Don't start off married life in debt

JASMINE'S TOP TIPS FOR CUTTING YOUR WEDDING COSTS Shop around. Use the internet and ask friends and family for recommendations on the best wedding goods and services. There can be a huge difference in price between caterers, car companies and dressmakers among others. Be alternative. Get married on a weekday rather than a Saturday - it's a lot cheaper! Call in favours. Have friends or family sing or play music instead of hiring performers. Get friends who fancy themselves as Mario Testino to take the photos rather than splashing out on the usual wedding photographer. If you know someone whose culinary skills rival Delia Smith, why not ask them to make a cake with your favourite filling? Ask friends who are good at flower arranging to do the bouquets rather than give you a present. Don't mention the 'W' word. The moment you mention the word 'wedding' in certain circles, especially at reception venues, the price doubles. When you first approach a hotel or other venue, say that you're holding a private party and ask what the cost would be. That way you will get the real price rather than the inflated one. Negotiate. It might sound unromantic but be tough when haggling on any deal. Play different companies off each other, bargain hard and, if possible, see what discounts you can get for cash. Be creative. Think outside the box. The less 'traditional' your wedding, the more freedom you have to use your own imagination and creativity and it will probably work out cheaper, too. Think beach, beautiful garden or balloon ride. Be realistic. Remember there's no such thing as a perfect wedding. Just relax and enjoy what will no doubt be one of the happiest days of your life. Save, save, save. Start married life with a financially-clean sheet. Save as much as you can each week in a high-interest savings account and before you know it you will have enough to pay for the wedding without borrowing a penny. This means you can embark on married life free of debt!

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• Planning the wedding
• The ceremony
• The reception
• Save up for your special day
• If you need to borrow any money then check your credit.

Some rather worrying research by ING Direct shows that money problems are causing more and more couples to postpone their wedding - some are even giving up the idea of getting hitched altogether. A massive 51% of couples who postpone their wedding blame money troubles for the delay. This may not be a surprise when you hear that the average wedding cost now stands at a scary £18,500, which is four times what it would have cost 20 years ago! ING Direct also revealed that despite the increase, almost half of couples (48%) do not save anything to put towards their wedding.

If all this is making you feel a bit depressed don’t worry - we’ve put together some great advice on how to afford the wedding you want, and most importantly how to save some money and start off married life without loads of debt.

Ask friends and family if they have any recommendations so that you get good value for money. They may know someone who has used a really great caterer or found a really cheap venue so ask around. Don’t get sold anything that is not on your budget list. Be critical, bargain hard and don't let high-pressure sales tactics get the better of you. Those wedding-dress saleswomen may look sweet but they’re tough sellers!

Try to keep the numbers down. Decide who you want to have at the wedding and then work on the invites, rather than deciding on 100 guests and then inviting people to make up the numbers. Or consider inviting a larger group to the ceremony and afternoon tea, and a smaller set to a finger-food party afterwards.

The ceremony

A really basic wedding doesn’t need to cost the earth. You may have to compromise a bit so if you’re more interested in the reception than the service, think about saving on the ceremony in order to have more money for the fun afterwards.

Wedding attire: When it comes to wedding attire dodge the crystal stilettos. If you choose formal clothes, hiring may be cheaper but pick well. If you buy clothes you'll find most styles of shirts, suits, dresses and shoes can be worn again. Another option is a second- hand dress. Hopefully most people only need to wear their wedding dress once so it's unlikely to be damaged, but do be careful with the sizing and try before you buy. For discounted dresses try warehouse sales, auction sites like eBay, vintage shops and high street shops like Marks & Spencer and Debenhams.

Flowers: Ask your florist to use flowers that are both in season and from the UK - they will be fresher and cheaper. You could always do the flowers yourself. Buy the flowers wholesale from florists or flower markets, go for a simple hand-tied or single flower bouquet and get some advice from a florist - you're bound to find one kind enough to give you some free advice.

Numbers: Consider inviting a larger group to the ceremony and afternoon tea, and a smaller set to a finger-food party afterwards.

Make use of special deals. Hotels with wedding licences will often offer a discount for your room hire if you have both the ceremony and reception there. They will also lend you a cake stand and knife, print place cards and so on, but if they charge for this then check against prices elsewhere.

The reception

According to ING Direct the two most expensive aspects of a wedding are the reception and honeymoon, averaging at around £5,500 each. There are lots of ways to save on both of these so take a look at our money-saving hints:

The venue

Village halls and local club houses will have lower hire charges than specific venues designed for wedding receptions. You’ll probably find that they offer low-cost catering so start asking around and compare prices.

