Here at Bridebook we believe your wedding day should be the happiest day of your life. For all your lovely brides to be out there we have come up with a ‘On The Day’ tick list. Follow our top 5 steps:
Fuel Your Day
Start the day off right with a filling and energising breakfast, such as a bowl of porridge or a bagel and Greek yogurt. If the weather is nice, take yourself off for a 15-minute stroll. This will really help calm your nerves and give you a little ‘me time’ before the celebrations commence. Freshen up with a nice cool shower. Gently exfoliate and moisturise your body.
Preparation
You may be tempted to start on the champagne early. Only allow yourself one glass. You want your skin to look fresh, not blotchy. Read more about making your skin look flawless in our article written by Bobbi Brown. Lay out your wedding dress and get everything ready including your survival kit so you are prepared for any emergency situations. You’ll most likely be wearing heels all day so remember to pack a pair of flats, and savour the moments your feet can relax.
Stay Calm
Take a minute to yourself to breathe and calm down. Do some simple relaxation exercises to help manage wedding day stress. No one should be phoning you on your wedding day, but if it does ring make sure to forward your calls on to your maid of honour or a bridesmaid.
Thank Your Parents
Your parents probably had a lot to do with making this day special; by helping fund your day and all the time and advice they put in to help make your vision happen.
Go Get Married!
And breathe! You’ve been dreaming of this day since you were a little girl, so go and enjoy it!
On Friday September 30th, the Bridebook team were lucky enough to attend the fabulous Brides The Show – and what a treat! We were blown away by the outstanding quality of exhibitors and stand management. After spending all night at the show (no seriously, we were the last to leave!) we got to meet some of the best of the best of the wedding industry.
So if you were unable to attend or aren’t from the London area, don’t fret! We’ve put together a list of all of our favourite stands and brands in attendance at this year’s show. And even better, we got them each to write us a little description of their experience so you can really feel like you were there! A big, big thank you to Brides Magazine in particular for hosting such a fabulous show.
The Wedding Shop
The Wedding Shop not only had some of the loveliest ladies at their stand expertly walking us through all of their features, they also sponsored the gorgeously decorated VIP area – or VIB for those in the know (Very Important Bride!).
“The atmosphere at Brides The Show is like no other bridal show, the Conde Nast team put on such an incredible production curating inspirational ideas for every aspect of wedding planning. We love to be there as it enables us to showcase our services and product in an creative environment that seems to only gets better and better every year.”
Philippa Craddock
Philippa Craddock’s stand blew us away the moment we walked through the doors. Decked head to toe in the most beautiful and ethereal flowers and plants it was the perfect haven amongst the excitement of the show.
“The weekend was an enormous success. We love Brides the Show as it gives us the opportunity to meet, face to face, a huge number of brides and to receive direct feedback on the things that are most important to them. It is also a super opportunity to catch up with everyone at Brides, fellow suppliers, planners who we might not have seen for a few months over the busy summer and to meet new planners who are just starting their journey into the wedding world.”
Twobirds Bridesmaids
Twobirds Bridesmaids has such a stunning array of different dress colours and materials it was only natural that their stand lived up to their reputation! Whether you want your bridesmaids classical or mix-matched modern, Twobirds is for you.
“Brides the Show is always spectacular and this year was no exception. With luxury suppliers from every facet of the wedding industry under the same roof, couples were treated to wall to wall inspiration. We always have a fantastic time at Brides the Show and it’s always fantastic to introduce ourselves to people who haven’t yet seen our beautiful gowns in person.”
Prezola
Prezola may have been one of the favourite brands at this year’s show! Their gorgeous Prezola Bar serving champagne all evening was a hit with most of the attendees and really captured the fun and excitement that wedding planning and gift lists are all about!
“We love being a part of Brides the Show as it’s so inspiring to see all corners of the wedding industry come together and everyone is so creative! This industry is ever-changing and we’re always excited to see what happens next! We thought having a Prezola Bar this year was the perfect opportunity to reach out to brides-to-be in a fun and whimsical way, as boring is something we never do!”
David’s Bridal
The legendary American bridal brand is making quite an impression on the UK industry! Brides are falling for their countless gorgeous designs and range of pricing and, if their wonderful show staff are anything to go by , their spot on customer service too!
“David’s Bridal loved exhibiting at Brides The Show as it was the perfect opportunity for us to meet so many lovely Brides and Bridesmaids and have them experience a selection of our newest styles of David’s Bridal Designer Gowns and Bridesmaids collections. The show is definitely one not to be missed as it provides inspiration and ideas for women who want the very best expertise, advice and to see all the latest style trends. It has a fantastic atmosphere and really brings the magazine to life.” Terrie Kasianczuk, David’s Bridal UK Regional Director
Wedding Smashers
Keeping the party alive from start to end were the wonderful Wedding Smashers. A personal favourite of the Bridebook office, any party with a Wedding Smashers’ DJ in attendance is sure to be a blast!
“Wedding Smashers has been providing the sound track to BRIDES for the past 3 years and our stand is positioned at the entrance to the show. We love being able to DJ to guests as they arrive and exit the show and it’s a great opportunity for us to showcase our technical DJ skills to potential Bride & Grooms’ as well as chat to couples that have already booked us and just want to come and say hi! We love the social aspect of the weekend and being able to network with other suppliers in the industry is a great way to work out what trends are going to be popular next year!”
Richard Murgatroyd
With some of his most jaw-droppingly gorgeous imagery on display it’s no wonder Richard’s stand was such a hit. I guess that’s what you should expect of an award winning and National Geographic featured photographer!
“What I love most about Brides the Show is that they have managed to keep a lovely, informal and fun feeling to the show whilst assembling the finest wedding suppliers in the country. You’ll not meet a nicer group of people, all totally dedicated to helping you realise your dream wedding.”
Zita Elze Flowers
Zita Elze’s stand blew everyone away. Decked head to toe in the most gorgeous flowers, it felt like walking through a magical fairytale! Truly a sight to see and any bride would have been lucky to book them!
“This year’s concept for Brides The Show was pure white, modern chic with sparkling transparent notes, a 21st century fairytale – I was so thrilled to win a gold design award for the stand! The show is such a great opportunity to connect with brides and their grooms and also to mix with friends and colleagues from the wedding industry. Among our latest wedding ideas we included some finely scripted engraved perspex discs, hung from a tree laden with blossom, to announce the wedding guests’ seating. The wedding design was completed by Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium‘s elegant and romantic 6 tier petal shaped wedding cake which I dressed in fresh white flowers.”
Domino Purchas
Domino Purchas’ cakes are the sort that capture your imagination in staggering ways. With a perfect balance of contemporary visuals and classic elegance, brides were flocking to this stand!
“The vibe at Brides was wonderful! There was a wide range of potential clients with varying budgets and very different tastes, which made for a fascinating and engaging three days. It was also great to be exhibiting with a range of leaders in this industry, from exciting new venues to some staggering dress designers.”
Happy Planning!
Take advantage of all of Bridebook’s amazing free wedding planning tools today!
You’re engaged… congratulations! Now it’s time for the fun stuff. Before you start planning your wedding day (using all of Bridebook.co.uk’s free wedding planning tools, of course) you must remember to take that all important engagement selfie. Follow our fail safe tips to ensure you capture the perfect one:
Perfect Excuse For a Mani
Moisturise, push back those cuticles and apply a nice colour to compliment your engagement ring. And if you only do the one hand for the photo, we won’t judge – just remember to do the correct hand!
It’s All About That Lighting
Natural light is the best way to show off your bling, but beware of shadows ruining your shot. Alternatively, use artificial light to your advantage and show off your rock’s shine and sparkle.
