These days couples are no doubt tightening their belts. And with loans hard to obtain it will be hard finding credit for a showstopper of a wedding
According to wedding insurance provider, Weddingplan, the average cost of a wedding in the UK for 2009 is a whopping £21,089. Weddingplan's figures also reveal that the cost of a wedding has risen by a massive 97% since November 1998.
However, It’s still possible to have a ‘credit-crunch busting wedding’ if you do your research properly and know where to look.
Of course if you are going to have a low cost budget wedding you may have to give up your plan of having a fairytale bash in that five star luxury hotel or grand stately home. Instead of a grand venue opt for finding out what your local pub or school may charge.
The Punch Tavern in Fleet Street in London, for example, does not charge a venue hire fee but requires that couples spend a minimum of £500 on drinks and food. Food is offered for under £30 per head for a three course set meal and the tavern charges under £10 a head for a buffet.
Wedding on a budget
With the credit crisis in full siwng it will be more important than ever to have a wedding on a shoe string, but it is possible. Angelique Ruzicka finds out how you can cut the costs
With the credit crisis in full siwng it will be more important than ever to have a wedding on a shoe string, but it is possible. Angelique Ruzicka finds out how you can cut the costs
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Andrew Strachen and his wife Helen got married at St Bride's Church in Fleet Street and then had the reception at The Punch Tavern. Andrew feels there are plenty of benefits of getting married in the City: “We decided to get married in a church in the city as we knew a lot of places would be closed and we’d ask them to open for our wedding. We had 70 people and were charged a total of £2,800 by the Punch and this included a welcome Bellini drink, canapés, English roast for the main course, half a bottle of wine per person and champagne for people to toast. There was no venue hire fee. The tavern also glammed up the place with balloons and candles as part of the package. It was perfect, cosy and friendly.”
Andrew doesn't regret getting married at a grander venue: “Because it was small it meant people were relaxed and chatty. The tavern itself is lovely though. It’s a grade II listed building and still an impressive venue.”
Another way to save is to have your wedding abroad. A wedding abroad can be a lot cheaper. For £1,994, Yolanda and Paul Ravenscroft got married in Florence, Italy. Their wedding was arranged by Tuscan Dreams and the package included having the civil ceremony in Florence town hall with interpreter and witnesses, a violin player to play during the ceremony, the photographer and the bride’s bouquet. “They are a lovely couple in their 50s - completely and madly in love with each other. They had a very romantic wedding with carriage and horses in Florence and got married in Palazzo Vecchio,” said Erica Bellini, founder of Tuscan Dreams.
If you are willing to cut out the pomp and ceremony and the number of guests, then you could have your wedding for a lot cheaper still. Freelance journalist JoAnna Haugen, managed to get married in Washington, USA, for under $100. “My husband and I eloped. We paid $32 for the wedding license, went out to eat afterwards with our witnesses (about $40), and saw a movie that evening (about $15). We did it all for under $100,” she said.
If moving abroad won't do and you can't find the ideal venue, why not have it at home. If your home isn't big enough you could create space by hiring a removal company to take all your expensive furniture out, to prevent them from being ruined in the event that your guests get out of hand.
GB Liners make it possible for couples to get married at home by removing the clutter, storing it and moving it back after the wedding. The temporary service offers everything from preparation, dismantle, storage, pre-wrapping and packaging service to unpacking and reassembling. A spokesperson for GB Liners said: “We wouldn't empty the entire contents of the house, but they would de-clutter the home, creating enough space for the wedding reception, store the contents for 1 week and re-deliver for roughly £500.”
Where possible you can cut costs by finding ways of doing the catering and decorating yourself. If you have time, things like flower arranging and baking a wedding cake can be learned. St Francis Xavier College in Clapham, London has two florist courses. One for beginners and one for intermediate levels. Here you can learn a variety of flower arranging techniques including wedding designs. The Wedding Planner School also has a number of courses that will teach brides to be how to do their weddings themselves and save money. A two day course or combined subject correspondence course in both wedding planning and event management costs £595 (including VAT).
