October 23, 2024 • 17 mins
Nowadays, weddings can come with a pretty hefty price tag and with higher living costs, it can be hard to make the day of your dreams a reality.
But with proper planning and realistic research, you can build a budget to reduce financial stress and focus on the fun of your wedding day.
Here to help navigate the cost of weddings is author and founder of ‘This Girl Talks Money’, Ellie Austin-Williams. Ellie shares insights and a safe space for her 42,000 followers to help them gain confidence and ownership of their finances.
Ellie joins our host Kia Commodore to share tips on how to budget for your big day, ways you can reduce costs along the way to reduce the financial stress for couples.
You can play the podcast and find other useful content on Legal & General’s website:
https://www.legalandgeneral.com/podcasts/a-little-bit-richer
Legal & General asked 2,000 married or engaged couples about their weddings and you can see the results here:
https://www.legalandgeneral.com/insurance/life-insurance/cost-of-i-do/
You can follow Ellie for more tips on Instagram @thisgirltalksmoney
Kia and her guests share their own personal thoughts and opinions in this podcast. These might be different from Legal & General’s take on things. They give information for a UK audience that’s relevant at the time of recording.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kia Commodore (00:01):
While your wedding date is one of the happiest days
of your life, it can also be one of the
most expensive days. In 2023, the average UK wedding costs over 20,
000 pounds with the cost of living and inflation pushing
up prices from 2022. But proper planning, budgeting, and research
can help you build the day of your dreams and
reduce the financial stresses to that you focus on the
(00:22):
fun build up to your big day. Welcome to another
episode of A Little Bit Richer, brought to you by
my friends at Legal and General. Here to help us
navigate the world of weddings and how to manage the
costs is Ellie Austin- Williams. Ellie is the author of
Money Talks
founder of This Girl Talks Money. With an online community
(00:43):
of over 50,000 people, Ellie provides knowledge, insights, and a
safe space to help people gain confidence and ownership over
their finances. Welcome to the show Ellie.
Ellie Austin-Williams (00:54):
Thank you for having me.
Kia Commodore (00:55):
I'm excited to talk about this, because for once, I
actually am not the expert. I'm here to learn from you.
Ellie Austin-Williams (01:01):
Okay, I'll do my best.
Kia Commodore (01:02):
I'm super excited to talk about this. So we're talking
all about love and weddings.
Ellie Austin-Williams (01:07):
Yes.
Kia Commodore (01:08):
To get things started, what advice would you have for
couples at the beginning of their wedding planning journey to
help them manage the costs of the big day?
Ellie Austin-Williams (01:16):
Well, I think to start off with, enjoy the moment.
When you get engaged, it's so exciting and I think
that we're talking about money today and that is a
big aspect of it, but there's definitely a time for
celebration and excitement before you get into the nitty- gritty.
The first thing that I would always encourage people to
do is to sit down together and write down your priorities.
(01:37):
Individually, first of all, what your priorities are when you
think about what you want your wedding to look like.
And then compare notes and go through and see, are
they aligned? If not, no problem, but you are going
to keep coming back to this list of priorities. And
if you don't do it, it's going to end up
causing chaos when you go through the planning and particularly
(01:58):
the budget.
Kia Commodore (01:58):
I think that's a really good point. Because for me what's
really important is the dress and the food. Everything else
we can cheap out on in my opinion, but the
dress and the food is what ... especially the food.
Ellie Austin-Williams (02:09):
Absolutely. Because most of us are working to some sort
of budget with a wedding. If you don't have an
unlimited budget, you have to make choices and you want
to make sure that you're making those choices in a
way that aligns with getting you as close as possible
to the day that you've envisaged and the day that
you've dreamed. You need to have an order of priority
to work through or you're just going to end up
(02:30):
getting tied up in knots.
Kia Commodore (02:31):
I love that. I think it is so crucial. Off
the back of budget then, what suggestions do you have
around managing and allocating a wedding budget?
Ellie Austin-Williams (02:40):
I think first of all, you really need to get
clear on what your budget is at the start, because
the biggest trap you can fall into when you're getting
married is looking at things you can't afford. Do not
go near a dress that is outside your budget. Because
I can tell you, you'll fall in love with that
dress and every dress that's in your budget that you
try on-
Kia Commodore (02:59):
You won't like anymore.