Relax
We’re trying to avoid Chandler’s “claw” – no creepy hands here please. Natural relaxed hands look so much nicer, so find a prop to rest your hand on. If you are finding the whole thing too stressful (who knew you could worry so much about hands that have got you through your whole life so far?!), forget about hands altogether and maybe just use your ring box to display your ring instead. Obvious, but effective.
Mind Your Surroundings
Choose a background that is visually interesting but fairly simple (like a cool texture or colour). There is nothing worse than a cluttered backdrop for a photo with a specific point of attention, as it’s super distracting and detracts from the main point (you’re getting married!).
See No Price Tag
If you know how much your partner splashed out on your ring, try not to include it in the caption. It’s not what it’s about, after all, and not what you’re trying to convey with your photo. You want to share joyful news with your friends, family and loved ones, not share smug information on how much your partner saved up to ask you to marry him.
Don’t Be Afraid Of Filters
Remember Instagram have made it easy for anyone to take share-worthy photos, so if you have tried all the tips and tricks and still don’t love your ring selfie, don’t be afraid to add a filter! Cool, fresh filters tend to work better, so unless you want to set a heady, dramatic tone to your upcoming nuptials, avoid dark and heavily-saturated filters.
And now, share away! This is your moment to show off your brand new bling and let all your family and friends know your incredible news. Then it’s time to start planning the nitty-gritty; move over filters, enter finance. But don’t fret, we’re here every step of the way – let our free budget tool become your best friend.
This article is a beauty based must read for all you brides to be. When the big day arrives, and all those months of meticulous planning have paid off the last thing you want to worry about is smudged mascara ruining your photos or risk being too heavy handed and making you look less blushing bride and more over-blushed bride!
As the beauty editor of My Beauty Matches the first (and smartest) personalised product matching site for beauty, as well as the largest beauty retailer in the world, I’ve picked up some incredible tips from some of the best makeup artists out there. Not only am I a dab hand at creating the perfect palette of bridal nudes for all skintones, I am also privy to makeup tips from what can only be described as the makeup oracles (Bobbi Brown, Charlotte Tilbury to name a few). But I’ve also whittled down my kit to the products that I know will last the distance; and outlast even the most energetic bride on the dancefloor.
MyBeautyMatches.com
These tips are a bride-to-be must read. From necessary pre-wedding preparations to knowing what products will give you a gorgeous glow (even if sleep has been somewhat lacking in the run up) and are sweat, crease, smudge resistant and let’s not forget waterproof. Because who doesn’t love a good cry at a wedding? Read on for my tried and tested wedding makeup tips:
Do a trial run with a makeup artist
Never try something new on the big day, you are just asking for a disaster. Take photos of the look you want to your makeup trial and check the results in a few different lighting settings to ensure the colours match your skintone.
Don’t skip the moisturiser
This is an essential wedding makeup tip. Worried about getting a shiny face in photos, and think skipping the moisturiser will help? Wrong for so many reasons. If you have dry skin, the products will settle in the fine lines and wrinkles, making you look tired. If you are going to be indoors most of the day we recommend using a moisturizer without SPF as too much can leave you with a ghostly sheen. La roche Posay Hydreane Light 40 £13.50 is a light, oil free moisturiser that will nourish your skin leaving it comfortable and shine free all day long.
MyBeautyMatches.com
Do use a silicone free primer
Silicone based primers can be slippy, especially in the heat and your makeup will just slide right off. Try Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Radiance £28.50 which will give your more base staying power. Don’t let eyeshadow creases ruin your big day and use a primer for your eyes too, pat on Clinique All About Shadow Primer For Eyes £16.00 before your eyeshadow to give it lasting hold even through the happiest of tears.
Do use long – lasting formulations
Being camera ready all day is demanding enough, so make your products work hard, so you don’t have too. Look for crease proof, sweat resistant, long lasting and waterproof for products for some serious staying power. Armani Lasting Silk Uv Foundation 6.5 £36.50 is a high resistance, fresh foundation that will give a luminous semi-matte finish that lasts all day.
MyBeautyMatches.com
Do blend
One of the biggest wedding faux pas is having a different colour face to your neck and chest, wearing white will only make this show up even more. Use a damp sponge to blend your foundation all the way from your face to your decolletage for a soft, airbrush-worthy finish then use Daniel Sadler Invisible Veil Face Powder for a flawless finish that won’t rub off on your dress.
Do use a concealer that matches your foundation
Don’t go one shade lighter in an attempt to brighten the under eye area. You will just end up looking like a panda in photos. Shiseido Perfecting Stick Concealer £24.00 camouflages blemishes and dark circles without creasing or drying out the delicate eye area.
MyBeautyMatches.com
Don’t contour, Nontour!
Your wedding is not the time to go for a heavy contour. Think ethereal not Kardashian. Use a highlighter on the areas that would naturally catch the light for a gorgeous bridal glow. This is one of my favourite wedding makeup tips and I’m currently obsessed with this one shade suits all (literally EVERYONE) Perricone Md No Highlighter Highlighter £29.00. Apply to the top of your cheekbones, down the middle of your nose, cupids bow, between the brow bones and the middle of your chin and blend with a fan brush to diffuse it beautifully into your skin. For those wearing a strapless dress blend a little on your collarbones and shoulders to catch the light as you move.
Do use a powder
Prevent shine ruining your fun by dusting a little translucent powder. Daniel Sandler Invisible Blotting Pressed Powder £18.50 has a permanent place in my makeup kit. It doesn’t cake, dry out the skin or change the shade of your foundation, or natural skintone. It’s so super lightweight, that the only thing you will notice whilst wearing it is the shine free results.
Do set your makeup
Use a makeup setting spray for makeup that won’t budge an inch until you want it too. NYX Cosmetics Make Up Setting Spray Matte Finish/long Lasting £8.00 is a professional product at high street prices and all my makeup artist friends swear by it on shoots as even under hot lights, makeup won’t melt, smudge or crease.
Ready to find the perfect make-up artist for your dream wedding? Search through all of the U.K’s best suppliers by what matters most to you on Bridebook today! Just check out our state-of-the-art supplier search tool.
Take advantage of all of Bridebook’s amazing free wedding planning tools today!
Rebecca and Trevor tied the knot at the stunning Dorton House amongst an intimate group of family and friends. The orange colour theme reflected the autumnal time of year and was incorporated in the flowers, table decorations and grooms attire. The day ended with live music and dancing late into the night.
South East | Buckinghamshire | Aylesbury | Autumn | Country | Classic | DIY | Orange | Teal | Manor House
A huge congratulations to Rebecca and Trevor on your gorgeous wedding day and a massive thank you to Eve at Isha Photography for sharing your truly stunning photos with us. They really capture the happiness of the day.
I wanted to write to you about something I feel is important, especially in our world today.
I would like to encourage you, as the bride, to make a speech at your wedding. Whether this is something you’d never dream of doing, or something you’ve been toying with, I want to share with you why I think there is no better time than now.
Why am I, a groom and man, writing to you about brides’ speeches? A recent experience has made me believe that here at Bridebook, a wedding platform with access to 1 in 3 engaged couples, we have a duty to do the most we can to encourage growth, change and empowerment amongst our users.
I recently attended my great friend Katie’s wedding. Katie has never liked being the centre of attention and surprised us all by making a speech. It was so heartfelt and meaningful, and left us all bursting with pride seeing her do it. (The pic I took of her is below). She is still gushing how happy she was she did it. It being her opportunity to say how much she loved her husband and her family, and a chance to say thank you.
Most striking to me, though, was the effect it had on the other guests. The room was blown away by her speech. It also ignited discussion of why it is so rare to hear a bride’s speech? Many recently-married brides were incredibly frustrated for not giving a speech themselves. They had just “stuck to tradition”.
Well, this tradition of only having the men give speeches at weddings is ready to be challenged by brides like you. Brides that have just as much to say and to express as the groom and the father of the bride. Brides that have just as much love to share and thanks to give.
