Low Budget Tips

Be more minimal in decor! Don’t be afraid to ask to borrow stuff so that you won’t have to buy it aha. Skip favors.

View Quoted Comment Great ideas!

Negotiate! I was able to negotiate with all of my vendors (venue/caterer, DJ, and photographer). Also, check out Ann's Bridal Bargains for cheap and beautiful invitations. Think about the things that are most important to you and then go as minimal as possible in other areas.

View Quoted Comment Awesome ideas! I’ll for sure check them out!

Utilize dollar tree ( used flowers for bouquets), Amazon (used for table cloths), went to david bridal for my dress on the weekend of black Friday and saved over 50%, shoes get in a department store (Boscovs, Macys, etc)

Think of how the item can be repurposed after the wedding. Try to avoid things that will just sit in storage or get thrown away (I am making an exception with flowers).
Food wise: buffet is typically cheaper than plated. Personally, I’m going old school/traditional and having certain family/friends provide appetizer/party food (meatballs, tea sandwiches, fruit, cheese and crackers) as my wedding is at 2 and the reception is only until 6, so it avoids a meal time.
Are you open to non-traditional venue? Places that are labeled/advertised/geared as Wedding Venue are going to be outrageous. I’m having everything at a county park and it was super affordable compared to the wedding venue 10 minutes away. I will say that I’m responsible for setup but honestly I’d want to be over that anyway.
Bridesmaid dresses, check Azazie or other online shops, or even consider dresses that aren’t labeled bridesmaid dresses from Amazon or other shops. Originally I thought about just finding sundresses from JC Penny or somewhere, but my MOH is 8 hrs away, and all of them were willing to buy whatever dress I picked out and it was easier to find the perfect color on Azazie.
Speaking of bridesmaids, the less people in your wedding party the cheaper it will be. Less people = less flowers and less gifts and less food.
Definitely shop around for vendors and try to look for small businesses to support. I don’t know where you are exactly but hiring a photographer from my town (though there aren’t many) was so much more affordable than going with those that have been popping up in my Facebook feed of having photographers all over who can come. She was also more affordable than those based in the city an hour from me.

-keep guest size to a minimum to your comfort, the more guests the much more expensive it is
-try grocery shops for wedding cake! Giant Eagle Market District is doing our cakes! Also try for floral in their department!
-DIY if possible, I got old flowers from my cousins and bought more and arranged my mock up centerpiece for under 20 which would’ve been $55 each-Buy decor as you go, not all at once. Search for deals in Poshmark and Facebook Marketplace ir Mercari

Cut your cost by minimizing booze to wine and beer. Ask venue for upcharges - tax, service fees, extra cost like cutting cake, valet of cars, etc. before committing to contract and get in writing. I prioritize what’s important and what people will remember. I know some people won’t like this, but you don’t need signs telling people what to do - like sit either side,, turn cell off, guest book, etc. Have 2 appetizers instead of 3 and again ask things like if I have shrimp or chicken, is there a different price Have your reception on Friday there might be a discount. We’re having no photo booth, no special lights, etc

I’ve bought hearts at Dollar tree (valentine hearts), Facebook marketplace-a box for cards, vases at Kirklands super cheap on sale but dollar stores and second hand are great options, I got candles pillar incredibly cheap at IKEA but my venue also throws in a mirror, votives, etc.

I’m buying flowers for wedding party at Sams or Costco (borrowing from friend) and using rose petals as part of table decorations. My invites came from there. We did a STD postcard as postage is cheaper on postcard.

View Quoted Comment I know I am definitely checking out David’s Bridal!

View Quoted Comment These are such great ideas! I’m lucky and fortunate that I work for people who own a wedding venue so I’m getting it cheaper there. And it’s gorgeous! Thank you!

View Quoted Comment I’m a big DIYer. This should be no problem! Thank you!

View Quoted Comment I love how you mentioned the alcohol! My fiancé and I aren’t big drinkers anyways so we actually decided to cut out alcohol all together. Plus there’s some family/friends that go a little too overboard with it so we just aren’t having it. We have actually considered doing like a sparkling grape juice toast, and then just having water, lemonade, and maybe soft drinks. Thank you!

View Quoted Comment That’s awesome! Yes, find those connections.

Instead of getting our flowers done by a floral shop, we are buying flowers from a wholesale warehouse and putting them together ourselves! At one of the floral shops here in St Louis, my bouquet alone would have been $350. From the wholesale warehouse, our flowers IN TOTAL will be less than $200!!

View Quoted Comment Ok you'll love it!

You could get a “fake” wedding cake (that looks real) and have sheet cakes cut up in the back & ready to serve. And I’ve seen several posts where brides have ordered fake flowers on Amazon & put together their own bouquets.

The first thing to do is sit down with your fiance and make a list of the most important things to you at the wedding (say top 3 or 5) and focus on those. Whatever doesn't make the list, don't stress over or eliminate them entirely.


Look outside the box for venues. Eventective.com and Peerspace.com have venue ideas.

Have a midday reception with desserts only.
If a full meal is a must, ask your local favorite restaurant to cater. You know the food is good already and there's no pricehike for a wedding. Some offer staff to serve and others don't so look into hiring local college kids over asking family to serve.
Skip the alcohol.
Get a grocery store cake. Some of the best wedding cakes I've had came from the local grocery store. You don't need a fake display cake and they can often be as expensive as a regular stacked cake.
Keep your guestlist down to your nearest and dearest. Don't invite random plus ones.
Utilize Etsy. You can filter to only list North America vendors. Especially if the DIY gets too overwhelming.
Avoid anything labelled wedding. You want white lights? Stock up on Christmas lights which are under $1 for a box of 100 vs $20 for a box of 50 because they're for a wedding.
Price check everything. Not all "discount" ideas are cheaper in the end.

Skip favors and welcome bags.

Just remember less is more. Also check out local farms for fresh flowers the are a life saver

For catering we’re using a local grocery market that happens to do catering on the side. It’s like 1/3 of the price of all the other catering we’d looked at and the food was just as good at our tasting!