How to plan a wedding on a budget

Congratulations on your engagement! Now let the fun of planning your wedding begin. You might be feeling both excited and daunted at the prospect of spending lots of money, but you can have a memorable wedding no matter your budget. Here’s some budget friendly tips to plan your dream wedding.

Identify your priorities

It’s a good idea to sit down with your partner and have a discussion about what’s most important to both of you at the wedding. Do you want a photographer, sit down meal, buffet and what about entertainment? Making a list can help to identify what’s essential and what you could potentially cut back on.

Choose the right ring

For many, choosing the perfect ring is one of the most important elements of a wedding. Whether that be the engagement ring or wedding ring, it is a symbol of your love and commitment to each other and is very special.

There’s the old saying that you should spend at least 3 months’ full salary on a ring, but this doesn’t always have to be the case. There are a variety of different precious metals and gemstones out there that are very affordable, including lab grown diamonds.

Lab grown diamonds are a game-changer in the world of jewellery. These stunning diamonds are created in a laboratory using advanced technology, replicating the natural diamond-growing process. And let us tell you, the benefits of lab grown diamonds are simply incredible.

Not only are they more environmentally friendly than traditional diamond mining, but they are very affordable without compromising on quality or beauty. They possess the same physical, chemical, and optical properties as a natural diamond. So you can now enjoy the brilliance of a diamond without breaking the bank!

Wedding date

When it comes to the actual date of your wedding, there are a few ways you can reduce your costs. Choosing an off peak date to get married will cost you a lot less than getting married on a weekend or any day in the summer. You can also often get a great discount if you’re prepared to slot into a date that hasn’t been filled yet or due to a last minute cancellation. If you’re willing to be flexible, keep your eyes peeled!

Wedding look

Whether you want a traditional white gown and bridesmaid dresses or something a bit different, specialist dress suppliers or high street wedding stores are not the only places to look.

First off, check out the sales! Many high street wedding stores will have wedding attire on sale during certain times of the year, just make sure you look carefully and do your research.

Buying second-hand is also a great way to get the wedding dress of your dreams without draining your bank balance. Websites such as Preloved have hundreds of beautiful dresses at low prices. Oxfam also has 12 bridal departments around the country where you can find a wide range of dresses, some of which are brand new, starting at about £40.

When it comes to hair and makeup, there are a few options to save money as we all know wedding stylists are very pricey. One option is to look into local hairdressing or beauty therapy training schools. They often offer special deals for brides and bridesmaids and if you’re lucky you might even be able to get it done for free.

Get creative with DIY

You don’t have to splash out on wedding invitations and save-the-date cards. One of the easiest ways to do it on a budget is by designing and printing your own invites using online services such as Canva and Etsy.

If you’re a bit crafty, making your own wedding decorations can be a really fun task and of course will save you money. Easy wedding ideas include popping tea lights in jam jars and scattering oven-dried rose petals on tables.

For the bouquet, you don’t need to buy a specialist wedding bouquet, any bunch of pretty flowers with some ribbon tied around will do the job and look just as beautiful.

A beautiful wedding on a budget is possible. The main thing to remember is that it’s your day and it’s a celebration of the two of you. It’s easy to lose sight of this throughout the planning, but however you decide to get married just make it memorable.