• Village halls: Most village halls can be hired for a couple of hundred pounds, and should include all your tables, chairs and equipment and catering facilities.
• Local sports clubs: There are bound to be several club houses near to you that may be able to use for your reception. If you have a friend or relative who’s a member then you could even get a discount on the hiring charge.
• Pubs: There are some really gorgeous pubs all over the UK that have lovely gardens, stunning riverside settings and great function rooms which can be the perfect for a more relaxed or casual wedding. They should also be able to do your catering at great prices.
• Friends and family: If you know anybody with a large garden then why not ask if you can use it for your reception? It is a big favour to ask, but you can tell them that you'll do all the organising and make sure the setting up and clearing up is sorted. 
• The National Trust: They will have various suitable venues and some of them will be cheap so it's a great place to start looking. Lots of their houses have gardens attached and they may well have marriage licences so you could have both the ceremony and reception there.

Catering

Reduce the number of guests as much as you can. This will mean you spend less money on food, drink and the venue itself. A sit-down meal meal will vastly increase your costs. A buffet is much cheaper and can be just as tasty. Go local and choose a smaller catering company to reduce your costs, but check to see how long they have been in business to make sure they don't run off with your money! Keep the menu simple - pub food was good enough for Kate Winslet's first wedding, so why not for yours?! If there's a local catering college near you the students might jump at the chance to practice their skills provide the food for your wedding for a really low fee.

Decoration

Don't pay extra to have someone decorate the reception space for you - do it yourself and get your family and friends to help. Don't dismiss a less attractive-looking venue straight away. A dreary looking local hall may not be as hopeless as you first think - you can use photographs of your families and friends (and each other of course) to decorate the walls and drapes to cover any unsightly marks or damage. A few creative touches here and there can make all the difference. Also don't forget to take the flowers from the ceremony to the reception venue. For something a bit different you could even try a theme - it’s a great chance to have a bit of fun and save loads of money.

The photographer/video

You can easily pay as much as £1,000 for a photographer. Canny couples go for friends who fancy themselves as Mario Testino. If none of them want to take on the responsibility, then why not try to get hold of some photography students? Also, put a disposable camera on each table so that your guests can take photos of each other. Many of the snaps will be rubbish but you could get some candid shots that are priceless - and it won't cost you much at all.

Questions to ask

You could save money by getting married in the same place as your reception, so check to see if they have a marriage licence. It’s also a good idea to check if they have any set a minimum number of guests. There’s no point paying for 100 guests when you’ve only invited 50.

If you aren’t sure exactly how the costs are broken down then ask! You need to know the details of all the costs as soon as possible, so make sure you know about any admin fees, VAT, service charges, and deposits. It’s important to ensure they haven’t included items in the package that you don’t need and therefore shouldn't pay for.

Barter on every single element - always ask if you can save money in any way. Try offering your skills to cut any costs, for example, if you're a painter or gardener offer to do some work for them for a discount on the venue.

The honeymoon

Couples take honeymoons very seriously with going abroad for two weeks taken as read for most newlyweds. The Caribbean is a popular destination and can cost £2,000 to £3,000. Again it’s an irony that the honeymoon which needs nothing more than a bed placed anywhere on the planet, so long as you are with your best beloved, should get the bells and whistles of an expensive holiday. Try our flight and hotel deal finders for offers and see our article on how to cut your holiday costs.

Save up for your special day

Start as early as possible. There's nothing wrong with planning for the future so even if you haven't got any immediate plans to marry you can still put aside some money for when you do.

Cut the cost of your living

Go to our comparison tables and find cheaper insurance (on everything from your car to your travel), cheaper utilities, cheaper phone and broadband and cheaper banking.

We can also help you to bag a bargain and some top freebies! You might even be able to get some money for free!

Save your money

If you already have a nice sum tucked away but you don't know what the rate is and what you can get for that money, you're wasting valuable resources when you could be making twice as much just by changing savings accounts. Just think of that extra money that could go towards gorgeous shoes or a new hairdo.

Good online service: Icesave account @ 6.30%

0.50% gross bonus: Abbey e-saver Direct @ 6.50%

Cash ISAs

Useful Links

• eBay
• Marks & Spencer
• Debenhams
• Credit Expert

Related articles

• Wedding Insurance
• Cut your holiday costs
• Best cash Isas
• Best high interest savings accounts

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