Low budget wedding - Not sure how I’m going to make it work..

Have you looked into a fire hall or something along those lines for the venue? Also for photography check with student photographers they are much cheaper (at least what I've heard)

It's going to be hard that's for sure. I was in the same boat though and we did it (just under $6k, not including my dress, rings or anything like that)! Although our wedding is now cancelled. Depending on where you are... photography and videography is obviously expensive. That's what we spent most of our budget on, and he was also the cheapest I could find. $1.2K for 6 hours and an engagement shoot, good deal but not the BEST photographer. If you're doing a backyard thing, which is also something we considered, the costs will quickly add up from rentals, etc. Probably won't save you money. Best bet would be to look at like banquet halls, etc. Maybe somewhere weddings aren't typically hosted. If photo/video is most important, find your favorite and check out the prices and then go from there to see what you have left for other areas.

We’re date twins! 💍


Anyways. A budget of $5k is absolutely possible. Use the budget tool here on WW for an idea on what you can spend on each category, then run through and figure out what expenses you want and which ones aren’t important to you. Photography can be expensive, but having a backyard wedding can be cheaper if you’re doing it potluck style. Just remember to factor in costs like tents, tables, chairs, etc.
Pros/Cons of a backyard wedding:https://www.bridalguide.com/blogs/backyard-wedding-advice%3famp

Article for $5k budget tips:https://thoughtcatalog.com/chrystal-keating/2014/10/how-i-planned-a-gorgeous-wedding-for-less-than-5000/

Happy planning! 😊

Here are my thoughts for $5,000 as I can tell from experience depending on what you want you may pay a bit more. I personally would not do a pot luck wedding as it is a risk esp during COVID. Cheapest thing which is common these days to do party platters from Sam's Club or your local grocery. You can do that and easily feed 50-75 and keep that under $1,000. Also, check caterers but you can just pick up the food to serve. Pizza buffets can be nice too.

Backyard wedding is not bad but check venues in your area. I came across an airbnb that had an elopement special on Sundays but you might be able to even get a country club and do a brunch wedding.

If you do a backyard wedding do some research as those can be nice.

Splurge on at least photography as you want good photographers and photos of the day. Some photographers do packages with video. Do some research and see a price that works. To me I would say splurge on photo and good. Cakes you can do cheap, you can get a speaker for cheap at Costco and do a spotify playlist.

Cut out party favors and centerpieces as those won't be missed. Do beer and wine or if you were to do anything pot luck do BYOB but provide some beer and wine but people can bring their fave spirit. It will take being creative but $5,000 can work. My friend did it for 90 people in her clubhouse and people had fun.

View Quoted Comment Thank you for the suggestion! I’ve been looking around trying to find photographers just starting out that also have semi-decent work but it’s been hard to find someone who fits in those parameters.

I’ve also seen photographers on craigslist offer free or really discounted sessions just because they want to expand their portfolios

My sister-in-law got married in her backyard and it is a lot of work and just as expensive as a standard wedding venue because like you said you are now responsible for providing everything. I would definitely recommend looking at other forums that talk about backyard weddings. I can tell you if you are trying to save money I don't necessarily thing a backyard wedding is the way to do so. However, I think you will be hard-pressed to find a venue that will allow you to provide your own food that won't be prepared by professionals. There are tons of concerns with a pot luck wedding especially right now with the pandemic that most venues will not allow this. Also, finding a venue for 2021 is definitely going to be difficult at this point because of Covid as a lot of people have postponed their weddings until next year. Depending where you are located it also might not be possible to find a photographer and videographer that don't take over all or most of your budget.

Venue and catering are typically the most expensive parts of a wedding so if you aren't paying for either of those things, I don't see why you couldn't keep the costs under $5,000.

This goal: "I want it to be fun for everyone, special, magical" is the biggest variable. Not sure what you mean by each of those things, and they don't really seem to jive with potluck in my experience, but as long as you keep your expectations reasonable, this budget should be doable.

