Over Budget

[pinkmummy]

I have just worked out roughly how much things will cost and we are £750 over budget any idea how I can trim this cost down. For the ceremony and the day and night do it is costing us £4150 thats for everything.

# Red carpet welcome on arrival
# Use of gazebo, summer house, gardens, private terrace etc.
# Wrought Iron Table decorations with church candles for all guest tables
# Candelabras for top table
# Ivory cloths on all tables
# Bucks Fizz reception for all guests on arrival (orange juice for children)
# Complimentary STUNNING bridal suite for first night of honeymoon with full Jersey Farm breakfast in bed
# Other arrival drink options available
# Use of room on evening with resident disco until 12.30am
# Glass of bubbly (Veuve St .Vincent) for all guests to toast with
# Personal help and advice on all wedding arrangements
# A menu devised by yourselves with 3 starter choices, 2 main courses and 3 desserts for 60 people
# menu printed by ourselves inserted in our own Ivory decorative covers
# 10% discount on normal accommodation tariff for wedding guests
# Vegetarian options for main course available
# Garland of artificial flowers for top table
# Printed seating plan to your requirements
# Gold cloth or Ivory cloth napkins folded in design
# Souvenir guest signature card for guests to sign same design as menus
# Garland over entrance
# 4 decorative cake bases and 3 cake stands to choose from
# decorative sword to cut cake with
# Vases of fresh neutral coloured flowers in function room windows
# Toast mastering by duty manager
# Evening Buffet for 100 people
# Ceremony Room Hire
# Registrar

This is a package we are getting so there is no way to cut the cost of that down at all. These are the other things we have to do and how much we've budgeted:

Invitations - £50-£100
Bridesmaids - £270
Cake - £150 made by a friend of mine
Car - £300 no negotiating
Photographer - £250 no negotiating
Suits - £270
Rings - £100
Gifts - £100
Hair and Make-up - £100
Favours - £60

Total Spend = £5750

Budget = £5000

OH's mum and dad are giving us some money towards the wedding but we don't know how much yet and when. We probably could save another £960 once we've paid for my dress and xmas pressies we will have that spare.

Should we cut some things out or just spend the extra £750 at the end of the day it is our wedding and we only get to do it once xx

 

[Mum2bewaiting]

Is the bucks fizz drink on arrival the cheapest package? I am sure that we cut down quite a bit by the arrival drinks
The flowers I am guessing are included in ur package, I had silk flowers and u really cannot tell on the pictures, also using the bouquets as table decorations... but again it seems as though u have that covered too.

I don't think that I would worry about being £750 over, if it means that u can have the things that u want, and being the day it is I don't think that it is 'that' much over

(ps sorry to intrude)

 

[pinkmummy]

We cant change the bucks fizz as it is an actual package. We are paying £42 a head for the wedding breakfast and our room etc, then £195 room charge and £330 for registrar and £10.95 is the cheapest buffet package, but coz we're getting married on a Saturday we have to pay at least £3750 for the package but we can make it up how we want, such as the room charges and the buffet

xx

 

[Mum2bewaiting]

thought so, but thought it was worth mentioning just in case, sorry, it sounds as though u have already got things rather tight...

Good luck xx

 

[buttonnose82]

Favours are nice but if you are over budget them maybe drop them?, as for car, do you not know anyone with a nice car you could borrow and save £300? maybe ask bridesmaids & best man/ushers to pay for their own dresses/suits?

 

[Kimboowee]

How many suits are you buying/hiring?

I looked into Moss Bros and was gonna go with them until I found a place in town that does the nicest suits - for £40, plus groom goes free. Might be worth shopping about for a cheaper place or ask if they'll chuck in some freebies

 

[pinkmummy]

Car and the photographer are the one things that we really don't want to cut out. Favours are a possibility ... hmmm

We could possibly ask bridesmaids to pay for their things but can't ask my sister as its not fair asking my dad to pay for her bridesmaid dress and things as well as our honeymoon and even so bridesmaids things only come to about £120 each the rest is my jewlery and veil.

