Cheap Wedding Success Blog

The Cheap Wedding Blog from Cheap Wedding Success is an essential collection of ideas, tips and 'how to' information about having a cheap wedding.

You'll also find case studies, questions and answers from other brides-to-be and all the unmissable articles from Cheap Wedding Success.

Jul 27, 2010, Your Questions Answered

If you’re looking for some help with your wedding and you’ve got a question that needs answering, why not ask me?

Perhaps you’ve got a dilemma over which venue to have, how to create that cheap table decoration or you’d like to know where to find a particular item.

In my newest section, you can ask me questions directly to me. So, if you’ve got any doubts or need to find some little gems, ask away.

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Jul 22, 2010, Share Your Cheap Venue Ideas

Have you stumbled on a little gem of a wedding venue that doesn't break the bank? Why don't you share it here with other brides on a budget?

Whether it's a village hall, a country house or a last minute hotel package, tell us how you found it, got the deal of your dreams or negotiated a bargain price.

There’s no need to worry that others will steal it, after all, you’ve already booked it now for your big day!

Find out what about Peter’s perfect cheap venue in the country.

Share your story now.

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Jul 17, 2010, Gifts for Your Bridesmaids

One of the important pieces of your wedding budget than can easily get overlook or overspent is bridesmaids' gifts.

Your bridesmaids have probably spent lots of time showering you with attention on and around your wedding day, and it's only right that you say thanks.

However, you may not be able to spend a fortune on these gifts, which is fine. There are plenty of cute bridesmaids’ gifts out there that your maids will love, and you can get gift ideas for under ten pounds here. These ideas range from the traditional to the original, but they are sure to give you some direction on finding your own cheap bridesmaid's gifts.

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Jul 13, 2010, Win £75: Tell Us Your Cheap Wedding Venue

Win £75 simply by telling us your favourite cheap wedding venue.

Simply tell us your favourite cheap wedding venue for a wedding reception and we'll enter you into our free prize draw. You can submit as many different entries as you like and each entry is another opportunity to win. Your favourite venue could be: - a village hall that offers self catering facilities - a stately home that offers last minute, all inclusive deals at knock down prices - a restaurant available for private hire functions - a hotel offering a great all inclusive deal

Click here to enter the competition for your chance to win £75.

Closes: Tuesday 31st August. Terms and conditions apply.

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Jul 12, 2010, Cameras for Your Wedding

There are plenty of interesting ways you can get your guests to take pictures and also get pictures from guests. You don't always have to use disposable cameras, there are lots of other ways to ensure you get memories of your special day. Consider these great ways to get great shots for your wedding.

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Jul 7, 2010, Bridal Bouquets for Less

If you don't particularly fancy paying so much for a bouquet that will last only one day – even if it will live on in pictures for decades – you can still have a beautiful bouquet without paying a fortune for it.

There are several ways you can do this, and you can find a lot of money-saving bouquet ideas here.

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Jul 3, 2010, Best Places To Find Wedding Flower Ideas

Then you have to think about the types of flowers that will last all day and the kinds of flowers that can help you save money on your bouquets and other arrangements.

The wedding magazines are great for ideas, but be sure to check out these places for wedding bouquet ideas too.

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Jun 29, 2010, Affordable Wedding Examples

As humans, one of the best ways that we learn is from examples and stories.

If you're being faced with what seems like an unreasonably small wedding budget, you can get all the advice that you want, but you may never feel comfortable planning your wedding until you hear from other brides who created beautiful budget weddings.

You can find the real stories of real budgeting brides here, and these stories can give you ideas, comfort and inspiration as you begin your own wedding planning process.

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Jun 25, 2010, Win Your Wedding Dress!

Lightinthebox.com are giving away a wedding dress! In their free promotion, all you need to do is tell them your romantic wedding proposal story.

Find out more and win your wedding dress!

The promotion ends on 20 July 2010.

Jun 21, 2010, Luxurious, But Affordable Wedding Napkins

These little napkins will add a little bit of luxury to your tables, without the luxury price tag.

They're 100% cotton and completely biodegradable. They come pre-cut on a roll, so you simply tear them off, as you would a kitchen roll.

The napkins are available in a wide array of colours and sizes and are sure to match your wedding theme and venue.

You can pick up My Drap Napkins from Well Dressed Tables in South Wimbledon. Simply lovely.

Learn more about cheap wedding napkins here.

Jun 13, 2010, A Cheap But Beautiful Wedding

By having a meal for only a few close friends and family members and setting up a larger buffet after her wedding, Caroline saved a ton of money.

She and her fiancé did their wedding for about £5,000. They saved money from buying bargain dresses from TK Maxx and Debenhams, printing her place cards and other stationery at home and by getting friends to do her flowers.

