The trick to keeping costs down, is avoiding those hidden charges and little extras. Find a wedding planner who is willing to source and negotiate rates with suppliers without taking commission. You’re more likely to get unbiased reviews that way too.
If your W-day budget looks set to grow and grow, but unfortunately your bank balance isn’t heading in the same direction, follow these five top money saving tips to make your wedding day savings go the extra mile:

Pick a budget – and stick to it!
Knowledge is power in the world of wedding budgets. Don’t allow suppliers to take advantage of you because you don’t understand their business. Find out what a fair price is for every area of your wedding, from the venue and the wedding flowers to the photographer and the caterers – then set yourself a realistic budget and don’t talk yourself into spending more.

Break everything down:
List your chosen suppliers and make them aware of your expectations. Ask each supplier for a quote, including a detailed breakdown of the estimated costs such as cost of hire, cost of materials and cost of time. Make sure everything is laid out on the table before you commit to anything. This way, you’ll know exactly what you’re letting yourself in for. So no nasty surprises!

Embrace the competition:
Search online for the top 10 supplier rivals and compare quotes! If you want a bargain, you have to shop around.

Get haggling:
Once you have the quotes, take the cheapest offer to your preferred supplier to see if they can match it, or choose the supplier with the lowest quote. Voilà – pennies saved!

Call in a wedding negotiator:
If the thought of ruthless haggling sounds like too much hassle for you, get yourself a wedding negotiator. Desmond Talbot talks to brides everyday who reveal the horror stories of being taken advantage of. We specialise in bartering for brides, which will save you thousands of pounds!