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New member planning BUDGET wedding

New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby Coogee » Wed May 09, 2022 3:37 pm

Really not sure if this forum is the right place for me because my theme is 'cheap as chips!'.
Just kidding - it's more a motto than a theme. We really don't want to spend much - can't afford to really - but I'm not into a lot of the trappings anyway so I'm happy not to indulge. I guess I'll be here more for inspiration on songs, readings and speeches etc rather than dresses, bouquets and favors.
Here's my budget - please point out where I'm deluding myself -

Marriage Licence 150
Church 500 (including money for priest, music- not sure what else - just allocating 500 for Church - oh if we have to do pre-marriage course it'll come out of this 500)
Restaurant Dinner 700 (20 people x 25 per head plus wine)
Party for 60 people - 1000 (food 500 - it's 9 euro a head but I reckon I can get them to knock 40 euro off the total) band is 300 (I know them - they'll play for 3 hours for that at mate's rates) and drink 200 - only providing a sort of wine/champagne reception on arrival - after that they buy their own
Clothes 500 - (me 200, fiance and best man - our 13 yo son, - 150 for suit hire - again I know someone who can do this cheap - 2 bridesmaids are our daughters aged 11 and 8 - 75 each - happy to buy dresses in Next or Dunnes and a pair of pumps)
Hair for girls - 50 (mate's rates again)
Make -up - I'll do my own
Invitations - 10 euro - don't need anything special -
Flowers - 100 - don't plan to go mad on flowers - if I have to I'll buy three bunches in Tesco and turn them into floral bouquets myself - but I'm happy to put aside 100 for flowers all the same. Only 20 going to church so I won't be going mad decorating it either.


TOTAL 3,010

I'm not hiring a car or doing favors or even printing a Mass booklet - well I might print a booklet if I can do it myself and not make it look crap. So is there anything else I'm forgetting?
Oh and I want to get married the week between Christmas and New Year - no need for any decorating as there will be fairy lights and candles everywhere!
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby Flapjack » Wed May 09, 2022 3:46 pm

€10 for invitations is going to be hard. What did you have in mind for €10?

Mark and Spencers do wedding invitations, but even they are €7.50 for 10 invites.

I think €500 for the church is going to be too little - the marriage course is €150, so that only leaves €350 to pay the preist. Unless the church provide music for free, you're not going to be able to get music for this as well (although you could always use a CD player)

As for flowers in the church, €20 isn't going to get you much. I think the church will look fine on its own - no one will notice the lack of flowers, and as you said, there should be stuff there already for Christmas.
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby betty draper » Wed May 09, 2022 3:47 pm

Coogee wrote:Church 500 (including money for priest, music- not sure what else - just allocating 500 for Church - oh if we have to do pre-marriage course it'll come out of this 500)


sounds like a plan, regarding the Church...

our church charged 500 just for use, we then needed flowers, music, a donation for priest and sacrastarian and the pre marriage course as well.

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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby hestia » Wed May 09, 2022 3:52 pm

Sounds like a plan. Go for it Coogee. Prove the naysayers all wrong.

G'luck.
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby FrenchToast » Wed May 09, 2022 3:56 pm

Sounds like you are a woman on a mission so good luck to you.
Sometimes I thinka bout how much we are spending and my tummy does a little leap....!

You didn't say anything about Photo or Video? Do you know anyone good with a camera?
I know no matter how much we were spending I'd still want decent photos so maybe have a think about it.
You could always just do a cd only shorter version for 2 hrs to make it cheaper.
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby bazinga » Wed May 09, 2022 4:00 pm

Coogee wrote:Flowers - 100 - don't plan to go mad on flowers - if I have to I'll buy three bunches in Tesco and turn them into floral bouquets myself - but I'm happy to put aside 100 for flowers all the same. Only 20 going to church so I won't be going mad decorating it either.



Just on this - go for silk/Artifical flowers, less stress on the day. I got my bouquet, BMs bouquet and 4 buttonholes for £30 odd (32.65 or something).

Weddings can be done cheaply, my wedding came in at around £2,500.

Good luck!
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby Coogee » Wed May 09, 2022 4:04 pm

Thanks for all of the replies. I'm encouraged bazinga by the fact that you did it even cheaper!

And thanks for the tip on the silk flowers!

Discouraged a little by the cost of the Church.

My thinking on the Church was this -
First of all - I'm hoping and praying we can get out of the marriage course - 15 years together, 3 children and a very understanding and reasonable priest.
Music - I'll play a CD if I have to.
I doubt somehow there will be a hefty charge for the Church - I know lots of Churches either don't charge or charge a nominal fee - it's the picturesque Churches that are pricey. I'm not looking for a red carpet or anything Iike that - just to use the Church. I don't plan to decorate the Church with flowers - the 100 euro for the flowers in the budget is for bouquets and possible the tables - I'm happy to decorate the tables with Poinsetta which are about 5 euro each.
PLUS - I'm going to have to ask my uncle to officiate - well I want to ask him but he'd be very offended if I didn't and I know he won't take any money from me.
So the 500 really is 200 for the parish priest for allowing me to have the Church - 30 for the Sacristan - and then there is 270 left over - may have to go on a wedding course if he insists - still leaves 120 for maybe a singer? In reality - I'll probably give my uncle a very generous donation to his African charity but I wouldn't dream of considering part of that as my 'wedding budget'.

