SMART WAYS TO SAVE

Little tricks to trim your wedding budget, not your style.

1.THE RUN SHEET
Save on photography with a slightly earlier cake-cutting ceremony (post ceremony cup-cake, anyone?) and first dance (a combined reception entrance and dance, perhaps). Planning key moments earlier means less time for your photographer to have to hang around.

2.THE MENU
Forgo the three-course meal and get imaginative with your eats. Feed a crowd on the cheap (while keeping it chic) and book gourmet pizzas - think mushrooms and truffle oil, buffalo mozzarella and lots of fresh basil - for everyone to share.

3.THE FAVOURS
Texture-rich, bright green foliage is at the top of the styling game. For a budget-friendly answer to decor, fragrance and favours, adorn your tables with wooden boxes, lustrous tin pots or polished glass vessels packed with fragrant herbs such as lush rosemary, thyme or mint. Label the pots with your guests' names and cluster them in the centre of tables.

4.THE DECOR
You might be style savvy, but are you sale savvy? Holiday themed decor that's also high on wedding-worthy romance could make for some seriously cheap buys: style tables or unsightly columns in your venue with lush artificial greenery or hang shimmering silver orbs above your head table. Christmas and Valentine's rejects have never looked so good.

Wedding Dresses at Styletheaisle.