Extremely Tight Budget

You could find a free or low-cost venue. Have a local restaurant cater. Or combine the 2 and host the entire event at a restaurant (cheaper, convenient, and you could use their sound system in lieu of a DJ or musicians). You could use candles as centerpieces instead of flowers (cheaper and still creates a very beautiful, cozy ambience). You could see if a friend or family member would get ordained to marry you (make sure to check local laws). You could check with local photography schools or sites like thumbtack to find low cost photographers/videographers.

Some amazing venues (boutique restaurants, resorts, wineries) may offer you a “small wedding package” which may include an officiant, bridal flower bouquet, champagne toast, and ceremony + 1 hour for photography on their property at an incredible rate. That deal may only be available for a weekday but it could be worth it! Then you can treat your guests to a light reception at your house or perhaps breakfast or lunch at a nearby restaurant.


We considered this option. One gorgeous winery in Napa would have let us elope on their property for just $1K (amazing deal when winery venue fees there are typically $10K-$20K).

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That is great that the winery would provide that option. Too often the venues are an all ($10-$20k) or nothing (no marriage there) situation.

What style of venue are you expecting to get? The guest list is small enough where you might be able to do this wedding at a home. For other venues, consider parks or community centers. One couple had a reception (and ceremony?) in a coffee shop that normally was closed on Sundays.

View Quoted Comment Right?! It takes some negotiating to ask the right questions but to ask about “elopement/small wedding options” and any other cost-saving ideas opens that door. 😃

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Sure. like. what if we bring our own wine? Negotiating is not one of my strengths.

View Quoted Comment 😆 I don’t think they’d go for that one.
It took me several months of negotiating with the venue we did choose… by choosing a weekday night, off-season, we saved more than 50% on the site fees. Their menu pricing increased but they did honor the older & cheaper rate card I already had. And I asked for more things to be included in the contract so we didn’t need to rent extra stuff (chairs, tables, coat rack, etc). All those little fees add up.

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Glad I made a silly remark. Your response may help Victoria keep the cost down.

View Quoted Comment Me too, Michael! 😁

How tight is tight? Cake and coffee reception and call it a day at the local house of worship you belong to or someone pick up pre ordered Costco pizzas from the food court and the ceremony and reception at the parks department owned community center with no alcohol? Both of those are legitimate full receptions, even though people try to say that no wedding anywhere can be held on that small of a budget. Past generations did it and it’s still feasible today. You don’t have to limit your guest list to a courthouse elopement of just you and 1-2 legal witnesses. A DIY venue that has tables and chairs and allows you to use your own vendors will always be less expensive than an all inclusive venue that requires you to pay minimum 5-6 figures for food/beverages alone, not counting the costs of other required vendors they don’t let you negotiate.


Keep in mind that a popular online “hack” is to elope and have a reception the next day, next month or next year and that is completely false information. It didn’t save money during the height of Covid and it’s not a universal tradition in every social circle now. People don’t realize or consider that the elaborate reception they are planning for a later date is actually more expensive than going super simple and inexpensive on the same day as the ceremony with no gap, by serving dessert only and cut out all alcohol or get pizzas or regular catering from your favorite local restaurant.
Beyond that, cut out entirely what you don’t want or that is not practical for you. People think this means cut back and do a cheaper version but that’s not it. Cut it out completely because things add up. Some people choose to not do any social media trends created by celebrities who have no sense of reality and real life spending budgets. Examples are proposal boxes, destination bachelor/ette trips that require airfare and/or passports, 5-10+ attendants on each side, the couple paying for guest/attendant expenses that are guest responsibilities, extra desserts beyond basic well made cake that cost extra, and so on. Other things guests will not miss are favors and champagne. Fresh flowers are less expensive than faux, which are not environmentally friendly. A local grocery store florist can put together bouquets for you cheaper than a bouquet of silks that cost major dollars to look real rather than the 99c store version.

You could get married at a non-meal time, like 2 pm, and then serve small sandwiches and snacks along with coffee and tea. If you're planning to get married in a church, there may be a reception room you could use for a fee too.