As for the wedding invitations - I'm saw a packet on ebay for 3.99! I really don't feel a need to go too fancy of them - I may well stretch to 25 euro - but I wouldn't go more than that.

Would 350 be considered a small amount to give a priest who said the Mass?
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby bazinga » Wed May 09, 2022 4:07 pm

My budget was along the lines of yours, I cut out the church - big heathen like me - so cut out the overpriced bumph I didn't need - premarriage course etc
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby bazinga » Wed May 09, 2022 4:11 pm

Oh also - when is your date?

Register on vistaprint and design an invite, and leave it in your basket. Leave it a few days and you will start getting emails with special offers, like 25 free invites, so all you have to do is pay postage. Every week or so they have that offer, so you could get them in no time.

That is of course, if you have time to wait.

I wish I had of known they would send out offers like that - I ordered in bulk and could have saved myself a fortune!
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby PussyGalore » Wed May 09, 2022 4:40 pm

Fair play to you!

We did ours on a budget as well although we spent about €5k all in all (with 70 guests) and called in a billion favours from friends. My one bit of advice, definitely get a friend who'll take photos. We had an army of amateur (but v. talented!) photographers on the day and we were so happy with the result. As for flowers, can you see what (if anything) is in season and do them yourselves? (We got married this time last year and had rhododendrons picked from the side of the road for the tables and my mum got busy with a bunch of her garden roses for my friend's bouquet :o0 )
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby Smileykaz » Wed May 09, 2022 5:45 pm

Sounds great. Friends of ours had a big wedding abroad (bride from another country) but had a legal wedding here in Ireland for the legal bit and also the friends, like me, who couldn't afford to travel for the big wedding. I think they had about 40 people to dinner plus cake, favours, wine and the attire and spent about €2,000 I think or maybe €3,000 I can't exactly remember. But they deffo managed it and it was LOVELY.


You'll need letters of freedom, plus Christening and Confirmation certificates which are about a fiver each, though some churches don't charge. Also it's not just the picturesque churches that charge, ours is just a normal church, our parish church, where my husband was born and raised and received all his sacraments as did his parents and grandparents before him and we still had to pay the standard charge of €300. Plus €200 to the parish priest, plus €50 to the sacristan, plus money for the certificates. Plus €200 for the pre-marriage course. Our singer was €200 and she was a lady from the parish choir. Organist, from the parish choir, was €175. So I'd budget a little more for the church, just to be on the safe side. Chances are you wont' have to do the pre-marriage course particularly if your uncle is saying the Mass (I know a couple in a similar situation to you, together iwth kids 16 years and the priest said 'Go way out of that, sure you two could TEACH the course!') so you could be lucky. But I'd still budget a little more for the church.

Photography? Video?

Gifts for bridesmaids/best man? Both sets of parents?

Is it a hotel you're having it in or are you guys staying in a hotel the night of the wedding, would you include that in your budget as well?

Your attire then - €200 is that for everything? I don't know if you're having a traditional 'wedding' dress but even if not, a decent bra and decent underwear could set you back €50 like? Then tights, headpiece, the dress iteself, a veil if you wanted one? A wee bridal bag? I don't know if you're having any of that now, just throwing it out there. Just I know myself I budgeted for the dress, alterations, veil and shoes. But then had to go and buy sucky in pants, a good strapless bra (actually two, as the first one was wrong), decent tights and a bag for a medication I had to have with me at all times. So that added on a wee bit to the budget if you get me.

What else, what else...oh, your hen night? Will you have one? And your husband's stag?

You'll have to keep us posted as to how you're doing, and of course post pics when it's all over!
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby BrideOfRecession » Wed May 09, 2022 5:53 pm

Do you really need bridesmaids? You could them out and just have your friends or sister(s) help you on the day if you need it.

I bought suits for my groom's men in Burton for €50 each, it was way cheaper than renting.

You don't have to get wedding rings but if you do just get stainless steel ones in Argos, no one will know the difference.

Would you consider a civil ceremony? I don't want to insult you, just that they are way cheaper than a church.
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby NittyGritty » Wed May 09, 2022 6:08 pm

Sounds good to me. The only thing I'd be wary of, as SK said, is the budget for your own togs. 200 squid doesn't sound a lot and, while I understand and agree that a lot of the bells and whistles can be done without, I'd be loathe to do limit myself to such a small budget. It's your wedding day, after all and I think we all want to look and feel our best. I just don't know if that's achievable on 200. Then again, I needed all the tricks of the beauty trade and a wad of cash to get myself looking half way decent, you may not.

With all things in life (and Grand Designs), it's advisable to have a contingency fee in place. 20% on top of what you've budgeted to cover the unexpected, yet inevitable extra costs that seem to/may arise.

I'm really interested to hear how you get on, so please keep in touch and let us know how the plans are progressing. Happy planning!
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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby RichieC » Wed May 09, 2022 6:15 pm

Sounds like you are a woman on a mission so good luck to you.
Sometimes I thinka bout how much we are spending and my tummy does a little leap....!

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Re: New member planning BUDGET wedding

Postby Finicky Fi » Wed May 09, 2022 6:41 pm

Congratulations on your impending nuptials!

Your plans sound very much like mine when I first joined this site.
I can't understand why your wedding is considered 'different', it's the way to go as far as I'm concerned.

It's been stated here many times before - it costs €300 to legally marry in this country, anything more is an extra.

I hope it all works out for you.
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