youandyourwedding.co.uk 119

£10,000

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the strategy “On the way to Cooling Castle Barn, Antony said to me: ‘Make sure you don’t fall in love with this place because it’s probably going to be out of our price range!’ Funnily enough, after the show around it was Antony that said we shouldn’t bother looking anywhere else. It was perfect.

“For a Saturday, the wedding packages were around £9000 for exclusive hire and a seated meal for 80 people, so we looked at the mid-week deals. They included exclusive hire, a meal for 30 guests with half a bottle of wine per person and sparkling wine for the toasts, a two-tiered wedding cake, flowers, table numbers, the table plan, a buffet for 150 evening guests and the disco – all for £4800. So we booked a Tuesday after a bank holiday, which made it easier for everyone to come. It was difficult sticking to 30 people, so we paid £56pp for another 23 day guests and saved money by inviting more people to the evening do.”

savvy savings“The idea was to take a basic package and add some personal touches, so we had a friend make the stationery, place names, table names and the table plan. For the favours, I filled silver buckets with tissue paper and chocolate hearts, tied with luggage-style tags.”

little luxuries“After saving so much on the venue and details, I decided to treat myself to a £1200 lace dress from Berketex Bride. There were cheaper options but I wanted something with a bit more sparkle.”

top money-saving tip“Look at out-of-season months or mid-week packages. People will still be able to make it if you give them enough notice. Also you’re in a position to negotiate – I got the chair covers down to £70 total, because nobody else needed them on that day.”

Be realistic on numBers It’s easy to get carried away and invite too many evening guests because it’s cheaper than inviting them to the day, but don’t lose sight of your overall budget. Work out an affordable cost per head and stick to it.

a fizzy welcomeA welcome drink shows that even though you couldn’t invite them to the whole day, your evening guests are still important. Champagne can be costly though, so serve sparkling wine with fresh berries instead.

Jazz up the BuffetA three-course meal can cost between £50-£100pp whereas evening food is only £5-£15pp. Caribbean and Indian dishes are cost effective as they can be made in batches and served in small bowls.

it’s all aBout timingWhat time you serve the evening food depends on what time you have the wedding breakfast. You can’t avoid people wanting to eat twice if the wedding breakfast is early, but serve the buffet earlier and they might eat less. You can always put out sweet treats later on.

Diy entertainmentSave on music with an iPod playlist or create a photo booth with instant cameras.

save on a Big evening Bash By Andri Benson, Always Andri

(alwaysandri.co.uk)

“we saveD £4000 with a miD-week package”

Jenny Williams, 27, and Antony Birch, 37, went small in the day and big in the evening at Cooling Castle Barn, Kent

BuDget

MAR_13_Cost of wedding.indd 119 08/01/2013 15:52