Centrepiece Wedding Magazine Issue 03 | Page 8

8. Don’t get married on a Saturday between April and September. If you’re not picky about your wedding date then avoid the busy periods from April to September, the week or so around valentine’s day and Christmas time.

By getting married on a Sunday at the end of March, you’ll save yourself a good chunk of money by being outside wedding season and by not being on a Saturday.

If you really want to save then have your wedding Monday-Thursday (except bank holidays) as these are the really quiet times. Getting married late afternoon means that, if necessary, your guests will only need to take a half day or so off from work and you can still have an evening reception with extra guests if you want.

9. Ask for wedding services instead of gifts. If your friend is a DJ or in a band ask them to play at your reception. If you have a friend who plays the harp or is in a choir ask if they will perform at the ceremony. If someone you know has a nice car, ask them if they’ll be your chauffer and if someone you know is handy with a camera, you guessed it, ask them to be your photographer.

If you really want a professional photographer then just hire one for the ceremony and the group shots.

10. Shop around. Once you have an idea of how you want your wedding day to be, get quotes from several suppliers. Once you have these quotes you may even be able to negotiate the price if you prefer a supplier that charges a little more.

11. Buy your dress in a sample sale. This does mean getting the dress that everyone tries on in the shop, but even with the cost of cleaning it (if necessary) you’ll still save a few hundred pounds.

12. Get married somewhere cheaper. London, for example, is expensive. Everything is more expensive! So why not move your wedding to somewhere cheaper? If you live in a big city, why not check out venues and suppliers in the countryside close to where you live? You could save at least a few hundred pounds and parking is likely to be much easier for your guests!

13. Do your own hair and make-up. Test everything out a few times before the big day so you’re confident in what you’re doing and make sure your make-up bag is stocked so you don’t run out of eyeliner or lipstick before the photos.

18 ways to make your wedding cheaper without looking like a cheapskate!