The Wedding Edition

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Make the most of fairs to stretch your budget

Visiting wedding fairs is a great way to get some ideas for your big day, as well as seeing what different vendors supply and getting the all important quotes. Before visiting your next wedding fair, read our top tips to help you get the most of wedding fairs to help stretch your budget.

Check the entry fee

Before you head off to a wedding fair, be sure to check whether there is an entry fee, and make sure you have enough in cash to cover this. Many wedding fair venues aren’t big enough to accept card payments.

Get there early

There is so much to see at a wedding fair so you will want to get there as close to opening as you can. This will allow you to see all the exhibitors (some of them get really busy, so you may need to wait or go back to them) and get there before all the freebies are gone.

Load up on freebies

Wedding fairs often have tons of freebies on offer. It could be that the first 20 couples get a free bottle of fizz from the event organisers or the vendors exhibiting at the fair offer a variety of freebies. These can include cake, makeup samples and so much more. Another fantastic wedding fair freebie to keep your eyes peeled for is wedding magazines.

Get quotes

Vendors have to pay to exhibit at wedding fairs, so they are eager to make a booking. This often translates into offering you a discount for your big day. Ask for a quote, and if they can’t provide you with one there and then then be sure to get in touch shortly after the wedding fair to request one, being sure to mention that you saw them at the wedding fair.

Haggle

Haggling is my top tip when it comes to saving money on your wedding. If you see a vendor that you love and there is no doubt that you want them to contribute to your big day, then ask them for a discount for booking them there and then. The worst they can do is say no – but they will often be happy to give you some money off or throw in some freebies.

Book ASAP

If you are happy with what a vendor has to offer and you are happy with their quote, be sure to book them as soon as possible. The best vendors are booked months, sometimes even years, in advance. If you have fallen in love with a vendor then act quickly to ensure they are a part of your wedding.

 

Enter exhibitor’s competitions

Many of the exhibitors will have some form of competition to entice visitors to their stalls. In exchange for a few details (and often agreeing to be contacted later), you will be entered to win any number of prizes, from hire of a decorative item to an entire honeymoon.

Take ideas away with you

Wedding fairs are great for gathering ideas, especially if the fair is held in your chosen wedding venue. If you see something that you like then don’t be put off by the price – take down as much information as possible (or grab a business card or leaflet). Once you have a quote, if it is too expensive then you can work on sourcing the items yourself or even having a go at making them yourself.

See your venue decorated

If a wedding fair is being held at your chosen venue, this could be your only chance to see it set up for a wedding. It will be full of vendors, but you can still get a good idea about how the room looks when it is full. This also helps when looking for wedding venues.

Bring a companion

Whether it if your soon-to-be spouse, your bridesmaid or your mum, taking someone with you to a wedding fair is a great idea. You will be surprised at how much there is to see at a wedding fair, and they will help you to remember all the things you loved. They can also help if you have any quick decisions to make.

 

We also suggest that you wear comfy shoes and stop to refuel. Wedding fairs can be busy, and you will be giving your wedding a lot of thought. Seeing something amazing for your day can get your adrenaline pumping and you’ll be glad to have a break to reflect and make notes.

 

Do you have any tips to share about visiting wedding fairs? We would love to hear them in the comments box below.

 

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10 top tips for Getting value for money from: Cake designers and catering

Aside from the venue hire charge, you might find that catering is the biggest wedding cost you come across – in some cases it is even more than the venue hire charge. Feeding your guests good quality, enjoyable food whilst still remaining within your budget and getting the best value for money.

Get the most from your wedding tasting

Make good use of your wedding menu tasting session as this is usually offered free of charge (although do check with your caterers beforehand). Not only do you get a free meal, it gives you a chance to see how the food will look, how much there is and decide if you want to make any changes. Also be sure to ask if anyone else can come along with you to the tasting – perhaps bringing 20 of your family and friends is too much, but the caterers might understand if you want to bring your parents and maid of honour with you.

Choose food that is in season

One of the easiest ways to cut down your catering costs and get great value for money is to choose food that is in season. A quick look online, or even simply asking your caterers will tell you what is in season. Making simple changes to a dish to include items in season can dramatically cut your catering costs.

 

Amend the menu

Speak to your caterers about making changes to your menu that will save you money. It could be something simple like forgoing the bread, or they might have some other suggestions. They would rather work within your budget than lose your business, so don’t feel embarrassed about having this conversation with them.

