I’m a big penny-pincher (when I can be bothered) so these voucher codes got me thinking… some much needed saving of the wedding pounds!! ££

Courtesy of VoucherCodes.co.uk

Hotel deals for your guests!
Hotels.com
*Exclusive* 10% Off Bookings Including Hotels in the Up to 40% Off Sale
Travelodge
£15 Off Flexible Rate Room Bookings

Something to line the stomach pre-hen or stag do…
Strada
*Exclusive* 2 for 1 Mains This Friday
PizzaExpress
£10 Meal Deal Plus *Exclusive* PizzaExpress Weekends – 3 Courses Only £12.50

Need an outift or something for the Bridesmaids??
Warehouse
Up to 50% Off in the Sale Plus *Exclusive* Free Delivery
Debenhams
Up to 50% Off in the Sale Plus *Exclusive* Free Delivery

Wedding Hair!
TONI&GUY
*Exclusive* 20% Off Cut and/or Colour

Need to get Bridal Bodided maybe?!
Fitness First
*Exclusive* Free 3 Day Gym Pass for You and a Friend Plus Free Health Check

Or maybe a fabulous holiday hen do or Honeymoon…
lowcostholidays.com
*Exclusive* £20 Off Flight and Hotel Bookings Over £200

Enjoy!!
Charlotte x

Happy Wednesday All!

Today I bring you some discount vouchers to help you budget for a wedding you are going to or in preparation to your own!

A place or two to stay.
Hotels.com
Up to 40% Off in the Summer Sale Plus 10% Off Bookings
Click Here.

Travelodge
£15 Off Flexible Rate Rooms. Click Here.

Your outfits and/ or accessories.
Karen Millen
10% Off Orders. Click Here.

Get Bridal Bodied!
Fitness First
Free 5 Day Gym Pass. Click Here.

LA Fitness
Free 5 Day Gym Pass. Click Here.

A multitude of things you can find here!
I Want One of Those
10% Off Orders. Click Here.

Hope to have saved you some valuable pounds!

£££

Penny Pinching, Charlotte xx

Happy Sunday wedding lovers!

Argh.
I have been trying to find out about ‘free’ glass hire for our wedding- what a kafuffle.
I can’t seem to get a simple answer anywhere- not even on the phone to customer services! I can only imagine many of you are having the same issues??
So, today, “My Name is Charlotte, Happy to Help”. Except, I really am!

I have checked out supermarkets & a wine store. I aim to keep this as simple as possible for you!!

Waitrose
* Wine glasses, pint & 1/2 pint glasses come in cases of 24
* Champagne glasses come in cases of 48
* Enquire & Order in-store
* No deposit required
* 48 hours of rental
* Book ASAP to avoid disappointment
* Collect glasses from your store & return clean
* No additional purchase required
* £1 payable per broken glass
(I asked in Welwyn Garden City- details may vary per store. Click here for the store finder)

Tesco
* Wine glasses, pint & 1/2 pint glasses
* Enquire & Order in-store
* No deposit required
* Book ASAP to avoid disappointment
* Collect glasses from your store & return clean. Click here for locator!
* No additional purchase required
* They do charge for breakages

Sainsbury’s
* Minimum of 48 hours notice required
* Loaned for upto 7 days (day 1 being your collection date)
* £20 deposit
* Sign contract in store
* £1 per breakage
* As in store as they all differ to how many they have available. Click here for the locator.

Morrison’s
* Wine glasses, pint & 1/2 pint glasses come in cases of 24
* Champagne glasses come in cases of 48
* Enquire & Order in-store (trust me, its better than on the phone with this place…)
* £20 Deposit required on booking
* 1 week’s rental, more can be discussed at time of booking
* Book ASAP to avoid disappointment
* Collect glasses from your store & return clean
* Additional purchases- depends on the store- one said its not required, another said £50-£60, another said “a few bottles” Erm….
* They do offer a sale or return, but it differs by store so you may have to ask a few of your local ones
* 50p payable per broken glass & deducted from the deposit
They didn’t seem too sure of the guidelines in Morrison’s, not in 3 stores & at Head Office so to be honest, I personally would steer clear!

Majestic
Again, this is store specific, so check with your local store manager
* Wine, champagne & pint glasses available
* Wine Coolers/ ice bins available to hire as an extra
* They offer sale or return on drinks
* You have to buy wine/ drinks form them on ordering the glasses
* No collection service on glasses but they do offer a free delivery service (T&Cs apply)
* Click here for more info & to find your local store

ODDBINS
also do free glass hire, but again, you need to contact your local store. More details on how to contact them if you click here!