It’s time for change.
Please, think about breaking the mould and making a speech at your wedding. It doesn’t need to be long. It doesn’t need to be side-splittingly funny. It can just be a special moment of gratitude that you share with your closest friends and family. And you might just inspire and empower many people in the room to feel free to speak up in the future. Whether that is other brides-to-be in the room. Or your beautiful little flower girls in their futures.
And this follows for all wedding traditions. You don’t have to feel entrapped by them, you can feel confident to select whichever appeal to you. If Meghan Markle can have a gospel choir singing Stand By Me in front of the Queen, you can do whatever you want : ) Whether that is making a speech, or being walked down the aisle by your mother, or something much bolder. Go for it! Your wedding is a just one big party celebrating you finding each other and falling in love, with all your nearest and dearest cheering you on for the future. Embrace it!
So I would love you to make a speech. To be part of a great change to wedding tradition for the future. It has the potential to inspire, empower and make your guests and partner burst with pride. And I would love you to make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity.
If you are up for it – say so! Just add your name here so we can keep a tally of our change makers!
And if you want to encourage others, do share this letter, and the hashtag #BridesSpeakUp
Wishing you the happiest marriage ahead,
Kind regards,
Hamish Shephard
Founder of Bridebook.co.uk
Katie, the beautiful bride mid speech! Taken by Founder Hamish Shephard.
The Average Total Cost For A UK Wedding Soars More Than 12% In A Year As Millennials Embrace Hyper-Personalisation of Their Weddings
Results are in from the Bridebook.co.uk National Wedding Survey 2018
In the most comprehensive annual wedding industry study carried out in the UK, findings from Bridebook.co.uk’s National Wedding Survey 2018 show that the average cost of a wedding, when including every type of supplier, has reached a new all-time high of £30,355 (up £3,365 or 12% from £26,989 in previous year). The leading wedding planning app has revealed that supplier costs have increased by an average of 12%, year over year. Even when a wedding doesn’t include every type of supplier (such as videographers and entertainment), the average spend on UK weddings still reaches a whopping £17,913 per couple.
Hamish Shephard, Bridebook.co.uk founder says, “The hyper-personal wedding has arrived. The influence of inspirational social media is resulting in suppliers diversifying their offering in a bid to attract millennials. Personalisation and sustainability are becoming increasingly important, as couples look to do things their own way to reflect themselves as a couple.”
“If Meghan and Harry can have a 70kg deconstructed lemon and elderflower wedding cake and Stand By Me sung in the Royal chapel, couples no longer need be to bound by tradition and are free to embrace the endless inspiration that is easily accessible to them… which all adds to the budget.”
Supplier Cost Increases:
The costs of Marquee Hire (24%), Food & Drink (23%), and Venue dressing (22%) grew the most year over year
The average spent on a wedding venue has risen from £5,189 to £6,152, up 19%
The average spent on marquee hire has risen from £4,413 to £5,468
The average spent on venue dressing has risen from £723 to £882
The average spent on wedding food and drink has risen from £4,727 to £5,862. Food & Drink (33%) represents the area in which most couples now overspend
The average spent on wedding flowers has risen from £777 to £858, up 10%
The average spent on wedding cake has risen from £318 to £323, up 2%
The average spent on a music and entertainment has risen from £941 to £1039, up 10%.
Shephard says, “There are now over 139,000 small businesses and suppliers for couples to choose from in the British wedding industry, which is the largest amount there has ever been, employing over half a million professionals. We can see a direct correlation between the diversity of suppliers in each area and the regional differences in budget. The diversity of suppliers in London is unparalleled, with a higher concentration of medium to high price point companies servicing the area than any other. This has a direct impact on the average spend.”
“Whether you want multi-coloured alpacas roaming with your guests, or an animatronic velociraptor to join you on the dancefloor, the incredible diversity of wedding suppliers ensures that however wild your wedding dreams are, everything can now be made a reality.”
The most expensive regions in the UK to get married are London (£31,837) and Scotland (£19,791)
Venue hire in London is £4,833 more expensive than the national average
Food and drink in London is £3,904 more expensive than the national average
The least expensive regions to get married are Northern Ireland (£12,738) and Abroad (£14,151)
Wedding couples in Wales are more likely than average to go over budget (46% in Wales, compared to the national average)
Couples in Scotland are less likely than average to go over budget (33% in Scotland, compared to the national average).
Personalisation And Sustainability:
New figures reveal that couples are spending an increasing amount of time and money on personalising their wedding as well as considering the environment:
39% of couples considered sustainablilty when planning their wedding
21% of couples chose to serve organic food
17% of couples reused their flowers/decorations
52% of couples opted for ‘DIY’ decorations
52% of couples opted for ‘DIY’ favours
33% of couples made their own wedding stationery
Stationery showed average costs that decreased year over year, now at £276
16% brides chose a wedding dress they hope to wear again, in-keeping with the millennial backlash against ‘wear-once’ fashion.
Wedding Traditions:
Whist some traditions continue to stick, such as taking your partner’s name and asking the brides’ Father for permission to propose, some antiquated traditions are on the decline and couples are taking a more modern approach to wedding planning.
56% ask the Father’s permission before proposing
27% of couples chose to get married in a church or religious building. 45% got married at the reception venue
20% of couples saw each other the morning of the wedding
15% wrote their own vows
23% of brides made a speech
11% of brides did not wear white
82% didn’t use a traditional gift list
52% asked for a contribution to the cost of their honeymoon
20% requested donations be made to charity
16% brought their pet to their wedding
57% allowed guests to bring plus 1s
94% of couples both will wear rings
80% took their partners name
85% did a seating plan with 76% having a ‘top table’
33% sat the bride and groom parties separately
82% of couples paid for part of their wedding using personal savings
62% received a contribution to the costs from the bride’s parents
45% received a contribution to the costs from the groom’s parents
27% of couples met through friends, 19% met through a dating app.
Technology/Social Media:
While social media continues to play a key role in wedding planning and post-wedding sharing, use on the day itself is in decline:
67% of couples find ideas on social media or online, which they share with suppliers
30% of couples thought about what guests would post on social media
25% of couples had a wedding website
24% of couples had a wedding hashtag
13% of couples banned social media at their wedding
30% of couples asked guests to refrain from posting photos on social media on their wedding day
23% of couples posted on social media on their wedding day
Other Key Take-Outs:
The most popular wedding dates were Saturdays in July, August and September
The single most popular dates were 9th September and 26th August
Two thirds (65%) of couples go over budget or have no budget at all.
A quarter of couples (26%) were able to stay on budget, and a quarter of couples (26%) report having no budget.
68% of couples worried about the costs of their wedding
35% withheld the total amount they were spending from friends and family
Besides venue and catering, Bridalwear & Accessories is the largest wedding expense. The average amount spent on bridalwear & accessories = £1,537.
27% of couples held their ceremony at a place of worship (down from 29% in previous year).
Couples report spending the highest venue hire cost at Stately Homes (£7,353) and Country/Manor Houses (£7,188)
The largest proportion of couples paid for their venues with a Per Head Price, which included food & drink (42%)
28% of couples had an open bar (up from 21% last year)
The average amount spent on venue hire, according to venue pricing:
Per Head: £6,758
Package: £6,298
Fixed Hire Cost: £4,727
Hamish Shephard, Founder of Bridebook.co.uk, says:
“We are fortunate that over a third of UK couples now plan their weddings on the Bridebook.co.uk app, and are delighted to share the most up-to-date and insightful facts about this brilliant industry.”
“The British wedding industry is booming. Over 139,000 small businesses make up this amazing industry which employs over half a million talented individuals and is worth over £10 billion to the British economy. Britain is iconic for introducing the white wedding to the world, and the Royal weddings of recent generations have cemented Britain as the wedding capital of the world.”
