My wedding cost £1.9k – I saved thousands by skipping flowers, ordering takeaway & saying I Do at my mate’s house
A WOMAN has revealed that she got married for less than £2,000.
So if you’re on a budget and are wondering how to cut the costs of your big day, then you’ve come to the right place.
Ashley C, who is from Canada, revealed on her podcast, The Unconventional Wedding Planning Podcast, that she planned an unconventional, budget, micro-wedding.
To save cash, Ashley didn’t have any flowers, got married at a family friend’s house and also ordered a takeaway.
Not only this, but she managed to get her hands on a cheap dress and only had a small guest list too.
In total, Ashley’s big day cost $3,365 [£1,959], and at the time of planning, the podcaster explained: “I am currently planning a wedding that looks like it’s going to run somewhere in the $3,000-$5,000 range [£1,747-£2,912].
“It’s, in my opinion, going to be a nice wedding. It’s a full wedding, serving dinner, and it is totally doable to have a wedding like that for less than $5,000 [£2,912].”
GUEST LIST
Ashley then opened up on the ways in which she would cut down the price of her big day, as she revealed: “The easiest way to cut your wedding budget is to cut your guest list.
“More people is more everything – it’s a bigger venue, more food, more drinks, more place cards, more centrepieces, literally more everything.
“It’s super important if you want to spend less than $5,000 [£2,912], you really need to cut that guest list.
“For our wedding, we’re hoping to have about 20 to 25 people.”
RELATIVE’S HOUSE
When it came to the venue, Ashley revealed that she would be tying the knot at a relative’s house.
She added: “If you can get a venue for free, that’s going to save you the most money.
“We are hoping to use a relative’s house, that is our plan. So the venue would essentially be free.”
GRUBS UP
Rather than a lavish banquet or a sit down three course meal, this budget bride shared: “Because we’re planning to have 20 to 25 people, we’re actually planning to order takeout from a few of our favourite restaurants.
“I think this is super cool because it’s way better than the cold chicken or salmon that you get at a regular wedding, and it really represents us.
“We get to pick dishes and share those with our loved ones. It’s so much cheaper to just order takeout as opposed to paying for a caterer.
“We’re hoping to get a couple sushi platters, a couple platters of chicken wings, a few dishes from our favourite Chinese restaurant and then we’re planning to have appetisers on trays, probably buying them from Costco.
We’re also skipping a wedding planner and DJ, we’re not doing a dance floor
Ashley C
“We might even make a few ourselves, depending how much time we have.
“On the high end, it’s about $500 [£291] which will feed 25 of us.
“You don’t really need fancy plates, you can get disposable plates, I think that’s what we’re going to do.
“We probably could use our own plates, but for ease, we’ll probably get single-use, recyclable options that you can find online.”
Not only this, but Ashley explained that she would cut the costs of the cake too, as she added: “Wedding cakes can be incredibly expensive. It’s definitely not something that I’m interested in doing.
“We’re either going to get a grocery store cake, a Costco cake, or doughnuts.”
SAY CHEERS!
Where alcohol was concerned, Ashley shared: “We love the idea of having cans so it’s not a mess. We’ll probably buy about six cases of beer and cider, so 72 cans, at $20 [£11.65] per case, so $120 [£70].
“We’ll probably get wine as well, so we’re looking at getting bottles for $15 [£8.74].
“Nothing fancy. We’re not getting the super fancy wine, if anyone wants to get super fancy wine, they can bring their own.”
DITCHING DECOR
Not only did Ashley and her partner plan to keep the costs of the drink down, but they also planned to cut costs on the decor too.
The bride then explained: “We’re not putting up a single garland or a flower or a fairy light or anything like that.
“I know a lot of people will say a great way to save money is to DIY decor – I’m not that person.
How can you cut costs on your wedding day?
Wedding expert Michelle Hall shared her top tips to achieve the day of your dreams without breaking the bank.
According to Michelle, there are four things you can CUT from your big day to save cash – the cake, lots of guests, DJ/band and the bridal suite.
CAKE: “The cake is definitely something that can be reduced in size or even taken out from your budget completely.”
GUESTS: “Some weddings we host at Gretna Green have a guest list as small as around 10-20 people – and of course we are famous for elopements.
“Some of the most intimate and special experiences sometimes happen at those smaller weddings.”
BRIDAL SUITE: “After such a long day, the happy couple don’t always get a chance to enjoy the bridal suite in all its glory to really enjoy some relaxing time together as a newly married couple.
“Given it is a financial splurge, why not move this treat to the following night.”
MUSIC ON: “A good sound system and your own playlist can often beat an expensive DJ.
“Even better, ask your guests to choose one or two of their favourite songs and confidently enjoy the evening party knowing all your friends and family are dancing along to their favourite tracks.”
“We are even skipping flowers, which is a big one because I love flowers, but I just couldn’t justify the price, they’re so expensive.
“The family member’s house is really beautiful, so I have no need to decorate with flowers.
“We are totally skipping flowers, very untraditional, but I encourage you to do it. It’s a great way to save money.”
SKIPPING VENDORS
And as well as skipping flowers, there’s also a selection of vendors that the couple would be ditching.
Ashley shared: “We are hiring a photographer, however I do have some connections, so I am likely getting that discounted. This will probably not actually cost us anything.
I might borrow a veil from my friend or skip the veil entirely
Ashley C
“But we’re not hiring a photographer for 10 hours – we really only want the photographer to do 20 minutes of shots of us walking around the neighbourhood, some photos from the ceremony and then a couple of family group shots after the ceremony.
“We’re also going to skip the video. It’s not a huge deal for us. I might hand my phone to my brother and get him to record some of the ceremony.
“We’re also skipping a wedding planner and DJ, we’re not doing a dance floor.”
FROCK ON
While many brides may splash the cash on a posh frock for their big day, Ashley got hers on a budget.
She concluded: “I got my wedding dress for $500 [£291] and my mum actually paid for most of it.
“I’ll probably hit up Amazon for a pair of flats, so will probably spend no more than $50 [£29.12] on those.
“I might borrow a veil from my friend or skip the veil entirely. I’m not too fussed about having a veil.
“In terms of rings, I’m actually just going to wear my engagement ring. I have no desire to wear a second ring.”
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