Vanilla Bean From What Flower

The plans for your wedding day may well have to undergo some pruning as the country tightens its belt.

So, forget a Hello magazine style wedding and compromise on your dreams for your big day. Concentrate on individual style and ideas but without compromising on quality.

The search is on. Bear in mind it can be done.

With some thought and taste it is possible to have a wedding day that will delight both you and your guests.

VENUE

The key to cost cutting is to book a venue out of season or mid-week. Also seek out places that will let you bring in your own caterers and which don't sneak in a charge for opening your wine.

Take a look and see if any local authorities are offering properties as a venue for weddings.

If you are arranging your wedding reception from your own or a friend's house, your local village hall committee might hire out their marquee in return for a donation to funds. Otherwise, hunt around for a local company.

CATERING

If you are confident about DIY catering there are several routes to take.

A home мейд casserole dish can be мейд in several large batches and frozen ahead of time, along with potato and parsnip dauphinoise. The latter can be cut into neat squares, individual portions and again frozen ahead of time.

If you are wondering how to store a quantity of food to feed around 100 guests then hire a freezer from a local company.

FLOWERS

Most of the wedding magazines will be able to tell you what's hip and trendy at the moment but it's more important to find something that you actually like and are comfortable with, both in style and price. This will make for a good starting point when you come to meet your florist.

Look around local hedgerows if your wedding is in summer. Cow parsley with its huge heads of white flowers can be tastefully arranged in vases at the reception venue. This is a stately plant and is extremely effective in large arrangements.

YOUR DRESS

If you are fortunate enough to have a friend or relative who is a competent seamstress, you are in luck.

Surprisingly there are some brand new gowns on eBay available for f170, plus some other interesting offers, so it might be worth a quick search. Be sure to check the feed-back page for any seller.

The third choice is to hire a dress for the day. Again a quick Гугл search for wedding dress hire - will bring results.

Again, not to be sniffed at Oxfam has specialist shops selling second- хэнд dresses as well as designer samples.

PHOTOGRAPHER

The photographer is about as important as finding the right dress. What's the point in looking amazing and feeling amazing if the photographer can't capture your mood? With a good photographer you will be able to look back with pleasure over the years and each time you will bless your luck in choosing a good photographer. How dreadful not to be able to face looking at the photographs out of sheer embarrassment.

If Uncle Sid offers his services along with his new digital camera, tread with caution. There is nothing like an accomplished photographer who can organise guests into the best possible setting for photographs. This is a one in a lifetime opportunity that must not be missed.

DRINKS

Several ways are available here. Keep your eyes open for good special offers from supermarkets. Serve a New World sparkling wine and switch to champagne for the toast. Do not serve expensive wines throughout the wedding. This is total madness when you are on a budget.

So, now you can see, it is possible to have a really lovely day without breaking the bank. Wishing you every happiness.

Jo Withey - the author of this article has considerable personal experience in saving money. Visit her website and grab a free book.