Budget Friendly Wedding Ideas
When it comes to planning a wedding, the costs can begin to mount up pretty quickly! Theres the wedding venue, photographer, wedding dress, flowers, and wedding cake which you immediately think of but then also the smaller details such as the wedding favours, stationary, hair and make-up and transport to name just a few. If you’re planning your special day and don’t have an extensive fund to draw from then we’re here to give you some budget friendly wedding ideas to help plan your dream wedding without breaking the bank.
With the average wedding in the UK now costing £18,400 according to Hitched.co.uk it’s remarkable how the invoices can add up. To lend a helping hand in keeping the costs within your budget whether that be large or small we’ve gathered some of the best ideas for trimming the costs when wedding planning. And of course, it is always worth keeping a wedding cost / spending spreadsheet so you know exactly where you are up to.
Twilight Wedding Packages
A relatively new idea, twilight wedding packages (as the name suggests) involves an evening ceremony usually taking place at 5.30pm. With the option to remove the sit-down meal, table plans, speeches etc, twilight weddings not only take away some of the usual costs of a day wedding making them more affordable but also some of the pressure and stress of ‘who sits where’ etc. We also think they are so gorgeously romantic with lights twinkling as the evening gets darker and love the idea of your nearest and dearest waving sparklers rather than throwing confetti. When thinking about the wedding venue you might also want to consider a more intimate guest list which will help in trimming the cost of food, drinks, wedding favours, wedding cake size etc. making the overall cost cheaper.
DIY Wedding Ideas
A great way to minimise the wedding costs when it comes to wedding planning is to get creative yourself with a little DIY. As with everything it’s worth spending some time researching ideas, we love this part, looking at all the beautiful weddings previous happy couples have created and then taking that inspiration and creating something unique for your special day. Below are some ideas of how you can get creative with inexpensive wedding DIY projects, minimising the costs all the while maximising the gorgeous personal touches of your perfect wedding day.
Wedding Flowers
You might be surprised to hear but DIY wedding flowers can be quite simple to put together and yet can create a beautiful result that not only brings cohesion between different aspects of the wedding but leaves your wedding day looking ever so dreamy and romantic. From table plans, place settings and table centre pieces to bouquets, buttonholes, and backdrops here are a few ideas for how you can do your wedding flowers yourself with show stopping results.
Let’s start with the bouquet and buttonholes, these can seem very daunting if you haven’t attempted flower arranging before however we have an amazing tip for you, try dried flowers! Not only do they create a wonderfully gorgeous boho, rustic, laid back vibe but as they are dried will last for weeks allowing you to create your bouquet and buttonholes ahead of the wedding, alleviating the pressure of having to create your dream wedding bouquet right before the wedding day. Both the bouquet and buttonholes will look gorgeous wrapped with either ribbon or twine.
Another key way of adding flowers to your wedding yourself is to make a backdrop. This could be a backdrop to the wedding aisle alter or perhaps to the wedding cake or makeshift wedding bar, they are particularly effective in a simpler wedding venue where you can really add your personality and let your creativity run wild. All that’s needed is a frame and then let your imagination guide you. You could drape fabric over the top of the frame and have it cascade down one side and then take individual flower stems attaching with twine or ribbon which can then be hung from the top of the frame at varying length to create a curtain of flowers. You could also add either flowers stems or greenery to the end of aisle chairs with ribbon or twine. Equally if you’re not having much success with your end of aisle chair flower displays you could instead use lengths of fabric that match your colour scheme wrapped around the chairs and tied in a bow which will give a stunning romantic effect no matter what style of wedding you have plumped for.
Finally, the table, the easiest way to incorporate flowers on the wedding tables is to take a sprig of rosemary or lavender etc. and using twine, tie the name card to the sprig. Not only does this look very effective but provides a lovely fragrance. Equally effective and easy is incorporating flowers into your wedding table centre pieces. Just add some wildflowers to jam jars or vintage vases (they don’t all have to match!). Wildflowers look beautiful in a relaxed display where all tables can be slightly different giving a whimsical, boho country wedding vibe. This relaxed boho vibe can be taken further by placing the jam jars or vases on a piece of wood to add height and that rustic element.
Wedding Cake
If you’re not a stranger to baking, then you could give making your own wedding cake a go. Once you’ve decided on your flavours you can practice both the baking and decoration in the weeks leading up to the wedding, building your confidence for the final wedding cake. If you find the decoration challenging why not go for a naked cake where instead of covering the cake in icing, you simply dust with icing sugar and perhaps add some fruit around the edge. You could also use some of the money you’ve saved from making the cake yourself to order a bespoke cake topper adding that personal element. Another idea we simply love is to have a dessert table made up of family recipes for example Grandma’s Apple Pie. Not only will you save by family members making the desserts, but it adds such a personal touch, and as these are their tried and tested recipes, they’re sure to go down a treat.