Ellie Austin-Williams (03:00):
You won't like anymore. So there is no point doing it. So get
really clear on what your budget is before you start
actually looking. But don't start actually going and viewing things,
trying stuff on, ordering things, until you know what you're
working with. And that involves having some of the conversations
that you might need to have about budget. Because we're
(03:21):
in 2024, things are a bit different in terms of
how couples fund weddings. A lot of couples self- fund
them. A lot of people do still get family help,
but family help can mean both families. So have those
conversations early on so there aren't any surprises, there aren't
any misaligned expectations, and you can go into the actual
(03:42):
planning process with your eyes open and with a clear
idea of how much money you've got in that account
to spend.
Kia Commodore (03:49):
Realistic expectations is such a big thing, because if people
are going to contribute, because they've said ... sometimes you might have
family members who say, " Oh yeah, don't worry, we'll help you
out." Okay, but how much?
Ellie Austin-Williams (03:59):
What does that mean?
Kia Commodore (03:59):
How much is that helping out? Is that 500 pounds? Is that a couple of grand? What
am I looking at so I can factor that into
how much we actually have to spend on that wedding.
Ellie Austin-Williams (04:07):
Yeah, absolutely. Because the difference between 500 and 2, 000 when you're
planning a wedding is a lot. So you need to know
that because you don't want to fall into the trap
where you make the 2, 000 pound decision and it
turns out you're only getting 200 pounds.
Kia Commodore (04:20):
Oh my gosh.
Ellie Austin-Williams (04:20):
And then you've got to plug the gaps. And it
happens so often and it can be avoided a lot
of the time by having these conversations up front.
Kia Commodore (04:29):
I think a lot of people are just worried to
talk about money and it's not easy. I don't think
we're saying it's easy.
Ellie Austin-Williams (04:33):
No, it's not.
Kia Commodore (04:33):
But it is important if you want to stay within your
budget it is very, very important. As we've said, paying for
a wedding is a big expense, and when you couple
that with our normal financial commitments, it can get quite
pricey. So do you have any thoughts on how people
can get that money together for the big day?
Ellie Austin-Williams (04:51):
Yeah, absolutely. We're talking about a cost of around 20, 000 pounds
is the average at the moment in the UK. And
obviously that's an average, so a lot of weddings are
going way above that. The cost of living is high
at the moment, so it's no surprise people are getting
stressed and worried about how to afford a wedding. There are
a few different things to think about. First of all,
(05:15):
a longer engagement can help give you time. There is
absolutely no need to rush a wedding. You can enjoy
the engagement. Make the most of it. Add an extra
year, in the long term that is not going to
make a difference. It gives you that extra 12 months
to save up. Thinking about the size of the wedding
is also a really helpful way to try and manage
(05:37):
costs. Again, I've had so many conversations with people about
this. Where you start off with an idea of the
size of the wedding and it just spirals and it
can be really difficult, because I know parents typically get
very excited when their children are getting married and invite
everyone, and that's lovely. And I do think it's slightly
different where you're getting contributions from family in terms of
(05:59):
how much control and say they get over what happens
with a wedding. But the biggest cost usually is the
food and beverage cost per head. You're looking at somewhere
around 90- 100 pounds per person. And given that most
weddings you're looking at like 60, 80, 100 guests at least, that's
(06:22):
where the bulk of that cost tends to come from
if you're sitting down and having a three course meal
with drinks and the champagne reception and all of that.
Scaling down the size of the wedding can really help you to manage
the costs. Obviously, if you can save as much as
possible then that is brilliant. But I know that a
lot of people will be in a situation when they're
(06:42):
thinking about borrowing for a wedding. And the first thing
to say there is to just think about how you're
going to repay it. Please do try and think about
a plan for repayment, but also factor in the overall
cost of lending and try and work out whether the
best option for you is going to be a loan
or whether there is a credit card where you can
get some 0% percent borrowing. It really is going to
(07:04):
depend on each individual, but trying to reduce the cost of
any borrowing that you do need for the wedding is
going to help you overall when it comes to keeping
within that budget. I also think it's really worth thinking
about things like the dress. If it's going to take you
a year or two to save up the amount for
a brand new dress that you want, can you find
that dress secondhand, pre- loved, and get it tailored to
(07:27):
fit you for a fraction of the cost? There are
so many ways that you can be creative now, because
you want to enjoy this process of planning a wedding.
It's meant to be a celebration. It's meant to be
something you enjoy. So putting too much financial pressure on
I think can take a bit of that joy away
from it.
