Cheap Wedding Packages

Cheap wedding packages do exist however not all packages are the same. Even the "all inclusive" packages advertised are not always what they appear.

The most important thing you could do before venturing down this route is to make sure you're well prepared before going to speak to your potential venues.

This means sitting down and deciding exactly what you want and dont want (or can live without) before you go near the venues. Once you know what you want you can speak to the venues.

It can be quite difficult to compare like with like when looking at UK wedding packages as they will often include different things.

Typically the sort of things that are included in package deals are as follows:

• Champagne on arrival.
• Tea & coffee.
• A selection of menues.
• a bottle or two od wine per table.
• A glass of Champagne for toasts.
• entertainment.
• chair covers.
  
• flowers.
• Photographer.
• Car.
• Wedding cake.
  
• Maitradee.

Don't be afraid to tell them that you don't want an aspect that they offer. For eample we didn't need a florist and we had oue wedding cake sorted so we told the venue and they reduced the package cost by £750 without any negotiating required.

Before you decide on a wedding package you should consider the pros and cons of this type of wedding day.

Pros of Cheap Wedding Packages:

• If you book the right wedding package it will reduce your stress levels significantly as your venue will sort out most things for you. Some venues may even offer a wedding planner (included in the price) who will liaise with the suppliers. Provided you have her well briefed she'll only need to contact you occasionally to confirm details and organise meetings between you, her and the suppliers.

• The venues have much better negotiating power than you will ever have and will therefore have negotiated better rates with the suppliers than you could due to the fact that they do so many weddings.
  
  
• The venue will likely have used their suppliers many times before and must therefore approve of the quality of service they supply.
  
  
• You'll usually be able to get some freebies, such as complementary accommodation for the bride and groom, champagne, free use of spa facilities and/or discounted room prices if guests pre-book.

Cons of Cheap Wedding Packages:

• Your venue may insist on minimum numbers of guests. However if the price is low enough it may still be cheaper to have 50 guests attend than it would have been to have 40 at another venue.
  
  
• Packages are often restricted to weekdays as these are the quiet days for the hotels and suppliers. That said, if you're happy to have your wedding Monday to Thursday then you could potentially save a third of the cost.
  
  
• You'll have a limited choice of suppliers, usually one or two in each category (e.g. florists, photographer etc). So if you had your heart set on using a particular florist you should have a meeting with the venue to see if that would be feasible.
  
  We booked an all inclusive package and were able to get a reduction in the price by dropping the hotel's wedding cake supplier and florist as we had friends who had already offered to make us a cake and do the flowers as wedding presents.
  
  
• You may also have to share your venue with other weddings on the same day. If this is the case you should check the rooms don't overlap. This is something we had to consider as there was another wedding in the ground floor of our venue.
  
  However once we looked at the venue it was clear that it was large enough that guests would not overlap and each floor had full and separate facilities (no shared toilets).
  
  
• Many venues advertise wedding packages but don't include all you may expect. Always check exactly what's included and what isn't included by asking the right questions. Venues may not include costs such as linen hire or equipment rental and you should make sure that you're aware of these before you sign on the dotted line.
  
  Some cheap wedding packages may only include the venue, food and a cake stand, so always read the details and don't assume all package deals are all inclusive.

Each venue will usually offer several different types of package to cater for different tastes and budgets and don't assume you can't have a cheap wedding package at a five star hotel.

I've seen an all inclusive package for 40 guests at a five star hotel. To include Rolls Royce, leather bound photo album, button holes and bouquet, red carpet, tea, coffee and short bread for guests on arrival, Bucks fizz for guests on arrival, table linen and table plan, wedding cake, flowers, champagne and wine, master of ceremonies, evening entertainment (band and disco), evening food for guests, accommodation for bride and groom, use of the spa and hire of the venue; and all for £5,500.

Granted this may be a bit extravagent, but it shows what can be achieved.

You may even be able to get a last minute deal with some venues due to rooms not being booked or a cancellation. This method is a little more risky but if you aren't tied to a date you could save a packet. Normally the venues start to panic about empty rooms 2-3 months before. As I've said it's not for everyone but it just might suit your situation.

Another thing to consider (and most of the venues do it) is pre-booking rooms for your guests. We found that when initially reserving rooms for immediate family and friends we were offered a very small discount (approximately 5-7%) so we only reserved 10 rooms and advised our guests to contact the venue directly or book on line in plenty of time (6 months) prior to the wedding to see what discount they could get.

We were surprised to hear many of the guests were able to get rooms at a fraction of the price we'd been quoted when reserving rooms at the point of booking the venue a full year ahead.

This is just another example of how the hidden costs can work against you and how the venue will always try to squeeze a little more money out of you.

Essential Questions to Ask:

As you can see from the pros and cons above there are a number of questions you really must ask when booking your cheap wedding package, namely:

• Exactly what is included and what is not included.
• Are there any hidden charges.
• Are there minimum numbers of guests required.
• If there are items included that you don't need, can you opt out to reduce the cost.
• If you want to get married in the venue, do they have a marriage licence.
• Will you get a wedding planner assigned to you as part of the price. If so make sure you have a single person allocated to you and not a team of people as this causes confusion and one person can say the other didn't pass on the message etc.
  

For a detailed list of questions to ask your venue click here, these questions apply to all venues from Las Vegas to wedding cruises and even beach weddings, not just venues offering cheap wedding packages.

Finally put all queries and updates to the venue in writing, if there is a dispute later you will be glad you did.

Although, not all cheap wedding packages are equal, if you follow my simple steps there's no reason why you can't have a fantastic all inclusive package that won't break the bank.

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