The Benefits and Perils of a Last-minute Wedding
Squeezing into a slot for a last-minute wedding (typically less than six months) can be a great way to save a considerable amount, but before you start planning your short-notice wedding, be aware that both the reality of logistics and the law might say otherwise.
The Mindset
Last-minute weddings aren’t for everyone. If you’re completely married (pardon the pun) to your perfect ceremony and everything has to be how you want it, then rushing everything with a last-minute wedding isn’t going to suit you. The trick to a last-minute wedding is compromise and improvisation. You have to accept that you’re probably not going to have time to get your perfect dream dress or the exact cake you imagined.
If you can cope with the fact that things might not be exactly the way you wanted, then you can have a great wedding and save a small fortune on the venue. There will be additional stress in trying to get all of the elements in place in time, but an extensive service like Vow.Wedding can help you source all of your suppliers easily.
The Legal Bit
Before we get into how you can save money on a wedding by booking your venue at the last minute, we should address the great big elephant in the room that is wearing judges’ robes. You must both attend your local register office in person at least 29 days before the ceremony takes place to officially announce your wedding, including stating where the wedding will take place.
This is even more complicated if one or both of you are from abroad, as the Home Office might extend that to 70 days while they carry out additional checks. It also changes how you give notice, and there are different visas required if you’re coming to the UK to get married or coming to the UK to get married and then live here.
Of course, if you come across an incredible venue with availability this weekend and the price is too good to pass up, you can always have the celebration now and then deal with the annoying legal bits later on. A couple of days’ notice might limit your guest list, as not everyone will be available, but if it’s really too good to miss, then you’ve got to at least consider it. Just remember, it won’t be legally binding, so make sure you follow up with an official ceremony at a register office as soon as you can.
The Discounts
The biggest pull for a last-minute wedding is that venues would rather make some money than no money, and if they don’t have a wedding booked for a particular day, they would rather offer it cheap to someone who wants it, rather than make no money at all. The biggest drawback is that popular venues book up literally years in advance; the chances of a gap in their bookings close enough to warrant a discount are remote and would likely get snapped up quickly. This means you have to keep your eyes open and be ready to snap up a deal when you find it.
Venues will typically offer discounts for weddings within the next six months, but only if they have a spot in their calendar. Few people relish the stress of arranging a whole wedding in six months, so most will have booked up long before. Do bear in mind that the closer to the date, the less time you have to arrange everything, but also the more motivated the venue will be to not have that gap in their calendar.
Remember, it’s not just the smaller or less-popular venues that can find gaps in their schedules. Late cancellations happen, and it’s not impossible to find your most popular local venue with a suddenly available Saturday during the height of summer. That being said, you are much more likely to find availability mid-week, but Thursdays are always cheaper than Saturdays, and couple that with a last-minute discount, you could find yourself with an incredible deal for a highly sought-after venue.
The Supplier Logistics
If you’re trying to get your whole wedding laid on in a hurry, you’re probably going to have to put in a lot of legwork (or at least a lot of phone calls) to find all the suppliers you need who have availability on the day you’ve booked your venue. That means finding at least a caterer, photographer, and DJ, not to mention getting a wedding cake on an abbreviated timescale.
This can be another reason to look for mid-week deals. Your photographer, videographer, DJ, and caterer are all more likely to be free mid-week. Alternatively, you can leverage your venue’s connections. Your venue knows that you might struggle to find suppliers at such late notice, and here’s where the venue’s preferred supplier lists definitely work in your favour, because those suppliers are more likely to be available when the venue is. In fact, some venues even explicitly offer last-minute all-inclusive packages.
Alternatively, your wedding venue may have a preferred supplier list, which includes suppliers that are specifically flagged as being available for last-minute weddings. These will be companies that are used to the short timeframe and likely to have the necessary availability.
Do remember that this applies to the celebrant as well, especially if you’re having a religious ceremony. Again, their availability is more likely mid-week, but be prepared to shop around.
The All-Inclusive Package
Returning to the topic of all-inclusive packages, while this is not only a great way to ensure you aren’t struggling to find caterers and entertainment, it also removes much of the stress.
It can’t be overstated how much of a stress-saving tip this would be. Getting the venue to handle all of the food, drink, linens, and entertainment means those are things that you don’t have to worry about, and you can put more of your limited time into the other aspects of your wedding.
The Guest Logistics
The other side of the equation is your guests. You suddenly have dozens of people who have to factor a wedding into their schedules at the last minute, and maybe arrange for travel. This will require you to get those invitations out as soon as the date is confirmed. Don’t bother with Save The Dates; you need to be getting RSVPs pronto. This also means that the post likely isn’t going to be fast enough. Send out digital invitations, either using a dedicated platform or your own system, using emails or WhatsApp messages, and keeping track of responses with a spreadsheet or a simple Google form.
You have to consider travel as well, especially if the venue is further away from some of your guests. The closer the venue is to the majority of your wedding guests, the more of them are likely to be able to attend.
The Dress (and all the other attire, but we all know the DRESS is the most important)
Under normal circumstances, you can expect six to nine months to complete the whole process of getting your wedding dress. That includes shopping around for a dress you like, fittings, alterations, more alterations, having second thoughts, and final alterations. If you’re planning a last-minute wedding, that’s just not going to allow time for all that.
If you need something quick, you’re going to have to start with either off-the-rack from bridal sample sales or dedicated boutiques, or hunt around for a second-hand dress. Some alterations will be possible, just bear in mind that you likely won’t have time for repeated fittings and then more alterations. This means picking a dress that you can make work with minimal fuss.
All of these limitations are going to apply to the outfits for the rest of the bridal party. You’re probably going to have to accept that your bridesmaids are going to need a little leeway in their outfits, rather than matching outfits in your perfect colour. The same goes for the groom and his retinue.
Sadly, this is going to apply to the rings as well. While you might have time to get them adjusted to fit (which you should do, the last thing you want is to lose one during the honeymoon), you’re going to be incredibly lucky to get bespoke rings made within your timeframe.
Insurance – That Essential “Just in Case”
With a short window to get everything planned and arranged, there is a chance that everything could fall through. Obviously, you’re going to do your best to make sure everything falls into place, but with your abbreviated timeline, it’s a risk you really shouldn’t ignore.
Wedding insurance is vital. It might sound like just another thing you’re going to have to deal with when you’re already spinning a dozen plates at once, but weddings aren’t cheap. Even if you’re getting a great deal on your wedding venue by booking at the last minute. You don’t want to be left holding the bill if it all fails to come together, so make sure you get covered in case of illness, cancellation, or a disaster at the venue.
