The average wedding in the UK costs more than £18,000 according to Hitched, which is a huge amount for many Brits. This is especially true given the fact we’re in a cost of living crisis, so it comes as no surprise that 94% of engaged couples are looking to cut back their costs for a wedding according to engagement ring specialist F. Hinds who surveyed 2,000 UK adults.
If you’re one of these couples, going down the DIY route could help you save a fortune, so you aren’t forced to cut costs by doing things like reducing the number of guests as 45% of the surveyed couples are considering doing. To help, we’ve collected six DIY wedding ideas that you can implement on your big day. Read on to find out more.
Create your place cards
Head to your local arts and crafts shop and pick out some fine quality paper, then chop them up into even place card sizes. Next, choose what colour font will go best with the card colour and write your guest’s names as beautifully as you can.
Bake your cake
The cake is an expensive feature of any wedding and it’s also a really important thing to get right, which is why so many people choose to have theirs professionally made. However, with patience and a few YouTube tutorial videos, you can make your dream wedding cake by hand –at a fraction of the cost.
Make your bouquet
When the bride is walking down the aisle, all eyes are on her, the dress and the flowers. You don’t need a professional to design a great bouquet for you to carry, though! Instead, pick your own or buy a collection of bunches from your local supermarket and put the best ones in your bouquet for a brilliant DIY feature during the ceremony.
Almost one-third of couples from the F.Hinds survey said that flowers were an expense they’d try to cut back on and you can too with our tips above!
Use jar lighting
As the night draws in, you’ll need some ambient lighting to set the mood in the wedding venue. Placing battery-powered lights in glass jars is a cost-effective way to do this and they look great too! You’ll just need the two components and they can be bulk-bought to save you some extra money during the runup to the big day.
Add nature with flower crowns
Natural elements look amazing at weddings and a flower crown is an excellent way to add nature to the main people involved on your wedding day. Bridesmaids or flower girls will look great with a homemade flower crown and these could be a simple daisy chain or a more elaborate design that combines multiple flowers.
Create a drinks display upon arrival
A bar could cost a lot to run all night, which is why 22% of the couples surveyed by F.Hinds said this would be an element they would cut back on. So, why not bring your own booze for the guests and have them make drinks themselves when they need them? Just bring a table from your home and add a tablecloth, then place two big ice basins filled with your favourite beverages on to save money but still serve up some delicious drinks.
As you can see, there are so many creative ways that you can cut the costs of your wedding when you do things yourself instead of paying over the odds for the services of professionals. Try them for your upcoming wedding and ensure you don’t have to cut costs on things the like guest list or venue. This means that you can have the magical day you’ve always dreamed of.