Only have meat for your main

Meat is typically more expensive than other options, so if your canapes or starters include meat, look to changing these to non-meat options to save money.

Don’t plan too much food

After wedding canapes, a three course wedding breakfast, evening buffet and late night snacks is going to be way too much food. You will end up paying for food to just go to waste. Be realistic about how much your guests will eat and make cutbacks where necessary.

Children’s meals

If you have children coming to your wedding then be sure to mention it to your caterers. Children typically eat less than adults or they can be fussy eaters. Caterers often have a children’s menu available – it could be your wedding breakfast but on a smaller scale, or a simple child friendly meal such as chicken goujons and chips. These meals are often half the price (or less) of an adult’s meal, so it is definitely worth informing your caterers. Also watch out for any additional charges for hiring a high chair – ask your caterers about this beforehand.

Reduce the number of cake tiers

Consider reducing the number of tiers in your wedding cake to get a more affordable cake. Think about how many guests will want wedding cake and ask your cake maker to come up with a design that fits within your budget. If you don’t want to cut down the number of wedding cake tiers then look at having dummy cake tiers put in.

Dummy cake tiers

Your cake maker should have plenty ideas to work within your budget and give you the cake of your dreams. One easy way to achieve this it to get some dummy tiers put into your cake. These tiers are decorated to match the rest of your cake, but don’t contain real cake. A great way to achieve height without blowing the budget.

 

Cut a course

You can easily cut down your catering bill by removing a course from your wedding breakfast. Think about whether you really want a starter and dessert to go with your main course, as there could be many savings to be made there.

Use the wedding cake as dessert

If you want to keep your catering costs down then consider using your wedding cake as your wedding breakfast dessert. Loads of guests are either too full to eat cake in the evening, or simply forget to go and get some. By serving it as your dessert you can save between £3-£7 per person on the dessert cost.

These tips should help you to get the best value for money from your wedding catering company and your cake maker. If you have any top tips that you’d like to share with us, leaving a comment below – we would love to hear them!

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Unexpected wedding costs you need to know about

Whether you are planning a luxury wedding or a more intimate affair, your wedding day is likely to be the most expensive day of your life. No matter what your budget is, there can be many unexpected wedding costs that creep up throughout your planning stages. Here is our list of unexpected wedding costs to help ensure you keep within your budget without any nasty surprises along the way.

Count yourselves

When you give your final numbers to the venue and caterers, remember to include yourselves in this list. Many happy couples forget to include themselves in the final numbers and overlook the fact that they will need to pay catering and other costs for the big day.

Hen and stag do

Stag and hen dos are becoming bigger and better occasions, sometimes even including trips abroad. These can be lavish and expensive affairs. Although traditionally the cost of the hen and stag do are covered by those attending, future brides and grooms might find themselves having to contribute, from flights and accommodation to activities and food.

Marriage license & registrar

Giving notice to get married isn’t free – it currently costs around £70 to give notice of your intent to marry. This is often overlooked by the couple, as well as the cost of getting the registrar to their wedding venue, which can cost almost £500. Marriage certificates are also another unexpected cost, although these are cheaper if you pay for them in advance. We suggest getting more than one as they will be needed in order to change your name after the wedding.

Dress alterations

You have found your perfect wedding dress and your bridesmaids dresses, but don’t forget about any alteration costs. If you are purchasing all your dresses from the same place then be sure to ask for a discount. Some wedding stores will give you a 5th bridesmaid dress free or offer free alterations if you are buying more than 3 dresses.

Postage

You’ve got your wedding invitations, but did you remember to budget for posting them? Hopefully you can hand deliver some of them, but this can still add anything from £40 plus to your wedding budget. Save money by sending them second class, or asking friends and relatives to help hand them out.

Thank you cards

Within three months after the wedding you will be expected to send out your guests cards to thank them for their gift. You might also want to send thank you cards to your vendors and the wedding venue. More and more newlyweds are opting to get photo cards printed, using photographs from their big day. You can design these photo cards from as little as £1 per card, but you will need to pay for delivery and then postage to send them out.

Vendor meals

Your wedding day can include many vendors, from your photographer to DJ or band, it is important to fuel them up for giving you great service! Ask your vendors if they would like to be catered for (some prefer to bring their own food or to just take a break and get their own food) and then talk to your caterers about meals they can provide. These are often cheaper than your wedding breakfast meals, but you will still need to factor them in.

