Wedding Tips

Some very helpful hints on planning your wedding day

Wedding Venues on a Budget

Picking a venue for your wedding is one of the most important parts of the planning process. Not only does the venue need to be big enough to accommodate all of your guests, it needs to accessible, fit your theme and, most importantly, be to yours and your partner’s liking. However, with some venues costing in excess of thousands, picking the right one has become more about finding the cheapest in cost and not about what the bride and groom actually want for their big day. Here are some wedding venues that will fit into even the smallest of budgets, allowing for the rest of the money to go elsewhere on other aspects of the wedding so that your day is everything you want it to be.

Home is where the heart is

If you and your partner – or someone you know – happen to have a stunning garden that you enjoy spending time in, why not have your wedding reception there? Although many would cringe at the idea of having a wedding reception in their own home, many are turning to this method as a way to cut costs on their wedding day, and with the right decorations and arrangements, it can be a stunning, quaint reception venue. Additionally, friends and family are likely to live nearby, saving on travel expenses; for those who don’t live nearby, make arrangements in advance where they can stay, whether this is at your home, a close friend or family member’s home, or a nearby hotel.

Other steps you can take to make sure your home wedding reception is spectacular are:

·         ensure the garden is tidy – weed and groom it ahead of time

·         plant extra flowers

·         hire a marquee

·         purchase plenty of food and alcohol

·         invite neighbours or warn those in the surrounding area that there’s a wedding reception taking place in case of noise complaints.

Please note that although having the reception at home is a cost effective way to celebrate your marriage, holding the wedding itself at home, unless one of you is seriously ill, is illegal.

Saving money at the venue

If you choose to allocate a portion of your budget to venue hire, there are still a number of ways to cut the overall costs. For example, purchase or make your own unique wedding altar; ensure the colours match your chosen colour scheme and style fits yours and your future spouse’s personality. Ask members of the wedding party to help so that they feel part of the experience. You can then keep the altar forever so that you have a lifelong souvenir from your big day.

Call in favours from your family and friends in regards to food. Have each couple bring in a dish of their choosing. This way everyone will have contributed and your wedding will have an eclectic buffet with manageable food that people can pick at, with something for everyone so that no one goes hungry.