Oxfordshire, the place to marry Oxfordshire 2019 | Page 47

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S
Outfits
Everyone wants to look beautiful on their special
day but you don’t need to bankrupt yourself in
the process.
If your budget is very tight, you can easily hire a
dress/outfit from a local shop (look in the Yellow
Pages for information on this). There will be a
wide variety of choices, from the more traditional
styles to those with a modern or funky twist, with
a pleasant price tag attached! If you are only
going to wear it one day in your life, why spend a
fortune on it?
Alternatively, hit the high street in search of a
bargain. Shops like Monsoon and Debenhams
have beautiful gowns/suits to buy from as little
as £100, with matching accessories to boot. If you
opt for a ‘ballgown’ design, you can always wear
it on other smart occasions, thereby getting even
more use out of it.
Finally, for those of you with a conscience, check
out Oxfam’s wedding departments. Some of the
bigger charity shops have a dedicated section
where you might find the dress/outfit of your
dreams at a fraction of the first price. Not only
will you look amazing on your ceremony day but
you can feel good that your choice has benefited
someone in need.
Drink
Buying in bulk is the most cost-effective option.
Wine merchants and supermarkets often offer
good discounts on bulk buys, while some places
also offer a glass-hire service, the cost of which
is sometimes refunded if you return the glasses
clean and undamaged at the end. Cava is a great
alternative to champagne, at a fraction of the
price.
Ceremony
If you want a small celebration (yourselves plus
two witnesses) and a short ceremony, you are
able to marry or hold your civil partnership in a
register office for the statutory fee. This is only
available on certain days and times of the week.
Reception
There are various ways of holding a good
reception. You could hire out a room (or several)
in a hotel, and ask them to cater the event
for you. Church and village halls can be hired
fairly cheaply, though you will need to check in
advance if a special licence will be needed for
serving alcohol. Additionally, local pubs and
restaurants often hire out rooms for celebrations,
so look around and see what suits you best.
Transport
If you want to ride in something unusual on your
big day but your budget is too tight, why not ask
Food
family and friends to see if they can provide a car
The cheapest catering option is to provide your
(or at least drive you in theirs)? It is highly likely
own food (if you are hiring a hall: restaurants,
that someone has a smart sports car or vintage
hotels and pubs might insist that you use their
vehicle that you can borrow. If not, have some
catering facilities if you hire a room with them).
fun decorating your own car, as Pete did. “We
A finger buffet can be the cheapest and easiest
didn’t want to spend a fortune on a horse-drawn
option. If you can stretch your budget more, you
carriage or limo so we bought some ribbon and
can order sandwich platters from supermarkets or balloons and decorated the car with those. Our
from local delicatessens.
friends ‘helped’ us a little when we drove away
from the ceremony to the reception by adding
Some supermarkets do wedding cakes at vastly
pots and pans and shaving foam that said, ‘Just
lower costs than those charged by a cake maker.
married’ on the back windscreen. I don’t think
Alternatively, see if you have a relative who is
a hire car would have allowed that! It was nice
good at baking to come up with something!
having our car as part of our special day; it made
it more personal.”
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