Advice for budget wedding

We have a MAX of 40.

For our venue: I found an all-inclusive. We were going to do a backyard intimate but just in things we needed rental it got TOO expensive too fast and I still had to do all the work.: $11,500 for ceremony, reception, food, DJ, day of coordinator, servers. I'm not having an open bar but they will have the option to purchase. The venue is the decorations so it will be minimal.

For our photographer: I'm using an "up in coming" still building a portfolio. She does great shots she's just new. So for engagement, a mini family session, AND wedding: $560

Cake: I'm getting a pretty cake from SAMS club: $70

Invitations with envelopes: $50. I made my own on Canva. I used regular stamps.

Dress: I found a dress off the sales rack. $400 and I feel gorgeous in it. Alterations TBD Shoes: Jessica Simpson tennis shoes on clearance. Bedazzled. $40

Brides' maids: I have 3- **** on JJs House Alterations TBD; Grooms men: slacks and specific shirt: $60 x3

Flowers: SOLA WOOD FLOWERS! Their customer service SUCKS so much but you can't beat the price- $300 for all bouquets and boutonnieres

Officiant: Family. License $30

DON'T skimp on food, that was always going to be our biggest expense. People won't remember anything about the wedding, but they'll remember the food.

DO: skip the favors. They really are a waste of money. Don't spend a bunch of money on your shoes: can't see them anyway lol Think real hard about the price tag of the dress. Look around online of all the people trying to get something back. Spend it somewhere else. My first wedding I ended up donating my $1200 dress to an angel baby charity.

TOTAL: 13,300

My best piece of advice would be to do your research for your area to make sure these numbers that you are planning for are realistic. Based on what you listed I would say dress & accessories (depending on your vision & where you buy the items), photography, and dj are on the lower end. But if you spend less on something you could always allocate those funds to something else.

For the dress there are multiple ways you could save money. The dress I wore for my wedding was a sample dress that was sold off the rank. Other than brides trying it on at the store it had never been worn. It was only $200 since it was discontinued. I loved it. The only thing I was missing that I really wanted was a sparkly tulle. Since the dress was so cheap I had sparkly tulle added. I also wore converses that I made to have customized. My veil I got from Amazon. I ordered several options and returned the ones I didn't like. Now obviously I got lucky that I loved a sample dress that I could buy right off the rack for cheap. So other options besides that would be looking online for a used dress on like StillWhite or somewhere like that. Another option would be to check out Azazie. They have lots of options for under $1,000. They do have the option to try before you buy, but the downside of course is that you could end up having to order multiple dresses therefore paying to try some on and still not like any of them. David's Bridal is another option as well.

Now of course you could probably find an up and coming photographer like the other poster mentioned, but I personally wouldn't want to because photos/videos are the only tangible item you will have left from your wedding so I personally wouldn't want to go with someone brand new/lacks experience. At least not for my wedding because those aren't photos that can just be retaken if messed up. Now that's not to say new photographers might not be good, but from personal experience I wouldn't recommend it. I used a newer photographer for family photos recently and it was a nightmare so that might be swaying my opinion on newer photographers.

As for a dj I would recommend reading reviews. My brother and his wife went with one that was a good price because they were trying to save money and he ended up being horrible. He messed up my brother's dance with our mom because he said he couldn't get the wifi to work so the song wouldn't play. He eventually got it working, but not before our mom was in tears thinking she wouldn't get her mom and son dance at his wedding. I would also look to see what their packages include. I know our dj had different packages that had add-ons that of course cost more so you might not need/want those add-ons in which case you could save money that way as well.

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much! This is very helpful, I totally forgot about the cost of alterations. Great tip on Sam's club, we definitely don't want to spend hundreds on a cake.

View Quoted Comment Thanks so much for the insights, it's really helpful!

Doesn't your venue contract include using their tables and chairs? I don't know of an event space that leaves this separate. Your tablecloths, place settings, flatware, and glassware should be under $2k then. I would borrow or reuse items like jewelry and with decor invest in that which causes the most impact. For me this would be lighting and fresh flowers, but you can go alternative and do non- floral centerpieces like lanterns or candles. I also think you can get a nice dress under $1k. Whatever you choose for attire becomes your wedding outfit so it can be whatever you want at any price. I don't even fit either of my dresses anymore and they sit pretty in a closet I bought special. 🙄 Drop off catering should be inexpensive and don't forget to add tips and alterations in your budget. Another way to save is waiting for your honeymoon until later in the year. Best wishes.

Also I would skip on the larger wedding parties as this saves you from buying so many thank you gifts in return.

That definitely helps in the availability of the rec room as your venue. Like it was advised, you have to check the actual prices in your area. Hair and makeup usually cost more than $300 due to having a person or group come to your location with additional insurance costs included. Photographers also will be involved in reviewing and enhancing pictures, so their time of work includes the extra hours offsite. Also, if you get items within budget, you still should have a buffer in your budget for unanticipated or extra costs. The costs could include tipping of people for good service.