“From the provenance of their menu, to the sustainability of their fashion, to the personalisation of every detail, the millennial couple care more about every little detail of their wedding than any previous generation. And with more disposable income than any previous generation when getting married, they have the ability to pay for it.”
“Parents can breathe a little easy, as whilst the average cost of weddings is growing rapidly, the millennial couple is contributing more and more.”
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For further information, interviews and images please contact
One in three engaged couples in the UK are now using Bridebook.co.uk to plan their wedding. With over 100,000 weddings planned in the first year since its launch, the comprehensive digital platform has taken the bridal industry by storm.
The site helps brides and grooms realise their perfect day providing everything needed to plan a stress-free celebration, all in one place with state-of-the-art planning tools:
The Checklist breaks down tasks by the week to help you stay on track.
The Budget Calculator helps you keep on top of your spending.
The Guestlist manages your invitations and RSVPs.
Experts including Mary Berry, Bobbi Brown and Jimmy Choo provide expert advise, tricks and inspiration.
Bridebok.co.uk is replacing spreadsheets, so couples have even more time for tasting cake and drinking champagne!
Bridebook was founded by Hamish Shephard, wedding expert with over a decade of experience in the British wedding industry. A Co-Founder of Hedsor House, one of the UK’s most prestigious royal wedding venues, he has become a highly respected and influential voice in the wedding industry, regularly providing information on weddings to the industry and the world media.
What are the top 10 things brides and grooms (might) hate about YOU – their wedding suppliers – in the run up to their big day?
Couples complain throughout the wedding planning process. Fact. It’s a stressful and exciting time for them but it’s also a time where expectations are challenged – as are wedding suppliers.
So what are the top 10 things brides and grooms (might) hate about YOU – their wedding suppliers – in the run up to their big day and how can you help ease any tension and ensure a smooth running wedding season for yourself and your couples?
10 things couples (might) hate about wedding suppliers
1. You don’t communicate as well as we’d like
You can put couples at ease during the wedding planning process by keeping close contact with them, even if it’s just a reassuring email to let the bride or her mother know that everything is in hand.
Responding within 12-24 hours is pretty standard and most brides and grooms will simply not tolerate having to wait a week or more to hear back from you.
You should also make an effort to respond to Millennials in a suitable way. Be available on Whatsapp and monitor social channels to check you haven’t missed any enquiries on Facebook; check Pinterest to see if the couples you work with have shared Pins with you on ideas they’re hoping to discuss or themes they’d like your help to recreate.
Be sure to respond within a few days, at most. For goodness sake don’t anger them …
2. You don’t appear to be listening
It’s not your day and despite having helped plan a-thousand-and-one weddings yourself, you must first and foremost please the couple you’re working with.
Advice is great but there comes a time when you just have to go with the photographs, flowers or food combinations your soon-to-be-newlywed couple asks for, even if you disagree with their choices.
Remember every couple is different and you must start anew with each of them – no matter how bizarre some of their requests may be!
3. You sometimes seem short with me when we speak
No matter how demanding a bride or groom is, you should always maintain a friendly, professional tone when responding to emails, texts or calls. It’s ok to answer succinctly but make sure your response doesn’t border on snappy.
You should take the time to respond to their questions with more than yes or no answers so that the couple you’re working with feel loved, not like a nuisance. Chances are this is their first time planning a wedding and they need your reassurance, not to sense your frustration.
4. You aren’t bringing many ideas to the table
Lots of brides know exactly what they want but most will need some ideas and suggestions from a professional who’s been here before. That’s you.
Ask your couples lots of questions to get to know them and gauge their style. By finding out more about ‘their story’, that is, how they met and how they got engaged, you’re more likely to come up with ideas that suit their vision.
Be prepared to share a few photos you like from weddings you’ve photographed, a few example bouquets from the last wedding you were really proud of or a few bridal hair pictures from a previous wedding similar to the one you’re helping plan for this couple.
The more examples you give and the more helpful you can be, the less you should expect to hear from couples as they’ll trust your professionalism and won’t need to keep checking in.
5. You’re not being transparent on pricing and inclusions
Budgeting is one of the most stressful but important elements of wedding planning and brides and grooms need to know who and what they can afford to hire. If you’re reluctant to share your prices or are avoiding being completely clear on what ‘extras’ couples can expect to pay more for they’ll have no idea what to expect from you.
The clearer you can be at this stage the more respect you’re likely to earn from couples and the less time you’ll have to waste going back and forth clarifying things.
Tip: you can include pricing details on your Bridebook profile so a lot of couples will come to you knowing what you charge already.
6. You’ve not won my trust
It’s all well and good putting together the ideal wedding in theory but couples genuinely fear that you’ll forget something major on their wedding day or even just not show up at all!
Whilst we know this is unlikely, you can reassure couples that you’ve got everything in hand by keeping in regular contact throughout the wedding planning process to help ease any worry and to make them feel better about your plan for their big day.
Think of yourself as your next couples ‘wedding dream team’ and make an effort to make them feel special and comfortable. Their wedding is in your hands!
7. You haven’t stuck to your word
If you offered the bride and groom an enormous choice of table linens to pick from and assured them that you could get any decorations they wanted, don’t disappoint them with a measly choice of tableware and props.
The best way to keep the couple happy and ensure you’re left with good reviews not a bad reputation is to ensure that you don’t make promises you aren’t certain you can keep.
If you think a bride’s demands are outlandish or her timeline is too tight, don’t say “Absolutely! It’ll be fine.” Be honest upfront and your couples will respect you and trust you more for it.
8. You don’t seem to be acting very professionally
Professionalism constitutes many of the points we’ve already discussed, like communication, tone of reply and support.
But it also means being on time to meetings, arriving early to the wedding and delivering on your promises.
It’s much easier to win new bookings through recommendations than to attempt to attract couples through cold forms of marketing and with questionable reviews about your services circulating the internet!
9. You’re not dressed for the occasion
Some wedding suppliers assume that because they’re behind the scenes at a wedding, they’re not on show.
Nothing makes a person stand out more at a wedding than being drastically underdressed. Dress like the professional you are so that couples don’t have to look through their wedding album and forever see that you wore jeans and a t-shirt on their big day.
10. You haven’t made us feel special
Every couple deserve to feel special in the run up to their wedding day. For them, it’s only happening once and they need you to understand their excitement, their fears, their frustrations and their uncertainties.
Treat each couple as though you care; not as if they’re just another booking. Make an effort to remember the small details, and make sure that you smile and enjoy yourself.
A happy couple will want you to seem as though you’re genuinely happy to be a part of their big day – which hopefully you are! And happy couples leave good recommendations, remember.
Eleanor and Peter had an autumnal themed wedding set at the beautiful Elms Barn in Norfolk. With fallen leaves as confetti and photos amongst the golden leaves of the Chestnut trees, the season provided much inspiration for the decoration and bouquets of their wedding.
South East | Norfolk | Beccles | Autumn | DIY | Classic | Orange | Brown | Barn
A huge congratulations to Eleanor and Peter on your gloriously autumnal wedding and massive thank you to Si Grand for capturing and sharing some of the beautiful shots from the day.
Linda and Colin held their classic wedding at the beautiful Rivervale Barn in Hampshire. The day was themed with midnight blue, an abundance of fresh white roses and a nod to Colin’s military career. A truly unforgettable day!
‘3-day weddings’ and ‘personalisation’ trends are having costly implications
More weddings are ‘themed’ with ‘insta-worthy’ entertainment and trending hashtags
Once again wedding planning app Bridebook.co.uk has carried out the most comprehensive UK wedding industry study revealing year-on-year changes. According to Bridebook.co.uk, millennial couples* arespending a whopping 45% more of their combined annual income on their wedding than couples getting married at 40 or older. (*getting married in their 20s to mid 30s.)
