Weddings for Free?

Is it possible to have a wedding that costs you absolutely nothing? People on a low income who enjoy a challenge might like to give it a try.

The easiest way to have someone else foot the bill for your wedding is to search for a sponsor. Sponsored weddings have grown in popularity as couples hit by the present economic climate now find they can’t afford the dream wedding they had hoped for.

To have a sponsored wedding means you will need to approach local businesses and see if they will give you a product or service without charge in exchange for free advertising at your wedding. More businesses will agree to this than you might expect, because it can cost them much less than conventional advertising and they are guaranteed a sizeable, captive audience.

Giving a business free advertising on your wedding day doesn’t mean anything tacky or garish. You can have business cards on display or even place a tasteful advert on your wedding invitations or order of service.

There are other ways to have a wedding for free and you might find the experience more enjoyable than expected. It will require ingenuity and organisational skills. Write down all the things you need for the big day and work out how you can get them without spending money.

Do you have friends or relatives with talents you can use? Are any of them able to bake a wedding cake, arrange flowers, make wedding favours? Does someone you know have a lovely garden or large room suitable for your wedding reception, or a holiday cottage for your honeymoon? If guests can’t or won’t contribute their skills, ask them for money instead of wedding gifts. This is also one way you can cover those necessary legal fees and other expenses that must be paid for.

Of course, you can ask friends and family to take your wedding photographs free too, but as a wedding photographer this is not something I am likely to encourage! If there’s one thing you should have it’s a beautiful wedding album, and at Oliver Photography we have packages to suit all budgets. You might regret not having a professionally photographed record of your special day so don’t skimp on the one thing that will last a lifetime.