Wedding budget

One way you may be able to find more affordable vendors is to search in Facebook groups for local weddings! Vendors are usually in those groups - some of them may be just starting out and therefore cheaper than someone who's been in industry for 10+ years. Put a post in those groups with your wedding date, specific service that you're looking for, and your budget for that service, and you should get replies from available vendors within your budget. Another thing to consider is checking with a local college for photo and film students that may be willing to photograph your wedding. Cost also highly depends on area and the experience level of the vendor.

When you discover a vendor, you have to request pricing information, then you have to remember taxes and services fees which can be over 20%, and you have to watch for and ask about hidden fees. My budget is $20k and the first two months were hard. I finally sort of got lucky. I highly recommend wedding expos where all the vendors gather under one roof. Some are pricy but some are cheaper.

Hi there! I too am trying to have a wedding for that budget, and as I was planning, it all adds up so so so fast. I have finally accepted the reality that to do this ive got to really sacrifice and prioritize. I’m having only 50 people, immediately family and a few close friends. And not getting anything I’d expected to. No photographer, no hair and makeup, and basically just paying for food, bar, venue: Going to go to Trader Joe’s for flowers if you have those. Making a playlist. Its been a real test of letting go, and focusing on what really matters which is, getting married and having a good time with the people I love.

You can find low budget vendors but you have to think outside the box. Not everyone is open to that because they are stuck on the idea that a wedding must include x, y and z at wedding markup prices.


A great place to look is thumbtack.com and Instagram vendors for your area, which are often not found on the premium “pay to play” Knot/WW lists. Another option is browsing Yelp and Google.
While some vendors and services must be hired as “wedding” to avoid your being shut down for breach of contract, some things can be rented and purchased at a much lower price. It’s a common belief that DIY and purchasing is always cheaper, but those same people do not factor time, labor and sanity at minimum wage per hour in addition to cost of supplies. Yes that tablecloth set on Amazon is cheaper than renting but it is not the same quality fabric and you spend hours pressing, transporting, setup and tear down, at minimum wage per hour that is included in the rental price. Plus, unless you regularly host dinner parties in your home of 50-100+, the nonexistent “savings” don’t pan out. On the flip side, you can buy $1 vases at Dollar Tree that you don’t have to get to the florist. Clear Christmas lights in a pack of 100 for $3 are a better deal than 30 lights for $15 at Michaels.
Grocery stores have floral departments that make bouquets and centerpieces. They also make tiered cakes and sheet cakes that taste better than regular wedding bakeries.
Most casual restaurants that you visit on a night out offer catering services, staff not included beyond setup. You know the quality of the food is outstanding already and you get twice as much food for a much lower price than a wedding caterer.
Flowers can also be purchased inexpensively at FiftyFlowers.com and they have tutorials if you want to DIY.
The local parks department in every city has a plethora of event buildings at a much lower rate than all inclusive venues, and they are not “more expensive” than all inclusive venues in the end as some people say. But the parks department venues (community centers, etc) have tables, chairs and a full kitchen.
Cut out anything that you don’t want or don’t care about. Some people say “keep it because it’s a must but go cheap”. No. Cut it out entirely. If something doesn’t work with your guests, don’t feel obligated to include it. For example, our guests don’t drink beer/wine/champagne and if we were to buy it, it would be wasted money. However they do prefer non alcoholic beverages and liquor. It ended up being much cheaper for us that way.

View Quoted Comment Excellent advice you just gave me a lot of ideas! Thank you, Michelle.