I saved £10,000 on my wedding with my clever tips – I bought my bouquets from Aldi

September 17, 2024

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I saved £10,000 on my wedding with my clever tips – I bought my bouquets from Aldi

SOME couples start their marriage with a mountain of debt, because they wanted to celebrate the most fantastic festivities, but couldn’t really afford them.

But that wasn’t the case for Rachel and Tom Jolley, who halved the cost of their wedding by employing clever tricks and DIY projects.

Rachel and Thomas Jolley say they saved almost £10,000 on their August weddingPhoto: Rachel Pishhorn

The couple shopped at Aldi and local flea markets to keep their wedding budget low, meaning they could spend money elsewherePhoto: Rachel Pishhorn

They bought table decorations at flea markets, got free flowers from Aldi and refused to spend £1,500 on a professional cake, instead enlisting their family to bake the cake.

And Rachel, 33, even had to have her wedding dress washed before she could wear it, to save even more money.

Rachel, a journalism teacher, says: “When we got engaged, I think we thought, ‘Let’s have this extravagant wedding once in our lives.’

“We really wanted to have a wedding with just the people we liked, rather than just inviting people.

“Once we started looking at venues and how much they cost, we were shocked to find out how much it costs to get married. There are so many little things, like flowers, that can cost thousands of dollars.”

Rachel and freelance photographer Tom, 38, who live in Northamptonshire, spent many nights in the pub brainstorming ways to cut their spending.

According to LinkedThe average British couple spends around £20,700 on their wedding.

The couple had been together for six years when they tied the knot in August.

“We still realized that we [had] “I don’t like to spend a small amount of money, but people still spend £20,000 to £30,000, which is a lot of money,” Rachel explains.

“So we knew we absolutely didn’t want to spend more than £10,000.”

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Rachel says they would have spent “double” on their wedding if they hadn’t been so frugal.

“It all cost thousands of pounds, even things like having a professional cake made,” she recalls.

When the bride and groom counted the cost of flowers and wedding cake, they decided their money would be better spent on something else.

“We looked at florists and found that they were quite expensive, so we decided to do the flowers ourselves, which we actually really enjoyed doing,” Rachel explains.

“It sounds like we’re being stingy, but if you look at the price of confetti on the internet, it was a few pounds a bag [so] I thought: ‘I can certainly make this myself.’

Budget-friendly wedding tips

PLANNING a wedding on a budget doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dream day. Here are a few tips to keep costs down and still create a memorable celebration:

Set a budget and stick to it

Determine your total budget early and distribute the funds across the different aspects of the wedding.
Keep track of all your expenses to avoid overspending.

Limit the guest list

Keep your guest list private to reduce catering, venue, and other per-person expenses.

Choose an affordable location

Consider non-traditional locations such as parks, community centers, or a family member’s backyard.
Look for locations that allow you to bring your own suppliers.

DIY decorations

Create your own centerpieces, bouquets and other decorative items.
Use seasonal flowers and simple, elegant designs.

Choose a weekday or off-season wedding

Venues and vendors often offer discounts for weekday or off-season weddings.

Simplify the menu

Opt for a buffet or family-style meal instead of dinner.
Limit the number of courses and opt for affordable, yet delicious options.

Borrow or rent clothes

Borrow wedding dresses from friends or family, or rent dresses and suits.
Look for sales or buy second-hand wedding dresses.

Digital invitations

Send digital invitations instead of printed copies to save on printing and postage costs.

Hire a DJ or make a playlist

Hire a DJ instead of a live band, or create your own playlist for the reception.

Make the cake easier

Choose a small, simple cake for the ceremonial cutting and serve your guests a sheet cake.

By following these tips, you can create a beautiful and memorable wedding without breaking the bank. Remember, the focus should be on celebrating your love and commitment, not on how much you spend.

“In the run-up to the wedding, I collected all the dead flowers I had received from birthdays and from friends. I kept all the petals.

“I think I’m already a pretty handy person, which just makes it more fun and also a lot more environmentally friendly, which is a plus.”

Instead of spending £1,000 on flowers, what the UK averageRachel had other plans.

“Aldi is our favourite supermarket and I regularly buy bouquets there that last longer than a week, so I thought: why not get our bridal flowers from Aldi too?” she says.

