---
title: "How to save money on a wedding: 10 cuts your guests won't notice"
description: "Ten ways to save on a UK wedding in 2026, with what each saves for 80 guests: an off-peak date, pizza for the evening, digital invitations and no favours."
canonical: https://getaisley.com/guides/how-to-save-money-on-a-wedding-uk
last_updated: 2026-10-05
---

# How to save money on a wedding: 10 cuts your guests won't notice

> Ten ways to save on a UK wedding in 2026, with what each saves for 80 guests: an off-peak date, pizza for the evening, digital invitations and no favours.

Published 5 October 2026, by Dominika, Co-founder of Aisley. Canonical: https://getaisley.com/guides/how-to-save-money-on-a-wedding-uk

The average UK wedding cost £21,990 in 2025, according to [Hitched's survey of couples married that year](https://www.theknotww.com/press-releases/the-average-cost-of-a-wedding-in-2026-around-21990-according-to-hitched). Most of that money goes on things your guests will remember. Some of it goes on things nobody will miss.

These are ten places to save, with what each one typically saves at an 80 guest wedding. There is no splurge list here. Spend the money you keep on whatever matters most to the two of you.

## The ten savings at a glance

| Saving | Typical amount for 80 guests |
| --- | --- |
| Book an off-peak day | £900 to £2,700 on the venue hire |
| Invite ten fewer people | About £2,000 |
| Order pizza for the evening food | £500 to £2,000 |
| Send digital invitations, print fewer menus | £200 to £600 |
| Skip the favours | £80 to £400 |
| Toast with what is already in the glass | £400 to £600 |
| Book the photographer for fewer hours | £400 to £800 |
| Use seasonal flowers twice | £200 to £500 |
| Serve the cake as dessert | £500 to £800 |
| Buy the dress pre-loved or at a sample sale | £500 to £1,000 |

*Typical 2026 UK figures from published venue and supplier prices and the quotes couples share with us. Your numbers depend on the venue, the region and the date.*

Together they can take £5,000 or more off the day. The first two are the big ones. The other eight are small lines, but small lines are where most budgets slip.

## 1. Book an off-peak day

A Saturday from May to September is the venue's full price. Every other day is cheaper, because an empty Friday in November earns the venue nothing.

- Friday in peak season: 10 to 20 percent less.
- Sunday in peak season: 15 to 25 percent less.
- Saturday from October to April, outside the Christmas weeks: 20 to 30 percent less.
- Monday to Thursday, any season: 30 to 50 percent less, often as a fixed package.

On a £9,000 hire, a June Friday instead of a June Saturday saves £900 to £1,800. Photographers, bands and florists often price midweek dates lower too. [What a UK wedding venue costs by month and day](https://getaisley.com/guides/how-much-does-a-wedding-venue-cost-uk) has the full table.

Venues rarely publish their off-peak prices, so you have to ask each one in writing. Aisley does that enquiry round for the couples she works with. She writes to each venue for the Friday and winter prices, reads the replies and chases the ones that go quiet. You choose the date. [How it works is here](https://getaisley.com/how-it-works).

## 2. Invite ten fewer people

Each guest at a UK wedding costs £180 to £280 once food, drinks, stationery and furniture are counted. Ten fewer names saves about £2,000, more than any supplier will ever take off a quote. It can also move you into smaller, cheaper rooms.

Our guide on [how to cut the wedding guest list](https://getaisley.com/guides/how-to-cut-wedding-guest-list) has a fair way to do it and scripts for the hard conversations.

## 3. Order pizza for the evening food

Venues charge £10 to £25 a head for evening food, usually a buffet or bacon rolls. For 100 evening guests that is £1,000 to £2,500.

A local pizzeria will deliver large pizzas at about £15 each. After a three-course meal, one pizza feeds three people, so 35 pizzas for 100 guests cost around £525. Guests remember pizza at 9pm more fondly than a cold buffet.

Ask before you book. Many venues have exclusive catering and do not allow outside food, and some charge a fee to waive it. Put the question in your [first round of venue questions](https://getaisley.com/guides/questions-to-ask-wedding-venue), and make sure the answer is in the [contract](https://getaisley.com/guides/wedding-venue-contract-checklist).

