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Real Life - My Low Budget Wedding ( Less than £5000) and how I did it

I noted a bride-to-be generously sharing her low budget wedding planning costs along with her tips for making savings on a Wedding Planning Group and she kindly gave me permission to publish the details here for the benefit of other frugal brides.

Hannah Marie writes


"My h2b (husband-to-be) asked on my birthday (boxing day) 2018 so we've had 5 months to plan and pay for what we needed in that time.

It's been madness!! Haha.

Here are some money saving tips that I think will be really helpful to those who are on a budget.

Invitations 


If you download a free app called freeprints, you get 40 free prints a month. I also use a free app called Pic Collage in which I uploaded a pic of me and h2b, the wedding information and picked the colours of the invite as the ones of the wedding theme. We made 80 personalised invites and only spent £2.99 for the shipping on the freeprints app.

Cake 


 caterpillar cupcakesWe are having 2 caterpillar cakes. Each serve 20 and they are £6 each from Asda / Morrisons . We are having cupcakes made and for 40 it is £60. So £72 for cake and cupcakes for 40 people.



Bridesmaids dresses


Brand new on eBay they cost £4 each for the flower girl ones and £25 each for the older bridesmaids. A total of £58 for 4 dresses.

Bridal shoes 


ShoeZone have some white lacy type shoes for £6 each, really pretty. £24 total for the 4 bridesmaids and mine are white converse £25 from JD Williams.

Suits. Matalan we spent £80 for the grooms 5 piece suit and £60 for the page boy 5 piece suit. £140 for the 2.

Flowers 


 artificial wedding flowers budget
We have artificial. Definitely post on your local Facebook groups too. I made 6 bouquets using flowers from Hobbycraft and watching a YouTube tutorial. All 6 bouquets cost £18 to make.

Ceremony


Registry office which is on beautiful grounds. £314 for the ceremony, wedding certificate box and a picture of me and h2b signing the register. Definitely phone around and ask for prices. Some places wanted to charge us £600+!

Reception 


We're having a sit down meal instead of a party type thing. So no DJ, buffet, decorations etc. Massive saving. We asked all guests what they wanted to eat and they have offered to pay for their own meals. They knew of our struggles. Don't feel cheeky if the guests offer to pay for their own. Let them! Food is one of the biggest costs of a wedding.

Gifts 


All guests are receiving a little mesh bag filled with sugared almonds. 60 bags on eBay for £1. Enough almonds to fill £5. Bridal and grooms party are having £30 each on gifts. Big expense but we've saved so much everywhere else. Total costs of gifts £174.

Photography 


We're lucky enough to have my brother in law do our pictures for free but if you don't have that then I highly recommend disposable cameras. One camera for every 4 people and 2 per reception table. The guests can take pictures throughout the day and night. If you have a hashtag the ones who use their phones can upload them for you.

Summary of costs


  • Ceremony £314 
  • Evening is a meal in a family pub. £60. 
  • Each guest (40 in total) has offered to pay for their own meal. 
  • Wedding Dress £70 
  • Groom's suit £130 
  • Best Man suit £130 (he wants to pay for his own) 
  • Page boy suit £80 
  • Flower girl dresses £4 each x2 (brand new on eBay!!!) 
  • Bridesmaids dresses £30 each x2 (paying for their own) 
  • Mother of the bride suit £40 (paid for her own) 
  • Bouquets £30 
  • Full bridal party shoes £100 (of which we are only paying £40 of) 
  • Wedding gifts £160 
  • Little extras £70 
  • Wedding cars free from family members 
  • Photographer free from brother-in-law 
  • Honeymoon including spends £1500 

That's a total of £3292 (without things not being free would come to £5000) of which were only paying £2492.

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Hannah is very blessed to have wonderful friends and family who are happy to contribute and help in so many ways. The take-away from this is to not be afraid to ask for help because those that love you will be happy to lend a hand in any way that is practical. This is a intimate wedding that will I'm sure be a huge success more-so because all the guests are fully invested in it being so!

Your friends and family will have a wide range of skills sets that make for the perfect wedding. You may have talented photographers, crafters, flower arrangers as well as green fingered gardeners who can supply the wedding flowers among your crew.

Shop Weddings on Zazzle
I'm sure they will be flattered when you ask to draw upon their expertise for your special day. It will help them to feel involved and with a few glasses of wine and a free lunch for all your helpers, the whole process can be a fun one.

A HUGE thank you to Hannah for being so generous and kind in sharing her story and tips!





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 Custom wedding poems
Hannah Bishop writes custom poems for events including weddings to add a special something to your invitations, save the dates, rsvp's! Whatever the occasion.

Here is one of Hannah's low budget wedding themed poems.


Wedding planning is so exciting.
Yet scary at the same time.
One minute your feeling anxious.
The next, things are seeming just fine.

The biggest stress is the budget.
The smaller it is the bigger the task.
Will we be able to afford this?
Is a question you'll certainly ask.

You start to look at your menu.
To see what cutbacks you could make.
With your head hung low you question.
Should I sod it and just home bake?

It doesn't stop there with the questions.
Is an expensive DJ a must?
When your Bluetooth speakers are sat there
Quietly gathering dust.

It doesn't make it easier.
Seeing other brides spend with pleasure.
Taking it all within their stride
Because a budget for them is a leisure.

You feel incompetent that you can't do
All the luxury things they can.
Arriving to the church in their limousine
When your questioning a car or a van.

It's also the suits for the men
Oh goodness, then there's the dress.
Then the worst question of all comes.
Is this all really worth the stress?

You can see where this is going.
You've cried so many tears.
You never thought what it would be like.
To plan what you've wanted for years.

But this is the time you need to stop
And think of why your here
And remember the love you will bring
The happiness and the cheer

Imagine your families and friends
When they all take their places
And seeing you in your attire
With big smiles on their faces.

It isn't about what we don't have.
Or the simple things we bring
It's about him making you his queen
And you making him your king.

It's saying your vows to one another
Making promises you will keep.
So sod how tight your budget is
You can still love on the cheap.

Discolosure

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