The average couple is now spending £17,913 (excluding their honeymoon), up £1,071 or 6% from £16,842 in the previous year. Supplier costs have increased by an average of 12%, year over year, but there are other factors at play too:
The ‘3-day Wedding’
The ‘3-day Wedding’ is becoming popular, with 23% more couples choosing to extend celebrations to run over a 2-3-day period (compared to 5 years ago). This has contributed to the rise in spend on venues and marquees, which continue to be the biggest associated costs at £6,152 and £5,468. Multiple-event weddings require more than one dress too, and this is impacting the amount couples are spending on bridalwear & accessories which has increased significantly by over 15% since last year at £1,537. 27% of brides purchase more than one wedding dress.
New figures also reveal that couples are spending an increased amount on personalising their wedding. ‘Venue dressing’ has seen a 22% rise to an average of £882, and the spend on flowers has also increased with couples spending an average of £858, up just over 10% from £777.
33% of couples now overspend on food and drink, at a new average of £5,862 up 23% from £4,747. This is reflective of millennials choosing to cater for more than one event, with ‘rehearsal dinners’ and parties the day after the wedding becoming more common. Caterers are also offering more and more flexibility with bespoke menus, which are expensive. 12% of couples designed their own cocktail or alcoholic drink for their wedding day.
The Influence of Tech
As technology continues to evolve, supplier choices are impacted too. Couples are spending more on music (at an average of £1,039 +10%) and other forms of entertainment (at an average of £580 +11%) wanting to ‘wow’ their guests with shareable social media-friendly content. Millennials are capturing their own images too, with 60% of brides using social media on their wedding day, 76% taking a wedding selfie – affectionately coined the ‘welfie’, and an average of 3,400 photos being taken at each wedding by guests alone. 57% now use a wedding hashtag – an increase of over 40% from the year before. Fewer people are spending money on videographers (down 2%).
14% of brides and grooms are saving money by choosing to do e-invites and wedding websites. They are also making their own table plans and place cards and consequently the average amount being spent on stationery has decreased by 5% to £276.
Millennial Spending Trends
Millennials are more likely to pay for their own wedding too. 18% fewer couples who married last year aged between 25 and 35 were given money from their parents, instead footing the bill entirely themselves. Input in wedding planning from Mothers is down to 44% (from 52%), from partner’s Mothers is down to 15% (from 23%) and from Fathers is down to 11% (down from 13%).
Hamish Shephard, Bridebook.co.uk founder, comments; “The millennial generation are getting married later in life, when they are more financially independent. They are in a position to be able to ‘host’ their own wedding, and no longer see it as their parents financial responsibility. They are rising to the challenge exercising their ability to be creative, motivated by things like local sourcing, ethical production and a great authentic experience.”
Shephard continues; “Suppliers are demonstrating their creativity and working hard to meet the demands of couples wanting to personalise their day. Increasingly, brides and grooms want to tell their story through ‘themes’, and they are becoming extremely imaginative. Everything, from the stationery and the decorations to the food and drinks menu can be personalised, and that doesn’t come cheap.”
“We are seeing that people are prioritising the ‘wow’ moments, wanting to surprise and delight their guests with ‘insta-worthy’ theatrical performances. Guests are sharing mobile footage on social media or on file-sharing websites. Selfie sticks, photo booths and drones are popular too.”
More changes…
The most popular dates to get married has also changed following a significantly warmer September and a colder than average April (Met Office, Dec 2016 report) in 2016. The most popular wedding season is now Summer (44%), followed by Autumn (26%), and Spring (22%). This represents a change from last year where Spring was more popular than Autumn. Last year the single most popular dates for weddings were 9th September and 26th August.
New findings also show a geographical split with both couples living and choosing to wed in the South East and South West of England spending the most, as well as being the most likely to go over budget. (Venue Hire in London is £4,833 more expensive than the national average, and Food & Drink in London is £3,904 more expensive than the national average.)
The most popular regions in the UK for weddings are South East England (20%), South West England (16%) and North West England (14%). While 10% of the couples live in London, only 3% get married there. More couples get married in South East and South West England than the proportion who live there, demonstrating the popularity of these regions for weddings.
Key Take-Outs:
The national average wedding spend in 2017 was £17,913 (excluding honeymoon) (up £1,071 or 6% from £16,842 in previous year)
Two thirds (65%) go over budget, or have no budget at all.
The average total cost of suppliers (excluding the honeymoon) is £30,355 (up £3,365 or 12% from £26,989 in previous year)
The most expensive region in the UK to get married is London (£31,837)
The least expensive region to get married is Northern Ireland (£12,738)
The largest wedding costs are Venue (£6,152), Food & Drink (£5,862) and Marquee Hire (£5,468) which are significantly higher than all other wedding costs
The average amount spent on bridalwear & accessories = £1,537
Supplier costs increased by an average of 12%, year over year. Marquee Hire (24%), Food & Drink (23%), and Venue dressing (22%) grew the most year over year
Many couples are choosing to have their wedding ceremony at their wedding reception venue (60%) (up from 59% in previous year)
Country/Manor Houses (28%), Places of Worship (17%) and Barns (16%) are the most popular wedding venue types
27% of couples held their ceremony at a place of worship (down from 29% in previous year)
Almost half of couples had Non-Saturday weddings (44%). For alternative wedding weekdays, Fridays are popular with 18% of weddings, as well as Sundays which represent 9% of weddings
The most popular honeymoon destinations are Europe (25%), UK (12%) and the USA (11%).
For further information please contact Harriet Hunt Communications: harriet@harriethunt.com T: 0208 871 2246 M: 07886 96908
Notes To Editor:
Bridebook.co.uk is the UK’s leading wedding planning app and website with over 100,000 couples currently planning their wedding on the platform.
Launched in 2016, Bridebook.co.uk‘s state-of-the-art wedding planning toolkit with personalised Checklist, Budgeter and Guestlist manager, enables couples to plan their entire wedding from any device, anytime, anywhere, all in one place…for free. With over 70,000 venues and suppliers in its directory, Bridebook.co.uk increases the digital presence of industry professionals and connects them directly with local couples. Bridebook has also partnered with leading brands such as Mary Berry, Bobbi Brown and Jimmy Choo to provide genuine expert advice and inspiration to its couples. Bridebook.co.uk was founded by Hamish Shephard, an industry professional and recently married groom who used Bridebook.co.uk to plan his own May 2016 wedding. Visit Bridebook.co.uk online or download the app on the iTunes App Store or Google Playstore.
Planning your wedding?
Bridebook.co.uk is the UK’s number one free wedding planning app, with over 16,000 registered wedding businesses and more than 100K couples planning their wedding with us.
Are you are an engaged couple looking for your wedding team?
Introducing Bridebook.co.uk’s very first Wedding Awards!
You’ll find everything you need to understand the ins and outs of the BBWAs right here – as well as top tips on how to get the most votes and your best shot at the winning titles!
There has never been a better opportunity to showcase your achievements as a star wedding supplier – not only is it completely FREE to participate, but it also provides a fun and easy way to get in front of and show off to even more perspective couples. Our voting system is even set up so that as you get more votes, it will help your profile appear higher in our searches!
How?
(Psst… We’ve already done all the work for you so this part is easy!)
Improve Your Profile
Make sure your Bridebook profile is in tip top shape to best show off your business. To access your profile, simply go to www.suppliers.bridebook.co.uk and log in using your account details. (Hint: if you’ve forgotten your password you can reset it at log in!)
Share! Share! Share!
Share your Bridebook profile far and wide, calling your fans and followers to vote for you! All voting is directly on your Bridebook profile, so this is a key step! (And don’t forget the official hashtag #BBWA2017).
Deck Out Your Site
Post your “Official Nominee” badges on your social accounts and website! You can find everything you need right here.
Keep sharing…
And sharing… Voting is done directly on your Bridebook profile so this step is key!