I agree with others about the potential big hidden expenses of a backyard-type wedding (tables, chairs, possibly tents and restrooms, sound & amplification, decor, etc.) and the health and safety concerns (even non-Covid) of a potluck. I encourage you to do a LOT of reading & research, so that you aren't caught off-guard by unexpected expenses and logistical issues. Look up some wedding budget calculators. The general rule of thumb is that the wedding reception (and everything associated with it -- food, beverage, furnishings, music, cake, invitations, decor, etc., etc.) typically costs 50-60% of the TOTAL budget. So with a budget of $5000, that means you'll need to cover everything related to the reception for $**** -- so you'll have $25-40 pp, depending on where your guests fall in the 50-75 person estimate. That will go quick, even if you can find inexpensive food (bbq or sandwich trays, etc. for ~$10+ pp) and only serve water/lemonade/iced tea ~$2?, you'll still need to rent tables & chairs, buy papergoods, etc. within that pp budget. And be sure you take into account tax, service charges and/or tips, delivery changes, etc. -- that stuff can quickly amount to 20% or more, so your $25 a person just got reduced to $20 a person.... I'm not trying to be discouraging, just trying to help you be realistic. If you can keep the reception costs to $2500, you'll have $2500 for everything else (e.g., yours and fiance's wedding attire, flowers, photography, officiant, ceremony expenses -- if it's at a different location, music, cake, etc.). There have been brides on this forum who have successfully done weddings for $5000, but it takes a lot of planning and research. If you need to cut expenses to make it work, the biggest help is reducing the guest list.... Before you commit to the backyard idea, you might also want to look into a local fire hall or community center or perhaps a space at a church or a park. Lots of times any rental cost will include things like tables & chairs, and perhaps even some decor. Some VFWs and other lodge-type venues even offer inexpensive in-house catering and bar. Another option might be to see if a local restaurant has a private room you could book. Sometimes they don't charge you for the room itself, just your food & beverage expenses. (We hosted daughter & SILs rehearsal dinner at a restaurant/brewery in their private room for 45 people for around $2000, including tax, tip, and open bar.) Good luck! You'll likely get lots of good feedback on this forum!

We are in a very similar position with me staying home with our two kids and FH pretty much our sole financial support. Our ideal budget was under $5k, 50-60 guests, and to make that extra difficult we were set on getting married in Breckenridge, CO.
I bought a sample dress marked down from $2500 to $200 that I love and FH bought a suit from JCP, our kids outfits came from Macy’s and amazon; we found a free ceremony venue that is a little known public park and chairs are costing us around $200 to rent; we have a Bluetooth speaker to play music at the ceremony; our caterer/venture package and photography are the biggest parts of our budget each coming in just over $2k. We decided on a breakfast reception (held at the golf clubhouse) because it’s cheaper and it’s meaningful to us as FH has worked nights since we met and our first date was breakfast. Most of the decor stuff I’m making myself, and I already had a lot of the supplies, but keep in mind project costs can add up even faster than just buying the stuff pre-made sometimes. I also found a flower shop that is willing to do just a bouquet and boutonnière for under $300 because I really wanted fresh flowers- totally an unnecessary splurge. To stay as close to our initial budget as possible, we have tried to eliminate things that aren’t a necessity like flowers for parents and the wedding party, multiple signs, programs, favors, etc. Some people even decide not to have a wedding party at all to keep costs lower. I’ve also tried to only buy things that we can reuse after the wedding or sell.
My biggest advice is to be creative and think outside the box. FH initially wanted to have Chipotle cater (before we decide breakfast), which was going to be around $1250 and we’d just have to have someone pick up the trays of food. One of our local Italian restaurants will do huge trays of different pasta, salad, and bread for pretty reasonable too. If you’re set on doing a potluck, that’ll help you stay in budget even more, but I’d keep in mind there will probably be people who won’t be comfortable coming and/or eating it. You can totally have a wedding under $5k, but you definitely have to decide what’s important to put your money toward and what’s not that you can cut. I don’t know that I would want to take in a backyard wedding because of all the rentals, and you’ll also want to have insurance just in case. Good luck!

Not sure if any of these ideas have mentioned yet, but for photography/videography you may have to choose just one. You can look for students who are looking to build their portfolio, or try finding someone on Thumbtack. For food, I think it's awesome that your family suggested potluck to help alleviate that expense, as long as you can't trust that everyone will take all precautions considering COVID. For a backyard wedding have you thought about doing a cake and punch reception instead of a dinner? You could always include light finger foods that you can get from Costco or Sams Club. This will also cut down on the amount of tables, chairs and linen to rent, since this is usually more like a cocktail hour. If you go with an actual wedding venue you will likely to have to meet their food and beverage minimum on top of the facility fee, and I know where I live 5,000 wouldn't be enough. So maybe look for some type of multi-purpose hall or community center. This way you can still do potluck as well.

