Savvy couple have budget outdoor wedding for less than £3,500: Here's how they did it
With the average cost of a wedding now standing at £31,974, according to the National Wedding Survey, it’s no surprise that couples are looking for alternative ways to celebrate their big days.
Pregnant Sharron, 32, and Chris Whyte, 36, were looking to save money on their wedding so decided to pick a less traditional route for their nuptials.
They looked for money-saving tips at every turn, with the bride’s dress costing just £28 from eBay.
Their entire wedding cost under £3,500, proving it is possible to have your big day on a budget.
The couple, who got married in May 2019, enlisted the help of friends and created all of their decorations themselves.
The pair, who tied the knot on a Cornish camel farm, even asked guests to bring their own chairs to the big day.
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By opting for vegan food, they managed to cut the cost of the food in half, saving precious pennies for other parts of their wedding.
Instead of a traditional wedding breakfast, they went for a wedding picnic in the grounds of their outdoor venue for their 60 guests to enjoy.
The groom’s suit was also bought on a budget for just £25.
Speaking about the day, Sharron said: “I think you’ve got to think outside the box a bit.
“There’s not just one way to have a wedding anymore.
“A good thing is going for places that don’t necessarily advertise themselves as a wedding venue.
“We found our venue because I went on the council website to see where I had a licence to get married.
“When we first booked the venue, we didn’t have any money saved up - we just thought 'Right, this is how long we’ve got to do it, this is how much we need to pay off each month’, and we managed to do it.
“I was also really lucky that all my friends helped out - my friend is a wedding hair and makeup artist so she did that for me.”
“My other friend makes cakes, so I was really lucky that two of the big costs were covered there."
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Breakdown of the wedding costs:
Venue - £850
Cream teas - £250
Prosecco - £144
Pasties and cheese boards - £140
Staff - £100
Registrar - £470
Vegan street food - £400
Decorations and wild flowers - £40
Flower crowns, buttonholes & hair clips - £80
Wedding dress - £28
Groom and best man jackets - £50
Musician - £100
Disco - £350
Photography - £450
Total: £3452
The pair were honest with their situation to their friends and family and were warmed by the response to help out.
They were lucky to have quite a crafty family, with Chris’ mum being able to make all the bunting from scratch, which even included some personalised styles.
Sharron, who has already been married once before when she was 21, had already done the big church wedding and lavish reception and realised that it wasn’t for her at the time.
“I didn’t really want the whole sit-down meal thing, I wanted it to be very casual and laid back.
“We’re both very outdoors people, we’re always at the beach - in the summer, we are never home before sunset.
“We took a big gamble and booked an outdoor wedding.
“We had the ceremony and then afterwards we all went into the garden where there were picnic blankets,” she explained.