And watch the votes pour in!
(Simply download the pre-made assets to add to your website, email signature, and social media – don’t forget, to get the most votes you should share your profile page directly)
Next Steps:
Once you have everyone from your past customers to your nearest and dearest voting for you, what’s next?
Settle in…
And await our Shortlist, Finalist and Winner announcements! All the key dates are found below:
Shortlist: The shortlist of the top suppliers with the most votes in each category will be announced on the 1st of February 2017 (date extended due to overwhelming demand)!
Finalists: TBA
Winner winner chicken dinner
Winners will be chosen from the finalists by a selection of our very own Bridebook.co.uk experts and the top thought leaders in the UK wedding industry.
Winner’s Announcement: TBA
Celebrate!
All winners will be featured in national press, win tickets to the 2017 Bridebook.co.uk Summer Party at Hedsor House, and attend an exclusive winner’s event!
May the best wedding suppliers win!
If you have any queries, questions or compliments please email weddingawards@bridebook.co.uk
FAQs:
How many people were nominated?
All Bridebook.co.uk suppliers are automatically entered in the Bridebook.co.uk Wedding Awards 2017.
Can I see who voted for me?
No, voting is private but you can see how many votes you have directly on your profile.
How many votes allowed per person?
Only one vote per person on a supplier is allowed. If a supplier has suspicious activity and has an unusual amount of votes from the same I.P address, those votes will be discounted and the supplier will be at risk of disqualification.
What do you win?
The winners in each supplier category from each region of the UK will win a national press feature, tickets to the 2017 Bridebook.co.uk Summer Party at Hedsor House, and a surprise winners’ event!
Congratulations on embarking on one of the most exciting journeys of your life! We are here to ensure your wedding planning is as fun and enjoyable as it should be. Gone are the days of stressful hair-pulling and endless spreadsheets as we introduce you to the wonderful world of wedding planning on Bridebook. Being engaged is one of the funnest chapters in your life, so you deserve to make the most of it. After all, when else do you get to dedicate a whole day just to eating cake?
Thanks to Bridebook, personal wedding planners are no longer reserved for the rich and famous. Instead, our team of industry experts and brainiacs have built all the tools you need, including a personalised budget, checklist, venue and supplier search, and guestlist, all in one place for you to plan your dream wedding for free!
Whether you are planning an intimate rustic occasion, a grand city extravaganza or just need a little extra help allocating your budget, Bridebook is here to guide you every step of the way from when you say ‘Yes!’ to when you say ‘I do’.
Now let the fun begin and happy planning!
Hamish & the Bridebook Team
Hamish Shephard tied the knot on the 28th of May 2016 and didn’t use a spreadsheet once!
How Bridebook Began
Bridebook was founded by Hamish Shephard in 2015. When Hamish left a career in banking, he had no idea he was setting himself up to revolutionise wedding planning. His experience in the wedding industry began when he transformed his grandmother’s old home into one of the UK’s leading wedding venues.
During this process, he quickly discovered that most brides spent the majority of their engagement feeling overwhelmed and confused by the whole wedding planning process. Hamish soon became enamoured by the mission to make wedding planning as enjoyable and fun as the wedding day itself. Thus began a journey of inspiration, discovery and creativity… while also secretly doing all of the necessary boring bits in the background.
And the rest is Bridebook!
Hamish now also has his own Evening Standard column, Groom With a View, where he shares his insight as one of the UK’s most prominent wedding experts.
Hamish Shephard is the founder and CEO of Bridebook, the UK’s no.1 wedding planning app. He is now considered an expert in the wedding industry, having appeared on BBC news multiple times to provide his expertise and having his own Evening Standard column, Groom With a View, where he shares his insights as one of the UK’s most prominent wedding experts.
Hamish founded Bridebook in 2015, having previously co-founded Hello Fresh. His vast experience in the wedding industry began long ago when he transformed his grandmother’s old home, Hedsor House, into one of the UK’s leading wedding venues with his two brothers.
Hamish discovered that most brides spent the majority of their engagement feeling overwhelmed, stressed and confused by the whole wedding planning process. He thought there must be a way to help couples plan their wedding in a stress-free way and soon became enamoured by the mission to make wedding planning as fun and enjoyable as the big day itself.
Thus began a journey of inspiration, discovery and creativity… to create the UK’s leading wedding planning app, now used by almost 2 million couples.
Hamish has also appeared as an expert speaker on the Financial Times’ Money Clinic with Claer Barrett, as part of the recent July 2023 episode ‘The high cost of being a wedding guest’:
The decorations you have at your wedding bring your venue and theme together and tie in the personalities of you and your spouse-to-be. The beautiful thing about wedding decor is that it can be as grand or as subtle as you like. You can choose anything from huge lettering that spells out your new shared surname, or something small like fairy lights around doorframes or découpage table numbers.
But, if you don’t have this much budget to dedicate towards decor, that’s ok – it doesn’t mean you’ll have to settle for the bare minimum, or worse , no decorations at all. There are plenty of ways you can cut costs while still having a fabulously decorated wedding venue. In this post, we’re going to explore the many ways you can save money on wedding decor so you stay on-budget.
No, you don’t need to spend a lot on wedding decor, especially if having an extravagantly-decorated wedding isn’t a priority for you and you’re on a budget. The average amount spent by couples in the UK may be almost £1,500, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend that much. Every wedding is different, from the venue to the theme, so you might not need or want to spend much on decor.
As we’ve already highlighted, you don’t need to spend a lot to have a beautifully- decorated wedding venue if you can’t or don’t want to. Below are 10 tips and tricks for how to save money on wedding decor and still wow your guests.
When choosing your wedding venue, you should consider the style and theme you want to go for and how easy it’ll be to make sure they align. If you want a modern theme but hire a rustic venue, you’ll likely have to spend a lot on decor to make that happen. Choosing a venue that’s already in line with the look you want to go for will help cut costs when it comes to decor.
2. Choose a venue that doesn’t need additional decor
Some venues already ooze class and beauty, which means yours might not need additional decor at all – it might already have stunning floral displays. It might also have the perfect lighting or decor and be practically wedding-ready as it is. Choosing a venue that has plenty of natural beauty is one way to achieve this, such as a park, garden, beach or historical house.
Alternatively, search Bridebook’s comprehensive wedding venue directory for ‘blank space’ venues. They’re literally a blank canvas for you to work with, which means you won’t need to spend any extra money hiding features you don’t like, or battling against a pre-existing style. You’ll instead have all the freedom to bring in your own elements and design, and create a wedding that’s truly unique and personal to you and your partner.
Keeping your wedding decor minimalistic is a great way to have a simple yet modern style, and will also keep costs down. Keep your tables simple and elegant by leaving them free of clutter, and double up by using your wedding favours as decorations. A lovely jar of homemade jam or specially-wrapped cookies with a simple label can also be an affordable and small – yet eye-catching – name card.
Creative use of wedding colours is also a simple way to keep costs down but still make decor pop. Whether it’s flowers or ribbons, a brighter colour will always grab your guests’ attention, so you won’t need to spend a lot on decorations. A bright colour against a muted background will create a very bold look.
As part of our ultimate wedding budget breakdown, flowers and decorations aren’t included in the same category, which means you’ll have to budget separately for each. But, the good news is, there are ways you can make the most of your wedding flowers so that they have double the use.
Why not use the bridal bouquets as decorations? As soon as everyone sits down at the breakfast and all the photos are taken, the bouquets get forgotten, so strategically place them as table centrepieces. You may even want to let your florist know your plans beforehand – that way they can work with you to create bouquets that you can later reuse. Most of your guests will be none the wiser!
Your guests will spend a few hours sitting at their table as they enjoy some drinks, food and the speeches. That means they’ll spend a good portion of their day facing the centre of their table. So, you could focus your decorating efforts on picking the perfect centrepieces to make a lasting impression.