Ok, so all in all its a great deal to get this free hire & with such a small fee for breakages. But the bad news is.. this is store dependant. The larger the store you visit, the more likely they are to be able to meet your quantities. You have visit or call the store customer services not by calling their Head Offices. As I visit the supermarkets regularly for work, I was able to gather a decent amount of info, but pleeeease don’t take this as gospel! it really is a ‘enquire within’ job I’m afraid!
What about water glasses? Seems we are on our own there. The good news is that you can buy plenty of very cheap & nice ones in supermarkets & pound stores! There we go then.

Chink plink
Charlotte xx

Soooo many of you have been writing in to tell me that you are having recession-crippled wedding budgets & are dispairing at saving & not being able to treat yourselves.
You are all right, its for the greater good.
But, its now possible to take it easier on yourselves!

We don’t all like spending out on pampering ourselves, though we desperately want to & let’s face it, we need to feel prepped & glowing for The Day!
Now, I have something that will raise the eyebrow.

If you haven’t stumbled across this amazing website already, now you have.
My City Deals.

Both me & my man love this site & all the things we can now do to treat ourselves & each other! Daily.
I’m not telling you more. Just check it out.

But do bare in mind your hen & stag do’s….

Deal Time,
Charlotte xx

As I have previously explained to you all in Cross My Palm With Silver, I am a self proclaimed
spend-a-holic!
Sometimes I wonder if I bought a house just to get lots of great cushions?!
Now, like many of you, my spending has caught up with me, I have realised that I want money for my future with my husband-to-be, so I am mending my ways.

Whilst, I juggle my mortgage, debts & various recession-induced-increasing-out-goings, I am on a mission to have a dream wedding, at a reduced price.

Take some top tips, mix some creativity & sprinkle some savvy style… you have an Electric Top tip.

So in order to manage my expectations & maybe yours, I would love to share with you all, a Top Tip that I have found VERY useful…

Get a grip of your Guest List.

This top tip was given to me by my very good friend & soon to be a featured Electric Bride, Louise.
Its a very simple way to look at the affordability… work out what you plan to spend per head (I include the division of all the reception costs!)
Let’s say, for example if your reception comes to £5,000 for 80 guests, it comes to £62.50 per head… Simply ask yourselves.. “If we were going out for dinner with this couple/ these friends, would we pay £60 each for their meal?”
This way you can justify the cuts in your list & you will also have a guest list full of great friends & family.
I’m still working on mine, so potential guests, please don’t panic… I would spend £10 on each of you…. ha ha ha! I wish it was going to be that cheap!

Many of you lucky Brides will have family contribute to the costs, which is great, but if like me you & your man are doing it all yourselves, then you will need to be more ruthless with your list.

If you are paying for your own wedding, you are buying total control too, which, in my book, is a massive plus point! I confess, I get masses of pressure to invite the nice lady from round the back, not to mention Bob, who’s recently been somewhat ‘down’… oh my… and don’t get me started on all those who are buying hats somewhat prematurely!
But I can say no. Why? Because I’m paying for this circus!
I will have to say no. Its not always easy, but needs to be done. I simply refuse to get into debt over my wedding. Its not because I am better than anyone else.. I simply have enough debt as it is.

Whatever you do, don’t fret. You can have your dream wedding for a recession busting price!
I will have many many more excellent tips that will light up your Big Day!

If you have any examples of your own on these tips, please contact us or Ask Lola. I can add yours to my next update & give you an Electric Wedding Welcome!!
I’d also love to hear from anyone struggling with finance, you never know, we might be able to point you in the right direction. After all, I’m cured….

Your penny pincher,
Charlotte xxx

Money, Money, Money.

As you will have read in Dirty Sexy Money, I am on a mission not just to get a wedding at a very reduced price.. but also to save money- simply to afford the very reduced price!

So here’s today’s Top Tip…
Barter.

www.moneysupermarket.com

Never accept the first price.
Always ask them “can you do any better? Its out of my budget” Even if it isn’t, why not have more to spend on your dress?!
I know, I know I hear some of you Electric Brides who don’t like this! Its easier for some people than it is for others! But like me, you must have at least one mate that’s good at this? And no doubt, they will be willing to help.
I have Electric Emma & other friends that are Buyers…. Their ability to haggle costs is among the best & they can spot a lie a mile off. So, if you don’t have one of these friends…. get recruiting or get tough! You CAN do it.