Wedding Stationary
Another easy DIY wedding option is the stationary. Starting with the wedding invitations, why not try your hand at calligraphy? Writing your own invitations is easier than you think, and you can take your time and practice. You could also buy a uniquely designed stamp to use on all the wedding stationaries including the invitations, place names, table numbers and table seating plan to give that cohesive look throughout the wedding. Consider too the type of card you will use for your stationary, kraft paper lends itself beautifully to a more relaxed, botanical, country, boho vibe whereas a crisp white card would look perfect for a classic elegant wedding. After you have the invitations written you could try adding water colour to the edges, experiment with faint colours using one or two brush strokes around the edges to create a delicate romantic touch.
When it comes to wedding table seating plans anything goes. Try calligraphy or use a household printer to print each table, experiment with different fonts until you find the one which represents your wedding theme / style. These printed pages could then be placed in individual photo frames dotted around a table display of flowers. Alternatively, you could ask guests for a photo of themselves, make a copy and mount this on piece of card with the table number, the possibilities really are endless.
Wedding Order of Service
The order of service is another area where you can really get creative, you could continue the same theme as the wedding invites etc. placing one on each seat or possibly create a larger version to sit on an easel at the entry to your wedding. Alternatively, try using an old wooden pallet, putting your calligraphy skills to the test again and painting the timings for the day on the wooden slats or perhaps if the wedding ceremony is in a different area to the wedding entertainment etc you could create a signpost to point your wedding guest in the right direction and give the timings for the wedding day.
Wedding Confetti
DIY wedding confetti is one of the easiest ways to save money while wedding planning. Buying books from charity shops or libraries and cutting out small heart shapes from the pages (or whatever shapes you would prefer), is a quick and simple way to make wedding confetti that isn’t budget busting. Books are actually a great prop for other areas of your wedding, why not stack them as table centre pieces or use authors names or famous quotes from love stories instead of table numbers.
Wedding Favours
When it comes to DIY wedding favours the possibilities are truly endless from cake pops and pie pops to mini jars of jam, all with personal handwritten labels attached with twine or ribbon, your guest knowing you’ve spent the time to personally make their favour will mean the world to them. Alternatively, you could offer a selection of goodies whether that be fruit or sweets for your guests to take home giving them a bag or a mini crate to fill.
LED Festoon Lights
Another easy way to add romance and ambiance to a wedding setting and a great alternative if your wedding venue doesn’t allow real flame candles, is to set up LED festoon lights. Particularly effective if you have a simpler wedding venue, festoon lights can cover a large area and look simply gorgeous as a backdrop cascading down a wall, not only for your wedding ceremony but wedding photographs also. If your venue lends itself to it, you could also try draping festoon light strings out from a central point to create the effect of a tent of light wrapping around your guests.
Wedding Games
How to entertain your guests in those in between moments of the wedding can be a bit of a head scratcher. With the costs of hiring in entertainment a considerable outlay, DIY versions can help to save a pretty penny. The ideas we love that don’t require time consuming set up or a lot of space are stacking tin cans into a pyramid for guests to throw a ball at to try and knock over. The tin cans can be covered in fabric or old wallpaper to fit in with your theme, you’ll be surprised how competitive guest can become. Similarly, you could have a wooden board and attach wooden sticks / pegs to it. Then create hoops by cutting rope, possibly sisal or manila to the size required and gluing the ends together, the aim being to throw a hoop to land over a peg. There is no end to how you can personalise this with substituting the wooden pegs for bottles for example, the backboard could be painted and the hoops themselves could be wrapped in ribbon to match your theme. For your younger guests you could set up a treasure hunt to keep them entertained. Give them a list of things to tick off e.g. find someone wearing glasses. You can also involve the best man or maid of honour to provide the final clue to the location of the treasure / prize.
Moving on into the evening, you could ask guests to add their favourite songs to the wedding invite rsvp so you can compile a list and give to the wedding DJ or wedding band to play.
Here at The Lawrence, we are experts in all things wedding. Not only do we offer ever so romantic twilight wedding packages as well as gorgeously divine day weddings, but our exceptionally talented team are always on hand to offer guidance and inspiration so that together we can create the wedding of your dreams.
