A Superb Lancashire
Wedding On A Budget
Amy recently wrote to me telling of wedding on a budget. I couldn’t believe it what she’d managed for £5,300! A Georgian Manor House for under £250!
With a fabulous Georgian manor house, a string quartet with a sit down four course meal and buffet later in the evening for 120 guests – her budgeting has been slicker than most! If you're having a wedding on a budget, then this really is a must read. Amy’s getting married in December 2008, so we’re waiting for photos to accompany the story of her wedding on a budget.
Amy's story of her wedding on a budget
For my wedding, I wanted all my family to be there. We’re so close knit and I’ve got a lot of family! We intend to have 70 to the ceremony and sit down meal and then have an extra 50 people come in the evening, so keeping to a low budget was going to be tricky.Here’s what I’ve managed to secure so far:
- String quartet for 2 hours to play at the ceremony
- DJ for the reception
- Professional photographer with photos and an album
- The wedding venue – a Georgian manor house
- 4 course meal for 70 guests
- Wine and champagne for the toast
- Buffet for 120 people
- Wedding car – a classic Daimler
- Flowers – 3 bouquets, 4 buttonholes, 2 corsages, centrepiece
- Balloons for the tables
- Wedding rings
- Wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses and hire of 4 suits
- Registrar fees and notice of marriage
The venue and reception
The location is Haigh Hall in Wigan – it really is a fabulous manor house and the hire of it is really great value. We’ve got the upstairs area which consists of a large room for up to 150 guests, a dance floor, bar and a separate room for the buffet. There’s a fabulous sweeping staircase that leads up the reception area – so it’s all suitably grand and perfect for photos. The downstairs has the same style rooms, but can fit 300 people and costs a little more at £250. The food is £25 per head for a 4 course meal and the buffet starts at £8 per person. Flowers, photography and cake
I’m using my local florist in Spring View, Wigan and it’s costing me £200 for the lot. My photographer is Matthew Wrycraft and his packages start at £150. I’ve actually gone for the most expensive package at £279 and he’ll take photos all day from me getting ready up to the first dance. He’ll also print photos on the night for any relatives and all photos will be provided on a hi-res DVD so I can print off the ones that I want. I bought a Spicer Hallfield album off eBay (RRP is £200, but I got it for £50) – bargain! My cake is being made by Elaine’s cakes of Wigan for £100. It’s three tiers and will serve 100. I found a cake topper on eBay of a bride and groom for £6.Dresses, bridesmaids and groom’s Hire
I’m getting the dresses from a lady in the Vale of Glamorgan. She makes custom dresses and I found her on eBay. We got my dress, 3 bridesmaid dresses and delivery for £350. The suit hire is costing £59.95 from a local hire shop for a four piece morning suit. The car and music
The wedding car is costing me £190 from a local company in Wigan. The string quartet is a luxury at £400 for 2 hours and the DJ is £175 for 6 hours – again he’s a local. Stationery and favours
I’m making all the stationery myself and I bought all the materials from eBay – the total cost was £20 for invites (evening and day), place cards, menus, seating plan and favours. Amy's best tips
To stick to my budget, I’ve just put everything down in an Excel wedding planner – it’s an essential tool for any bride having a wedding on a budget. If I started to go over budget, I just started to speak to my suppliers to get the price down. They would either do the extra for free, or I changed what I was having. For example, the flowers went from £270 to £200 and the car from £250 to £190. So just because you’ve booked something, doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind or change the way you want it to be! I found it really easy to get everything you want for your dream wedding - you just need to shop around. Don’t settle for the first thing you see or first price you’re given. I found using local businesses reduces costs dramatically. Don’t go to the fancy high street store, instead, speak to your local suppliers – especially florists and cake makers. Finally, don’t accept the cheapest thing you find if it’s not what you truly want. You’ll find it if you keep looking!! Other budget bride's stories:
Melanie's £5,000 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 For Under £1,000
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