Use the supermarkets!
These days you can buy everything from wedding invitations to wedding cakes in the supermarket! I even used the special catering service at my local supermarket rather than having caterers! With a bit of embellishment and imagination, supermarket cakes and cards can be transformed into something unique and special!

Use the internet!
Planning to make your own wedding bouquet? Find floristry advice on the internet! Hoping to make your own favours? Source cheaper supplies on the internet! You could even email your wedding invitations and save on postage! And check back to this website regularly - we'll be adding step-by-step DIY Brides projects and eventually podcasts to help you make everything you need.

Use your ingenuity!
Think of alternative solutions! I went to one wedding reception where the guests were all asked to bring a dish and another which took place in a pub and the food was delivered - it was one enormous Chinese takeaway! One friend dispensed with the idea of having a meal altogether - we simply had champagne and canapes, and they were delicious. I even heard of one wedding where the local fish and chip shop provided all the food!

Use your money wisely!
Just because your budget is limited, doesn't mean you can't treat yourselves. If you want the dress of your dreams, why not spend your money on an evening dress by your favourite designer rather than on a wedding dress that you'll never wear again? If you want to arrive in style, why not hire a fancy car for the weekend, get one of your friends to drive you to the wedding, then drive away together afterwards to a country mansion for a fantastic weekend!

DIY Wedding Photographer and DIY Wedding Videos
I wouldn't really recommend this one. Well, I wouldn't, would I, being a wedding videographer?
As a DIY Bride, you'll want a really good record of your day capturing all of the romance as well as the details of those hand-made table decorations and your home-made corsages! There's only one chance to get your wedding photos and your wedding video right. You can't redo the whole thing when the pictures and wedding dvd aren't what you were hoping for. However, I have to admit that getting a really good photographer or a really good wedding videographer doesn't come cheap. If you aren't thinking of letting Uncle George loose with your camcorder, read these hints and tips for a DIY video first!

Email: jennifer@diybrides.co.uk
Copyright Jennifer Page 2008