Many couples have become more diligent about keeping their wedding budget down and we're only too happy to help you achieve an amazing day, that delivers bang for your buck! We've already shared some of our top tips to curb last minute wedding spending, as well as the wedding non-essentials that you can cut right now, so today we're sharing 10 cost-free wedding ideas we love, showing that not everything has to be new or bought for your big day. Many of these ideas are completely cost-free (or very low cost), so your bank balance will seriously thank you for including at least one or two of them in your day.
1. Grow Your Own
While we'll always be cautious about advising you to make your own bouquets, when it comes to smaller arrangements dotted around your wedding, GIY (that's grow it yourself!) is a great option. If you have plenty of time before your big day you could consider planting your own seeds and bulbs that will yield beautiful cut flowers come spring and summer. If you don't have much of a gift for gardening, consider asking a green-fingered family member or friend if they'll help. Gather jam jars and other recycled vessels to line your reception tables with, and your guests will be blown away with your homegrown beauties!
2. Printables
We're massive stationery addicts at One Fab Day but for super cheap and easy décor and stationery items look to printables. Our own free Fingerprint Tree is a great guest book alternative and our Best Day Ever cake topper printable is a fun DIY project. You can find a wealth of gorgeous Be My Bridesmaid cards, table plans, labels, signage, wedding bingo and table numbers all online.
3. Dried Flowers
Dried flowers are ever popular, and for all the right reasons. Not only are they pretty but they're also a fantastic sustainable wedding flower option, which we love. Collect, harvest and dry bloomed flowers from your garden or someone else's for bouquets, decor items and even stationery. Dried flowers are also perfect for making dried flower confetti. This is another great idea if you’re hosting an eco-friendly wedding, since it’ll biodegrade in no time!
4. Playlists
While live wedding music or a professional DJ will always be the preferred option, we know some tighter budgets and smaller weddings simply don't allow for it. Create a Spotify playlist on a use a reliable laptop or phone that features a few hours’ worth of your favourite floor-fillers, and enlist a friend or family member to help set it up. Choosing your own songs is a great way to personalise your entire experience - we've got lots of playlist ideas to get you started.
5. Something Borrowed (or Something Old!)
Don't be afraid to use the old Something Borrowed card! Tonnes of items can be borrowed rather than bought. For your wedding wardrobe, you can borrow items such as veils, jewellery, clutches, stoles, cover ups and even wedding dress underskirts. For the groom, cufflinks, pocket-watches, ties and braces are all items that can easily be borrowed from family or friends. It’ll add a lovely touch to your wedding day get-up, and will save you money! We've also seen sentimental items such as ring pillows, cake knives and cake stands, getting ready gowns and all being part of a couples 'something borrowed' or 'something old'. Cars are also a great option to borrow for the day!
6. Donated & DIY Decor
Put a call out to married friends for any decor items you might need. They might be only too glad to get rid of 20 wooden table numbers, yards of bunting or 100 votives! You can also consider buying used centrepieces and decor. Recent brides often sell (or give away for free!) their wedding decor on sites that offer online classifieds or community-based marketplaces - and you can save a tonne of money going that route. And don't forget to recycle and reuse! We still love the humble jam-jar as a vessel for freshly picked blooms, wine bottles as candle holders and palettes as table plans.
7. A Thoughtful Wedding Favour Alternative
Wedding favours are usually one of the first things to get cut from the wedding when working to a budget, but if you’ve still got your heart set on giving wedding favours to your guests why not leave handwritten thank you notes at your guests’ seats? A truly thoughtful gesture no-one will want to leave behind!
8. DIY Your Bridal Party Gifts
Instead of buying gifts they may not even want or enjoy, consider making them something special for little or nothing? Not the crafty type? Consider writing them an extra special heart-felt note to say thanks instead. If you still want something special to thank them for helping out on the big day you could always take them out for a bridal party reunion dinner after six months or a year. This is a great way to catch up and reminisce about the day, plus your bank balance will have had time to replenish by then!
9. Snap Happy!
Instead of a photo-booth, get guests to take fun photos of themselves, post them on Instagram and tag it with your very own wedding hashtag. Chances are, your guests are going to get some amazing snaps of your big day, too! You can also set up a private Facebook gallery or Dropbox folder to share with family and friends, they can then share any snaps you might otherwise miss on social. Why not stream the photos to a live feed on your venues screens? You'll need to rope in the venue and tech-y pal to do this but it's bound to get some giggles - get our tips for making a DIY photobooth.
10. DIY Your Dessert Table (with a little help!)
We're big fans of a DIY dessert table! If your mother-in-law knows how to make an amazing Victoria Sponge or your bestie makes the best brownies in town, ask them to make them for your wedding. Asking a friend or relative with excellent baking skills to bake your wedding cake can help them feel as though they've participated in the big event, and also shows them that you trust and respect their culinary skills.
The easiest way to do this is to add a small paragraph on your wedding invitations or wedding website asking guests to bake something for your day. Let them know it's not expected, it's just if they'd like to bring something along. It's a good idea to have a few confirmed bakers though, so you're not left with an empty cake table on the day!
Tying the knot? Check out even more wedding planning tips here!