Kia Commodore (07:45):
I'm happy that you mentioned pre- loved and secondhand. I
think it's a great way to reduce the cost and
be sustainable.
Ellie Austin-Williams (07:51):
Exactly.
Kia Commodore (07:52):
And enjoy your big day because financial stress shouldn't come
into it. However, I would be remiss to say that it
is still a massive thing that a lot of couples
do experience. So for any couples who are struggling with
that financial pressure, what advice would you have for them
when it comes to managing that, when they're planning for
their wedding?
Ellie Austin-Williams (08:11):
Yeah. I think go back to that starting point that
I mentioned about priorities and really sit down and drill
into that. Because as much as you start off with
these good intentions, and it can be really easy to
lose perspective of A, what you set out to achieve
and what's important to you, but also B, the constraints
that you're working within. But what I really don't want
(08:34):
people to end up doing is finding themselves just popping
things on the credit card here, there, everywhere, and forgetting
about it and then ending up racking up these really
expensive charges because they're trying to achieve this picture perfect
day when actually they could do it on a budget
and they could stay within their initial constraints. Every time
you're making a decision, go back to that priority list,
(08:57):
go back to the budget. Where are you? Are things
costing more than you expected? Are things costing less? Are
there changes that you can make? If, for example, food
is something that's really important to you, what are the creative ways
that you can make sure that you're getting the high
quality, but without necessarily paying for the three course silver
service experience? Because there are options for that. Good food
(09:21):
doesn't have to be expensive. Again, venues are another one.
I know a lot of people have the idea in
their head of the type of venue that they want
for their wedding, but actually can you create the atmosphere and
the vibe that you want for your day at a
venue that's not going to cost you an arm and
a leg? And there are also ways to reduce the
(09:42):
cost of a venue. Looking at different seasons is a big
one. Looking at different days of the week.
Kia Commodore (09:48):
We have social media, you see what other people have
done and you might think, right, I've got to do what
this person did, or I've got to try and do
better than what they did, but it is your day,
so it should be tailored to you and whatever you
can afford. But whatever you want, most importantly. What are
some other creative ways that couples can implement to reduce
the prices that they have to pay for their big day?
Ellie Austin-Williams (10:09):
I think a really good one is thinking about ways
that you can do a bit of DIY. Even if
you're not doing a full scale DIY wedding, there are
elements throughout the day where you can actually get stuck
in or you can get your bridesmaids, get the groomsmen,
get your mother, friends, family to get involved. One thing
that I did for my wedding is we bought a
(10:32):
lot of flowers wholesale, and the night before my mum
and bridesmaids basically created the table decorations, because I knew
it was an area for me where I didn't want
to spend a lot of money. There were other areas
where I was like, " That's my priority." So it ended
up costing a couple of hundred pounds to do all
the table decorations. Where if you pay for table decorations,
(10:55):
you're looking at thousands of pounds. Things other people have
done are things like dessert tables where you can bake
a load of brownies and have a table. Or things
like a donut wall. You can have one of those really
cool boards where you order loads of donuts and you
stick them on and people can go up and take
their own. And yes, it probably costs you a couple
of hundred pounds, but compared to adding an extra course
(11:17):
to a sit down dinner, then you're going to save
money. Thinking a little bit outside the box. And a lot of these things
actually you can make look really cute and quirky as well.
Kia Commodore (11:27):
My friend, she had a DJ, so instead of, I
know people have bands, but a DJ does help to
bring down that cost?
Ellie Austin-Williams (11:34):
Yeah. And also just don't feel the pressure, like you
said, to do all the things that you see online.
One thing that I have noticed a lot of people
have stopped doing, thankfully, and I didn't do it either,
are wedding favors. The reality is, no one notices if
you've got them or not. And I also think a
great tip actually is think about your wedding from the
(11:55):
perspective of a guest. So think about when you're a
guest at other weddings, what do you notice and what
don't you notice? And then apply that to your own
wedding as well. And of course there'll be some things
that you just want to do because they matter to
you. But another example of this is, is we had the
option for the drinks reception of upgrading to a English
(12:16):
sparkling wine rather than a Prosecco. And when we were
told this, we were like, " Oh, well that would be
really nice because it's an English countryside Cotswold wedding. There's
something really nice about this English wine." And then we
stopped for a second and we thought, have you ever thought, "
What am I drinking at a wedding?"
Kia Commodore (12:33):
It's true.
