My voucher codes has conducted a piece of research around wedding planning which has revealed that 63% of couples would hire or buy second hand in order to minimise their wedding day spend.
This does not come as a surprise to me at all. As a former bride I joined numerous wedding planning groups on social media and staying in, or reducing, the budget was always a hot topic! But, as much as I did notice a rise in purchases of second hand dresses on sites such as, Preoved. I also noticed a rise in brides seeking out items from auction sites such as Ebay. Not necessarily second hand items but items supplied by small independent companies at discount prices! Particularly favours- who knew little jam jars and mini whiskey bottles would prove to be so popular?
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty ImagesThe average cost of a UK wedding now exceeds £20k. Twenty thousand pounds! That’s equivalent to a deposit on a home in the UK. Except property values can increase, usually providing a sound investment for the investor. A wedding is over in a matter of hours. Depressing isn’t it?The research pulled out some really interesting facts, including:
• Grooms are more happy to rent their suits than brides are to rent their dress
• Couples tend to splurge on the venue, photographer, and the food
• Couples are happy to put more money towards the wedding rings and the honeymoon
• In order to keep costs down, couples will cut back on transportation, bridesmaid dresses, shoes, decorations, favours and hair and make up.
Every wedding is different. Some brides want designer heels for their big day and will splurge on Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Badgley Mischka etc. But there are other brides who will choose comfort over designer and go for flat ballet pumps available on the high street. Whatever you decide, make sure the decision is one centred around you. I had two pairs of heels for my big day, both Sparkly high heels but one with smaller heels for the reception so that I could party in comfort (and style!).
Embed from Getty ImagesSTB Budget Saving Tips
° Make your own favours! If you have a friend, or bridesmaid, that enjoys baking, utilise them. Make homemade jam or honey and buy affordable jars/pots from ebay or Amazon.
° Ask your bridesmaids to buy their own heels. The dresses are more important in terms of uniformity. By buying their own heels they can choose what style they want and wear them again. The bridesmaids heels do not need to match exactly!
° Make your own invitations! There are so many sites now that allow you to download free templates to use. Or you can choose to design these yourself- if you possess the enthusiasm and the skills. Print these off at a local independent or a chain such as Staples.
° Save money by decorating the ceremony venue yourselves. Flowers in a jar, candles, bows or paper pom poms can all transform a venue instantly.
° Find out if your venue offers corkage. If they do, it may work out to be cheaper for you to supply your own alcohol rather than relying on the venue. You can make great savings by buying alcohol in bulk, at wholesale prices and paying your venue the corkage fee instead.
Embed from Getty ImagesTo read all the findings from the Myvouchercodes research, you can access an interesting article about it on Female First here.
Happy planning! xoxo
So interesting! I had no idea about the average cost being so high and although I hope not to spend that much, it’s easy to see how the costs will mount! X
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Great ideas from Show the Bride.
Second-hand (yes!) could be a good option, for real! 😉