If you want to save money like Caroline did, you can look at her budget wedding ideas here.

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Jun 9, 2010, Wedding Budget Traps

Let's face it. Sticking to your wedding budget is going to be difficult. It's easy to get sucked into wanting the newest, latest and best, whether or not you can actually afford it.

Rather than going into debt to pay for your wedding, which is never a good way to start off married life, you should be aware of the five things that most often cause a budget to get out of whack.

This article on the five biggest budget traps can help you know what to be on the lookout for so that you proactively keep your budget steady.

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Jun 7, 2010, Seven Wedding Planning Mistakes

The key to having a perfect wedding is not having lots of money or a fantastic venue, it's simply perfect planning.

While this can be a bit complicated – you are, after all, planning a huge party – it is definitely doable. Thousands of brides have planned weddings before, but many of these brides make some pretty major mistakes.

You can learn from the mistakes of others so that you don't make them, too. These seven major wedding planning mistakes are easily avoidable, and knowing what they are is half the battle.

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Jun 4, 2010, Free Advertising Trial

Did you know we're offering a FREE advertising trial on Cheap Wedding Success for all new advertisers?

We'll give new advertisers a banner and a featured link on the page of your choice for up to two months (subject to availability).

This is great way to see if advertising with us works. If it doesn't, you've lost nothing. If it does, then you've found a great way to find new customers.

So, why not try advertising with us, free of charge, risk free and with no obligation to buy after the trial has ended?

Find out more about our free advertising trial.

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May 31, 2010, Napkins and Tableware: Saving on Necessities

When you're planning your wedding budget, don't forget to allow for napkins and tableware, which can be easy to overlook.

When it comes to both of these necessary things, you have many different options based around quality and price.

Even on a tight budget, you can find quality items that will make your tables look nice, but you shouldn't feel like you have to break your budget to get the best of the best. If you're wondering how you balance these two aspects, you can learn how to pick the right kind of napkins and tableware here.

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May 27, 2010, Ideas For Finding Cheap Wedding Venues

Finding a cheap wedding venue is the biggest place in your wedding budget where you can save money. First you’ll need to think of the type of wedding you’d like. Do you prefer the beach, an outdoor garden, a new village hall, or a public house? Maybe you aren’t too choosey and are more concerned about finding the right price and are flexible to make your wedding work anywhere. Whether you already have an idea of the type of wedding you’d like or are still undecided, you’re sure to find the perfect cheap wedding venue to fit your style and your budget. Some places to consider are local authority buildings, sports clubs, hotels, and even a friend or relative’s home.

Have a look at this article for even more ideas on finding cheap wedding venues.

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May 24, 2010, What Are The Secrets To Your Cheap Wedding?

No one wants to overspend on their wedding, but we all want the perfect day. Why not share with other brides how you're achieving your dream wedding on a budget?

We're looking for case studies of brides on a budget, so if you'd like to share your story, why not contact me with the details?

May 20, 2010, Credit Crunch Brides: How Are You Saving?

With all the financial turmoil around, many brides are changing their wedding plans and cutting back. From cutting the guest list to simplifying the cake, there are many ways brides are choosing to save.

We'd love to hear how you're making the most of your wedding budget, so why not with your story?

May 15, 2010, Do-it-Yourself Wedding Favours

If you’re interested in saving money on your wedding favours, you may want to consider making your own.

There are plenty of favours that you can make completely from scratch, and there are also several ways you can use cheap, impersonal items to create unique, personalised wedding favours, even on a tight budget.

If you’re interested in making your own wedding favours, you can find some unique ideas for homemade wedding favours here.

Saving money is one great advantage of making your own favours, but if you enjoy crafting or baking, you can also find some great stress relief in the process!

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May 11, 2010, Do-it-Yourself Wedding Cake

If you’re looking for ways to save money on your wedding, cutting back on your cake budget can be a great way to do this. One of the best ways to save on your cake is to make it yourself.

You probably already have some experience in the kitchen, and making a wedding cake is really all about following directions. You can find a great video on making fruit cake here. You could choose to either make and decorate your own cake or to bake it and have a professional decorate it, as the decorating is the most difficult part.

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May 8, 2010, DIY Wedding Corsages

Corsages – those small flower arrangements that sit on the wrist – can be a great way to set your family members apart on your wedding day.

They can also be a good option for bridesmaid's bouquets, since they will leave your bridesmaid's hands free to assist you and because the girls won't have to carry their bouquets around during the reception.

These tiny arrangements, though, can be a little expensive, but you can save a lot of money on them if you make them yourself. This isn't terribly difficult, and you can learn to make your own corsages using this video. Once you get the first one done, the rest will be simple, and you'll be making all your beautiful wedding arrangements in no time.

