How to save money on your wedding

Depending on which survey you believe, the average cost of having a wedding in Britain is now somewhere in the region of £17,000 to £20,000. But if you're working to a budget, there's no need to spend anywhere near as much. And econ-omising on your outgoings doesn't need to mean economising on enjoyment.

"You can get married for as much or as little as you like," says Carol Richardson of Confetti, the specialist wedding store. "You've got to pay for the marriage licence, but apart from that, it really depends on how many people you want to invite. People do it on the cheap, so to speak, and still manage to have a great time."

Although the biggest cost of any wedding tends to be the reception, there are plenty of ways to save money both before and after your big day.

RINGS

The average cost of an engagement ring is more than £1,300 in the UK, while couples tend to spend almost £700 more on wedding rings. If you're willing to settle for silver rather than platinum or for a lower carat gold ring, prices can be much more reasonable. Shops such as H Samuel sell rings for £40, while at the budget end of the market Argos sells gold wedding rings for£10. Rachel Southwood of Wedding Ideas magazine says that you can also find some stylish but reasonably priced rings by shopping online, and buying from smaller retailers.

INVITES

Getting your wedding invites designed and posted costs most couples more than £150. Southwood says that many people go over the top on their invitesand points out that there are plenty of stationery companies to choose from, many of which are competitively priced. If you want to save money here, one possibility is to design the invites yourself, or even to dispense with written invitations altogether, and send out your invites by e-mail. However, Southwood advises against cutting too many corners with your invites. "Your invitations set the whole tone for the style of your wedding," she says.

OUTFITS

Although many brides spend more than£1,500 on their wedding dress, there are now a number of high street retailers which sell dresses for much less than that. Marks & Spencer, Monsoon and H&M all sell dresses for under £200. BHS and Asda has them for £100 or less, and charity shops are worth looking in. Most people will only wear their dress once, so second-hand dresses are often in good condition. Ebay is another place to look.

THE CEREMONY

Basic church weddings will typically set you back around £275. But if you decide you want a choir, organist and bell-ringers, you may need to pay more. If you're willing to get married in a registry office with only a small number of visitors present, there's no need to spend any more than the £60 registration fee, £40 fee for the registrar and £3.50 for a copy of your marriage certificate. Hiring large venues for civil ceremonies can be expensive even if it's only for a few hours.

The cost of flowers at the ceremony and reception usually sets couples back at least £300. Buying flowers that are in season can help to cut the cost down.

Another main expense of the ceremony is employing an official photographer. If you've got a friend who's handy with a camera, you could save money by asking them to take on the job. Richardson warns that some couples regret scrimping on their photos.

RECEPTION

The reception is by far the biggest cost of any wedding, and also the place where you can save most money. "The biggest cost is feeding your guests," says Southwood. "If you're looking to sit your guests down for a meal, it's going to cost at least £15 to £20 a head, but there are ways to save money. Having a buffet is one way to keep the cost down."

Richardson says one easy way to cut costs is to serve wedding cake as dessert, cutting out the costs of an extra course at the meal. Debbie Codd, of You and Your Wedding, says that money can be saved by purchasing the reception wine in France. "Some people choose to try and ration what their guests can drink, but it's often nicer to have more of something cheaper, to make sure everyone's got enough." Richardson adds that some couples opt to serve Cava instead of Champagne. "Wrap napkins around the label and no one will know," she says.

Another additional cost at the reception are so-called wedding "favours", where the couple leaves small gifts for each of their guests at their table. If you don't feel comfortable dispensing with these altogether, consider making something yourself, such as small bags of cookies. Richardson suggests painting guests' names on pebbles, which can double up as place names.

After paying for the food and drink, hiring the venue is the next greatest expense. Codd says that holding your wedding in the winter tends to be cheaper, and easier to book a venue at short notice. Alternatively, holding your wedding on a weekday rather than at a weekend can cut the cost of venue hire in half. "If you do it on a weekday, you have to remember that you're likely to get fewer people being able to come," she says. "However, this of course can be another sneaky way of saving money."

HONEYMOON

The average honeymoon costs almost £3,000. One way of cutting this bill is to get your guests to pay for it. Specialist travel companies such as Abercrombie and Kent offer Honeymoon wedding lists, allowing guests to buy vouchers of £25 or more which go towards the cost of the holiday. Alternatively, websites such as honeymoney.com allow your guests to buy extras for your holiday- such as a scuba diving excursion, or massages.

"Many people are now getting married for the first time in their thirties and have most of the things they want and need in their home, so getting people to buy vouchers for your honeymoon rather than a traditional wedding gift is a popular option," says Codd.

www.youandyourwedding.co.uk

www.confetti.co.uk

www.weddingideas.co.uk

Additional reporting by Davide Crisante

Top 10 tips on how to cut the cost of your wedding

* Make your invitations yourself. Or even send them by e-mail.

* Hold your wedding on a weekday. The cost of hiring a venue can be half as much as a weekend.

* Buy a dress on the high street, in a charity shop or on ebay. Asda sells wedding dresses for under £100, while M&S, Monsoon, H&M all also sell cheap wedding outfits.

* Get a friend with a nice car to drive you to and from the ceremony.

* Have a buffet meal at your reception. You'll save on the cost of waiters.

* Serve your wedding cake as desert. It'll cut a course out of your dinner.

* Buy your wine in France. It's often around a third of the price of shopping for your booze in the UK.

* Serve Cava instead of Champagne. Tastes almost as nice, and costs 80 per cent less.

* Get a good friend to take the photos.

* Get your guests to pay for your honeymoon instead of buying gifts.