Rachel and Tom spent nights in their local pub and wrote down 'crazy ideas' in their wedding notebook — Rachel and Tom spent nights in their local pub and wrote down ‘crazy ideas’ in their wedding notebookPhoto: Rachel Pishhorn

The couple made their own confetti from dried flower petals they collected during their engagementPhoto: Rachel Pishhorn

The couple put their creative skills to the test and created eight bridal bouquets for the bridesmaids using Aldi’s Beautiful Blooms Large Mixed Bouquets, which cost just £5.99.

They also added carnations worth £2.39 and chrysanthemums worth £2.79 to Rachel’s bouquet.

Even their tables were decorated with flowers from the same shop that wanted to give the flowers to the bride and groom before the big day.

The couple married at the Falcon Hotel in Uppingham, Rutland, with 45 guests attending the ceremony and another 20 guests invited to the reception.

The couple explained that they had spent money on other elements of their big day, as they had saved so much on food and decorations.Photo: Rachel Pishhorn

Rachel advised other brides-to-be to focus on enjoying their day rather than following wedding trendsPhoto: Rachel Pishhorn

For the finishing touches, the couple picked up bargains at local flea markets.

“I knew I didn’t have to decorate a million tables [so] “We really enjoyed the whole process of hunting for candlesticks and little vintage bottles at flea markets,” says Rachel.

“We did that anyway. If we were bored on Sundays, we would go to a flea market.

“We got some really good bargains, [including] Really beautiful silver plated candlesticks for a few pounds, sold on eBay for around £20.”

Rachel also skimped on the cake and instead asked her family members for help.

We had three cakes that day that we had made ourselves the day before and they were just as delicious as all the other wedding cakes.
Rachel Jolley

“We asked my mom, Tom’s mom and my brother’s girlfriend to bake us a cake,” she says.

“It was really nice because they used family recipes. For example, my mother had baked a cake for my late grandmother and that was a really nice way to remember her that day.

“They were made the day before and were just as delicious as any other wedding cake.”

And because the couple saved money on those details, Rachel was able to spend a little more on her wedding dress, which still cost her less than £1,000.

According to Linked, Brides in the UK typically spend £1,500 on a dress. This dress had to be washed first, because it came straight from the hanger.

Meanwhile, Tom decided to do a little more DIY with his outfit for the day, making buttonholes for himself and the groomsmen.

I think we actually really enjoyed the process because we did a lot of it ourselves and were more involved.”
Rachel Jolley

“He just bought dried flowers on Amazon and literally made them himself,” Rachel says.

“I think we actually really enjoyed the process because we did a lot of it ourselves and were more involved.

“I think sometimes when you let other people do it, you don’t get to do all the little things that you would do yourself.

“I think it brought us closer together, which was really nice, [Tom] was a big part of coming up with the ideas.”

I have absolutely no regrets about what we did, we had a fantastic wedding.
Rachel Jolley

The bride says her wedding still felt like her dream day.

“I have absolutely no regrets about what we did, we had a fantastic wedding,” she recalls.

“We loved making our bouquets. The day before the wedding we really got into the spirit of, ‘Oh my God, we’re getting married.’

“The kitchen table was full of flowers, but it was just very cozy.”

Rachel also says other couples should follow her example and focus on what makes them happy, and not on anyone else.

“Don’t be afraid to have fun with your wedding, we didn’t take it too seriously,” she adds.

Rachel and Tom's family made three homemade cakes for their big day — Rachel and Tom’s family made three homemade cakes for their big dayPhoto: Rachel Pishhorn

“We also didn’t feel like we had to follow trends. Everyone would ask us, ‘What’s your color scheme?’ and we’d say, ‘We don’t have a color scheme.’

“That was because we just wanted color at our wedding, bright colors. The flowers were all different colors and my bridesmaids all wore different colors.”

When Rachel contacted Aldi to thank her for the cheap bouquets, they offered to give her the bouquets for free.

The couple also let their personalities shine through in the festivities. Instead of dessert at the reception, they gave guests ice cream with their homemade wedding cake.

“The ice cream truck was really fun,” says Rachel. “Tom is a big Star Wars fan, so we had Star Wars helmets [for photo opportunities].”

“I think your wedding should just be a reflection of who you are as a couple. You don’t have to conform to what’s in fashion at the time.”