I’m a budget bride & my five hacks saved me THOUSANDS – including a new dress for £50 & flowers for a quid
WEDDINGS are expensive - it's not unusual for couples to spend years saving up for their perfect day.
But one thrifty bride saved a whopping £5,436 on her wedding day this summer with just five simple hacks, and you could too.
, a small business author and blogger, got married in July 2022 and estimates that her wedding cost around £3,000 - that’s just 18% of the cost of the average UK wedding!
She shared five tried and tested tips explaining how she spent less on certain areas of her wedding to save £5,436.
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“This July I married the love of my life on our 21st anniversary, alongside a very select number of friends and family including our three children.
"I am a huge believer that your wedding day isn’t about flashy venues and expensive outfits; it’s more important that you’re surrounded by loved ones to celebrate one of the most special days of your life.”
“We had the wedding of our dreams roughly spending £3,000, through careful planning, homemade accessories and the kindness of friends.”
1. Wedding Dress
“The dress is usually one of the biggest expenses of a wedding, which is pretty crazy considering you will probably never wear it again!
"I knew I didn’t want to spend a lot on my dress, and ideally was aiming for around £100.
"I wanted something simple, vintage and lace, and was more than happy to buy second-hand. I scoured eBay, Vinted and Facebook Marketplace until I found my dream wedding dress, which was actually brand new with tags for just £50!”
Dress cost: £50
Average UK wedding dress cost:
Estimated saving: £1,200
Estimated saving: £785
Estimated saving: £75
4. Welcome Drinks
“Instead of paying for welcome drinks at our venue, we brought our own drinks including champagne, fizzy water, wine and non-alcoholic cava for the children.
Estimated saving (food and drink): £3,376
Commenting on the tips, CashLady.com’s Personal Finance Expert, Dan Whittaker, said:
“Weddings are notoriously expensive, and it seems they are only getting more and more costly as the years go by.
"We love Joanne’s tried and tested tips on how she saved a whopping £5,436 on her wedding day, which we hope will inspire those currently wedding planning to cut back and save where they can.”
“Not only will these tips save you a pretty penny on your big day, but they also encourage you to get creative with some DIY, having a home-grown bouquet and flowers that your guests can take home, for example, will add that little extra touch of personability to your wedding.
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"Not to mention, the reduction of waste that these tips encourage which are much more eco-friendly than those down the traditional route.”
The savings tips have been created in partnership with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorised and regulated credit broker CashLady.com, an unsecured loan broker that allows customers to browse credit options from over 40 lenders to get the best APR.