Ellie Austin-Williams (12:35):
I have no idea what I've ever drunk at a
wedding. I drink what I'm given. And so we thought, "
Okay, we can save ourselves 15 pounds per bottle by
not doing that."
Kia Commodore (12:43):
Wow.
Ellie Austin-Williams (12:44):
And these are the kind of costs that we're talking
about. 15 pounds a bottle, that's like a lot of
bottles, a lot of money.
Kia Commodore (12:51):
Yeah, it's a lot of money you would've spent.
Ellie Austin-Williams (12:51):
Yeah.
Kia Commodore (12:52):
That's a really good outlook and I think what is important
to focus on. I've seen many horror stories online of
people booking services, booking professionals, and the day comes and
they back out last minute, maybe a week before, maybe
even a day before, maybe even on the day. I've
heard some horrific things. So I know that there are things
that you can do to protect yourself. One thing being
(13:14):
potentially wedding insurance. So could you talk to us about
wedding insurance and whether or not this is important to have?
Ellie Austin-Williams (13:21):
Yeah, so I think it really depends whether it's worth
it based on A, the size of your wedding and
the cost of the wedding, but also the different policies of
the providers and the suppliers. And that's going to be
so individual based on your wedding. There are certain venues
that will insist that you have insurance before you go
and actually book. In some cases you are going to
(13:44):
have to get a policy in the first place. But
I also think it's worth having those conversations with your
suppliers, like your photographers, for example, or your band or
your DJ, just to see how they tend to operate.
And like you say, sometimes people back out at the
last minute. I think it really comes down to checking
what the Ts and Cs are before you're signing up,
(14:05):
committing money to different suppliers. And also just looking at
the overall cost and working out what would happen if
something happened. If you don't have insurance, what's your plan
of action? What's your backup? And also if you do
have insurance, is it actually going to cover the eventualities
that you would like it to cover?
Kia Commodore (14:22):
I know we are naturally programmed to scroll to the
bottom of the Ts and Cs and just sign or just click okay. But especially
when it comes to wedding, there's a massive expense. I
think anything that's going to cost you a whole chunk
of money that you don't really want to lose, you should be looking at-
Ellie Austin-Williams (14:35):
Read it properly.
Kia Commodore (14:35):
What are you in for? What are you liable for? What are they liable for? So you
can make sure that you are going in with your eyes wide open.
Ellie Austin-Williams (14:43):
Absolutely.
Kia Commodore (14:44):
That's the key thing. Ellie, you have shared some incredible
gems and I have learned way more than I thought
I would about weddings, so I feel like I'm ready.
I'm ready for my big day. Thank you. But before
we round off, what are your top three tips for
managing the cost of a wedding?
Ellie Austin-Williams (15:00):
Number one, communicate. Communicate, most of all with your partner,
but also with the other people in your family, other
people that might be involved. Make sure that you are
having regular conversations so that you are staying on track
when it comes to the budget. Make sure that everyone
is working from the same page. Ultimately, a wedding is a
(15:20):
big project that you're all a big team working towards
executing, so you are ultimately the project manager. So get
on the same page and schedule those regular check- ins,
otherwise it will go off plan. Number two, don't just
think about yourself. And I know that sounds strange because
it's your big day, but think about what is most
(15:44):
important to you when you're planning this wedding. Is it
having all the people that you want to be there,
or is it having the day in the way that
you have pictured it, because they're not always compatible. And
I say that meaning, that a lot of the time
what ends up happening is that a bride and groom
make decisions about a wedding that basically pushes a lot
(16:06):
of costs onto the guests. They will decide they want
a certain venue or a certain destination, and the consequence
is that the guests end up having to take off
a week from work, pay for expensive flights, pay for
expensive accommodation. And what can end up happening is, A,
people can feel resentful. People can feel pressured. But then
(16:28):
also I think sometimes people won't be able to go.
Asking yourself, what is most important to me? Is it
about people being there and spending that day with the
people that you love the most? Or is it doing
things in the way that you wanted even if it
means some of those people can't make it. And three,
don't forget about stag and hen- dos. They can really,
(16:50):
really get out of control when it comes to cost.
Have a think about how to try to manage a
budget for your stag and hen- do.
Kia Commodore (16:57):
Those are some good tips, especially about the stag and
hen, I've never really considered that, but it is a
part of the budget that you need to factor in.
Ellie Austin-Williams (17:05):
Oh yeah.
