With this buttie I thee fed

With the average UK wedding still costing anything from £15,000 to a staggering £25,000, it’s just one way that brides and grooms are looking to enjoy their big day for less, says Emma Betteridge of the Flackley Ash Hotel, (pictured).

“It’s becoming one of our most popular requests,” says Emma, “Bacon and sausage sandwiches cost half the price of a traditional evening buffet so they’re ideal for couples who want to give their guests tasty food on a smaller budget.”

The evening meal isn’t the only area where couples are looking to save money. One bride and groom who had their reception at the Georgian country house hotel swapped the traditional champagne toast for a glass of IRN-BRU; while another had a tiered wedding cake made entirely from cheese – which doubled up as the buffet.

“It looked fantastic,” says Emma, “and after the photos were taken it was served to guests with port, crackers and chutney.”

She added: “Couples are also saving money by cutting back on the number of guests they invite. Wedding parties are definitely getting smaller and a lot of couples are getting married later in the day to avoid having to provide two meals and extra drinks.

“Some people do still like to push the boat out though,” she adds. “We’ve had requests for red carpet, and mini bottles of Moet champagne for every guest. And ‘icycles’ are becoming increasingly popular too. They’re old-fashioned trikes pulling carts filled with ice cream, which is served to guests throughout the day.

“Others like to splash out on something quirky. One couple hired a Basil Fawlty impersonator as their toastmaster, who had the guests clearing their own tables and scraping their plates. It was great fun!”