Being realistic about budget

You can get creative and save a lot. I'd say to splurge on venue and photography. Those two things are very expensive, but worth it. Everything else you can find cheaper options....buy a bridesmaid dress in white instead of a wedding dress, make your own cake, make a Spotify playlist instead of hire a DJ, find jewelry/veil on Etsy, etc. And don't feel obligated to spend $ on favors or do anything just because of tradition. If it doesn't excite you, don't do it.

^ by venue, I mean a friend's backyard, a park, etc.

I think initial sticker shock is pretty common! I don't even know how much time I spent having to show my family how much things cost so they could better understand my choices. 😁

I thought our $5k budget was pretty reasonable in the beginning, but after researching I quickly realized just hiring the quality of photography we want was going to eat away around half (or more) of that! Researching and wedding planning has definitely been eye opening. We’ve been creative and focused our money on the things that matter most to us and our guests- photography & catering mainly for us. We were set on location and date, so we’ve gone in some non-traditional directions and I’ve enjoyed making a lot of stuff for the wedding. FH would have been happy spending $30 on the marriage license and calling it good.

We started off at 15k and upped it to 17k now we’re thinking we’re gonna have to do 17,500🤦🏼‍♀️

This is why a budget needs to be built based on two things: how much money you have/can save before the wedding AND estimates of how much the services/components you want cost in your region.

Yes things can be expensive. Think outside the box and get creative so they don't have to.


By looking for vendors that aren't wedding-specific you can save money without losing quality.
Have a favorite restaurant cater and purchase your own beverages is usually less expensive than a wedding caterer who has "must-have for a wedding" extras at 10x the cost that they aren't willing to cut. Hire a staffing service to serve guests.
Cut favors and programs. Also cut anything not important to you.
Get a cake or dessert selection from a grocery store.
Flowers from Costco or fiftyflowers.com
Check out venues at Peerspace.com or Eventective.com
Check vendors from Thumbtack.com
Design your own invites/stationary at Canva.com and print at Staples or buy invites at Etsy as a bundle.
Get seasonal decorations at local Target. Clear Christmas lights in a box of 100 are roughly $1 compared to 20 *wedding* lights for $25 at Michael's.

I'm sure you already have a date in mind, but if you can be flexible, choosing certain dates can save a lot on venues. We are getting our venue for half price because we went with March instead of May and Sunday instead of Saturday. Also I second the use of fiftyflowers but also I'll add that Sam's club has a better selection than Costco if you want more specific flowers. Some of thier flowers are seasonal though so keep in mind what flowers are in season.

We intentionally picked a venue with a smaller max guest limit to force us to stay in budget, since limiting our guest list seemed to be the easiest and quickest way to cut down on costs. Sticker shock is definitely a real thing when wedding planning - and also, as soon as you mention the "wedding" buzzword, the price seems to go way up.


I suggest researching everything to find the absolute best price. Compare pricing on all the following sites for any item you're looking to buy: Etsy, Amazon, Ebay, craft stores, and a generic Google Shopping search. Doing non-floral centerpieces may help you save some money too. There are secondhand dress shops that have pre-owned dresses with the tags still on them, that are normally way cheaper than buying new. There are definitely ways to save money, though sometimes you have to be creative with it.

View Quoted Comment I was at 20,000 upping it too 22.000

I went in thinking we were going to spend about 20k .... now when I think about it that number makes me laugh. I didn’t have a budget in mind but as I called venues, florists and photographers It became apparent that the 20k that Id initially imagined was going to be spent was going to go to flowers, a dj, transportation and photography alone. But, you pay for what you want and hopefully when my day comes it will be what I want/paid for.

Also your budget depends on what the cost of living in your area is. A large metropolitan city will be more expensive by default than a small town. Vendor prices reflect that. So take advantage at the local forum here for specific vendors and pricing.

View Quoted Comment Very true. I saved a lot by doing a lot of online shopping for decor, going with vendors outside of the city and advice from the wonderful people here.

Oh absolutely! I am from a very small town and now live in a bigger city in comparison. I went in thinking that 5,000 would cover everything no problem because it probably would have back home. Now 3 months out I'm at about 15-16k for overall budget. Definitely definitely shop around! Get quotes from more than one location and always ask for discounts if you're in "off season". I saved a lot of money that way with my vendors! Good luck with all of your planning!

Yeah that’s really common. I remember my budget changed a couple of times when I realized that there were things I needed to buy or that things cost more than I expected

We set a minimal budget and are having our dream wedding / Familymoon at that Budget.


You have to decide what’s important and what isn’t.

You can have a weeding in your budget. YOU CAN HAVE A WEDDING IN YOUR BUDGET. Say it, believe it, get creative. If your budget is 5,000 it is 5,000 and your stick to it and get creative ! Don’t let the sticker prices fool you and of course the smaller the wedding the less money.

You could also do a simple cake and punch ceremony and reception in the backyard

I definitely planned on spending less then I actually have so far lol. There were some things I never thought of when originally budgeting and other things were more expensive then I thought it would be.

Lmao I thought I could have the wedding i wanted at $15k. I’m spending more like $25 for everything. Though the reception is only about $10k.