Langley Castle

Being creative with your wedding budget can reduce wedding stress. It’s not about looking for bargains, but more about planning and styling a thrifty wedding! Thinking the way our grandparents might have done about a wedding can be a breath of fresh air.

We want to help grooms and brides to manage their expectations along with their expenses.

Don’t despair – this doesn’t mean you have to compromise on elegance and style. There are several tricks and steps you can take to plan a sustainable, unforgettable wedding without breaking the bank.

Make a list of priorities

First, grab a pen and paper to calculate how much you hope to spend on your big day. Split everything into different categories to have an overview of how much all your wedding components might add up to and check if they fit within your budget.

Katie Livingstone-Evans Lowes, weddings and events coordinator at North East Wedding Venue Langley Castle, said: “Once you have determined what and how much you can afford, you will be able to prioritise what is truly important to you.

“Have you always dreamt of tying the knot in a fairytale-like castle? Place it at the top of your list. Not too fussed about desserts? You can save money on the cake and opt for an alternative treat to end the banquet.

“Remember to always discuss your plans together as a couple. If you are both keen on favouring a venue that ticks all the right boxes, think about finding one not too far from your home. A venue that is closer to reach will make everyone smile while reducing everyone’s impact on the environment!”.

Choose modern outfits over traditional white dresses or suits

Picking the perfect outfits for your special day is one of the most exciting parts of organising a wedding.

But let’s be honest – it can be quite daunting and pricey too! All the attention can be on what you wear, so it is easy to see why people feel the need to spend that little extra for a memorable piece of clothing.

However, do you really have to go over budget for something that – realistically – you will only ever wear once? There are plenty of stylish, elegant outfits out there that could easily work as modern wedding attire and have all your guests talking and admiring your choices.

If it needs an extra touch of class and sophistication, you could ask a tailor or hire a seamstress to adapt the design a tad. This way, you can strut to the altar in style with more pennies in your purse.

Vintage wedding rings

A wedding ring is what you need, at least symbolically, to actually get married. So it is only natural to want to find a classy piece of jewellery to seal such a special moment in your life.

If you are looking for something unique, but can’t afford to overspend, think about opting for a vintage wedding ring. This could even be a family heirloom bound to make relatives shed a few tears.

The good thing about vintage rings is that they are more sustainable than fresh, contemporary jewellery. This is because you are giving a new lease of life to a ring rather than consuming a new product. The production of new diamonds, whether they’re mined (often in Russia) or laboratory-produced (often in China) is never a sustainable option.

Sustainable stationery options

Choose invites and on the day stationery from sustainable suppliers. Digital wedding invitations are a breeze as well as being loads of fun to create online.

Alternatively, look for invites made from FSC certified papers, and minimise the amount of paper you use. Additional inserts are expensive for example, so list all of your accommodation choices, maps and timings on your wedding website.

DIY wedding decor

DIY decorations can be a creative, eco-friendly way to add a personal touch to the celebrations.

There are infinite, cost-effective ideas you can come up with to sprinkle elegance throughout the venue. Flowers and greenery are always a win – but these could come from relatives’ gardens or even be foraged (don’t overdo it) for a genuine “just gathered” look.

For a country fete wedding you could make bunting or hanging decorations (banners can be gorgeous) from recycled or vintage fabrics. These can also be re-used or given to charity shops after the big day.

Smaller details such as place names can be thrifty and fun! Think nature-inspired place settings with handwritten pebbles or dried flowers on personalised tags with guests’ names on them. It is a simple, elegant way to bring nature in and add some quirky details to your unforgettable day.

Ask your grandparents!

Modern weddings are expensive because we see all the ideas online.

They never used to be like this – my grandparents wore their best outfits, bought a bouquet and a cake, and hired a photographer. They put on a buffet in a local hotel. And there’s a wonderful charm in the simplicity of weddings back then.

If you’re a thrifty couple, it’s perfectly fine to keep all the details to a minimum. Don’t feel you have to aspire to all of the luxury wedding ‘stuff’ you could have for your wedding!