Our wedding is coming in between $****. Now we are super lucky because we have have connections to our caterer (my FH boss owns the catering company), the DJs and cake bakery owners are family friends, and FH’s aunt is our florist and is making a good chunk of the decor. I found a dress I love for under $200. Our venue is in a county park. It isn’t fancy, but it will meet our needs. It can be done, you just have to think outside the box a little.

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Try the website Thumbtack for this. It's more "affordable" professionals, a lot of them great! We found our officiant there!

I will say, venue, catering, photographer, and dress is what bit into our budget the most. Our venue is a $2500 but we could have easily found a large venue for under $500. My suggestion is to look into places like the America Legion, Lions Club, and knights of Columbus. Depending on your area they are usually some of the cheaper options and provide tables, chairs, a kitchen, restrooms, and lighting. You can find a beautiful dress if you buy off the rack during sales, but keep in mind alterations can get pricey. I recommend not cutting out the DJ, they keep the party going and help make announcements. Find someone just getting started in the industry, they’ll be cheaper. Photographers can vary, you need to determine how long you want them there. It would be cheaper to just have someone there during the ceremony and for family and wedding party photos. Having getting ready photos, reception photos, and a second photographer add up quickly.

Go to a sample sale, if you want a "wedding dress". You can often get a high end dress for very little. I got a $2k dress for $200.

If you've got a local college, ask them if they have photography or film students who would like to earn some money and get some experience. You'd be surprised how skilled they can be!

Skip favors, no one needs them.

Fake flowers are often cheaper than real ones, and can be donated/kept/resold.

Good luck!

View Quoted Comment You still have more than enough time, I’m sure you’ll find someone!

My higher ticket items were venue (VRBO for around 2k) and photographer (2k for 4 hours). I'd definitely splurge on photography and then you can cut costs elsewhere. My dress was a white bridesmaid dress....$168 and then another $160 for alterations. You can get accessories on Etsy for a LOT cheaper than the bridal salons too.

Try to not stress too much over the details. What makes a wedding beautiful is how much the couple loves each other. I've been to some high-dollar weddings where the vibe was just off....the couple was so caught up in the details and seemed so tense about things not turning out perfect that they didn't seem to enjoy the day at all.

I honestly prefer the backyard weddings. They are so relaxed and enjoyable. Everyone can focus more on what matters

Consider getting a dress from lulus or boohoo (my second dress is only $25)

I’m actually serving cheap liquor lol consider doing wine and beer only (obviously non alcoholic drinks) but you can get a few bottles from dollar general or aldis for less than $10 a bottle (cheap wine will get you drunk lol) If you see a wine or sodas on sale grab & save

My bouquet will be made by me with fake flowers from dollar tree. You can also make your centerpieces with dollar tree supplies.
I would be cautious with potluck and how much help you’re enlisting. We’re gonna have our family making food but we did limit it to us, parents, siblings & 1 cousin. Most of the food will be prepared in our home. Also consider a themed dinner. Pasta is extremely cheap. You could easily get enough spaghetti to serve 50 people for like $5 from Walmart, then penne noodles for the same. Walmart’s pasta is $.82 a box.
Get a store brought cake. My cake is coming from Walmart & it’s 3tier and it comes nicely decorated all I have to do is get a cake topper. BJs also makes 2tiered cakes for less than $50
YouTube school - practice doing your own makeup & hair for months ahead, I’m probably gonna only pay for my lashes to be done.
Have a close friend get ordained for free, when u was looking people were charging $100-$300 to minister it.
You really should look at a venue. We were originally looking at doing a backyard reception but the rentals would amount to $2000. We could’ve gotten a venue for $800 & it came with chairs, tables & white table cloths & we could’ve had the ceremony at a church. (Decided against it because he wasn’t everything to be in the same place) churches usually require a donation. You could simply donate $20 (bonus you may get the women of the church who are willing to help out