## 4. Send digital invitations and print fewer menus

Printed stationery for 80 guests costs £300 to £700, and that is before postage. Digital save the dates and invitations from a wedding website or a design app cost nothing to £50. Replies come back in one place, and you can update everyone in one message if a time changes.

- Print a few invitations for guests who do not use email, usually a grandparent or two.
- Put one menu on each table instead of one at each place.
- Show the order of the day on one sign at the entrance.
- Use a seating plan board instead of a place card for every guest, unless the venue needs them for meal choices.

## 5. Skip the favours

Favours cost £1 to £5 a guest, so £80 to £400 for 80 people, plus the evenings you spend tying ribbons. Ask any venue team how many they sweep off the tables at midnight. Most guests do not notice when there are none, and nobody has ever complained about it.

## 6. Toast with what is already in the glass

Most venue packages include a separate glass of fizz for the speeches, at £5 to £8 a head. For 80 guests that is £400 to £600 for a drink many people leave half full. Guests can raise whatever they are already drinking. If you want fizz for the drinks reception, prosecco or crémant costs a third of the price of champagne and few guests can tell the difference.

## 7. Book the photographer for fewer hours

Do not ask a photographer to lower their rate. Change what you book. Eight hours instead of ten, no second shooter, and the album bought later from the digital gallery often takes £400 to £800 off a full-day quote. Start at the bridal prep, or end after the first dance. The parts you skip are rarely the photos you frame.

The same idea works for bands, florists and caterers. [How to negotiate on a wedding venue price](https://getaisley.com/guides/how-to-negotiate-wedding-venue-price) has the emails to send.

## 8. Use seasonal flowers, and use them twice

- Ask your florist for British stems that are in season on your date. Imported flowers out of season cost more.
- Move the ceremony arrangements to the top table or the bar after the ceremony, so you pay for them once.
- Choose fewer, larger arrangements. One big piece by the entrance has more impact than small posies on every surface.
- Use candles and greenery on the tables. They cost less than flowers, and the tables fill with glasses within the hour.

## 9. Serve the cake as dessert

A dessert course on a venue menu costs about £6 to £10 a head, so £500 to £800 for 80 guests. Ask the venue to drop it and serve the wedding cake with cream or berries instead. Check for a cake cutting fee first. Some venues charge £1 to £3 a slice, which is still much less than a dessert.

For a large guest list, order a small display cake for the photos and a plain sheet cake that the kitchen cuts out of sight.

## 10. Buy the dress pre-loved or at a sample sale

UK couples spend £1,532 on the dress on average, according to Bridebook. Bridal shops sell their sample dresses at sample sales each year, and pre-loved sites list designer dresses worn once. Both often price a dress at half its shop price or less. Leave money for alterations, which cost £150 to £400 whichever way you buy.

For suits, hiring costs a fraction of buying. A good off-the-peg suit, tailored, is often cheaper than a hire and stays in the wardrobe after the day.

## Keep what you save

Money saved in one line has a way of reappearing in another. Write each saving into your budget as soon as it is agreed, and move it to the contingency line or to the one thing you care about most. [How to split a wedding budget](https://getaisley.com/guides/wedding-budget-breakdown) shows where each line usually lands.

## Quick answers

### What is the cheapest day to get married in the UK?

Monday to Thursday, at 30 to 50 percent less than a peak Saturday at most venues. Next come Sundays, Fridays and Saturdays from October to April, outside the Christmas weeks. Bank holiday Sundays are usually full price.

### Can we bring our own evening food to a wedding venue?

It depends on the venue. Hotels and country houses with a kitchen usually have exclusive catering and refuse outside food, or charge a fee to allow it. Dry hire barns and village halls usually let you bring anything. Ask before you book, and get the answer written into the contract.

### Are digital wedding invitations rude?

Not to most guests. Send a printed copy to anyone who does not use email, and nobody feels left out. A digital invitation also makes the RSVPs easier to track.