It’s pretty hard to deny that your wedding will be one of the biggest days of your life. The wedding dress, the bridesmaids, the reception, the flowers, the invitations (and a million other things) are all part of the ’to do’ list, and it seems there are a thousand and one decisions to be made on how you would like your wedding to flow.
With reports that the average UK wedding now costs a whopping £18,000+, its no surprise that wedding budgeting is a hot topic for brides and grooms to be – especially in the current financial climate. Luckily there are some great free online tools to help you keep well within your financial confines, and dare we say are even quite fun to use! The Wedding Site website: weddingsite.co.uk/tools/wedding-budget-planner offers a fantastic planning tool that is super-simple to use and aims to give you a tight grip on your budget. This is great even if your wedding budget is far lower…our wedding was a real DIY event but we still needed to budget!
But in the midst of all of the choices to be made in the wedding whirl, an almost bigger issue for brides and grooms is making sure that your own personal stamp is on your wedding and that your personality is reflected in the event – not simply lost in the noise! After all, nobody wants a ‘cookie cutter’ wedding.
Luckily, savvy couples are discovering that there are plenty of ways to keep your wedding individual, unique and special while not sacrificing the quality of the day itself or most importantly, how enjoyable the experience of attending your wedding is for you and your guests!
Here are some of our top tips to think about when planning your individual wedding ensuring a unique day that will surely be a ’one of a kind’ wedding day!
1. Vintage wedding dress
There are some great glamorous second hand options out there as well as all of the fabulous vintage wedding dresses which are very much in fashion. We love Sell My Wedding Dress, which has thousands of quality designer dresses and accessories on site, and Preloved, which offers some fantastic offers on gowns which – let’s be honest – have really only been worn once! Vintage dresses are a stunning option and there are some fantastic options in London, at vintage wedding fairs and online- take your bridesmaid along to get a second opinion and keep your mind open as there are so many individual styles to choose from, including a 1960s mini.
2. Theme your wedding day
There’s nothing like a themed wedding to really put an individual stamp on the day! Sit down with your other half and brainstorm ideas. What are your likes and dislikes, what would you love to see around you as you walk down the aisle or dance your first dance? Themed weddings can be as niche as you like – from a ‘zoo’ themed wedding (you can even hold your wedding reception at London Zoo!) to a Bollywood themed wedding (just imagine the colours!) or even a Harry Potter theme! The limit really is your imagination! Ours was a village fete complete with coconut shy and a raffle!
3. DIY invitations and place names
There is something so endearing about receiving a handmade wedding invite – the couple has the opportunity to really explore their creative sides and crack out the child in them to create something truly unique that will be a million miles better than an agency design. You could choose to tie these in with your wedding theme as well as the place names for your wedding reception. Imagine a ‘literary’ themed wedding where each place name is linked to the guests favourite author or character in a novel! That kind of attention to detail takes a lot of work, but will make for a day out your guests won’t forget in a hurry.