Kia Commodore (17:06):
Ellie, you have opened up our eyes and our wallets
to what we should be focusing on when it comes
to wedding budgets and planning for that big day. So
thank you so much for coming onto the podcast.
Ellie Austin-Williams (17:15):
Thank you for having me.
Kia Commodore (17:18):
So much to consider on tying the knot. Thanks for
breaking it all down, Ellie. Next time, financial wellbeing expert,
Clare Seal will be here to help us feel good
about our money. I'd love it if you could review
the podcast, spread the word, and help others get a little
bit richer too. Keep up with the show on TikTok and Instagram at
Legal and General. Thank you for listening. See you soon.
While your wedding date is one of the happiest days
of your life, it can also be one of the
most expensive days. In 2023, the average UK wedding costs over 20,
000 pounds with the cost of living and inflation pushing
up prices from 2022. But proper planning, budgeting, and research
can help you build the day of your dreams and
reduce the financial stresses to that you focus on the
(00:22):
fun build up to your big day. Welcome to another
episode of A Little Bit Richer, brought to you by
my friends at Legal and General. Here to help us
navigate the world of weddings and how to manage the
costs is Ellie Austin- Williams. Ellie is the author of
Money Talks
founder of This Girl Talks Money. With an online community
(00:43):
of over 50,000 people, Ellie provides knowledge, insights, and a
safe space to help people gain confidence and ownership over
their finances. Welcome to the show Ellie.
Ellie Austin-Williams (00:54):
Thank you for having me.
Kia Commodore (00:55):
I'm excited to talk about this, because for once, I
actually am not the expert. I'm here to learn from you.
Ellie Austin-Williams (01:01):
Okay, I'll do my best.
Kia Commodore (01:02):
I'm super excited to talk about this. So we're talking
all about love and weddings.
Ellie Austin-Williams (01:07):
Yes.
Kia Commodore (01:08):
To get things started, what advice would you have for
couples at the beginning of their wedding planning journey to
help them manage the costs of the big day?
Ellie Austin-Williams (01:16):
Well, I think to start off with, enjoy the moment.
When you get engaged, it's so exciting and I think
that we're talking about money today and that is a
big aspect of it, but there's definitely a time for
celebration and excitement before you get into the nitty- gritty.
The first thing that I would always encourage people to
do is to sit down together and write down your priorities.
(01:37):
Individually, first of all, what your priorities are when you
think about what you want your wedding to look like.
And then compare notes and go through and see, are
they aligned? If not, no problem, but you are going
to keep coming back to this list of priorities. And
if you don't do it, it's going to end up
causing chaos when you go through the planning and particularly
(01:58):
the budget.
Kia Commodore (01:58):
I think that's a really good point. Because for me what's
really important is the dress and the food. Everything else
we can cheap out on in my opinion, but the
dress and the food is what ... especially the food.
Ellie Austin-Williams (02:09):
Absolutely. Because most of us are working to some sort
of budget with a wedding. If you don't have an
unlimited budget, you have to make choices and you want
to make sure that you're making those choices in a
way that aligns with getting you as close as possible
to the day that you've envisaged and the day that
you've dreamed. You need to have an order of priority
to work through or you're just going to end up
(02:30):
getting tied up in knots.
Kia Commodore (02:31):
I love that. I think it is so crucial. Off
the back of budget then, what suggestions do you have
around managing and allocating a wedding budget?
Ellie Austin-Williams (02:40):
I think first of all, you really need to get
clear on what your budget is at the start, because
the biggest trap you can fall into when you're getting
married is looking at things you can't afford. Do not
go near a dress that is outside your budget. Because
I can tell you, you'll fall in love with that
dress and every dress that's in your budget that you
try on-
Kia Commodore (02:59):
You won't like anymore.
Ellie Austin-Williams (03:00):
You won't like anymore. So there is no point doing it. So get
really clear on what your budget is before you start
actually looking. But don't start actually going and viewing things,
trying stuff on, ordering things, until you know what you're
working with. And that involves having some of the conversations
that you might need to have about budget. Because we're
(03:21):
in 2024, things are a bit different in terms of
how couples fund weddings. A lot of couples self- fund
them. A lot of people do still get family help,
but family help can mean both families. So have those
conversations early on so there aren't any surprises, there aren't
any misaligned expectations, and you can go into the actual
(03:42):
planning process with your eyes open and with a clear
idea of how much money you've got in that account
to spend.
