My best wedding budget hacks – I don’t know about you but finding the money for a wedding is not easy! A DIY wedding is NOT cheap and not many people have extra income to put aside or indeed ‘want’ to spend a small fortune on the one day.

Read on for my tip tips to keep that wedding budget intact.

1: The venue and catering

This will be around half of your budget, so choose wisely!! If you are looking to seriously save, consider some different options such as a pub or hotel. They can do some fabulous packages but do remember to read the small print and consider the offer as a whole – some venue hire can seem super good and then the food is quite expensive, so make sure to do your research.

Remember here that whilst DIY sounds like a cheaper alternative, in reality this is not always the case and you have to think about EVERYTHING yourself, logistics, décor, the lot. It is also incredibly time intensive, so you have been warned!

2: Family and Friends

Do you know anyone who is a whizz at baking or pulling together some flowers? Perhaps someone who is crafty and would love to help make your stationery? This is a wonderful way of including family and friend. However, do double check with the venue, especially if its food related, as some do not allow it!

3: Pick a different day of the week

This is a sure-fire way to get the venue of your dreams at a good price! A lot of Brides worry that people won’t come, but if done in plenty of time, there is no reason that your loved ones couldn’t make plans to take some time off work.

4: Go Wild with Foliage

Greenery in a bouquet is a lot cheaper than roses! Consider going wild with foliage in your bouquet and have a few flowers in just the bridal bouquet. You could also mix this up with faux foliage for the table centres as well to keep the cost down.

5: Keep it Seasonal

Keep the flowers seasonal for a better price as flowers that are not In season will cost your florist a lot more to source.

6: DIY Decorations

I am planning to DIY my decorations and use my creativity to make my wedding really different! Great idea but do ensure that you have the time – a lot of the projects are very time consuming.

7: Favours

Think very carefully about what you will give for favours, please do not waste money on things that people will just leave behind! Do not have candle votives with your own names on – no one will want them! (apart from you!) Sweets can be a good call, as are often eaten at the table, but things that require saving and taking home are often left on the table.

8: And Finally…..

Do not do things ‘because you should’ Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you HAVE to have something, its your wedding so you do you. Don’t want a cake? Then don’t have one! Want to wear a high street jumpsuit? You go for it!!

I would love to know any wedding budget hacks that you have found that could help others…let me know in the comments!