You are an empowered Bride who wants an Electric Wedding!
Charlotte xx

I’m getting married!!! Yayyyyyyy!!
When?
What’s you budget? Are you doing it locally?
Um…..

Ok, so you know you need to set a date. But seriously, what’s the rush? Even if you are planning to get married in a few months, take a minute to consider your options as this could save you hundreds, if not thousands of your hard earned cash!!
I appreciate, that like me, you may have considered the venue, bridesmaids & favours a fair few months before you even got the ring…. but now’s the time to make the real decisions.

So, here’s today’s Electric Top Tip (for those who can)

Be flexible when choosing a date

Its a tradition to have weddings on a Saturday so we can “make a weekend of it”. This is great, but you can save so much on changing the day! Sometimes up to 50%.. some venues are FREE on a weekday!
Unfortunately many venues have cottoned on to people having weddings on a Friday to save money so these meanies have re-worked Fridays & Sundays in to the peak prices! Some very unloving venues have even extended this to Thursdays!! Steer clear of these places. They are out to get more of your money than you should spend. After all, being flexible is about saving some of your hard earned cash!
Top Tip; Ask for a full weekly price guide which includes optional extras.
This way you can see what you may be ‘stung’ for & see if the venue is giving you a saving for your flexibility.
Remember; They rarely have week day weddings & need YOURS! If they don’t do you a great discount for a wedding Monday-Thursday. they don’t deserve you!

So, what you really want to know is, am I taking my own advice?!
I sure am! Although we have not picked a venue yet (another budget-related drama), we have tentatively agreed a date… 1st September 2011.
A Thursday.
We checked with my mum, a teacher, so she’s on school holidays as are my future sister-in-laws, plus dad’s free & many others have no problem with taking a few weekdays off for our wedding!
Its up to you, but it might be worth checking with you nearest & dearest first.

Do you have any op Tips you’d like to share?
Us B2Bs need to know!
I will give you a big Electric wedding shout out for helping all Our Electric Brides!
Plus, if you would like to share a little more, you can send us a picture of you & your partner to accompany your tip
Contact me at charlotte@electricwedding.co.uk

Thursday’s the new Friday
Charlotte xx

They say the devil has many guises. Well today he is dressed as my wedding budget.

Its doesn’t matter how many times I look at this evil page of figures, and flick back to my e-statements, I cant seem to make more money appear.
How much do I have to cut back on? How much am I willing to cut back on?
If I cut back, will it still be the day of my dreams?

I have enough self control for a while & feel very proud of myself for cutting back. Yet, here I am in the middle of Westfield, West London & I am NOT spending.
But then I will suddenly get fed up. I earn good money & I work hard. I deserve a treat. Right?
I deserve a little something new to wear for drinks on a Saturday night out, right?
My mind drifts back to my wardrobe. I don’t need new clothes! Phew.
I can see the box containing my red Kurt Geiger’s. Gasp. I see a thin layer of dust; my last purchased All Saints dress that has NOT been repeat worn to death.
So to regain control of myself, I pop into H&M to buy some earrings. Yes, that will curb the cravings to shop & go out.
Then the smog descends. I feel dizzy with excitement & satisfaction.

When it clears, I am in my bedroom looking down at all the new items on my bed & the scattered shiny bags & boxes with silky ribbons surrounding me.
Guilt crosses my mind. So I have to try it all on. Naturally I will hate most of them & take it all back.
The next thing I know is I am waking up the next morning with a fuzzy head and memories of a great night out in my new outfit. Lucky I bought enough for 2 outfits so I can go to Bridesmaid H’s birthday next weekend. I really must get her a gift….

This is me.
Even the ring on my hand is not a strong enough of a deterrent. For one, its not heavy enough to stop me reaching for my purse.
Its not a magic ring after all.

So, with the desire for a fabulous wedding re-affirmed at the top of my list alongside my personal debt & mortgage… I persevere.
I’m sure many of you can feel my pain?!
Do you find that the only pair of shoes you love in the magazine spread, are over £300?!
I’m just not a natural saver. I like things, many many things and they are often out of my budget.

Now I realise, its not about cutting back.. its about making use of everything you have & being organised enough to BUDGET PLAN.
So I will be bringing you my top tips on a regular basis, in Dirty Sexy Money.
If they help me, they may help you! Feel free to participate! Them more top tips for Brides, the better.
First one, coming very soon!

Budget driven hugs,
Charlotte xxxx