budget

A bride's parents will still pay the most for their daughter’s wedding, forking out up to 113% more than the parents of the groom, according to new research by short term loan provider Wonga.

The poll of 1,000 adults that included parents of the bride, parents of the groom, best men, maids of honour, bridesmaids, ushers and wedding guests, looked at who pays the most money to be part of the big day.

The tradition of the bride’s parents paying for the entirety of the wedding may be a thing of the past, but the research did reveal significant differences in costs still exist between the in-laws.

Weddings, they’re an expensive business – but the key is to spend your money wisely and be open to savvy cost-saving tricks. That is why our latest column from Natalie Lovett of Love to plan this time is her top money saving tips when planning your wedding.

Money saving tips from Natalie Lovett of Love to Plan

Lose the favours

WEDDINGS can be the best, but most expensive, celebration of your life and it’s important you get the balance right to ensure you enjoy your big day. 

The cost of UK weddings have reached an all time high, with the average spend coming in at £27,000 and figures in London topping £38,000*. The cost of getting hitched may be increasing year by year, but there are simple ways to tackle money worries in the run up to your nuptials. The personal finance experts Moneyguru.com are here with some words of wisdom to make sure you’re welling up for all the right reasons. 

Here are five ways to cut down on costs, and still achieve the ultimate fairytale wedding:

1.    The Proposal

Everyone wants their wedding day to be memorable. This means a lot of time, effort and money often goes into the planning of saying “I do”. In fact, according to Money Saving Expert, the average UK nuptial costs around £20,500. Luckily, there are things you can do to keep the total down. A great way is by planning your own reception. Not only will this give you control over your budget, but you’ll also be able to personalise your celebration perfectly.

Whether you’re throwing an unusual themed soiree or a traditional hen, a destination event or an arts and crafts hen party, there are numerous components to party throwing that are common throughout – regardless of the theme. Examples of these common components include: the location, guest list, itinerary and budget of the hen party. Therefore there are some essential organisational steps relating to these components that need to be addressed. 

Wedding catering over the last few years has changed dramatically, with many couples opting for a much more laid back approach to the food they serve on their big day. Street food, pop up stalls, BBQs and festival-inspired catering trucks are some of the most popular styles of catering at the moment.

Not only is this option budget-friendly, it’s relaxed, quirky and memorable. Whether it is fish and chips, freshly baked pizzas, or even doughnuts or ice creams, this style of wedding catering offers brides and grooms the opportunity to have a much more laid back feel to their wedding day.

PAUL HINDLEY, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE BEST WESTERN CRESTA COURT HOTEL:

One of the most difficult parts to a wedding can be monitoring the budget.  With the average budget often overstepping the £20,000 mark and a wealth of amazing wedding choices to make, it can be difficult to know where you can save money in your budget - whilst still getting the dream style you want for your big day. We work with bridal parties of all sizes and budgets, and have learnt a thing or two about saving them money where nobody will notice, whilst investing the money where it really counts.

Deciding to propose and therefore looking to buy an engagement ring is an exciting prospect but can also be daunting. Before you head out to buy the first ring that you see, you need to do your research; gain an insight by window shopping, learn what style your partner prefers and set a budget that works for you.

Fine jewellery, and in particular diamonds, have a close association with timeless love and romance. We know how overwhelming and frustrating it can be to source a piece that perfectly meets your requirements, so we have put together an easy to follow plan for purchasing an engagement ring.

Almost anywhere can be considered a potential wedding venue for the magical day - from tree houses to seafronts, castles and hotels to farmyard barns and school halls, and everything in between. However, before you make your final decision, here are some key factors to consider before putting down the deposit on your wedding venue.

Hallmark Hotels is a 28 strong and growing portfolio of hotel wedding venues situated across the UK from city centre locations to rolling countryside settings and manor house style venues.

It is customary for the bride and groom to buy thank you gifts for the wedding party. Traditionally, the groom would buy his new bride a gift and his new wife would buy a gift for him.  It is also common that they would both buy gifts for her bridesmaids.  A small step away from tradition, although we see it happening more and more often, is offering the mother of the bride and groom’s mother a gift as well.

New money management app helps you stay in control of your wedding budget

Apart from the bride, the other big ‘b’ word when it comes to planning your wedding is ‘budget’. There’s no avoiding it whether you’re having a small or a large do, at home or abroad. Your bank accounts suddenly become awash with deposits, instalments, down payments and transfers flying out from your savings, current account, joint account and credit cards. No wonder so many wedding budgets spiral out of control.

Planning a wedding can naturally get fraught at times. After all it’s the one of the biggest days of your life and you want everything to be perfect. As the big day edges closer, it’s natural for the bride to get a little anxious, especially if everything isn’t in place. Though if a little healthy apprehension turns into the soon-to-be-bride being intolerably demanding, an irrational bridezilla could be rearing its head and it’s time to step back and asses your behaviour. 

As the most romantic day of the year looms, wedding venues nationwide are gearing up for a flurry of enquiries as freshly engaged couples eagerly book their nuptials and look forward to their big day.

It can be easy to caught up in the romance of the moment, so to help those couples who have become engaged after the question was popped on Valentine's Day, Clare Poole, Head Wedding Co-ordinator at The Royal Toby Hotel, part of the Deckers Hospitality Group which owns and operates a number of prestigious wedding venues in the north west of England, offers these top 10 practical tips to ensure a smooth, organised planning period:

Your wedding day is a glorious event and one that is generally shared with close family and friends. While it is only one day, the amount of planning, decision making and general stress that goes into that one day is nothing short of epic. It’s your big day; you want it to be beyond perfect and that is completely understandable. However with so many aspects to the wedding, it is easy to get carried away and end up spending vast amounts of money on inane details that simply no one but yourself will appreciate or notice.