How to save money

Honestly, looking back at all the weddings I've been to, what I remember most is the look of joy on the faces of those getting married. The conversations and the laughter. The funny things that happen. The kind of stuff that you don't buy with money.

But thinking about memorable stuff that you do pay for, I would say the thing I remember most is the venue. (Not that bigger or fancier is necessarily better - one of my favourite weddings had the wedding breakfast in the village hall and the evening reception we all sat on haybales in the couple's back garden!)

I don't tend to remember the food much as long as it tastes ok and there's enough of it. (In fact the only wedding menus I remember in any detail are the ones where there either wasn't enough food to go round or where they messed up catering for my allergen, which nearly landed me in hospital! Both were very posh 'stately home' type venues which again proves that fancier is not always better!)

All the little details like table decor, wedding favours, signage, menus, I don't remember at all.

But you'll probably get different opinions from different people. You're the ones who are going to be most affected by what you plan on the day, so I would suggest sitting down with your other half and thinking about what matters most to YOU. If you've always longed to have a particular thing at your wedding, it doesn't really matter if other people will remember it or not, because you will. Just don't give in to the pressure of 'having' to have stuff because everyone says you must - as long as you've got everything necessary to be legally married, everything else is optional.

I also think that planning a wedding that fits who you are is the best way to make it memorable anyway. If you add some extra touches because they are important to you, those things are far more likely to stick in peoples' minds than if you just sit there trying to work out how to make your wedding 'unique' or 'different' - because those things will be 'different' rather than 'you', so they won't be as memorable.