We all want to save money when it comes to the wedding WITHOUT sacrificing any class. Well here are 40 way you can do just that!
Thinking of hiring a marquee for your wedding? They can provide a cost effective solution to host your big day and nowadays there are many companies offering marquee hire - we give you some top tips on how you can make your marquee hire work:
With the average UK wedding costing £21,000 and catering being one of the most expensive costs of the day - we take a look at some top tips to reduce your costs. Do your ResearchHowever far in advance your wedding is planned for the catering should be looked into as soon as possible. Make sure you do your research thoroughly beforehand - you don't always have to use your venues caterers - check when looking at venues. If you can use external caterers this can save money - but make sure you look into both options before you make a decision.
When looking into your own caterers make sure to shop around - gather quotes, check reviews and even meetup with potential caters and gather sample menus. Try to get your potential caterers to compete against one another - telling one company of a lower quote you have received could help you secure a better deal. DIY weddings and budget weddings have become hot topics of late. It seems that everyone is searching the web for ideas on how they can reduce their wedding costs. Well we’re here to help too and have compiled a list of ways to reduce the cost of your wedding venue.
1 Avoid the weekend Saturday is the most common day for weddings. It’s traditional and more convenient for most. But by having your wedding mid-week you could cut costs by half. 2 Try a package deal It might be cheaper to have the wedding and reception in one spot rather than paying for two separate venues. 3 Prioritise your wants and needs Think about the most important aspects a venue should have. This might be a great view or a large space or easy access for guests etc. Choose a venue that might not be perfect on all fronts but at least covers some of your main priorities. 4 Think outside the box Your venue doesn’t necessarily need to be a 5* hotel. There are lots of great places where you can get married in a beautiful yet non-traditional setting. Here are just a few: - Pubs - Local sports clubs - Village Halls - Local authority buildings (check your local council’s website) - National Trust venues - Village greens - Art galleries - Country cottages - Smaller hotels 5 Go to wedding fayres Some venues and suppliers offer discounts exclusively for shows. Either way you may get some fresh ideas from the fayre. 6 Choose a small town Shop around your local area; you might be able to find a cheaper venue in a small town or village rather than in the city. 7 Avoid wedding season Venues are bound to offer a reduced fee for out-of-season dates. So book between October and April. 8 Bargain with the owner If you’ve got the skills you may just be able to haggle for a lower price. 9 Dress up a venue Don’t judge a book by its cover. You can dress up any venue and hire anything you might need. Four Candles hires out furniture, catering equipment and more. 10 Pay in full You might be able to get a discount if you offer to pay for the venue in full as opposed to providing a down payment and paying the rest later. 11 Don’t rush it Make sure you shop around for the best prices. Don’t just settle for the first place you find, your dream (budget) venue could still be out there somewhere. 12 Have a small reception Only invite your nearest and dearest to the reception. You can have a casual party for the rest of your friends later on. 13 Get wedding insurance Obviously taking out insurance costs money, but you could save a whole lot of money if something doesn’t go to plan. 14 Find a new venue Some brand new venues that are just opening will be cheaper than established venues. 15 Shorten your reception If the venue charges by the hour then save money by cutting down on time. In all likelihood guests won’t even notice. We hope that these tips will help you save some dough on your big day. Just start early and think things through and you won’t end up paying through the nose for a venue. Image: Jason Sussberg The statistics say that every 1 in 3 start-up businesses fail within the first three years. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t bother starting up your own business because there’s more chance you’ll be part of the majority who succeed. However, you need to keep in mind that many do fail and for this reason you need hit the ground running from the get go. You need to start your wedding business with a solid foundation to ensure your ultimate success.
1 Get to know the industry It’s completely unrealistic to think that you would be able to start your wedding planning business with absolutely no experience whatsoever. So, you’ll want to get as much experience as possible either through formal education or work experience. Prospects has some great information as to where you can get training. 2 Consider your style This is an important aspect of starting any business, not just a wedding planning business. You’ll want to create a marketable image and brand. This means creating the bare bones of your branding strategy to begin with. You’ll want a business name and logo that reflects your style. You may want to write down your company’s ethos and even set up a website. 3 Build up contacts It’s safe to say that you won’t be able to do every job yourself. Therefore, you’ll need to make contact with various professionals you’d like to work with. This includes photographers, florists, venues etc. Using a wedding directory to find relevant people is a good idea. Send out a few emails and organise some meetings. You might also need to hire catering equipment from time to time using a company like Four Candles. 4 Tick all the boxes You’ll need to make everything official if you want to set up a legitimate business. This means registering as a sole trader or limited company. Here’s some information on registering your business in the UK. 5 Market your business So you now have a great business and lots of contacts, but this is absolutely no use if you have no clients to work with. Nowadays, the easiest way to reach prospective couples is online. You’ll want to make sure your website is search engine optimised. And you almost definitely want to reach out to people via social media too. Remember that achieving business success takes time. So, don’t be disheartened if your wedding business isn’t thriving from the get go. Image: Jonathan Day There are a few faux pas that will irk your guests so much they won’t be in attendance next time, if they haven’t already left the event that is. Here’s what you need to avoid to make sure this doesn’t happen to you: 1 Lack of Wi-Fi Social media addicts, business people and phubbers will be far from impressed if there’s no Wi-Fi available at your event. What’s more, guests won’t be able to visit your website, follow you on Twitter or Google the guest speaker. Think of all the opportunities you and your guests will be missing out on if there’s no Wi-Fi. 2 No disabled access Every host needs to make sure that ALL of their guests’ needs are catered to meaning that ALL of their guests leave having had a great time with no added obstacles. 3 Damaging the environment By not making your event green you’ll be making many of your guests blue. It’s not just a small group of eco-activists that care about the environment nowadays, lots of people genuinely care about our planet. 4 Disclosing contact information Data protection and privacy are further issues that are gaining attention. We are only just starting to realise that we basically sign over our souls when we don’t read the Terms & Conditions for websites like Facebook. And there is no one more hated than the cold caller who seems to pick people’s details out of thin air. With this in mind, let’s just say your guests won’t be very happy if you give away their details to marketers. 5 Lack of clear direction This is of course important when thinking about the overall purpose or schedule, but even more so in the literal sense. To put it simply, your guests will feel lost if they don’t know where they’re going. 6 A long-winded RSVP process We all have enough paperwork to take care of, we don’t want to complete a three-page questionnaire just so we can attend a conference. And faxing or posting something you’ve had to download and print is just nightmarish. Get an online registration form, it’s that simple. 7 Running out of things Sometimes this can’t be helped. But that doesn’t mean your guests will be able to take it on the chin when you run out of white wine. 8 Letting your Uncle Bob dj You might be tempted to hire friends, relatives, acquaintances or your next door neighbour to provide the entertainment or help with catering. But if you want a professional event always hire the best person for the job rather than a personal contact. 9 Freaking out Let’s state the obvious, planning an event and seeing it through is highly stressful. A whole manner of things could go wrong, but what your guests will remember is how you dealt with those things. The last thing you want is a shrieking events manager running around like a headless chicken. Keep calm and collected and roll with the punches. 10 Not saying goodbye Or thank you for that matter! Not only do first impressions count, so do final impressions and essentially you want to make a good lasting impression with guests, staff, vendors etc. Finally, forgetting to enjoy the event you’ve put your blood, sweat and tears into organising, is certainly something to be avoided! This post was brought to you by Four Candles, Berkshire and the South East’s leading furniture and equipment hire company. Image: Evil Erin |