While flowers are a popular choice of centrepiece, you could also consider glowing lanterns, unique terrariums or towering candelabras.
Just because your wedding venue is big enough for 80 guests doesn’t mean you should feel pressured to fill every single inch of space. It can be easy to get carried away, but try to look at your venue from the perspective of a guest – they won’t be expecting a multi-sensory theme park-level experience, after all.
Think about the important spaces and where guests will spend most of their time. Less is often more, so don’t feel the need to cram in as many decorations as you can.
If you start early enough, you’ll be able to save hundreds by designing your own personalised wedding decorations. You could ask around to see if any family or friends have some old craft supplies hanging around, which means you’ll save even more money. With some ribbon and a few pieces of fabric, you’ll be able to create one-of-a-kind bunting. Or with some coloured paper and glue, you can turn cardboard numbers into bright and cheery découpage table numbers.
Paper decorations are particularly cost-effective, not to mention versatile. Think homemade paper chains, origami cranes, streamers, confetti, bunting, tablecloths. Consider making some of your flowers from paper too, perhaps with pages from your favourite books or music scores from your wedding playlist.
Instead of buying or renting chair covers, which can be expensive, and become messy once everyone has sat on them, use wide ribbons instead. Wrap these in a big bow on the back of each chair and voila. This will be much cheaper and add an elegant touch at the same time.
DIY decorations aren’t just an affordable option, but also a very popular one. According to our 2024 UK Wedding Report, 63% of couples married in 2023 opted for DIY decorations, so you won’t be alone if you go down the DIY route! You can’t necessarily expect to get the same quality of design and attention to detail as professionally-sourced decor (after all, you get what you pay for!), but if you’re on a budget and keeping costs down is your top priority, it can be a great choice.
Bespoke decorations are naturally among the most expensive, as they have to be carefully designed and crafted by a professional, which can take time, and also require specialist luxury materials and equipment. So, if you want to save money, and are happy to forgo the personalisation, why not choose an existing design that fits in with the venue and your colour scheme? Off-the-shelf decor won’t be as personal to you, but it’s much cheaper. As a bonus, you could also sell it after the wedding and make some of your money back.
Buy your decor second-hand. Lots of new husbands and wives will be selling their decor on auctioning and repurposing sites for lower prices: take advantage of this. Similarly, utilise second-hand fairs and junk sales – as they say, one couple’s rubbish is another couple’s treasure. These are especially good if you’re going for a slightly eclectic look where you don’t need 10 matching items, but just enough items under an umbrella theme.
You could even take it one further and repurpose items you would ordinarily throw out. For example, instead of throwing out empty jars, why not soak them in water to remove the label, then fill them with cheap, battery-powered fairy lights? It’ll cost you very little but look beautiful as the evening sets in.
Try renting instead of buying whatever wedding decorations you need to save as much money as possible (and also reduce waste). Lots of styling and prop suppliers are able to sort everything out for you with a professional vision. There’s also every chance your wedding venue may also have some available.
Alternatively, you could ask friends and family to dig out their old decorations or have a look at what they have buried at the back of their garage or deep within the loft. There may just be something hidden away that you’ll be able to make great use of as a unique piece of decor.
Plan your dream wedding with Bridebook
Here at Bridebook, we use our expertise to help couples plan their perfect wedding and manage everything from their budge to their guest list. Sign up today and start planning your big day today!
When you’re getting married, a lot of focus is on the bride, but remember, it’s also the groom’s time to shine. Just because the bride gets lots of attention it doesn’t mean the groom has to take a back seat – in fact, it’s exactly the opposite. When a groom is standing next to their partner at the altar, they want to look good, to help them feel good – and a sharp suit or tuxedo helps with exactly that.
The fact that you’re shopping for a suit hopefully means you’re fairly close to the big day itself, meaning your comprehensive Bridebook wedding checklist must be nearly complete…but it also means that your wedding budget might be looking a little more restrictive than it once was.
No fear – there are ways and means to make sure you look like James Bond without an MI5 agent’s salary and still have money left over for a Martini, shaken not stirred. In this post, we’re going to look at how you can save money on a wedding suit while making sure you stand proud while exchanging your vows.
Do you need to buy an expensive suit for your wedding?
No, you don’t need to buy an expensive suit for your wedding. In fact, you might not need to buy a suit at all – renting or wearing a suit you already own are both great options too. Just because a bride might spend an average of £1,300 on a wedding dressdoesn’t mean a groom has to spend the equivalent.
You’ll want your big day to go exactly as planned and be as luxurious and special as it can be – this includes the groom’s wedding attire. Below are 15 ways you can save money on a wedding suit and still look and feel fabulous. For more cost-cutting tips, check out our ultimate guide to saving money on your wedding.
Before you decide to go and buy or rent a tux, first think about the style of your wedding and your chosen venue. A smart suit or tux isn’t always appropriate for a beach or rustic wedding. Discuss the atmosphere you’re going for with your beloved and choose your attire accordingly. For more information, check out our introduction to the groom’s and ushers’ wedding attire.
If you’re contemplating smart attire, then consider buying a sharp, tailored suit instead of a tuxedo. They can look just as good but will be far kinder to your budget, as the only real difference between a tux and a suit is the satin feel. Plus, you’ll feel more comfortable and be able to wear your suit again in the future.
Many grooms don’t realise that you can even rent a suit, let alone consider it for something as important as your wedding day. But, not only will renting a suit save you money – as much as £250, to be exact – but it’ll also open you up to a much wider selection of styles. What might be way out of your budget ordinarily will be far more affordable if you rent rather than buy. Many vendors will offer rental fees for as little as £50, so it should be high on your list of considerations.
While renting is usually a hugely affordable option, it’s always advisable to compare costs between buying and renting. For example, say rental costs are £50 a day: if you have a destination wedding, those costs could be £350 if you’re away for a week, which could be way more expensive than buying a suit off the rack. With buying, there’s also always the option to sell your suit after the wedding using a website like Vinted to make some of your money back.
You must have heard of the phrase, ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get.’ Well, the same applies to getting a deal on a wedding suit. While you might not be able to haggle on price or get a custom deal at a high-street retailer, an independent business or tailor may be able to offer you a deal. This is especially true if other men in the wedding party use the same vendor – you may even be able to get your suit for free or at least discounted in some cases.
It can be tempting to splash the cash when you’re getting married and treat yourself to a new watch or some extra bling, but you might be better off using that budget elsewhere. There’s no reason why you can’t use your own cufflinks, ties or shoes if you’re willing to compromise a little. Just make sure they look dashing and fit in with your overall look and the theme of your wedding.
Chances are, you have a suit or two knocking around in your wardrobe, so consider wearing one of those and save yourself hundreds. You could freshen up the look with a few new accessories, which you could then coordinate with the rest of the wedding party. Just be aware that going down this route will be a compromise of sorts. You might not be able to get the dream ensemble you would be able to get by going to a designer store or boutique, where everything is custom-made and tailored to fit you perfectly on your big day.
If you’re renting a suit, make sure you know the exact details of the return policy. You don’t want to be fined because you return your suit a day late. That’s going to be the last thing on your mind during such a hectic time.
9. Ask groomsmen and ushers to buy their own suits
While matching suits will look smashing in the photos, there aren’t many other advantages to syncing up suits. Follow the popular bridesmaids’ trend and give your ushers a colour scheme which they can dress for. That means you won’t have to buy their suits, they can save money by not having to fork out for a new suit, and everyone will still look amazing in the photos.
You don’t need to spend a fortune to bring cohesion to your wedding party. A little creativity is all you need, such as with matching accessories. Try coloured socks, suspenders, vests or bow ties and have fun with them.
