Frugal Weddings, Can Be A Reality as Part of A thrifty Living.

Frugal weddings can be a reality, but only if we stop believing in all the hype the magazines tell us is the perfect wedding. The secret to a beautiful inexpensive wedding is to keep it SIMPLE and to always look for cheaper alternatives.

I have never married but my sister has married twice. The first time she went for the full traditional wedding day, big dress, cars, flowers, church and party afterwards.

The second time she wanted simpler frugal weddings ideas and ended up having a totally wonderful day at a fraction of the cost of the first. The wedding planning was a lot easier too.

Here are some of the things my sister did to have her special day and also some ideas she thought were great too. frugal wedding are still romantic by babasteve on flickr

It's your day, do it your way

Wedding planning should be carried out well in advance and in the smallest detail. By knowing exactly what you do and do not want on the day will make the whole process a lot easier and alot more frugal.

Firstly - Know Your Budget and stick to it. Better still put your wedding budget into a separate bank account, this will focus the mind and stop extra spending. It will also dictate just what sort of wedding you can afford.

If you can't afford the sort of wedding you have always dreamt of, then perhaps you should wait until you do have the money. A bad mistake is to start married life off with a huge debt.

Second - Make lists to cover every aspect of your wedding. Try to think of every little thing that will be required on the day and then allocate a portion of your budget to it. If you manage to spend less on one thing great, but if you go over you will have to change the allocated budget from one of your other lists.

Frugal Weddings, how?

Where - Churches cost a lot of money to hire and even more if you decide you want to decorate them inside. However you can have your wedding in any number of smaller venues that are licensed to hold weddings, or find out if you could have the service in your own home or garden.

Although you will still have to pay for someone to perform the service this will still work out considerably cheaper. This option has the added bonus that there is no need for expensive cars and also the reception can be held in the same place.

Guests - Frugal weddings are best when only a close family and friends attend. It produces a much more intimate wedding day where your guest can also feel a part of your special day by helping you to prepare for it. Never be afraid to ask people for help on the day, say for moving tables and chairs or helping with the food.

Dresses and Suits - Buying a wedding dress can cost thousands and doesn't really make sense for just the one day.

Instead hire a dress or better still you may find a friend or neighbour who would lend you theirs, after all that's what wedding dresses are for, to be at weddings and not at the back of the wardrobe. Similarly matching shoes and gloves can be borrowed as well. My sister never did wear her first wedding dress and shoes again.

Instead of hiring special suits for the groom, the best man and ushers, ask them to wear their own suits but in a matching colour. Matching ties and handkerchiefs can be added to make them look coordinated.

Brides maid dresses can be made if you are lucky enough to have someone in your family that can sew. If not, simple plain dresses can be turned into bridesmaid dresses with the addition of sashes, bows or flowers depending on your taste.

Flowers - Another great expense on the day can be the flowers for the bouquets and table decorations. Of course frugal weddings don't actually have to have flowers at all, but you can still have some within budget if you think cleverly.

I think my sister spent around £400 on hers the first time. To reduce this cost make your own bouquet from flowers bought the day before at your local supermarket or garden centre (florists are too expensive).

You can mix and match your bouquets and tie them together using coloured ribbon. After the service the bouquets can be used for table decorations, the brides for the main table and the bridesmaids for the guests tables.

Another option is to forgo the whole bouquet thing and get yourself and the bridesmaids to each carry a single long stemmed red rose or lily, with the stem bound in ribbon. Beautifully simple and elegant. Again these can be placed in vases on the tables afterwards.

The Reception - Depending on how many guests you have and the venue this can be one of the biggest costs on the day, but planning it with your frugal weddings hat on, A great party can be had by all for a fraction of the cost.

Venue - Try to have your wedding on a weekday rather than at the weekend when costs of hiring venues can double. A Friday afternoon/evening is a good choice. Always look around for special offers at different venues in your area for off peak times.

If decorations are required at your venue, to keep within your frugal weddings budget, keep them simple and arrange them yourself with friends. Strings of white Christmas lights and plain white tablecloths give a certain simple elegance. Bunches of pastel coloured balloons, tied with draping ribbon, placed around the walls is a great way to add simple spots of decoration.

Glasses - if buying wine for the reception, check out your local supermarket or large wine sellers who will often lend you glasses free of charge when you buy wine from them.

Food - A buffet is the cheapest option and if you can arrange for family and friends to do the catering for you the better. I have been to too many buffets laid on by so-called professional caters where all I kept saying to myself is " I could have done better".

Always keep in mind health and safety issues and make sure that there is enough refrigeration available at your venue. Arranging the wedding catering yourself can be a great saving and if kept simple can be easily arranged.

Frugal Weddings Cake - To have a cake made for you can cost hundreds. My sister hired a wedding cake stand and we baked about four fruitcakes and decorated them with marzipan and white icing. Red ribbon was placed around each cake and once they were placed on the stand and the little bride and groom were placed on top, it was hard to tell that we had made it ourselves. It was yummy too.

Photographer - This can be a tricky decision to make. The cheapest option is to ask a friend who is into photography and who is prepared to take on the responsibility. However most friends would find this too much of a risk, what if something went wrong? Well you will have to decide how upset you would be if something did go wrong. You could always get two friends to take the pictures as a fail-safe solution.

Another option is to ask at your local art school to see if any students would be prepared to do the photography at a reduced cost. But always be sure to see examples of their work first.

Top of frugal weddings page

Back To Celebrations Page