Groom’s footwear

Often overlooked, the groom’s shoes can add more to a wedding budget when they are finally remembered. Having to purchase them last minute often means paying more than you would have done if you had time to research. Try to get a bargain by purchasing them in the sales, buying second hand or hiring them alongside your wedding suits.

The honeymoon

Not many couples overlook their honeymoon, but they do overlook the associated costs. Flights, accommodation and spending money are probably taken care of, but have you thought about airport parking, pet sitting and your travel insurance? Remember to think of it as a holiday, with all the usual added costs associated.

Changing your name after the wedding

If you choose to change your surname after the wedding then you might find that it becomes a costly affair. Some name changes can be made easily with a simple phone call, but others may require you visiting a branch of your local bank, posting your marriage certificate or even paying over £70 to renew your passport. Changing your name might come after the wedding, but it is still an important cost to consider.

Now that you have a list of unexpected wedding costs, you can adjust your wedding budget to ensure that none of these things are overlooked. If you are unsure about certain aspects of your wedding then it is better to put this money aside anyway – if you later decide to forgo something then you can channel that money elsewhere in your wedding budget or even use it towards your honeymoon.

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Make your wedding budget go further

No matter what your wedding budget is, there are plenty of ways to trim down the costs and make your budget go further, ensuring that you have the day of your dreams. Following these simple tips will help you to stretch your wedding budget.

Decide where to splash the cash

When you first start planning your wedding, sit down and think about the aspects of your wedding that are important to the both of you. Focus your budget on things that are important to both of you and scrimp on the things that are less important to you. You could even go as far as skipping the things that aren’t important to you altogether.

Haggle haggle haggle

You’ve heard the saying “don’t ask, don’t get”, and the true is same for your wedding. Bear in mind that you are spending a lot of money on your big day and many vendors might be happy to offer you a discount in order to ensure your business. If you aren’t confident enough to ask for a set amount or a percentage off the price, you can use the key question “is that the best price you can do?” which invites vendors to offer a discount or a freebie. Some suppliers won’t be willing to offer a discount, but they might throw in some extras, for example a DJ might offer free early set up or a florist might offer free buttonholes. These extras will save you money too!

 

Cut down on the catering

If you are planning canapes after your ceremony, a three-course wedding breakfast, wedding cake, a sweet trolley, an evening buffet and late night snacks then that is too much food. Not only will you spend a lot of money, but the food will go to waste as neither you nor your guests won’t be able to enjoy it all. You can easily cut back on canapes or an evening buffet and make big savings. Another alternative is to cut down the wedding breakfast to just one or two courses.

 

Buy flowers in season

This is a great way to stretch your budget as flowers that are in season will be easier to get hold of and be much cheaper. Choosing large flowers like peonies and hydrangeas will help to fill your bouquet or arrangements without coming with a big price tag.

 

Pull in favours

Your friends and family are a talented bunch, and you probably have an expert baker, an aspiring florist and a graphic designer amongst them. Asking them to provide their services free of charge in lieu of a wedding gift is a great way to stretch your budget – or if that feels cheeky you can offer to pay for the materials they use, or ask them for “mate’s rates”.

 

Cut out the non-essentials

Pinterest has a lot to answer for when it comes to weddings, but you can still have a day that both you and your guests love without spending a fortune. There are simple ways to cut the costs for your big day – you don’t need to give your guests a wedding favour (they often get left behind anyway) or you could send out electronic save the dates to save on printing and postage costs.

Buy second hand

Imagine this – a couple buy brand new, expensive table centerpieces/bunting/accessories for their wedding, what do they do with them afterwards? More and more couples are choosing to resell their wedding items to release some cash or create more space in their home. Bride2bride is the perfect example of this, where you can buy everything for your wedding from outfits to vases. You can also keep an eye out on local Facebook selling groups, charity shops or even boot sales to find second hand wedding bargains.

Research before doing it yourself

Doing it yourself has become a trend in weddings, with lots of advice about how it will save you money. Be sure to spend some time looking for the best prices around for your materials and don’t always assume that doing it yourself will be cheaper. In some cases, after purchasing all your materials you might be spending more than purchasing ready made items. If you are looking for bespoke items, check out Etsy for one of a kind guest books, wedding invitations and more.

