Melanie's Budget Wedding

Melanie wrote to me earlier this year about her budget wedding. She explained her frustration at see lots of wedding programmes where people were spending in excess of £15,000 on a wedding. Convinced she could do it for less; Melanie set her budget to £5,000 and achieved just that.

Melanie got married in August 2008 and spent just under £5,000. Melanie managed to keep her budget wedding on track by doing lots of things herself. She's a DIY queen and made her own table centrepieces, favours, stationery and cake - which all saved her a fortune. She even had a go at doing her own bridal bouquet which turned out to be stunning.

The outfits

For wedding dress, Melanie had a budget of £300 and everything she saw for that price or under looked cheap. So, she had a look around at the styles and colours she liked and did specific searches on eBay to find exactly what she was looking for.

After a lot of patience, her perfect dress came up - an Alice James wedding dress, usually priced at £1,500, in the exact colour she wanted. And she won it! Best of all, it came with all her accessories including the tiara, veil, hoop and garter - all for £250 delivered.

Her bridesmaid's dresses were from Next and cost her between £20-£27 each. They were nylon, but looked like silk and were really pretty. The male attendants wore smart trousers and waistcoats as they got married on a hot August day!

The reception

Melanie's reception was at Burley Manor Hotel and they chose the 'simply perfect wedding package'. The package costs £2,000 and included evening room hire, sit down meal for 40 guests, reception drinks, toast drink, wine, evening buffet for up to 60 guests and their room for the wedding night.

Melanie also had a magician to keep the little and big kids entertained. She managed to negotiate £300 off the normal cost and he also threw in some kid's entertainment for free!

Hair and beauty

Luckily, Melanie got some friends to help out with her hair and make-up. They kindly offered their services in return for an invite to the wedding.

Photography and music

Melanie found a photographer who would do all day, from when she gets ready to the end of the evening, for £500. He supplied her with a DVD, complete with special effects and ALL the original pictures, so she pulled together her own wedding album. She enlisted the help of another friend to do the videography.

For the music in the evening, she had a family friend's band which was supported by another friend who DJ'd. Both were minimal cost.

To end with a quote from Melanie:

"All in all you don't have to spend a fortune on a wedding. By getting friends and family involved, you bring people closer together, make it an event that everyone is part of and you save a fortune to boot!"

It's clear Melanie's been pretty resourceful and made considered purchases. She did her homework, stuck to her budget and ended up with a lovely day.

For me and clearly for Melanie too, getting friends and family involved with the big day makes such a difference. It reduces your stress and brings people closer together - so don't be afraid to ask.

Other budget bride's stories:

Why not tell other readers how you managed on your budget? Contact me.

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