Shop around. Just like a bride will look in a few stores before she buys a gown, so should the groom. The prices of men’s formal attire can vary greatly, so make sure you get the best deal, both in terms of quality and finances. A bespoke suit or tux might look sharp, but many high-street retailers offer a wide selection of fantastic outfits to suit all styles, tastes and budgets if you’re tight on cash.
Believe it or not, browsing charity shops can lead to the discovery of hidden treasures – including a suit to wear at your wedding. It will probably take persistence, but with a little luck, you might just find a wonderful suit hanging on the rack in a charity shop. The only thing to bear in mind is finding your exact size is unlikely, so you may have to take it to be altered, which of course will cost.
Something borrowed doesn’t only have to apply to the bride. Borrowing a suit from a family member or friend will save you plenty, so long as you’re the same size. Again, bear in mind that if you go down this route, you will likely have to compromise, and might not get the exact suit you originally had in mind.
If you have time on your side, then simply keep a close eye on sales and offers. High-street retailers have sales periodically throughout the year, as do independent stores. By biding your time you could save as much as 50%, or even higher if some suits are end of the line.
This is a slightly risky option, as getting the right size can be tricky, but if you know your exact measurements, you could save a bundle by shopping online. Second-hand stores such as Vinted or auction sites like eBay have plenty of bargains, but there are also plenty of online clothing retailers which have more competitive prices than those on the high street.
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Your bridal party consists of your best pals who have supported you throughout the planning process, who have sat up into the early hours with you making favours while sipping bubbly, and who will wear the second most gorgeous dresses on your wedding day. The process of finding and trying on dresses can be a lot of fun in itself – if not a little stressful until you finally find the dresses.
At this stage, you might have decided who’s paying for your bridesmaids’ dresses, which can come down to your own budget and preferences, and the budget of your bridesmaids. But whoever’s paying, you need to be conscious of the cost. If you’re paying, remember to manage your budget with our handy budget planning tool.
The average cost of bridesmaid dresses is around £80 to £500 per dress, which means you can times this amount by the number of bridesmaids you have to work out the total cost. So, if you have five bridesmaids, you might pay between £400 and £2,500 for all of their dresses collectively.
So, how do you save money on bridesmaid dresses to ensure that – whoever picks up the bill – you don’t go beyond what your budget allows? After all, with the average wedding costing £20,775, you likely won’t want to add any more figures to your ever-increasing expenses.
In this post, we’re going to explore how to save money on bridesmaid dresses, including why they cost as much as they do and what you can do to pay less but still make sure your bridesmaids look stunning.
As with most things that are wedding-related, there’s often a premium price attached to bridesmaid dresses. This is especially true when it comes to dresses made by popular brands and designers. Bridesmaid dresses from specialist wedding boutiques in particular are also often custom-made with expensive, high-quality materials and embellishments. Plus, couples are usually keen to spend more money on purchases for their wedding to make sure it’s extra special.
Thankfully, just because many couples spend between £80 and £500 on each bridesmaid dress doesn’t mean you have to pay that much. There are ways to make sure your spending is closer to the lower end of that scale.
While it’s common for bridesmaids to wear dresses, there’s nothing to say that this has to be the case. If you’re asking your bridesmaids to pay for their own dresses, then you’re likely to get a whole selection of wonderful styles, personalisations and preferences.
Instead of dresses, you or your bridesmaids might choose to wear:
Jumpsuits
Rompers
Cultural attire
Separates
Pantsuits
Tuxedos
There’s no right or wrong choice. If you’d like your bridesmaids to all wear similar outfits, just make sure you coordinate this with them early on.
As a rule of thumb, if you’re asking your bridesmaids to wear a specific dress or putting severe restrictions on what they can and can’t wear, then you should offer to pay for their dresses. If you’re open to them wearing a dress of their own choosing, and only have some loose requests – like wearing a certain colour – then it’s easier to ask your bridesmaids to pay for their dresses.
That being said, this is a rather murky rule and by no means something you should feel obliged stick to. For more information, read our blog post on what your bridesmaids should and shouldn’t pay for.
Looking to save money on bridesmaid dresses but still have the best-looking wedding squad there is? Below are 10 ways you can spend less on bridesmaid dresses. For more money-saving tips, read our ultimate wedding cost-cutting guide.
It might be tempting to rush straight to wedding boutiques and receive VIP treatment, but a great way to save money if you’re on a tight budget is by browsing the high-street retailers you might shop at all the time anyway. If nothing else, the high street is a brilliant way to get some inspiration and for your bridesmaids to try on a few fabulous outfits.
Need convincing? M&S has a wide range of amazing bridesmaid dresses, and the best part is that costs start from around £65. It’s always worth a trip to your local town or city centre to browse some of your favourite retailers. The quality and level of service might not match that of a designer boutique, but if cutting back on your wedding spending is your top priority, then this can be an affordable and cost-effective option.
Many bridesmaids sell their dresses straight after a wedding, so there are beautiful, barely worn dresses out there just begging to be worn again. Similarly, suggest to your bridesmaids that they can sell theirs after (obviously not before!) the big day to make some of their cash back. Sites like eBay, Knot New and Vinted are great for finding affordable clothing which is practically as good as new. Going down the pre-loved route is also a great sustainable choice if you and your bridesmaids are eco-conscious.
Why not consider renting your bridesmaid dresses? This US trend has come to the UK, and the most gorgeous dresses, including Badgley Mischka and McQueen, are now available to bridesmaids at much lower prices than if you were to buy them outright. You might even be able to bag some extra deals by renting several dresses from the same supplier.
One thing to note is the returns policy. Make sure you return the dresses on time and without any stains or damage, as you might be charged an additional fee.
Online retailers are bursting at the seams with deals. Often the bridesmaid dresses that you’re looking for will be available at a cheaper price somewhere else, or some websites will offer discount coupons. Just be aware that you’ll need to be sure they’ll fit, and fit well – otherwise, you might just spend the same amount on alterations as you would have done in-store. Before you make your purchase, double-check the website’s return policy just in case you have to send something back or swap it for another size.
If you start bridesmaid dress shopping in plenty of time, you can hold out for some cracking deals at end-of-season sales. You’ll be amazed at how many gorgeous dresses you can find at almost unbelievable prices if you’re first in line when the sales drop.
Why not think about going for a non-obvious dress style for your bridesmaids? For example, vintage-style tea dresses can be quite cheap to pick up, so having your bridesmaids in a selection from the same era will look cohesive and unique but not cost the earth. Alternatively, midi dresses are everywhere – capitalise on this by getting some formal-looking dresses for an informal price.
7. Ask your bridesmaids to pay for their own dresses
If you’re conscious about your own budget, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking your bridesmaids to pay for their dresses. Just make sure you give them plenty of notice and don’t ask them to drop hundreds on a specific dress.
Trust your bridesmaids and give them a few guidelines, like length and colour, and let them pick out their own dresses – that way, they’re likely to be willing to spend more as they can pick something they know they’ll wear again. Just check you’re happy with them before the big day.
Your bridesmaids don’t all need matching clutches and shoes – ask them to stick to a colour scheme and style and let them buy their own or wear something they already have.
Be brave and think ahead of the curve. Bridal jumpsuits are all the rage, but bridesmaids’ jumpsuits aren’t quite at the same hype just yet. This means they likely won’t have super premium price tags next to them, which is ideal if you’re looking to cut costs. Your bridesmaids would not only look incredibly chic in jumpsuits, but have money left over too.
If you’re keen on shopping at a boutique for your bridesmaid dresses (after all, nothing can compare to the luxury of boutique garments, or the experience of specialist service and attention), why not be brave and negotiate with the owner? You might struggle if you’re only buying a single dress, but if you’re buying multiple dresses (or even your wedding dress itself), you might well get a small percentage knocked off the final bill. When you’re spending hundreds (or even thousands), every little saving you make will quickly add up.