 

Following these tips will help you to keep within your budget whilst still making your big day magical. We would love to hear your tips for making your wedding budget go further – leave us a comment below and tell us your top tips.

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How To Create Your Own Sweet Buffet

Creating a sweet buffet for the wedding or party may seem to be one of the easiest tasks which you often shirk for the last minute. But when you are trying to combine some budget ideas with creative presentation, and also want to make a mark of your own in the task in a genuine way, then you cannot keep this job for the last. That is why you will have to think about implementing nice ideas to make your own sweet buffet in an impressive way.

How to plan the sweet buffet

Understanding some basic things will always make the sweet buffet stand out in appeal and presentation, while giving easy access to your guests to the buffet without hampering the décor.

  • If you plan to keep the candies in a jar, then ensure the mouth of the jar is not a bottle neck where through barely a hand can enter up to the wrist. If your guests have to struggle to enter the hand or fingers in the candy jar, and cannot bring out the hand with a handful of sweets then it’s of no use, and rather frustrating.
  • Always remember not use transparent objects for storing candies when you are not displaying them totally in the open. Transparency tells the guests about what to expect inside the jar or bottle, while also increasing the visual appeal.
  • Colors add to the appeal. And you should remember this while designing your sweet buffet. The more colorful you plan it the better it will attract attention.
  • Colorful wrappers are also a great way to add to the sweet buffet if you cover some of the uni-colored boring looking candies with them.
  • Wide mouthed jars and glasses, plates and dishes, and all such arrangements which keep the candy easy to grab are best choices.
  • Adding lighting to the buffet is a good idea to illuminate and add to the glitter.
  • You can cover all candies in a color theme by wrapping them up.
  • Using toothpicks helps align soft sweets in a pattern.
  • You can fill a jar with much less volume of candies when you place a transparent cup upside down inside the jar to reduce inside volume.

There are plenty of such tips and creative ideas to create your own sweet buffet. All you should do is bring on sweets, arrange the jars and plates etc, and think of a theme to align them and add color.

 

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10 top tips for Getting value for money from: Wedding insurance

Wedding insurance is something that most couples overlook. After all, when planning the biggest day of your lives you don’t want to think about the worst. Wedding insurance should be your first purchase when planning a wedding as you never know what the future holds. It is there to cover the unexpected, such as a vendor going out of business or illness. It helps to put your mind at ease about your big day. We have put together 10 top tips to help you get value for money from your wedding insurance. Wedding insurance isn’t mandatory, but it covers you if your wedding needs to be cancelled, rearranged or if a vendor lets you down.

Buy at the right time

Most wedding insurance providers will allow you to purchase your policy up to two years before the big day. You can buy your wedding insurance as late as the day before the wedding, as long as you have no knowledge of something that might cause you to make a claim.

Shop around

There are plenty of wedding insurance providers, so be sure to shop around to get the best price for your level of cover. There are wedding insurance comparison websites that will show you a variety of wedding insurance policies to suit your needs.

Cashback

Using a cashback website such as Quidco, Topcashback or Fat Cheese can see you earning a small percentage of your wedding insurance back as cashback. This is completely free of charge and signing up to a cashback website takes a few moments. Don’t forget to use them for other wedding purchases you make – you can use the cashback you earn as an extra treat on your honeymoon.

Be careful not to undercover

The level of wedding insurance you require is based on the total cost of your wedding. To ensure that you are fully covered, don’t get an insurance policy that falls below your wedding cost. Being undercovered means you won’t be fully covered for every eventuality.

Don’t overcover

Similar to undercovering, make sure you don’t spend more money by opting for an insurance policy that covers significantly more than your wedding will cost. This will cost you more money and won’t be of any use.

Check the excess

Most wedding insurance policies come with a small excess to pay in the event of a claim. This is usually around £25, so bear that in mind when you are comparing policies and their prices. Some policies have no excess, but they may cost significantly more than the policies with a low excess.

Free gift card

In order to appeal to more couples, some wedding insurance providers will include a free gift card when you purchase your insurance through them. Debenhams, for example, offer a free £10 gift card to spend when you purchase your wedding insurance with them. The gift card can be used for a special treat, or to help out with your wedding costs – including makeup, bridal shoes and more.

