Daily Mirror - 24.07.2019

DM1ST

(^38) DAILY MIRROR WEDNESDAY 24.07.2019
YOUR MONEY
Mid-range
Be open-minded – check your council
website for a list of approved venues,
where you’ll find cheaper options from
pubs to village halls costing from £1,000.
Some even offer rooms free, but with a
minimum spend on food
and drink.
Bargain
Split the wedding and the
reception. Get married in a
fancy property owned by the
local council or the town
hall for £250, then party
anywhere you want – even
your own back garden.
FOOD
Hitched figure: £4,151
Posh on a shoestring
If you’re keen to have swanky food, cut
down on staff costs by having canapes
on tables, rather than having them
served. And serve the main course
family-style on large platters on the table.
You can cut the quantity of food too –
ditching the starter and serving the cake
as dessert. You can cut the cost by a
quarter with some clever tweaks.
Mid-range
Follow the fashion for comfort
food. Bangers and mash or
posh pasta can bring the costs
down even further. One way to
save money is to start with
what you feel is a sensible
budget, and ask the caterer
what they can supply for that.
These ideas can help chop
costs in half.
Budget
If your venue allows, sort your
own food. Or even better, ask foodie
friends to bring a dish, and have a buffet.
Everyone knows someone who can bake

• they could bring the cake. With a bit of
  creativity, and asking a few cheeky

favours, you can get the costs down to

hundreds rather than thousands.

DRINK

Hitched figure: £1,739

Posh on a shoestring

Buy the wine and champagne yourself.

Plan ahead – in November, supermarkets

often have brilliant deals. And check for

award-winning wines and fizz from

discounters Aldi and Lidl. When picking

your venue, ask about corkage – low or

no corkage can make a huge saving.

Mid-range

Downgrade to sparkling wine and less

swanky labels. Keep your booze bill lower

by starting your celebrations later in the

day, and avoid having guests hanging

around for too long between the cere-

mony and meal.

Budget

Design a couple of cheap cocktails with

romantic names, and let guests help

5

pages of

SOUND

advice

Edited by

TRICIA

PHILLIPS

Get in touch!

[email protected]

DEAR

TRICIA

Need some practical

financial advice?

YOUR MONEY

Editor Tricia Phillips

and her team can help

Q

My adult son has lived with me

all his life. If I went into care,

would he be made to leave and the

property sold to fund my care?

A

It would depend on whether you

are eligible for any financial help

with your care. Some councils will let

you defer paying for care until the

property is sold after your death.

Q

My daughter currently works

abroad and her employer

doesn’t offer a pension scheme.

She has filled in and submitted

forms to pay voluntary National

Insurance contributions. But as

she’s not currently a UK resident,

we’re finding it difficult to start

some sort of pension provision.

Any ideas?

A

If your daughter doesn’t have

relevant UK earnings (i.e. they’re

being paid and taxed overseas), then

she would only be able to pay

personal contributions into a

pension of up to £3,600 gross per

annum for five full tax years

following the tax year in which she

moved abroad.

Q

Is there any way I can check if

due diligence was carried out

when my son got a loan? When he

was accepted, he had just come out

of a mental hospital.

A

It would seem your son was in a

vulnerable position when taking

out the loan. I’d suggest you book an

appointment with your local Citizens

Advice to check this out.

Q

My wife is disabled, and

currently receives Employment

and Support Allowance. What

happens when she retires? Will she

BY TRICIA PHILLIPS

WEDDING bells are ringing loud

and clear, and bank balances are

groaning even louder under the

financial pressure of the big day.

The average UK wedding costs an

eye-watering £32,273, according to

hitched.co.uk.

But the big question is: What would

you rather have, a home of your own

or a party?

The average wedding cost would

cover a 10% deposit (plus moving

expenses) on the average UK property

price of £228,903.

Sarah Coles, personal finance

analyst at investment firm Hargreaves

Lansdown, says: “While your wedding

day is a big deal for most people, you

have to ask whether it matters enough

to spend all your savings on – or to

saddle yourself with debts that can

last longer than the marriage.

“Before you start spending, consider

the costs you can cut, set a realistic

budget, start putting money into a

dedicated savings account, and don’t

get carried away.

“Don’t wait until the day you decide

to get married to start saving together

for the future. You’ll never be sorry

you had savings to fall back on.”

As we head towards the key

wedding season – July 30 is one of the

most popular days to tie the knot –

here are some tips on how to say I do

for less and still have a great day.

HOW TO CUT

THE COSTS

ENGAGEMENT

RING

Hitched figure: £2,657

Posh on a shoestring

Don’t buy new – auction houses have

some fabulous antique jewellery, and

jewellery shops sell second-hand

rings for a fraction of the price. You

can snap up a beauty for under £1,000.

Mid-range

A few compromises will bring the

price down, from the stone itself (it

doesn’t have to be a diamond), to the

cut and the size, as well as the type of

metal. Online can be a good source of

bargains, but make sure you choose a

reputable company.

Budget

Check if someone in the family has a

ring they want to pass on. There’s a

great deal of romance in an old family

ring passed down the generations –

and it’s free.

VENUE HIRE

Hitched figure: an average

£5,221 (the biggest cost)

Posh on a shoestring

Move the date to a less popular time

of year, or mid-week, and the cost will

drop drastically. You’ll pay a premium

on a Saturday – a swanky venue

costing almost £7,000 on a Saturday

in August can cost less than £2,500

mid-week in January.

Ensure your finances – like the

wedding – go off without a hitch

There’s a

great deal of

romance in

passing a

ring down

generations

Hold on to

your purse

strings

if you’re

tying

the knot