WEDD INGS
D o n’t b ust t h e bud g et
THE AVERAGE COST OF A WEDDING IN THE UK IS NOW JUST OVER £30,000, SO IT’S NOT SURPRISING THAT MANY COUPLES ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SAVE MONEY WITHOUT COMPROMISING ON FABULOUSNESS
A big expense for brides is the dress – but there are alternatives to shelling out a fortune. “Our vintage wedding dresses hail from the 20s through to the 80s and have only ever been worn once!” says Siobhan Mulholland-Cox from Cambridge Vintage Bridal. “The dresses are almost always bespoke, handmade and designed to last. From intricate boned structures to beautiful hand-stitched hems and hidden lipstick pockets, each dress has something compelling about it. Starting at around £200, a quality vintage wedding dress can cost way less than a new one and you will be wearing a one-of-a- kind piece. You are also choosing a dress that has no current impact on the environment – no new production, water usage, dubious chemical dumping or dire carbon footprint. Support slow fashion, save the planet and be unique!” Charity shops are also a great place to hunt for ‘pre-loved’ dresses or accessories: Oxfam has a section of its website with hundreds of wedding dresses available, as well as shoes and jewellery. cambridgevintagebridal.co.uk oxfam.org.uk/shop/bridal GO VINTAGE
DO IT YOURSELF
Save money by making some of your wedding decorations yourself, or make this a fun part of wedding prep by hosting evenings at home with friends, making flower crowns, bouquets or even arrangements for the ceremony and reception. The other bonus of getting crafty is you can be sure you’ll have something completely unique at your wedding that really represents you and your individual style. If you want to boost your floristry skills to make the whole thing look a bit more professional, take a wedding flowers course at The Cambridge Flower School, where the team can guide you through everything from sourcing flowers to making eye-catching displays. thecambridgeflowerschool.co.uk
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C A M B S E D I T I O N . C O . U K
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