Sharzilla's 1940s Themed Cheap Wedding

Sharzilla recently wrote to me about her 1940s themed cheap wedding costing just under £3,000. Proud as punch about her clever ways to save money, she gave me full details of how she cut her wedding budget whilst keeping her wedding quirky.

Sharzilla got married in May 2009 with a 1940s/50s fancy dress theme. All the guests complied happily and dressed for the occasion. She believed that there may have been some who thought it was unconventional or 'improper', but she had her day and had a great time!

Sharzilla's talent lies in her imagination. The 1940s theme was carried through on many elements of her cheap wedding and here's how they made it all happen:

The outfits

Sharzilla's wedding dress was a corset from Vollers found at an online sale. She fell in love with it because it was very high quality and gripped her hourglass figure fabulously. She bought it online, however would recommend buying in person instead, and at a vintage shop where there are bargains to be had. The skirt was ordered as a made-to-measure piece from a Vietnamese tailor in Charing Cross, London.

The tailor also added the frills to the top of the corset so she would stay decent! There's a similar outfit from Fairy Goth Mother in Spitalfields which is about £500, but her tailored version cost her only £200.

The groom went to Escapades fancy dress shop and hired a 1940s army suit for £40.

For her shoes, she picked up a pair of nice ivory shoes from H&M. They were the type you can wear again and again - not the bridal kind. She also wore a massive rose in her hair which she bought from Ebay. The total for accessories was £30 and the groom wore some shoes he already had.

The photography

Sharzilla hired an experienced pro for only an hour as she felt that there would be plenty of digital cameras among the guests to document the day. The hour cost £200, which she felt was a little steep, but believed that they would get good quality shots costing a lot less than the average wedding photography package.

The reception

They settled on a lovely venue in Wigan called The Mount. They choose the venue because they were warm and professional, unlike the usual "wedding-y" establishments nearby. They found them flexible, helpful and accommodating. Sharzilla opted for a simple buffet of roast carvery, vegetable lasagne, quiches and salads for only £9.99 a head.

The entertainment was a karaoke kit and DJ host for £325. The couple supplied all the music including playlists they'd pulled together before the big day, so all the DJ had to do was supervise and run the karaoke.

Keeping with the 1940s/50s theme, they had swing and big-band songs and then they progressed gradually to calypso, funk, disco, indie, post-punk, rock, electro, RnB, hip hop and the Macarena! The DJ host upped the ante as an MC and had a good collection of songs for karaoke which provided terrific fun.

The cake and flowers

Sharzilla's partner's godmother is a cake maker and made this for them as gift. Her flowers were from a mobile florist called Sugarberry in Wigan. Her teardrop shaped bridal bouquet, bridesmaid’s bouquet, two gift bouquets, groom’s buttonhole totalled £85. Fab!

They also had silk rose corsages and buttonholes for the wedding party which were £16.40 from Ebay.

The table decorations

There were six tables and they threw faux rose petals over them (bought from Ebay). They also had brass candleholders from a vintage shop and picked up some lace from a charity shop. The lot totalled about £30.

The invitations and favours

The invites designed by designed by Sharzilla herself. The cover image was taken from the film 'Waterloo Bridge'. The design was A5 sized with 3 colour pages.

The favours were simply Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, which kept with the theme and kept the budget on track. They were 69p a pack from Asda.

Other bits and bobs

They hired a beautiful retro car from a gentleman retiring from the wedding car business. They were his last customers and it cost them £180.

The cost

The wedding was well under £3,000 in toal and the guests all gave glowing reports. Sharzilla believes she could have cut even more and suggests getting creative for her cheap wedding really helped.

Here are some of Sharzilla's cheap wedding tips:

• Just ply ‘em with lots of food, drink and good music.
• Always have a backup plan unless you are certain it’ll be ok.
• Avoid ‘wedding-type’ gimmicks and go for what is functional, practical and good value.
• Keep the numbers down.
• Go with the flow and don't get hung up on details.
• Nobody notices things that are not there.
• Keep it stress free!

Other budget bride's stories:

Lindsay's Real Budget Wedding
Amy's Northern Wedding On A Budget
Hayley's Budget Beach Wedding Under £6,000
Caroline's Budget Wedding Under £5,500
My Wedding Under £5,000
Harriet's Cheap Wedding Under £1,000
Lisa's Wedding On A Budget In The North East
Jane's DIY Wedding
Nicole's Maltese Wedding For Under £3,500
Sharon's Wedding Under £2,000
Tracey's £600 DIY Wedding
Liz and Anthony's £4,000 Wedding
Sarahs Budget Wedding Under £1,500
Diana's Cornish Themed Affordable Wedding

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