Kia Commodore (03:49):
Realistic expectations is such a big thing, because if people
are going to contribute, because they've said ... sometimes you might have
family members who say, " Oh yeah, don't worry, we'll help you
out." Okay, but how much?
Ellie Austin-Williams (03:59):
What does that mean?
Kia Commodore (03:59):
How much is that helping out? Is that 500 pounds? Is that a couple of grand? What
am I looking at so I can factor that into
how much we actually have to spend on that wedding.
Ellie Austin-Williams (04:07):
Yeah, absolutely. Because the difference between 500 and 2, 000 when you're
planning a wedding is a lot. So you need to know
that because you don't want to fall into the trap
where you make the 2, 000 pound decision and it
turns out you're only getting 200 pounds.
Kia Commodore (04:20):
Oh my gosh.
Ellie Austin-Williams (04:20):
And then you've got to plug the gaps. And it
happens so often and it can be avoided a lot
of the time by having these conversations up front.
Kia Commodore (04:29):
I think a lot of people are just worried to
talk about money and it's not easy. I don't think
we're saying it's easy.
Ellie Austin-Williams (04:33):
No, it's not.
Kia Commodore (04:33):
But it is important if you want to stay within your
budget it is very, very important. As we've said, paying for
a wedding is a big expense, and when you couple
that with our normal financial commitments, it can get quite
pricey. So do you have any thoughts on how people
can get that money together for the big day?
Ellie Austin-Williams (04:51):
Yeah, absolutely. We're talking about a cost of around 20, 000 pounds
is the average at the moment in the UK. And
obviously that's an average, so a lot of weddings are
going way above that. The cost of living is high
at the moment, so it's no surprise people are getting
stressed and worried about how to afford a wedding. There are
a few different things to think about. First of all,
(05:15):
a longer engagement can help give you time. There is
absolutely no need to rush a wedding. You can enjoy
the engagement. Make the most of it. Add an extra
year, in the long term that is not going to
make a difference. It gives you that extra 12 months
to save up. Thinking about the size of the wedding
is also a really helpful way to try and manage
(05:37):
costs. Again, I've had so many conversations with people about
this. Where you start off with an idea of the
size of the wedding and it just spirals and it
can be really difficult, because I know parents typically get
very excited when their children are getting married and invite
everyone, and that's lovely. And I do think it's slightly
different where you're getting contributions from family in terms of
(05:59):
how much control and say they get over what happens
with a wedding. But the biggest cost usually is the
food and beverage cost per head. You're looking at somewhere
around 90- 100 pounds per person. And given that most
weddings you're looking at like 60, 80, 100 guests at least, that's
(06:22):
where the bulk of that cost tends to come from
if you're sitting down and having a three course meal
with drinks and the champagne reception and all of that.
Scaling down the size of the wedding can really help you to manage
the costs. Obviously, if you can save as much as
possible then that is brilliant. But I know that a
lot of people will be in a situation when they're
(06:42):
thinking about borrowing for a wedding. And the first thing
to say there is to just think about how you're
going to repay it. Please do try and think about
a plan for repayment, but also factor in the overall
cost of lending and try and work out whether the
best option for you is going to be a loan
or whether there is a credit card where you can
get some 0% percent borrowing. It really is going to
(07:04):
depend on each individual, but trying to reduce the cost of
any borrowing that you do need for the wedding is
going to help you overall when it comes to keeping
within that budget. I also think it's really worth thinking
about things like the dress. If it's going to take you
a year or two to save up the amount for
a brand new dress that you want, can you find
that dress secondhand, pre- loved, and get it tailored to
(07:27):
fit you for a fraction of the cost? There are
so many ways that you can be creative now, because
you want to enjoy this process of planning a wedding.
It's meant to be a celebration. It's meant to be
something you enjoy. So putting too much financial pressure on
I think can take a bit of that joy away
from it.
Kia Commodore (07:45):
I'm happy that you mentioned pre- loved and secondhand. I
think it's a great way to reduce the cost and
be sustainable.
Ellie Austin-Williams (07:51):
Exactly.
Kia Commodore (07:52):
And enjoy your big day because financial stress shouldn't come
into it. However, I would be remiss to say that it
is still a massive thing that a lot of couples
do experience. So for any couples who are struggling with
that financial pressure, what advice would you have for them
when it comes to managing that, when they're planning for
their wedding?
