Getting married is not cheap. The average wedding costs more than £18,000 these days and if you decide to do anything out of the ordinary on your wedding day – such as get married abroad – expect the cost to sky rocket. But if you are strapped for cash, you can easily start married life off in style without spending an absolute fortune. There are plenty of ways and means to marry your beloved on a budget, so if you don’t have much money to spend on your wedding, here are a few ideas to help you save cash and still have a fantastic day.

Make a List

Organising a wedding on a small budget requires a certain degree of ruthlessness. At some point early on you will have to prioritise what is important and get rid of anything you can live without. Make a list of everything you want and need on the big day, in order of importance. Think about how much each item will cost and then decide what you can live without.

Raise Extra Cash to Pay for the Wedding

Instead of borrowing money or taking out a loan to pay for a wedding you can’t afford, start looking at ways to raise cash to increase your wedding fund. You probably have (like most people) a lot of stuff lying around at home that is worth something, so start selling off your junk and watch your wedding savings fund grow.

Book a Budget Reception Venue

It would be lovely to get married in a 16^th century manor house, but unless you have rich parents, this probably isn’t possible. The majority of couples want to get married on a Friday or Saturday, but there are plenty of reasonably priced wedding venues out there if you are willing to book your reception on a less popular day, so try and be as flexible as possible.

Look for Online Bargains

Designer wedding dresses are not going to be cheap, but if you look at discount wedding dress shops online you can easily find beautiful dresses at bargain prices. And if you are willing to wear a second-hand dress, check out online auction websites such as eBay or start reading the private listings in your local newspaper.

Delegate to Family and Friends

A good way to keep costs down is to ask family and friends to take on as much of the workload as possible. Instead of paying outside caterers to provide the food, ask everyone to bring a dish and a bottle of wine to the reception. The same applies to other aspects of the big day – if you have a friend who is a photographer, ask them to help out, or if your friend makes cakes, see if they can do the honours in lieu of a gift?

Even if you have your heart set on an underwater themed wedding and you need mermaid wedding dresses, it is still possible to plan a fabulous wedding on a small budget. Just remember to itemise every detail and track your spending every step of the way. That way your day will be truly memorable for all the right reasons.