Featured photograph by Lara Rios Photography; calligraphy by By Moon & Tide

A guest blog sent to us by Langley Castle. Header image by Gemma Randall Photography

Your chosen colour scheme – if you have one! – might determine almost every part of your wedding day – from decorations to food.

Whether you are having a wedding in a castle or you opt for a discreet back garden wedding, your colour scheme can pull the whole event together. We’ve shared some upcoming trends from experts Zoe Burke at Hitched and Katie Lowes, wedding and events coordinator at Langley Castle to help you get started!

 

Upcoming colours

When it comes to picking a colour for your big day, everyone has their favourites. You want it to be personalised and say something about you and your partner, but there are some colours that we can expect to be cropping up more often.

Zoe says: “Orange really is having a revival at the moment, and I’m not mad about having such a happy and vibrant colour palette joining the ranks for couples to choose from for their 2023 weddings! It is such a versatile colour, too, as it can run right from peppy and citrus shades, through to rusty metallics like copper and gold, for an additional luxe feel.”

Whether it is bringing a deep velvety element to your outdoor wedding or brightening up the darker corners of your venue, orange has the potential to change the feel of any space you put it in. And this versatility means an orange-based colour theme can be completely personalised to how you want it.

Katie continues: “I’m excited to see some orange weddings alongside the Bridgerton blue tones we predicted seeing more of this year thanks to the Regency revival inspired by the TV show.”

Thanks to their opposition on the colour wheel, orange and blue tones are a perfect, and natural, match for one another. So if you like to incorporate wedding traditions, you can add your “something blue” seamlessly into the big day, welcoming a bit of luck into your new marriage.

How to use colour in your wedding

Colour can be a big part of your big day, from the wedding cake icing to the soles of your shoes. Your colour scheme can control the atmosphere of the wedding, with colours signifying different moods, emotions, and thoughts.

With some others predicting colours such as green and pink to be reemerging trends for 2023, it is important to choose a colour which represents you. Colours have different connotations attached to them and finding a colour scheme which corresponds with the atmosphere you want for your wedding day will tie your day together.

Green, for example, symbolises new beginnings and growth. This is the perfect choice for your wedding day as you step into a new life with your wedded partner. A ceremony to celebrate not only the history you two have together, but also the steps you are taking moving forward. You can vary the colours of green throughout your venue, using plants to decorate sustainably, as an alternative to cut flowers.

Pink, however, suggests playfulness, innocence, and passion all in one. It is a colour of duality and opposites and since opposites attract, this is a great colour to represent the unity between you and your partner. Whether you choose blooming pink roses for your bouquet or sparkling rose as your celebration drink, pink can add a spark of fun into any wedding day.

If you are minimalists, you might opt for bright shoes underneath a traditional, white wedding dress or a bright pair of socks underneath dress shoes to flash a pop of colour. This can incorporate a spark into your wedding without making colours the central theme.

On the other hand, the maximalist couple might want to go all out on colour, crafting a scheme that flows throughout. Whether you decide on one central colour or a mixture of a few, your wedding will certainly be eye-catching. Here, everything from your tablecloths to the seating signs can stand out and make an impression.

Katie Lowes, wedding and events coordinator at Langley Castle says: “If your venue has a lot of character, you can work this into your colours. You might choose softer tones which complement the area or small dashes of bright colours which attract the eyes to certain centrepieces within your wedding.

“For some venues, you can fill the space with colour, and it will feel natural. Your colour scheme and venue should work hand-in-hand to make the most beautiful backdrop for your nuptials. Speaking with wedding experts and venues who have seen thousands of weddings can help you decide on the best way of decorating your space, no matter the colour choice.”

Even when looking for a personalised touch to your wedding, trends can offer the best inspiration for your big day. Versatility in colour means that you can make the same decorative choices as another wedding and create a completely different effect. From deeper tones to small flashes of vibrance, the way you use the colour can embed the charm of you and your partner into the venue.