Freaking out about the budget

I don’t know what part of NC you are getting married, but I’m paying for my wedding alone and we are sticking around 8K. We’re having a small reception, but we’re having it at a restaurant which includes our food tables chairs silverware glass table cloths and the dance floor. It has really saved us a lot of money. If for a honeymoon we’re just gonna go to Hawaii since he can’t really go to many places right now. Flights to Hawaii from Charlotte Douglas Airport aren’t very high

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Be careful with all inclusive venues because food/beverage minimums alone can easily eat up your entire budget with not much left to cover the rest.

Be aware that asking for cash is seen as rude. Many people do not give cash gifts, nor do they contribute to paying for a honeymoon they feel is your financial responsibility.

Elopements have always been popular. The vow renewal reception is a new trend though.

View Quoted Comment I fully agree with Michelle as well as including her suggestion on using Fifty flowers.com. Also, if you consider a wedding for any day other than a Saturday and do brunch or lunch catering rather than dinner, you could cut food and venue pricing in half. Plus, you would not need full bar for an earlier wedding (just beer, wine, champagne/mimosas).

View Quoted Comment Hi Colleen!! I haven’t gotten married yet, but my venue actually has centerpieces i can use if I want. I don’t really like them but haven’t decided yet! I’m not doing fresh flowers for sure, I was thinking like battery operated candles and making my own lanterns like the picture below, it would be cheaper to make them vs paying for them at 30$ a pop. And maybe going to make my own table numbers. My mom/aunt are crafty and my fiancé said he would help make the lanterns! But if it gets too expensive I’ll just use the ones from my venue

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Also restaurant drop off catering for dinner is very filling, delicious and inexpensive. Blank slate venues give you so much more freedom when you are on a tight budget.

View Quoted Comment Thanks! I’ll look into that!

View Quoted Comment Hi Allison, those lanterns are beautiful!
I will need to ask my venue if they have centerpieces. I’m pretty sure they don’t but I haven’t actually been able to meet with them in person yet due to Covid. We have a special centerpiece being made for every other table ( to go along with our song) but we thought we might want little vases of flowers too for color.
Thanks !and good luck planning!

View Quoted Comment Elopements have been around, yes, but recently gained more popularity in the last year because of delays and minimal guest count. As for a cash fund, this is something else gaining traction. A lot of married/engaged couples now have been living together for some time and already own most things you’d place on a registry. Newlywed/Honeymoon/House funds are better than a toaster in most opinions from recent and soon-to-be brides!
I’d obviously suggest doing research on the inclusive venues, but they can help when a couple has a tight budget.

Hello! My FH and I are kind of dealing with the same situation. My father isn't helping out at ALL, which was expected. His parents are covering the rehersal dinner and I'm trying to ask them to let us just do a small cook out instead of this fancy place they have booked so we can use the money we would have used towards that for the rest of our expenses. Mom helped with the dress and veil. ANYWAYS, were also trying to buy a house and with tax returns, pay checks, and already saved money, we have enough to either put a down payment on the house or use it towards the wedding. ITS A HARD DECISION!! I've seriously cried over this time and time again until I thought about it this way: if we bought a house right now, we would be flooded with activation fees and all sorts of things, have a higher monthly payment from what we currently have, and it would probably be harder to save for the wedding! So we finally decided to go ahead and use what we have towards the wedding because after all, the wedding has a dead line, buying a house doesnt! I hope that helps a little, i know how stressful it is! Just remember, you're only going to do this once, do it the way you've always wanted to. Good luck!

View Quoted Comment I was thinking of this suggestion too Emily!! Their weddings are so beautiful!!! 💛💛💛

I agree with your future husband. A house should be more of a priority. You can still have a wedding, just do a small, simple and affordable one

View Quoted Comment DOLLAR STORE. .. except for the Adirondack chair, floating candle and the small votive candle. $7.00 total cost per table.