Will have a word with OH tonight and see what he thinks thanks anyway buttonnose

 

[pinkmummy]

Oh yeah as for suits we're hiring them, we were told £70 for groom, £50 for the rest but we only get the deposits back which ends up working out at only £110 for the suits but obviously we only get that money back when they are returned after the wedding (which will be put straight away for honeymoon LOL) xx

 

[Pyrrhic]

# A menu devised by yourselves with 3 starter choices, 2 main courses and 3 desserts for 60 people

A menu with choices will always be more expensive than one without, as the hotel have to bring in excess supply to cater for everyone just in case.

Even though the above is a package, haggle with the hotel. I work in a hotel doing this everyday, and everyone haggles!

 

[pinkmummy]

We like the idea of the menu but we also signed a contract to say we'd pay it so surely we can't haggle now can we?? x

 

[x-amy-x]

extend budget?

 

[Pyrrhic]

Have you signed a contract with all your suppliers?

When is the wedding? Numbers fluctuate by quite a lot up until about a month before, so I'm not sure how they would have the price set in stone yet.

Always haggle, haggle with EVERYONE Not a lot of brides know this, but I would never pay full price for a service.

Just ring and say that you've had to have another look at your budget, and is there anyway they can come down on the price if you don't have all the options.

£4,000+ is an absolute shedload for a hotel. They are giving you a lot, but it's still a lot. Most of our weddings spend about £2k on the venue.

 

[pinkmummy]

Here is the website

https://www.jerseyfarm.co.uk/weddings.aspx

If you click on packages it tells you all about it in there and then if you look at the booking and faq it tells you the details of minimum spend etc in there

As for suppliers we have none everything is being done by the hotel xx

 

[polo_princess]

Ok i know you dont want to cut out a car BUT looks at the possibilty of hiring an executive car for the weekend yourselves, a nice brand new BMW/Merc etc etc you may well find it will cost you less to personally hire a car yourself and have someone in your faily drive you their rather than a hired driven one ... just an idea

Secondly do you really need to spend £100 on hair and makeup? Both are things that can easily be done by yourself with the help of a friend, you have plenty of time to learn some new professional techniques, all available freely on the internet, if you wanted i could help you out a little with advice on that front

For the other stuff, favours, gifts etc, ebay all the way, you may find it works out a lot cheaper in the end, also did you make your own invited in the end?

 

[pinkmummy]

extend budget?

I'm thinking maybe so LOL xx

 

[Pyrrhic]

Here is the website

https://www.jerseyfarm.co.uk/weddings.aspx

If you click on packages it tells you all about it in there and then if you look at the booking and faq it tells you the details of minimum spend etc in there

As for suppliers we have none everything is being done by the hotel xx

If it's all being organised by them, then they must have known your budget. I'd be really angry if they were organising everything and went over budget.

On their website it says

We pride ourselves on being a unique and very different venue and like to make our wedding parties day special. If you would like something out of the ordinary please do not hesitate to enquire and we will try to help.

They won't mind you haggling if they say things like that on their site

 

[polo_princess]

Just a few examples of 24 hour hire ....

Porsche Cayenne is £260 for 24hrs
Range Rover Sport £260 for 24hrs
VW Touraeg £190 for 24hrs
Merc E class £185 for 24hrs

Seriously worth considering hun!!

 

[pinkmummy]

It wasn't organised as in organised basially it is a package and you pay for the package, we're paying £42 a head for everything we're getting rather than paying a certain amount for one thing and a certain amount for another iykwim think I will email the lady tomorrow and explain about the situation.

As for the car I think I'd rather pay the £300 for the real wedding car than pay £260 to hire one for 24hours and find someone to drive it. Thanks though Holly x

 

[Redfraggle]

I stayed the night before the wedding in our hotel with my parents. Was loads cheaper than having cars and it meant everyone got ready there and we didn't have to worry too much about the mess and chaos! Hotel gave us a special rate as part of the wedding package.

Best man drove DH down on the morning of the wedding.

I also got most of the things to make my favours on e-bay. Made 70 for about £20!

Also saved money by reusing the flowers from the ceremony to decorate the reception rather than paying for flowers for both rooms.

 

[special_kala]

How many people do you have coming to the evening? Wwe only catered for less then 40% of evening guests and we still had loads of food left at end of the night