{"id":4734,"date":"2022-05-12T06:19:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T10:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/espacestudio.ca\/my-10k-wedding-how-i-saved-20000-on-my-big-day\/"},"modified":"2022-05-12T06:19:00","modified_gmt":"2022-05-12T10:19:00","slug":"my-10k-wedding-how-i-saved-20000-on-my-big-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/espacestudio.ca\/en\/my-10k-wedding-how-i-saved-20000-on-my-big-day\/","title":{"rendered":"My \u00a310k wedding: ‘How I saved \u00a320,000 on my big day’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\"Emma<\/div>
The first thing bride-to-be Emma did when planning her wedding was to reach out\u2026 for a spreadsheet (Picture: Emma Fairhall)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wedding season is upon us once again, and it\u2019s set to be particularly busy with an estimated 350,000 weddings<\/a> taking place this year (up from an average of around 280,000 pre-pandemic). <\/p>\n

Most of them are unlikely to be in the realms of the recent Peltz-Beckham rumoured $3million extravaganza, but the average UK nuptials still cost around \u00a330,000, a vast amount of money, especially during these financially taxing times when people are watching every penny.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been dreaming of your big day for years, you might initially balk at the idea of being a budgeting bride, but scrimping doesn\u2019t mean sacrificing style, or forgoing memory-making moments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Through careful planning and creative thinking, you can enjoy a wedding that\u2019s filled with personal touches for a fraction of the average cost, as campaigns manager Emma Fairhall, 26, from Dorset, discovered.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first thing Emma did when planning her wedding was to reach out\u2026 for a spreadsheet. She was determined to have a big day filled with personal touches \u2013 for a fraction of the average cost.<\/p>\n

In fact, the thrifty bride spent just \u00a39,630 on her wedding and honeymoon in June 2019, which meant she and her husband, Dave, 34, a financial sanctions officer, could put the \u00a320,000 they might otherwise have spent towards a deposit on their first home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\"Bride<\/div>
Weddings can still cost a pretty penny, with more couples looking to have a big day on a budget (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018I\u2019m known by friends and family for being savvy with saving money, so I made a spreadsheet covering all possible aspects of the wedding along with the average prices, and worked out where we could save money,\u2019 says Emma, whose first task was choosing a venue for their 75 guests.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018We originally wanted to keep within the \u00a35k mark, but quickly realised we had too many guests as we both have big families and that wasn\u2019t something we wanted to compromise on.\u2019<\/p>\n

Rejecting more traditional venues, and their hefty price tags, she opted for the local garden centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018I discovered it via Facebook as a wedding planner had posted a picture of a wedding there. We were a bit sceptical at first and it did feel a little daunting as it was simply an empty field, but then we realised it meant we could put our own stamp on it,\u2019 explains Emma who paid \u00a33,500 for the location, as opposed to the average \u00a35,406.<\/p>\n

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\n\"Emma<\/div>
Emma and Dave got married at a nearby garden centre (Picture: Emma Fairhall)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018A lot of our decor was homemade,\u2019 she notes, adding that she also designed their invitations. \u2018I also kept a lookout at charity shops and eBay for anything that had the potential to make a good decoration. Some items were deliberately chosen so we could keep them for our first home, which means we\u2019ve always got little memories of our wedding.\u2019<\/p>\n

In addition, the couple made their own place cards, utilised empty wine bottles for table water and used a full-length mirror they owned to display the order of the day, which meant Emma only spent \u00a365 on her wedding decoration.<\/p>\n

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\n\"Emma<\/div>
The bride held her wedding at the local garden centre (Picture: Emma Fairhall)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She bought her wedding dress (\u00a380) and bridesmaids dresses (between \u00a340 and \u00a345) on sale at ASOS, and although she splashed out on hair and make-up for the bridal party, she managed to get a 15% group offer, which totalled \u00a3452 for five of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As for the groom, his suit was \u00a351 from a supermarket, which was tailored for \u00a360, while the groomsmen wore suits they already owned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the most expensive aspects of the wedding was the flowers, at \u00a3500, but Emma still managed to save money by taking advantage of deals at a wedding fayre, incorporating local flowers and getting friends and family to pick wildflowers on their walks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She also used dried flowers for the confetti and topped it up with free samples she\u2019d collected.<\/p>\n

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\n\"Flowers<\/div>
Emma saved money on flowers with freebies and friends\u2019 help (Picture: Emma Fairhall)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Although we decided to skip out on a videographer as it was so expensive, photography is one thing we didn\u2019t want to scrimp on,\u2019 says Emma, who spent \u00a31020 on a photographer.<\/p>\n

As for food, the couple asked a local chef to supply an unlimited vegan buffet after attending a supper club event. It cost \u00a320 per person, and half price for the kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018We were also quite savvy with what time we got married, leaving it quite late at 3pm so we didn\u2019t have to feed our guests twice and they could instead graze on the buffet all day, and evening guests could help themselves.\u2019<\/p>\n

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\n\"Emma's<\/div>
A friend made the cake for the special day (Picture: Emma Fairhall)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While a friend made their wedding cake as a gift, Emma used Lego pieces for the cake topper. She and Dave also baked brownies for guests, made up pick \u2018n\u2019 mix for the children with sweets from a wholesaler using the free cashback app Shopmium<\/a> and ensured the drinks were flowing at a cost of \u00a33-\u00a34 per person.<\/p>\n

\u2018We used a bar company that had a towable shepherd\u2019s hut they delivered to our venue,\u2019 Emma explains. \u2018They gave us a reduced price, and we opted against a toasting drink as everyone would be eating and drinking already. We also had a cash bar.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

For entertainment, the couple hired a DJ recommended to them who gave them mates rates at \u00a3640, bought garden games from charity shops, set up a kids\u2019 corner, with homemade activity packs and borrowed toys, costing around \u00a310, and booked a photobooth that doubled up as the guestbook for \u00a3420.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tEmma’s budgeting tips \t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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