Hello !
I totally had these concerns when we first got engaged. I couldn’t come to terms with paying so much for one night.
Until we based it on would we want to later.. basically we thought would we want this experience soon, later on, or not at all.Our first response was we did but later on... and to be honest later on with a house bills, two car notes it would seem a little to difficult for us. So we did it ! Our wedding date is set foe October 2, 2021 after postponing our date 2x. With time the things we did want a house, a better vehicle things have seemed like they fell into place. We just didn’t want to stay with the what if we would have. Those things will come of course but in my opinión enjoyed this process and life stage.❤️

Since you're in NC have you looked at Hidden River Events? That's where we are getting married and their inclusive packages cover everything from food, DJ, photography, a place to get ready, flowers, etc. The price depends on how many people you are having and the day of the week of course. As an example, the intimate wedding package (under 25 people) for a Thursday is less than $5,000. You also get a planning website through them and a wedding coordinator. We are planning our wedding with them while living in Florida and they have been amazing!

Hi! You are totally fine for feeling the way you do. I’ve felt the same way at times. My parents are having to pay for two weddings this year and I haven’t been asked to keep my budget low, but it’s kind of an understood thing. However, it is hard to just ignore that and go all out like I’ve always wanted. I’ve found that my biggest money saver was minimizing the amount of guests I invite. We’re having 150, and my brother who’s getting married in April is having 100 and asking that nobody bring kids unless they’re babies. A difficult ask, yes but a money saver!

Definitely a tough place to be in.
Regardless of a couples financial standing, that budget conversation is always going to be difficult. A couple may make great money but one may really wanna save for a house or just save in general!
I do agree with the suggestions many others have offered: cut the guest list, make your own paper goods/invitations ($1-2 per suite) or go virtual, use faux flowers or none at all, go to Trader Joe’s and buy fresh flowers and make your own bouquet the night before. If I were you, and this is just a suggestion, I would do a small wedding with immediate family & best friends wedding with <15 people. No wedding party. Lots of places in Oahu offer a full package for this (rentals, bouquet just for you, chairs, tables)- most are cheaper Mon-Thurs by $1k. This would also cut down on the guest list and you can honeymoon in Hawaii. And it’s really intimidate and romantic. Just a thought. Otherwise, if you know someone with a beautiful backyard, that would really save on wedding venue cost.

I too live in NC and at the beginning I was totally bugging out. My fiancé wants to give me a wedding and wants to live the experience with me. We are funding the entire wedding ourselves. In order to save the money we may need, we are doing a 23 month engagement instead of a 13 month engagement as originally planned. That alone alleviated some of the stress. Albeit not all DIY is cheap, I am DIYing much of the wedding myself. We are also cutting corners wherever we possibly can. That includes having a small guest list. I hope what I and others before me have suggested helps.

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Oh my goodness that is a lot for only 25 people?!!!? My venue which includes almost everything is close to 30k for 300 guest. But that is a definitely another good route to have gone through. I am sure your wedding is going to be spectacular 🥰

Hey sis! There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make your special day perfect. You can always try and do some things on a budget.


Try looking locally and don’t search “wedding” when you search for vendors, or stuff for your wedding etc... it allegedly raises the price.
Moreover, hobby lobby is having a wedding items sale right now if that interests you! If you don’t have access to one currently, go online!
Avoid the term wedding, bridal, etc. use “event” “gathering” etc. For bridesmaid dresses, you can do Amazon cocktail dresses, super cute and fairly inexpensive!
There’s a wholesale dress retailer as well, it’s called: Fashiongo.net (a cheap way to get beautiful wedding dresses)
Moreover, search ‘event venues for X amount of people on a budget- in X (your local) area’ in google.
If you’re ordering a cake, buy cake topper separately, and get the cake made by a baker, without telling them it’s for a wedding. That should save you some wedding price!
Chic fil a catering is a pretty good way to cater to people if you’re on a budget. Those 100 chicken nugget trays are pretty good! But if you’re wanting something more fancy, you could have some family members make little finger sandwiches the day before.
Fairy lights, tool fabric, arches, fake out vines, Wood signs (you can buy at Walmart and get a paint pen to customize) sparklers, bubbles, mint candies, Amazon tokens like small wooden hearts, etc are all fairly inexpensive ways to decorate for your big day. I hope this helps

Dear Amanda, I wish you best of luck for your upcoming wedding. I am also planning my daughters wedding July 2021. The expenses are piling fast and high.. But for future reference to any of your friends, shop Pakistani Bridal dress boutiques. You will find hundred of custom made bridal gowns from any top brand on crazy affordable price and superb quality, since the US Dollar vs. Pakistani Rupee is a big difference. They deliver clothes internationally. And the prices are shockingly affordable..and the embroidered workmanship is amazing! Once again best of luck. Farah Jani.