Shorter guest list is best way to cut wedding costs

Guests are the "biggest expense" on a wedding day, according to a nuptials planning expert, meaning that cutting back on numbers is the most effective way to save money.

Colette Harris, editor of You and Your Wedding Magazine, urges couples to "be ruthless with your guest list and only invite people you actually really want to be there".

The first step in arranging a wedding should be to "prioritise what's important to you," she said, in order to establish where compromises can be made.

It may be tempting to invite everyone, but in the current climate, the You and Your Wedding editor recommends cutting back just enough to make the day truly memorable, without going overboard.

"Don't be bullied into adding them because when you add in having a free bar, costs per head of the meal, entertainment in the evening and hiring a bigger venue to accommodate the bigger guest list, it all increases the cost," she continued.

"There are loads of ways of having a really fantastic day."

She also believes that A-list celebrity weddings have dramatically increased marriage expectations, impressing a need to throw "enormous" and lavish celebrations.

"You really can have a fantastic wedding for not a lot of money," Harris said, insisting that tying the knot should be personal and poignant, not necessarily very public and expensive.ADNFCR-1121-ID-18624356-ADNFCR

Bookmark with:

What are these?