How to DIY your wedding
Weddings are increasingly expensive!
The average wedding cost £20,731 in 2019, according to Bridebook, and £31,974 according to Hitched. Comparing that to my own wedding in 1999 that cost around £2,000, it is understandable that some couples find it difficult to afford. To be fair, that was a long time ago and I did have what is commonly called a ‘DIY wedding’.
- If I had had more money and less time and skilled helpers at the time of my wedding I probably would have used suppliers such as a wedding planner, photographer, florist and fully comprehensive venue with decorators and a dress designer. They make everything perfect and done for you.
But, that’s not always an option. Or, maybe it’s just not your thing. If you’re planning a festival style wedding, second hand sourced materials and set up is usually a fab boho look. You could just hire a marquee and tents - check out Once in Blue Moon Cafe and their vegan/veg menus and festival style marquees and tents.
- Learn more about vegan/ethical weddings here.
On a sunny, but very windy May day on a small island in the south of Denmark, I got married for around £2,000 and had everything we wanted. With the help of friends and family, we created most of the wonderful elements ourselves. Locally grown sunflowers and daisies for my bouquet as well as table decorations (plus lots of cheap pretty tea light holders from IKEA) were sourced and arranged by my best friend and her mum. A good friend and newly qualified dress designer made my dress from raw silk that my father-in-law brought back from India. A friend of my Dad’s let us hire his Ford T cheaply. My cousin, and brilliant amateur photographer, took all the photos in a natural reportage style. The food was created by a local chef, who let us hire his venue on a less popular date, making it ⅓ cheaper than in peak season.
The one thing I just couldn’t do without was a proper jazz band. I didn’t know anyone in a jazz band then, so that was our most expensive element. But you gotta have a jazz band, right?
If I get married again, I will definitely have a jazz band again! Luckily, I know lots of swing jazz bands personally now from dancing Lindy Hop. If you need a swing jazz band, check out The Swing Ninjas, Soultastics, Harry’s Tricks, Flash Mob Jazz, Alex Bondono or the fantastic all female Swing Shifters!
Although wedding planners, photographers and florists etc are incredibly creative and skilled professionals that will enhance your planning, images and flower decorations - and I highly recommend using them if you can - maybe you just don’t have the budget for everything to be outsourced. So, what could you do yourself to cut your wedding costs and save money?
Here are some ideas inspired by my own wedding and some more recently married savvy couples:
- reportage style photos by your amateur photographer friend
- seasonal, local flowers sourced from the gardens of your parents and grandparents and their friends’ gardens
- table decorations with recycled jars for flowers and second hand or rented table cloths and crockery
- use a private unlicensed wedding venue with a humanist celebrant, such as a family member’s or friend’s (or friend of a friend’s) venue, which could be a barn or large garden with a rented marquee at much lower cost than a licensed venue, which might have mandatory use of menu, decorations and other suppliers at higher cost.
Creating your own wedding, or at least partly doing it yourself, can be super exciting and a great way to not only lower the cost, but also to ensure your wedding will be original and completely unique.
You can even DIY your wedding ceremony. If you’re not religious and want your ceremony to be just as original and unique as the rest of the day, a humanist wedding ceremony is ideal!
In fact, a humanist wedding ceremony will totally set the mood and get your party started.
- learn more about how humanists weddings roll
You can include loads of personal, creative and fun elements using the same theme (e.g. recycled / second hand / vintage props) and have your friends and family involved, just like they might have helped create the rest of your wedding day.
Getting the legals done cheaply is also possible. If you’re choosing a humanist wedding ceremony you’re likely to be less bothered about the legal nuptials. They do have to be done, though. Register offices around the country have several price options, depending day, time and location. Usually, the cheapest option is to have it done on a weekday, with minimal witnesses and in their smallest room on site at the register office.
At my local register office in Brighton & Hove, it can be done for as little as £73 (some other councils are even cheaper).
As your celebrant, I can create and officiate the DIY or creative and original ceremony of your dreams - the ceremony that will feel like the absolute real and unique wedding ceremony of yours - and I would be happy to help you find the cheapest registry option.
If you’ve decided on doing it yourself for your wedding (or at least partly) and on having a humanist ceremony, get in touch to find out more about how I can help you!