Ellie Austin-Williams (08:11):
Yeah. I think go back to that starting point that
I mentioned about priorities and really sit down and drill
into that. Because as much as you start off with
these good intentions, and it can be really easy to
lose perspective of A, what you set out to achieve
and what's important to you, but also B, the constraints
that you're working within. But what I really don't want
(08:34):
people to end up doing is finding themselves just popping
things on the credit card here, there, everywhere, and forgetting
about it and then ending up racking up these really
expensive charges because they're trying to achieve this picture perfect
day when actually they could do it on a budget
and they could stay within their initial constraints. Every time
you're making a decision, go back to that priority list,
(08:57):
go back to the budget. Where are you? Are things
costing more than you expected? Are things costing less? Are
there changes that you can make? If, for example, food
is something that's really important to you, what are the creative ways
that you can make sure that you're getting the high
quality, but without necessarily paying for the three course silver
service experience? Because there are options for that. Good food
(09:21):
doesn't have to be expensive. Again, venues are another one.
I know a lot of people have the idea in
their head of the type of venue that they want
for their wedding, but actually can you create the atmosphere and
the vibe that you want for your day at a
venue that's not going to cost you an arm and
a leg? And there are also ways to reduce the
(09:42):
cost of a venue. Looking at different seasons is a big
one. Looking at different days of the week.
Kia Commodore (09:48):
We have social media, you see what other people have
done and you might think, right, I've got to do what
this person did, or I've got to try and do
better than what they did, but it is your day,
so it should be tailored to you and whatever you
can afford. But whatever you want, most importantly. What are
some other creative ways that couples can implement to reduce
the prices that they have to pay for their big day?
Ellie Austin-Williams (10:09):
I think a really good one is thinking about ways
that you can do a bit of DIY. Even if
you're not doing a full scale DIY wedding, there are
elements throughout the day where you can actually get stuck
in or you can get your bridesmaids, get the groomsmen,
get your mother, friends, family to get involved. One thing
that I did for my wedding is we bought a
(10:32):
lot of flowers wholesale, and the night before my mum
and bridesmaids basically created the table decorations, because I knew
it was an area for me where I didn't want
to spend a lot of money. There were other areas
where I was like, " That's my priority." So it ended
up costing a couple of hundred pounds to do all
the table decorations. Where if you pay for table decorations,
(10:55):
you're looking at thousands of pounds. Things other people have
done are things like dessert tables where you can bake
a load of brownies and have a table. Or things
like a donut wall. You can have one of those really
cool boards where you order loads of donuts and you
stick them on and people can go up and take
their own. And yes, it probably costs you a couple
of hundred pounds, but compared to adding an extra course
(11:17):
to a sit down dinner, then you're going to save
money. Thinking a little bit outside the box. And a lot of these things
actually you can make look really cute and quirky as well.
Kia Commodore (11:27):
My friend, she had a DJ, so instead of, I
know people have bands, but a DJ does help to
bring down that cost?
Ellie Austin-Williams (11:34):
Yeah. And also just don't feel the pressure, like you
said, to do all the things that you see online.
One thing that I have noticed a lot of people
have stopped doing, thankfully, and I didn't do it either,
are wedding favors. The reality is, no one notices if
you've got them or not. And I also think a
great tip actually is think about your wedding from the
(11:55):
perspective of a guest. So think about when you're a
guest at other weddings, what do you notice and what
don't you notice? And then apply that to your own
wedding as well. And of course there'll be some things
that you just want to do because they matter to
you. But another example of this is, is we had the
option for the drinks reception of upgrading to a English
(12:16):
sparkling wine rather than a Prosecco. And when we were
told this, we were like, " Oh, well that would be
really nice because it's an English countryside Cotswold wedding. There's
something really nice about this English wine." And then we
stopped for a second and we thought, have you ever thought, "
What am I drinking at a wedding?"
Kia Commodore (12:33):
It's true.
Ellie Austin-Williams (12:35):
I have no idea what I've ever drunk at a
wedding. I drink what I'm given. And so we thought, "
Okay, we can save ourselves 15 pounds per bottle by
not doing that."
Kia Commodore (12:43):
Wow.
Ellie Austin-Williams (12:44):
And these are the kind of costs that we're talking
about. 15 pounds a bottle, that's like a lot of
bottles, a lot of money.
Kia Commodore (12:51):
Yeah, it's a lot of money you would've spent.
Ellie Austin-Williams (12:51):
Yeah.