Check what is covered

When choosing a policy, make sure that it fits your needs. As a standard, your wedding insurance policy should cover:

 

  • Losing the wedding rings
  • Retaking photographs
  • Retaking video
  • Damage to the flowers or cake
  • Non-receipt of the flowers or cake
  • Wedding cars
  • Essential documents
  • Damage to the wedding attire including the wedding dress, bridesmaids’ or groomsmen’s clothing.
  • Cancelling or rearranging the wedding due to supplier failure or  due to illness, accident or bereavement within the wedding party.

 

Check that the policy you are considering purchasing covers all of this as a standard.

Know what isn’t covered

Each policy will vary, but as a general rule there are some things that won’t be covered by the wedding insurance policy. They include either the bride or groom getting cold feet, theft, any damage to the wedding clothing and if you need to cancel or postpone the wedding because you can’t afford to go ahead with the wedding.

Get additional cover

You can choose to get additional cover on your wedding insurance policy. Although this will cost a little bit extra, you can upgrade to cover public liability (if someone gets hurt at your wedding and chooses to make a legal case against you, adding this to your insurance will assist with those costs), marquee cover and even cover for ceremonial swords.

 

We all like to think that our wedding day will go off without a hitch, but wedding insurance is that security measure that gives you peace of mind. It reassures you that you won’t lose out financially should something go wrong.

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5 things to splurge on for your wedding

We have given you lots of advice about saving money on your big day, but we do know that there are a few things you should splurge on for your wedding. Every couple is different and wants something different for their wedding day, but here are five things that we suggest you consider splurging on.

Photography

Even the most camera shy amongst you will appreciate having good wedding photographs to look back on. Some couples are opting to forgo the photographer all together and ask their guests to take pictures on their cameras or phones. However, these shots cannot compare to a professional, wedding photographer’s photos. An experienced wedding photographer will know how to shoot you both in the best light, how to stage those all important shots and how to edit your photographs after the wedding for the best results. They will blend into your day and make you feel comfortable in front of the camera. They will also most likely have an assistant with them, meaning that if one camera fails there are still photos from your big day.

 

You can still save money by ordering your own prints, photobook and canvas after your wedding. Websites like Truprint and Snapfish will allow you to create all sorts of items with your wedding photos, from simple prints to a large canvas. It does take a few hours to get all your photographs uploaded and if you want to make a photobook then expect to spend a couple of hours arranging your photographs.

The venue

Wherever you choose to get married, whether it be a registry office or a luxury lakeside location, spend your money wisely here and don’t be afraid to splurge. You might want a location that looks stunning in photographs or just somewhere simple to say your vows. Make sure that the venue you choose has enough space to accommodate the guests you are planning to invite and splurge on making the ceremony and reception locations look stunning. You can save money by DIYing as much as you can, buying second hand and roping friends in to help.

The catering

Catering can take a huge chunk of your overall wedding budget, but there is a good reason for this. You don’t want your guests to go hungry, and feeding them good quality grub shows them how much you appreciate them attending your wedding. It doesn’t have to be a posh three course meal with ingredients you can’t pronounce, whatever you chose to serve your guests, be sure to look for caterers who use high quality, local produce.

 

If you chose to do the catering yourselves then bear in mind that most wedding caterers will also provide staff, glassware, cutlery, crockery and table cloths in their prices. So whilst the cost might seem high, consider that sourcing all these items elsewhere will be both an added cost and an added headache that you don’t need.

 

Music

When you think about wedding music, don’t just think about your evening DJ or band. You can have music during your ceremony, during the drinks reception, during the wedding breakfast and for the evening entertainment. Splurging on your wedding music doesn’t mean spending lots of money – in this case it can also be taking the time to create various playlists to use throughout your day. Your wedding venue may have a speaker you can use (a small hire charge might apply) to plug your iPhone/iPod into. Make sure you have an aux cable, just in case, which you can pick up from Poundland. Another top tip is to have the music saved on more than one device, in case one runs out of battery on the day itself.

The honeymoon

After all the hectic wedding planning, and the big day itself, your honeymoon allows you to have some much needed time together. Whatever your honeymoon budget, whether you are staying at home or going somewhere exotic, make sure that you have a few extra treats for you to enjoy together. It could be a lovely meal out or a couple’s massage.

 

Whilst this list should give you some idea of where to splurge on your wedding day, remember that it is your wedding day, and your vision is most important. Are there any items listed here that you scrimped on instead? Or what did you splurge on for your big day? Be sure to let us know in the comments as we would love to hear from you.