Planning your wedding is quite a ride – some weddings have insane budgets, some more modest, but some of us are just...a bit skint. “We can’t afford to get married” is a regular and heart-breaking rhetoric.

The UK Wedding Report by Bridebook says that the average UK wedding costs £19,184 and the average venue cost is £7683. OK…the AVERAGE wedding costs nearly £20k. Caught your breath? That’s a lot of money. This does not mean you HAVE to spend anywhere near that amount. It may not dawn on you until you start your To Do list just how every decision and detail is tangled up in the challenge of managing your pounds and pence and it can feel like a huge financial challenge – managing a budget really is a skill, so don’t beat yourself up if it’s feeling like a LOT.

The desire to make your special day unforgettable can appear to come at a hefty price tag. No surprise our 5 top tips all reflect our seemingly non-traditional advice of advocating for yourself and doing what you want, not what other people expect. 

1. Set a Realistic Budget

Having a realistic budget will help you make informed decisions and prioritise your big expenses. How much you can comfortably afford to spend on your wedding. Know you are likely to go over this. Compartmentalise this budget and highlight the things that are essential or mean a lot to you. Do you really need a band? What about a DJ – or do you have friends that spin the wheels of steel happy to spend a few hours on the decks each? There are ways to keep costs down and get people involved in ways they would love to – meaning they have as much fun as everyone else! Trust us – your friend that is a wedding planner does not want to plan your wedding for free. Also, consider your financial situation and any contributions from family members...

2. Contributions from Family Members

OK - most importantly here – not everyone’s family can or wants to contribute. If you do – lovely. Even if you’re nowhere near getting married or want to – we can all reel off a story of a wedding related family upset. So let’s ease that pressure first and foremost, not everyone has the luxury of a family member dipping into a savings account with a healthy donation that’s been building up.

3. Consider an Off-Peak or Non-Traditional Wedding Date

This can significantly reduce your expenses. Avoid bank holidays, THAT bank holiday weekend and peak months. We’ve spoken to vendors who are now getting heaps more bookings for September/October. Wedding venues offer lower prices for weekday weddings or those held during the less popular months. This can help you secure your dream venue at a fraction of the cost. Post-Covid, some big bouji venues offer single days, rather than whole weekends. Mid-week dates and Fridays – they did this to accommodate all the postponed weddings and wanting people to still be able to have the wedding of their dreams. Did you get an invite in 2022 or 2023 for a wedding on a weird day of the week? That was why! 1 in 5 couples tied the knot on a Friday last year!

4. RENT WEDDING ATTIRE & PROPS

We’ve talked about renting before and our Book of Love Directory has heaps of wedding suppliers either specialising or offering a rental service. Apps like By Rotation and HURR have some incredible brands available. Whether a traditional tone or something more colourful is on your wishlist – get scrolling because the look of your dreams is out there, and more importantly, affordable (just don’t get red wine down it ok).

5. Wedding Reception – Food & Drink

Price per head. You’ll hear that a lot. And it can soon mount up especially if you begin to add up your Reception guests. You don’t have to feed everybody and buy drinks. Did your friend have a Pizza Chef arrive at the same time as the Reception guests? Bacon Rolls at 2am for the boozy masses? A FREE bar?? There is absolutely nothing wrong with not providing food and drink for your Reception guests if you can’t afford it. If you can stretch to putting something behind the bar (e.g. £250 until it runs out) then do, but don’t feel pressure to blow money you can’t afford.

Planning your wedding WILL be fun, but it can also be stressful. Stick to your budget and more importantly, stick to your guns! Don’t think your guests are expecting an Instagram worthy display. You just do you babes, that’s what everyone expects.

The Un-Wedding Shows 2023. Did somebody say exclusive offer?

Now we don’t advocate for asking for discounts from wedding suppliers – read more on that here. BUT, The Un-Wedding Show is visiting 5...yes 5 cities in-between now and the end of the year. Designed to put the 'party' into wedding planning, The Un-Wedding Show promises to provide all our attendees with awesome inspiration, music, and cocktails... not to mention your chance to bag EXCLUSIVE OFFERS from our awesome suppliers! Come and meet a careful curation of local wedding suppliers picked just for you un-wedding-y, non-traditional types, and get chatting about your un-wedding plans!

Manchester – Bristol – London - Glasgow – Leeds. You can buy your tickets and see the suppliers waiting to meet you HERE! We can’t wait to see you.