Kia Commodore (12:52):
That's a really good outlook and I think what is important
to focus on. I've seen many horror stories online of
people booking services, booking professionals, and the day comes and
they back out last minute, maybe a week before, maybe
even a day before, maybe even on the day. I've
heard some horrific things. So I know that there are things
that you can do to protect yourself. One thing being
(13:14):
potentially wedding insurance. So could you talk to us about
wedding insurance and whether or not this is important to have?
Ellie Austin-Williams (13:21):
Yeah, so I think it really depends whether it's worth
it based on A, the size of your wedding and
the cost of the wedding, but also the different policies of
the providers and the suppliers. And that's going to be
so individual based on your wedding. There are certain venues
that will insist that you have insurance before you go
and actually book. In some cases you are going to
(13:44):
have to get a policy in the first place. But
I also think it's worth having those conversations with your
suppliers, like your photographers, for example, or your band or
your DJ, just to see how they tend to operate.
And like you say, sometimes people back out at the
last minute. I think it really comes down to checking
what the Ts and Cs are before you're signing up,
(14:05):
committing money to different suppliers. And also just looking at
the overall cost and working out what would happen if
something happened. If you don't have insurance, what's your plan
of action? What's your backup? And also if you do
have insurance, is it actually going to cover the eventualities
that you would like it to cover?
Kia Commodore (14:22):
I know we are naturally programmed to scroll to the
bottom of the Ts and Cs and just sign or just click okay. But especially
when it comes to wedding, there's a massive expense. I
think anything that's going to cost you a whole chunk
of money that you don't really want to lose, you should be looking at-
Ellie Austin-Williams (14:35):
Read it properly.
Kia Commodore (14:35):
What are you in for? What are you liable for? What are they liable for? So you
can make sure that you are going in with your eyes wide open.
Ellie Austin-Williams (14:43):
Absolutely.
Kia Commodore (14:44):
That's the key thing. Ellie, you have shared some incredible
gems and I have learned way more than I thought
I would about weddings, so I feel like I'm ready.
I'm ready for my big day. Thank you. But before
we round off, what are your top three tips for
managing the cost of a wedding?
Ellie Austin-Williams (15:00):
Number one, communicate. Communicate, most of all with your partner,
but also with the other people in your family, other
people that might be involved. Make sure that you are
having regular conversations so that you are staying on track
when it comes to the budget. Make sure that everyone
is working from the same page. Ultimately, a wedding is a
(15:20):
big project that you're all a big team working towards
executing, so you are ultimately the project manager. So get
on the same page and schedule those regular check- ins,
otherwise it will go off plan. Number two, don't just
think about yourself. And I know that sounds strange because
it's your big day, but think about what is most
(15:44):
important to you when you're planning this wedding. Is it
having all the people that you want to be there,
or is it having the day in the way that
you have pictured it, because they're not always compatible. And
I say that meaning, that a lot of the time
what ends up happening is that a bride and groom
make decisions about a wedding that basically pushes a lot
(16:06):
of costs onto the guests. They will decide they want
a certain venue or a certain destination, and the consequence
is that the guests end up having to take off
a week from work, pay for expensive flights, pay for
expensive accommodation. And what can end up happening is, A,
people can feel resentful. People can feel pressured. But then
(16:28):
also I think sometimes people won't be able to go.
Asking yourself, what is most important to me? Is it
about people being there and spending that day with the
people that you love the most? Or is it doing
things in the way that you wanted even if it
means some of those people can't make it. And three,
don't forget about stag and hen- dos. They can really,
(16:50):
really get out of control when it comes to cost.
Have a think about how to try to manage a
budget for your stag and hen- do.
Kia Commodore (16:57):
Those are some good tips, especially about the stag and
hen, I've never really considered that, but it is a
part of the budget that you need to factor in.
Ellie Austin-Williams (17:05):
Oh yeah.
Kia Commodore (17:06):
Ellie, you have opened up our eyes and our wallets
to what we should be focusing on when it comes
to wedding budgets and planning for that big day. So
thank you so much for coming onto the podcast.
Ellie Austin-Williams (17:15):
Thank you for having me.
Kia Commodore (17:18):
So much to consider on tying the knot. Thanks for
breaking it all down, Ellie. Next time, financial wellbeing expert,
Clare Seal will be here to help us feel good
about our money. I'd love it if you could review
the podcast, spread the word, and help others get a little
bit richer too. Keep up with the show on TikTok and Instagram at
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