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May 2, 2010, DIY Bridal Bouquet

As a bride-to-be, you've probably noticed that flowers for your wedding and bridal bouquets can be pretty pricey. You can shell out hundreds for a professionally-made bouquet, or you can create one yourself that is just as beautiful.

A few tips and some practice is all it will take to get you well on your way to creating a bouquet that suits your dress and your wedding just perfectly, and in doing this, you can save yourself a ton of money, too. Put money back into your wedding budget by learning to make your own bridal bouquet here.

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Apr 26, 2010, Cutting Costs as Your Wedding Reception

The food and drinks at your wedding are often the most expensive areas. If you're a bride working with a relatively small wedding budget, you may need to look for some ways to cut back on these.

Don't despair, though, because you can figure out how to save money on your food, whether you’re having a traditional hotel reception or small intimate wedding. From knowing what wines to serve to figuring out unique, interesting new food ideas, you can learn to save on food and drinks here. Even if you don't use these ideas, they're sure to spark your imagination.

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Apr 22, 2010, Ideas For Cheap Wedding Bags and Boxes

If you already have some great ideas for your favours, be sure that you’ve thought about how you’d like to present those favours?

Many brides get a great idea for cheap favours only to find out that the packaging needed puts it way out of their price range. Instead of getting caught in this trap, think beforehand about what you’ll put your favours in, and consider using alternative wedding favour packaging. These ideas for favour bags and boxes will not only save you money, but they will also make the presentation of your wedding favours unique and personal.

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Apr 18, 2010, Self-Catering Wedding

One of the most expensive elements of any wedding is the food, and one of the best ways to save money on your wedding reception is to cater it yourself.

You may be thinking that this sounds impossible, but if you plan it right, you can cater your own wedding. Really, if you plan the right meals, anyone can make a bunch of food. You just have to know who you're serving, what you're serving, and who's helping you.

Getting all this information straight from the get-go will save you time, money and hassle. You can learn how to plan your catering here. So get started now.

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Apr 15, 2010, Save on Wedding Cakes

Have you looked at the cost of a professionally made and decorated wedding cake recently? Yikes! The cake can really break your budget, and it's not even the whole focus of your big day. If you need some cheaper wedding cake options, though, you're not alone, and you're not out of luck. You could buy a supermarket cake, make your own cake or get a family member to do it, or make enchanting little cupcakes. There are plenty of brides who have used ideas like these to make their wedding cakes both wonderful and affordable.

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Apr 10, 2010, Recipes for Your Buffet Reception

You may already know that one of the cheapest ways to feed your wedding guests is to self cater your wedding by creating a buffet spread.

There are plenty of different ways you can do this, from serving desserts only to serving traditional pub foods, which are typically easy to make.

If you've already got some ideas but are ready for some recipes, you can find great buffet recipes here.

These recipes are simple, but they are also delicious, which makes them perfect for your wedding reception buffet.

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Apr 7, 2010, Get Your FREE Wedding Planner

Ensure your planning is easy with my FREE wedding planner. With an essential information sheet, guestlist tracker, budget spreadsheet, table planner and wedding countdown - it's easy to keep on top of all your wedding planning.

Simply sign up to Cheap Wedding Tips, my free newsletter filled with ideas, tips and advice so you can have the perfect cheap wedding and then download your wedding planner.

The guestlist tracker is an essential tool to help you keep track of all your guests, who's responded, what gift they've bought and if you've sent a thank you card.

The spreadsheet will ensure you know exactly what you're spending so you don't go over budget and if you're having a sit down meal, then the table planner will help with you with your seating arrangements.

Finally, the information sheet will keep all your contacts in one place - so you'll never lose another key contact and the wedding countdown will ensure you know what to do when.

So sign up for my FREE newsletter today and get yourself organised!

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Apr 3, 2010, Insurance for Your Wedding

Something that many brides don't know about weddings is that you can actually buy wedding insurance. This may seem unnecessary, but there are plenty of things that could happen to ruin your wedding day – or even put it off – and wedding insurance can protect you from financial loss.

No matter what your wedding budget is, you're probably scraping and saving to have all that money you can spend on your big day. Just think what would happen if your venue flooded or you are too sick to get married on your planned day?

Insurance can help you replace things like these with the added last-minute costs. Make an informed decision about wedding insurance with this sound advice.

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Mar 31, 2010, Buffet Ideas For Your Wedding Reception

If you've decided to save money on your wedding by catering your own reception, one of the easiest ways to make that happen is to create a buffet-style meal. That way you don't have to worry about many servers and you can have friends and family members pitch in.

One of the most important points here, though, is choosing the right food, as you need simple food that is appealing and that fits the tone of your wedding. You'll find ideas for wedding buffet food right here that will get your imagination going.

