridal in China and my sister who is also a bridesmaid is buying her own dress.

So, it can be done honest!! Oh and our wedding is on a sunday late in June.

Dependent on where you are having your wedding the £3500 odd sounds about right for the amount of guests, and it includes accommodation so that is good.

The cost of rings is huuuge!! But maybe I'm just too much of a skinflint!

I've not been on this board for too long so don't know if there are any cost cutting threads but (sorry if I'm not allowed!) you could try looking on www.moneysavingexpert.com as there is a weddings forum on there. There's loads of ways of cutting the cost without cutting back on what you want. Get creative, its great fun!!

Stupidgirl started a thread on the cost of platinum rings last night. I think you can probably spend a lot less than you've budgeted - try one of the online ring places.

Sx

We having a friday wedding in April and our casts work out as:-

Registry office ceremony £500

weding breakfast buffet, arrival drinks, 2 glasses wine and sparlky wine for taosts for 70 £2800

evening buffet for 120 £1300

3BMS £400

4GM suits £250

2 cars £450

cake £260

Silk flowers for wedding party £175

DJ £425

Accessories for me ( mum buying dress) £250

Rings £300

Total cost is around 7 grand. We are not having a honeymoon and u can get Dj s much cheaper but it was someone i liked so was willing to pay the cost x

I get married in lest that three months and only decided on the date I just decided what was msot important to us on the day

The church £380 - banns read, cherk, organists, certificate etc

Flowers haven decided yet

dress for me and one cute bridemaid

Rings We are having our rings made as my engagement ring was also made and is a diffulcult shape.

We are saving on using a student of photography, invitations, using family cars, booking the hotel for us to stay and our guest now at discount price.

Where are you based?

We had a saturday in august with more guests than you've quoted. We had a church wedding, cars, sit down 5 course meal for 80 and a buffet in the evening for 100. Paid for 3 bridesmaids complete outfits, bought gifts for everyone, had a wedding singer for the evening and did it all for between £6,000 and £7,000. We saved by having Nana make the cake, didn't have a posh venue for the reception just a village hall which we decorated ourselves and tbh it looked fab. We're based in Staffordshire so prices are most likely cheaper than in places like london or further down south.

Sorry to butt in, but just was curious about where you hired the bay trees from so cheaply?! My H2B might let me have some if I can get them that cheap!

xx

We hired them from our local flower shop. They were using them in their own display so I just asked the woman if I could borrow them for one day. She was a bit suprised but agreed to it. She didn't know what to charge so said she'd ring me later in the day, when she rung back she said she would deliver and pick them up for £25 but I would have to pay £100 deposit in case they got damaged and they wouldn't be decorated. Mr Nora and I bought some battery operated fairy lights (on here for £1 per set) and bought some ribbon to tie around them. They looked gorgeous.

Thats such a good idea, what a bargain.

i'm keeping a look out in any flower shops now!

I'm not quite such a budgeting bride but I do agree with minimising costs where you can.For example I have bought quite expensive BM dresses (£135 each having 2 BMs) but I want them to feel comfortable + look beautiful and besides they'll be in a lot of the photos too.

But my dress was v. plain (bigger dress - more `spensive) so only £500 (asked for a discount too)

I think we will do our own make up - planning to get a trial at Bobbi Brown etc and then buy some stuff - and just get our hair blowdried professionally the day before and then use curling tongs/straighteners where neccessary. So that can save a lot! Not planning on spending more than £100 in total - and BMs probly chipping in for that too.

Getting cheapo invites (£2 approx)

Shopping around for platinum rings really seems to work too - revising budget to around £600-700.

I've done the same as you and gotten a photographer without printed pics.

Hmmmm thats about it but...... ask for discounts, shop around/compare prices.