Did you do any DIY Projects or create any handmade items for your wedding?
We made our own biscuit favors. – We also put together our own invites and orders of services (with a little help from BespokeInvites on Etsy and local printers), like little packets of tissues to go along the pews at the church, and children’s activity packs.
One of our friends has a cricut machine and the loveliest handwriting, and so she kindly wrote out our place name cards and blackboard welcome signs for the church. She also made table top signs and welcome signs for the hotel. She helped us personalize our bridesmaid’s pajamas with their names and roles to wear while getting ready.
What creative or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?
We don’t think there was anything too creative, but we did try and make sure everything was meaningful! Our hymns at the church were family members’ favorites, and the reading we chose was the same that my parents had at their wedding.
Our lovely vicar included the wave as a nod to our shared love of football, but we can’t take any credit for that as it was a complete surprise on the day! So many of our guests have mentioned it since so it’s definitely a stand-out for everyone.
We made all of our own favors (biscuits with stamped fondant icing) for the reception venue, and asked for guests’ song requests alongside the RSVP to build our wedding breakfast playlist.
On the morning of the wedding, we got ready together at home, and had our whole bridal party join us for breakfast. It was chaotic but perfect! Whilst we did our our gift exchange as soon as we woke up, we gave our parents, bridesmaids, and groomsmen their gifts just after breakfast.
What is the most memorable moment of your day?
Our confetti exit outside the church was incredible and just what we’d wanted – an absolute blizzard of color. It was lovely to turn around and see all of our loved ones doing the wave and celebrating with us. Taking our couples photos was a highlight as it gave us time to breathe and enjoy being newlyweds away from the limelight. The speeches too! They were all so moving and definitely stand out to us.
What was the biggest thing you did to save money?
We shopped around a lot, and enlisted the help of our friends when it came to favors, stationery, and other small add-ons.
The biggest saving was my wedding dress. I’d visited five shops and couldn’t get onboard with spending over £2,000 (before alterations!) on something I’d only wear once. I checked Vinted for a designer and a style I liked, and favorited a few. The price on one was reduced a few weeks later to just £100, so I bought it
just on the off-chance. It was a Stella York mikado satin ball gown which I loved and ended up being perfect for me.
We had the same issues with a venue – most final quotes were around £5,000 more than the prices listed online. We found our reception venue after a lot of wedding venues were unable to agree to a pasta dish for our wedding breakfast. We hoped we’d be able to hire out the Italian restaurant that was based inside the hotel, but it turned out they had a newly refurbished function room and we only had to pay for a price per head.
We also decided against bottles of wine on the tables, and instead opted for welcome drinks, toast drinks, and a bar tab. This meant our guests had the freedom to choose what they were drinking, and saved us about £2,000 in the process!
What was your biggest splurge?
Our photographers and videographer. We knew from very early on in our engagement that the photographers would be a priority as photos would be the best way to remember our day. We also wanted a videographer, but thought they’d be a luxury if we saved money elsewhere while planning. Luckily enough, we did, and we had the best of both!
Lisa and Neil did an incredible job on our photos, and we’re happier with them than we could ever have imagined. We’ve got a few weeks left until our videos are back, but if their portfolio is anything to go by, we know we’ll be pleased!
What were your favorite details?
Paul liked anything with our new name on it. We had our orders of service, favors, and our welcome signs inscribed with “Mr & Mrs Bourne-Munns est. 2024”.
My favorite detail was all the little nods we had to family – lighting a candle at the beginning of the service for my sister Jenny and all other family members we’d lost, the poppies in my bouquet (Jenny’s birth flower), the reading being the one read at my parents’ wedding, and having our newborn nephew as our ring-bearer. It made everything feel even more special!
What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?
Take it step by step, and do a little bit of admin each week. We were engaged for 13 months and tended to do things in big clumps rather than equally spread out. It meant we were easily overwhelmed at times!
With hindsight on our side, we probably would have also stuck to our guns a bit more when it came to other people’s wants and opinions during the planning process.
Share any additional details you’d like us to know about your event:
It really was the best day of our lives, and we enjoyed every minute more than we anticipated. We were told it’d be stressful and intense, but it was the opposite! We stuck together from the minute we were reunited at the altar, and spent our whole evening on the dance floor. We only wish we could do it all over again!
