Wedding Budget Problem

by Leefern
(Hereford)

My fiance and I are planning to get married in just under a week. The trouble is we have only got £100 for the budget. Do you or any other brides know of a cheap way to get married for under £100?

Answer:

I'm going to assume that you've booked your ceremony and paid for it as the legal bit will eat up most of that £100 budget!

First of all, it's important to remember that a wedding is more about the marriage between you and your partner and not the celebration afterwards. Many people place the importance on the latter, and really a wedding is all about your partnership.

The great thing about working with a small budget is that your wedding day will be even more intimate and special for you.

With £100, you're going to have to be inventive, but you could celebrate in a number of ways. Here are some simple ways to have a cheap wedding reception:

1. Tell all your friends and family that you're going to celebrate and go off out together for a night out. You could use the £100 to buy the first couple of rounds of drinks (depending on your numbers) and then they'll have to pay for the rest themselves. It's worth remembering that they're there to help you celebrate, not for you to feed them or get them drunk! The fact that you're getting married will be celebration enough!

2. You could celebrate in a restaurant. Again, you could buy some wine or champagne for the tables and then your guests pay for themselves.

3. Some pubs will hire out rooms for free, so you could do this and then provide simple sandwiches or chip butties made up by the pub. Alternatively, you could use the £100 for the first couple of rounds of drinks.

4. You could speak nicely to a church hall, who if you tell them your situation, may give you the hall at a discount price (especially if you offer to do something in return i.e. painting or gardening). You could then spend the £100 on a bit of food and some drinks for a small celebration with your friends and family.

5. Have the reception at home or one of your relative's houses. Ask people to bring a dish and you could spend the £100 on drinks.

If it was summer, I'd also suggest a picnic in the park or a BBQ, but the November weather is a bit chilly for that!

With only one week, you've not got much time. But I bet if you ask around your friends and relatives you'll find most of the things you need. Few previous brides part with tiaras, veils, garters, etc, so you should find an abundant choice.

You'll also find that if your friends and family know that you're working on a tight budget, they'll contribute with little things like cake, transport, photos, etc.

For flowers, you could easily pick up enough flowers from a supermarket for a lovely bouquet for less than £10 as long as you're prepared to put the bouquet together yourself.

When I got married, my celebrant said to me that it didn't matter what you wore as long as you were there! He even mentioned that he married some people in jeans! So wear what you want! If you're after a traditional white dress, I'd suggest eBay, but with only one week - I think you'll be lucky to find one. Perhaps you could borrow one off one your friends or a relative?

I think the important thing to remember is that it's not about how much money you have to spend or how you celebrate. Focus on the ceremony and have your closest friends and relatives around you to share in your special day and no matter how you celebrate, what you wear or what you do, it will be day to remember for the rest of your life!

Let us know how you get on!

All the best