Finding a dress on a budget is possible as well. A number of high street retailers have come out with budget wedding dresses, costing between £100-£300. These include BHS, Debenhams, and Marks & Spencer.
Andrew doesn't regret getting married at a grander venue: “Because it was small it meant people were relaxed and chatty. The tavern itself is lovely though. It’s a grade II listed building and still an impressive venue.”
Another way to save is to have your wedding abroad. A wedding abroad can be a lot cheaper. For £1,994, Yolanda and Paul Ravenscroft got married in Florence, Italy. Their wedding was arranged by Tuscan Dreams and the package included having the civil ceremony in Florence town hall with interpreter and witnesses, a violin player to play during the ceremony, the photographer and the bride’s bouquet. “They are a lovely couple in their 50s - completely and madly in love with each other. They had a very romantic wedding with carriage and horses in Florence and got married in Palazzo Vecchio,” said Erica Bellini, founder of Tuscan Dreams.
If you are willing to cut out the pomp and ceremony and the number of guests, then you could have your wedding for a lot cheaper still. Freelance journalist JoAnna Haugen, managed to get married in Washington, USA, for under $100. “My husband and I eloped. We paid $32 for the wedding license, went out to eat afterwards with our witnesses (about $40), and saw a movie that evening (about $15). We did it all for under $100,” she said.
If moving abroad won't do and you can't find the ideal venue, why not have it at home. If your home isn't big enough you could create space by hiring a removal company to take all your expensive furniture out, to prevent them from being ruined in the event that your guests get out of hand.
GB Liners make it possible for couples to get married at home by removing the clutter, storing it and moving it back after the wedding. The temporary service offers everything from preparation, dismantle, storage, pre-wrapping and packaging service to unpacking and reassembling. A spokesperson for GB Liners said: “We wouldn't empty the entire contents of the house, but they would de-clutter the home, creating enough space for the wedding reception, store the contents for 1 week and re-deliver for roughly £500.”
Where possible you can cut costs by finding ways of doing the catering and decorating yourself. If you have time, things like flower arranging and baking a wedding cake can be learned. St Francis Xavier College in Clapham, London has two florist courses. One for beginners and one for intermediate levels. Here you can learn a variety of flower arranging techniques including wedding designs. The Wedding Planner School also has a number of courses that will teach brides to be how to do their weddings themselves and save money. A two day course or combined subject correspondence course in both wedding planning and event management costs £595 (including VAT).
Finding a dress on a budget is possible as well. A number of high street retailers have come out with budget wedding dresses, costing between £100-£300. These include BHS, Debenhams, and Marks & Spencer.
Andrew & Helen Strachen on their wedding day
Contacts mentioned in this feature:
The Punch Tavern
99 Fleet Street
Email: dave@punchtavern.com
www.punchtavern.com
St Bride's Church in Fleet Street
Tel: +44 0207 427 0133
Email: info@stbrides.com
www.stbrides.com
St. Francis Xavier College
www.sfx.ac.uk
The Wedding Planner School
www.theweddingplannerschool.org.uk
GB Liners
www.gbliners.com
Tel: +44 (0) 808 1000 988
Email: info@gbliners.com
BHS
www.bhs.co.uk
Debenhams
www.debenhams.com
M&S
www.marksandspencer.com
The Punch Tavern
99 Fleet Street
Email: dave@punchtavern.com
www.punchtavern.com
St Bride's Church in Fleet Street
Tel: +44 0207 427 0133
Email: info@stbrides.com
www.stbrides.com
St. Francis Xavier College
www.sfx.ac.uk
The Wedding Planner School
www.theweddingplannerschool.org.uk
GB Liners
www.gbliners.com
Tel: +44 (0) 808 1000 988
Email: info@gbliners.com
BHS
www.bhs.co.uk
Debenhams
www.debenhams.com
M&S
www.marksandspencer.com
The newly married Strachens behind the bar