Preparing for the big day


With the average cost of a wedding now standing at £11,000 in the UK, finding the money to tie the knot is becoming harder. Creating a budget and keeping to it is no easy task, and if you overspend by just 10% you are looking at an increase of £1100 if the above figure is to be believed, and that’s just the average, many weddings cost much more.


So how can you afford to get married in 2010? The first thing to do is set yourself a budget of how much you can reasonably afford though making small changes to your current spending habits without overstretching yourself. You need to give yourself a realistic time frame to do this. A few months is out of the question for most of us, if we really want a special day that is, but you could go on saving for years in an attempt to strive for perfection, this too is a little ridiculous. Most people allow a year, so work out how much you can save over 12 months to give you an idea of your budget.


Make use of wedding sites that show you the average cost for key items at a wedding. Of course, they will only use averages, but in the early planning stages they give you a good idea of how much things are likely to cost, then you can tailor specific items to your needs. For example, a wedding dress costs £700 on average and flowers around £200 and photography is pegged at £400.


Look for areas you can make cut backs allowing you to splurge a little elsewhere. For example, are any of your friends a dab hand at baking? If so, then they could make the cake and give it to you as a wedding present saving you around £300. Likewise, we all know a budding photographer who can save you some precious pennies as can DJ-wannabe friends and friends with rather nice luxury cars.


If your budget is a little too restrictive resulting in your big day, not being all that ‘big’, then take out a personal loan. It’s not normally a good idea to start married life with a big loan to pay off, but right now interest rates are at an all-time low, meaning you can afford to pay back your loan at a reasonable rate and this extra cash will really turn your wedding into something special. After all, it is supposed to be the best day of your life.


Santander currently offer some of the best rates on personal loans on the market Its typical rate on loans of £7,500 to £14,950 is 8.9% APR beating the major competition by at least one percent.