If you’ve got a budget to stick to for your wedding, there’s no better time to get married than in the autumn. Although there are cetain things that you won’t want to scrimp on, such as your dream dress and your diamond engagement ring (after all, you’re only getting married once!), as you’ll see in this blog post, it’s easy to save money on the decorations, venue and outfits by simply choosing a date that suits the season…
1. Consider the time of year
Most weddings are planned during the spring and summer, with popular times spreading from Easter to the end of August. You’re almost guaranteed good weather and long balmy evenings during the summer, which makes it more expensive to book your wedding during these peak seasons.
However, sometimes it’s uncomfortably hot in the summer months and some of your guests might have holidays booked so won’t be able to make it to your event. So, why not consider an Autumn wedding? September and October are the ideal times of year to host an early autumn celebration and often offer warm days and cosy dark evenings where fairy lights can truly twinkle!
As long as you have a backup plan to enjoy the party undercover if the weather takes a turn, an autumn or winter wedding will be just as beautiful and can help you to shave a bit of money off the cost of the event. You can find venues for weddings that are often more budget-friendly during the darker months. Plus, your honeymoon will also be cheaper if it’s outside of the peak holiday season and the school summer break!
Some easy solutions to deal with inclement autumn weather include offering blankets to guests if the temperature drops and having umbrellas at the ready for drizzly days. Plus, it’s rather cute to wear wellies or snow boots under your wedding dress! Grab yourself a textured wrap or a fluffy coat to complete your cosy wedding evening outfit.
2. Decorate with nature
During the spring and summer, there is an abundance of flowers available in florist’s shops, which not only gives you a lot of choice but can also easily add up to a big bill for your bouquet and venue decorations. So, take inspiration from nature for your autumn wedding to help you save money.
Look in the garden and see what you can use in your floral displays for no money at all. Select branches covered in golden autumn leaves, delicate seed heads and evergreen foliage. You can even use pumpkins and gourds from the allotment to create unique table centrepieces and give your event a lovely seasonal feel.
Wedding planners suggest using festoon lights to create ambience in any venue. But hiring fairy lights can be costly so, if you want a twinkling effect during the darker autumn evenings, you could ask around to borrow friends’ Christmas lights. Hang them around the venue to give any space a magical feel. You can also use candlelight for a cost glow but that can be a health and safety nightmare! So, make sure they’re all positioned in proper candle holders and keep them out of reach of your guests – and always extinguish flames if you’re leaving the room.
3. Dress differently
Your wedding outfits are definitely one of the most expensive parts of a wedding, with gowns costing thousands of pounds. But an autumn wedding feels a little more casual than a big summer event, so why not take advantage of this by wearing something a bit different?
The groom could wear his existing tweed jacket to bring a bit of autumnal texture to the look. Suits don’t have to be matching, so the best man and ushers can pair their own traditional work trousers with corduroy or velvet blazers for a mix-and-match look that feels rather luxurious. Similarly, you can ask bridesmaids to wear their own existing dresses on a theme, such as all the same colour tone, or pretty florals.
For the bride, anything goes! It’s honestly up to you what you choose to wear on your big day. You can of course go for the traditional wedding gown, but you might also look for a new beaded dress that you could wear again in the future, or even wear a dress that you already own and love.
What did you wear to your prom, for example? Have you previously been a bridesmaid and loved the outfit? Maybe you have a friend who can lend you a dressy outfit or sparkly shoes that they’ve worn to a glitzy event, or perhaps your mum, aunt or grandmother still has their vintage wedding dress that you could wear as a family tradition?
All of these options for venues, decorations and outfits will help you to cut some of the biggest costs of your wedding, and hopefully help you keep more money in your savings account for your married life. And, if you’re already married, please let me know in the comments below how you managed to cut costs on your big day., I’d love to hear your tips and wedding hacks.
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