I saved a fortune on my wedding by buying a Costco cake & wearing my nana’s old veil – there’s no need to break the bank
A BRIDE has revealed all of the ways she saved cash on her big day, opting for a £16 Costco cake and homemade invitations.
According to Bridebook, the average cost of a wedding in the UK in 2024 is £20, 775 with the largest expense usually the venue, which costs an average of £9,877.
However, Jess who got married in May 2024, was determined to cut costs wherever possible “to prioritise spending on other areas that were more important”.
The average cost of getting a wedding cake made is £405.
However, super saver Jess took to TikTok to reveal that she managed to pick up a cake that served 50 for just £16 from Costco.
Wedding flowers can also be incredibly expensive, costing an average of £1,182.
Instead of forking out for fancy flora, the 30-year-old picked up some flowers from the local flower market two days before the wedding and nabbed some vases on the cheap from Facebook marketplace.
To save both money and paper, Jess and her partner designed their own invites using Canva, and sent them out digitally instead of printing them off.
The Londoner also bagged a bargain on her wedding dress, by purchasing a sample dress.
She also wore her nana’s vintage wedding veil and headpiece during the ceremony.
Sharing advice for other brides keen to save cash, Jess said: “There’s also plenty of cheap vintage pieces on eBay“.
Jess is a big fan of shopping second-hand and nabbed hen-do outfits and wedding pyjamas from eBay, Vinted and Depop.
She said: “[the wedding] still costs us an arm and a leg but this allowed us to put more into what he wanted to do”.
The bride explained that due to their savings, she and her husband were able to splash out on other things, like a great wedding photographer.
Jess’ TikTok, which was posted under the username @jessinspecs, has likely left many people feeling impressed, as it has racked up over 148,000 views on the video sharing platform.
TikTok users raced to the video’s comments section to share their thoughts on her money-saving hacks.
5 ways to save £10k on your wedding
Josie Griffiths, Deputy Digital Fabulous editor and bride-to-be shares her tips to cut the cost on your big day.
“There’s no getting around it, weddings are expensive, but there’s some easy ways to strip back the cost without your guests noticing.”
Ditch pricey invites
We made our designs for free on Canva, and then sent them out on email or WhatsApp. If you want to post invites to important people, VistaPrint is brilliant and cost us less than 30p per guest to sort. SAVING: £600
Cut back on flowers
I was pretty stunned that lots of wedding florists quote £3k-£5k as a MINIMUM spend. Your wedding flowers will be dead within days, save your cash and invest it in pics and video instead, as these actually last. Keep shopping round until you find someone reasonably priced, or speak to your local florist two months out to arrange bouquets. SAVING: £4.5k
Ditch wedding favours
They don’t fit in people’s handbags and were cleared away by catering staff at half the weddings I’ve been to as a guest. The best way to save cash here is just not to bother. SAVING: £300-£700
Be ruthless with your guest list
No one’s ‘entitled’ to a plus one and the groom’s second cousin doesn’t need to come. Your true friends won’t kick off and if anyone chooses not to come over guest list dramas, that just means you’ve saved twice. SAVING: £150 PER HEAD
Do your own booze
Make finding a venue where you can do your own bar a priority, ideally with no corkage or a £500 max cost. Aldi’s £22 Champagne beat Veuve Clicquot in a Which? blind taste test and they have tasty wines for less than a fiver, you won’t do better on a paid bar. SAVING: £2k
One person said: “Costco cake! Love this”.
A second person said: “My wedding might as well be sponsored by Vinted and Facebook marketplace”.
A third said: “Love all of these”.
A fourth said: “Congratulations”.
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