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Mar 28, 2010, DIY Wedding Invitations Made Easy

Don’t feel intimidated by DIY wedding invitations. There are DIY invitations kits that come with everything you need, making it so easy to make your own cheap wedding invitations. If you’re feeling a little crafty you can personalise your invitations by adding ribbon in the colour of your bridesmaids’ dresses or you can add other embellishments such as flowers, wax seals and stamped images.

Read more about DIY wedding invitations by guest author Aisling Mackey.

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Mar 25, 2010, Questions You Should Ask Your Wedding Photographer

Unless you're an artist committed to old-fashioned film photography, chances are likely that you're going to hire a digital photographer for your wedding.

This can be convenient, since you can get your photos back more quickly, and you can often buy the actual rights to your photos with digital photography.

However, even digital photography can fall short of your expectations unless you ask lots of questions beforehand.

If you're getting ready to call or meet with a few photographers, you should check out this list of digital photography questions.

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Mar 20, 2010, Cut Back on Photography Costs

The photographer at your wedding is a very important person, as he or she will be documenting your memories of the day so that they’re available to you in the years to come.

You can, however, spend way too much of your wedding budget on photography if you aren’t careful.

There are plenty of ways to get great wedding photos without paying a fortune, so be sure to look at these money saving tips to help steer you in the right direction, so that you can have beautiful memories without a heavy bill.

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Mar 6, 2010, Cheap Accessories for Your Wedding

If you're looking to save money on your wedding, one of the best ways to do it is to save money on what you're wearing. It seems obvious to save on your wedding dress, which can cost hundreds or thousands of pounds, but have you ever thought about how to save on your wedding accessories?

By the time you get your jewellery, shoes and veil worked in, you can spend a fortune. To avoid this issue, find out how to save on wedding accessories here. These brilliant ideas will help you get great accessories without breaking your wedding budget.

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Mar 3, 2010, A Traditional Wedding With A Twist

Amy and her fiancé wanted to have a gorgeous wedding, and they wanted to invite their whole families to their wedding and reception. They did not, however, want to spend lots of money.

To balance these two desires, Amy worked hard to get great deals on really fantastic wedding ideas. For just over £5,000, Amy had a string quartet, a DJ, one large buffet and one smaller four-course meal, lots of flowers, wedding rings and attire for the entire bridal party.

Amy also booked a beautiful manor house that really gave her wedding character. To learn how Amy did it, check out her story here.

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Mar 1, 2010, A Super Budget Wedding

Did you ever think about trying to plan a wedding on less than £2,000? Well, Sarah did. She and her fiancé decided to spend the day focusing on their marriage instead of dropping thousands of pounds on lots of unnecessary details.

Instead, Sarah saved lots of money by having an acquaintance make the cake, by having a champagne reception at a local pub, and by buying a cheap wedding dress.

If you have a very small budget to work with for your wedding, check out Sarah's story here for some great ideas.

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Feb 28, 2010, Wedding Photos Your Need To Have

There are plenty of different wedding photos that you can request your photographer to take on your big day.

With the list of different traditional shots and then the modern shots that are popular today, you can suddenly get an overwhelming list. Whatever shots you choose and no matter how long your list, you'll need a list to ensure you get the best out of your photographer.

Start your list today with these recommendations for wedding photo must-haves.

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Feb 24, 2010, Cheap Wedding Catering Tips

One of the cheapest ways to get your wedding catering done is to do it yourself, but if you're not quite up for that particular challenge, you can hire a caterer without paying a fortune.

There are actually several menu options that most caterers would do for less than five pounds per person, which is ridiculously cheap. No matter what your price range, you can find ideas for affordable wedding meals here. Some of these ideas are traditional, and others are a little more modern – they are all, however, interesting, versatile and cheap.

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Feb 22, 2010, Wedding Catering Essentials

There are plenty of details to consider when you're planning a wedding, but missing details when it comes to your wedding catering can be fatal to the overall feel of your reception.

When it comes to a wedding caterer, you need to know exactly what you're getting and how much you're paying. What's included and what's not.

In order to keep from missing anything, you need to know what to look for and what questions to ask when you first start working with your caterer. Find a list of essential things to consider about hiring a caterer here. These considerations will help you have a creative reception and save money to boot.

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Feb 20, 2010, Saving Money on Your Wedding

If you have a small wedding budget, you could stand to take advice from Heather, whose wedding based on a 'letts' scheme cost her and her husband only £500.

This 'letts' scheme allowed Heather to trade services instead of money for the things that she needed for her wedding, so she saved lots of money on her cake, the food for her reception and other things. She also saved by creating her own stationery and having friends and family members take the day's photograph.

To see how Heather did it, check out her wedding story here.

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