A Northern Ireland woman has told how she had her wedding with 120 guests for just £4,000.
37-year-old Anna Hamill got engaged to her husband Iain in 2011 and knew she wanted to plan her dream wedding without breaking the bank.
They got married in Edinburgh in 2019 and Anna has recently opened up on how she kept the costs low for her big day. The Belfast woman has a creative flair which she showcases through her local card and gift business.
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Speaking to Austen & Blake , she described her wedding style as relaxed, colourful and traditional.
Anna made her first big saving on her wedding dress, with a helping hand from her childhood friend.
She said: “The dress is a whole story of its own! A childhood friend got married in August 2011 (just before I got engaged, so I was beginning to think about styles and things I like) and she wore a dress that I wouldn’t have really considered usually. My two criteria were for it to have lots of cute buttons at the back and I didn’t want a sleeveless dress. This one was a corseted, lace-up back sleeveless dress.
“However, it looked so beautiful on her that when I got engaged, I asked if she would consider lending it to me. I went to London to try it on, it fit, looked amazing, so that was that! With my friend’s permission, I carefully sewed some of a veil on to it to make it appear to have sleeves and unpicked this once I’d worn it to return it, as she bought it. It was absolutely perfect. This beautiful dress cost me a return plane trip from Edinburgh to London and a dry clean.”
The planning process of a wedding can be stressful, but Anna played a huge part in creating many of the decorations.
“The process was fairly straightforward, but took a lot of planning and making, especially since I was doing things on a budget. I made a lot of the decorations, had a lot of back and forth with a seamstress who made the bridesmaid dresses. I had to make a lot of decisions early on to make sure everything was in place for closer to the time," she said.
The total cost of Anna’s wedding came to £3,422.
Here are the main costs:
Caterers including hog roast: £1112
Wedding dress: £55.39
Bridesmaid dresses: £220
Wedding ring: £63.39
Photographer: £350
Nibbles after the ceremony: £160
Drinks (wine + shloer): £126
Stationery: £70
Flowers: £67
Anna continued: “Feeding 120 people is expensive no matter which way you put it, and we wanted people to have quality food and plenty of it, so this is where we allocated most of our budget. The hog fed us really well and it was so beautifully complimented with sides and salads - coleslaw, green salad, potato salad etc.
“My mother-in-law made our wedding cake and I watched YouTube videos on how to ice and decorate it as professionally as possible (I think I did pretty well, though it was very simple). I ordered some sunflowers and irises and bought the rest of the flowers for the bouquets in Sainsbury's the day before the wedding and made my own bouquets.
“I was the only one to have my hair done professionally, my bridesmaids are all really good at hair so they did each others' and we all did our own makeup.
“My bridesmaid dresses were made by a seamstress friend after I couldn't find what I wanted in a shop at a reasonable price point. Our photographer was a friend who was just getting started with her photography business. She was really good, and we'd seen her work as she'd shot a few friends' weddings, but she gave us a really great price. The groomsmen all wore black suits they already had for work with white shirts, hired waistcoats and bought cravats from eBay - someone was selling four in the colour we were after! Perfect!” Anna said.
When finding her ideal wedding location, Anna knew she wanted to keep it traditional, but one of the main factors was making the location accessible for friends and family.
“We got married in our church and found a church hall up the road, on The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, which only charged less than £400 for the afternoon/evening including chairs, linen and crockery. We kept everything very local, so there was no need for transport for ourselves or our guests.
“We had a selection of fun games (like the shoe game where the bride and groom sit back to back and have to answer Mr & Mrs questions) and then a ceilidh with one of the groomsmen calling it (he has been to many ceilidhs from being a small child) and the music on an iPod - this also worked well for space in the hall, it gave more room to dance.”
When it came to wedding décor, Anna took DIY to a new level - crafting and designing pieces to achieve her theme.
“I made my and the bridesmaids bouquets, as well as buttonholes for all the men and the mums. I also made little candle jars from pages of the book The Princess Bride and put tea lights in them. To go with this book theme (both my husband and I love to read) I also made some heart decorations with strips of book pages. I also made the aisle end decorations with teal and purple ribbon and some leftover flowers from the bouquets.”
With her small budget, Anna was able to prioritise.
“I never really imagined the specifics of my wedding - it was what I wanted - relaxed and fun, with everyone I loved there. The only thing I wish we could have done is a proper choreographed first dance, but that's never going to happen with my husband!”
The NI woman gave her top tips for saving money for others who are planning a wedding.
“Think outside the box. Decide what is important for you to spend money on, and save on everything else. It is just one day -my special one, but still just a day!
"Make use of what you already have - I used bunting that hung in my bedroom and got a couple of extra lengths to compliment it - and use you and your friends' creative talents.
"Have a look in charity shops (perfect for tea cups, table cloths, fabric, even wedding dresses) and eBay is great - that's where I got my veil, florists' tape and other things I needed for decorations and cake decorating!”
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