Tie the Knot on a Shoestring

Getting hitched can be expensive, especially when you have Christmas expenditures to contend with. If you don’t have a Trump-sized budget and aren’t willing to compromise on your dream, we have some money-saving tips for the thrifty bride-to-be.

One of the most spendy parts of your day is the cake. It’s also one of the most frustrating things to spend an arm and a leg on, because nine times out of ten, it never passes your lips. Combat the cost by unleashing your inner Mary Berry; butter up some cake tins and have the oven warming, you’re about to enter the great wedding bake off. When choosing a recipe, a pinch of foresight is required. You need to bake a cake that will stay fresh and, ideally, improve after a few days, so that you can make it in advance. For this reason, you can’t go wrong with a bundt cake. The humble bundt is a great base to add your own flavours to; caramel, honey, chocolate and lemon are a few of our favourite taste-boosters.

Make your cake look a million dollars with some handmade cake toppers. We’re partial to a crafty afternoon and can think of nothing better than making glittery (preferably gold) hearts to go atop your beautiful bundt. These are stupidly simple to make. All you’ll need is a jar of glitter, kebab skewers, card paper, glue and about ten minutes. Make sure you have your hoover handy because your house is about to look like the dance-floor of Studio 54.

Caught the crafting bug? We thought so. If you want to substitute traditional wedding d?cor – sedate satin backdrops, unintentional iridescent accents – then go back to basics with paper. Paper has become the go-to medium for wedding d?cor with paper pinwheels, bunting and crepe flowers being our picks to prettify your day. Coincidentally, your first anniversary is known as your paper anniversary. So, be sure to save your homemade decorations and put them to good use for a romantic dinner at home. We’re suckers for old school romance.

Flowers are another expense that can really put a stinker on your budget. Be considerate of your hay-fevered friends and think outside of the greenhouse when bringing the outside in. Ivy is a really good alternative, it’s cheaper than garlands of flowers and it saves time when putting the finishing touches on your tables. Other cute alternatives could be fruit arrangements (they’ll be cheaper, if you buy seasonally) or a variation of miniature succulents.

There you have it, our Credit Union-friendly wedding guide. Now you can save the money you would have used for lotto tickets and put it towards your first honeymoon cocktail. So, Cheers!

Head over to our Pinterest for more penny-saving ideas, or scour the pages of BASH Volume Five, for DIY inspiration? on shelves now

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