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Congratulations You're Engaged! But Can You Afford to Get Married?

marrige proposal

If you were one of the thousands of couples to get engaged over Christmas and New Year, the reality of the event is probably starting to sink in. Christmas Eve may be a romantic time for a proposal but the thought of how much the wedding is going to cost will give you a big hangover in 2015. A typical wedding costs around £21,000, according to recent polls. Can you afford this? And if you can't, what should you do to bring that cost down and still enjoy a fun, happy wedding day?

How to Cut the Cost of Weddings in the UK

According to the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners, couples spend on average £21,000 on their wedding in the UK. Many people will look at that figure and understand that they will simply not be able to afford it. But of course, you can have a dream wedding for much less than £21,000. The trick is to work out a budget and stick to it. Look at the number of people you want to invite to your wedding and cut the invite list in half. Look for modest venues and cut costs by organising your own simple flower arrangements, or borrowing a wedding car from a friend. You can also save money by buying things like the cake and the dress from non-wedding outlets - whenever the word "wedding" is attached to an object, the price triples. Buying a dress from a designer store that is not necessarily for brides helps you get a special dress without the wedding price tag.

Can You Book a Venue This Year?

If you are looking to get married in the summer of 2015 then you will probably find that your choice of venue is already fully booked. Popular venues in Oxfordshire, for example, including www.heythroppark.co.uk are booked a long time in advance. Be realistic and book for 2016, choose to have the wedding in the autumn or winter, or decide on a Friday or a Thursday to secure your ideal venue. The price will also drop considerably when you consider non-traditional dates and times. If you have flexible dates but you are set on one place, book a date further in advance but also put yourself on the waiting list, so you can scoop up the place when there is a cancellation. Also remember that you will need to secure the services of a registrar or religious leader to carry out the marriage ceremony.

If you are having problems finding the right venue at the right time, and price, consider how you can compromise either on date, time, number of people, or the things you "need" to have a successful wedding. While some things are non-negotiable like a venue you love, other items like flowers, cake, table linens, entertainment, wedding car, dress, number of bridesmaids, and drinks, etc. can be altered in line with your budget and the time of year you are getting married.

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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