Wedding on a Budget

Make a list of what is most important to you and skip the rest.

Make a list of who you can't imagine spending the day without so that is set in stone.

Look for venues on Peerspace.com
Have your favorite restaurant cater which will be less expensive than a wedding caterer.
Get a cake from a local grocery store.
Skip favors and programs.
DIY is not always cheaper because you have to factor your time and sanity. Take advantage of Etsy wedding vendors (set the search feature to US shops only).
Try on bridesmaid dresses in white if you don't have a specific vision.
Make sure you hire a day-of coordinator so family and friends don't have to work.
Rent as much as you can. Most people have no use for a dozen 60" table cloths or a hundred vases afterward so purchasing isn't always the best option.

View Quoted Comment That was so much information!! Thank you so much!! I wasn’t planning on a lot of DIY. Just the centerpieces which are mason jars (I have 5000 because my momma cans) with some pick lights.

Don’t be afraid to borrow things so you don’t have to buy them aha! I borrowed stuff from my friends and it definitely helped me save some money

For floral, I’d suggest fiftyflowers.com. Its is a whole sale floral site that mostly caters specifically to DIY weddings. Its amazing.

Anything with a theme can increase costs, particularly as there needs to be a lot of the theme going on in order to to pull it off well (imho a theme needs to be executed really well, or not bothered at all).

Re planning, I think to pull of a wedding on a tight budget, the most important thing is that you and FH sit down and discuss exactly what type of wedding you want, what you don't want, what you are willing to compromise on, and what things are non-negotiables for you. I.e. for me and my FH, food and alcohol is very important and we want to ensure our guests are not hungry, fed good food, and not paying for their own drinks. Other things such as favours we decided we really didn't need.

I would suggest:

- look at things in season for florals and food (i.e. see if your caterer/venue can offer foods that really utilise what is in season and cheaper)

- hire your dress, suits and attire of the wedding party instead of buying

- combine ceremony and reception in one venue (save on extra venue hire fees and transport)

- minimise wedding stationery and look at possibly making your own (I also recommend ProWeddingInvites - they worked out to be cheaper than if we made our own invites)

- see if your celebrant/officiant can also MC the event (to save on hiring 2 separate people)

- look at upcoming bands or artists for entertainment, they will be cheaper than others and might even be able to MC for you

Mostly you have some great ideas. For a reception I would do it earlier in the day and maybe serve some party trays of appetizers and cake or maybe do a pizza buffet which can be cute.

Maybe do some games in lieu of a DJ or create a spotify list to play music.

David's Bridal has some cheap dresses or I have heard of brides buying dresses off Amazon but check JJs House or Azazie.

Keep the guest list small of course. I would still consider bakeries as often they can be cheaper than some groceries. I can get a small two tier cake for around $100 while a popular grocery in my area would charge more than that for a 10 inch 1 tier. Walmart or Sam's Club have some really cheap options too for tiered cakes.

Check officiants in your area that also provide areas to get married.

Look for photographers have are of good quality but that charge cheaper pricing as some can be expensive but to me pictures last a lifetime so invest in a good photographer. I feel best to spend some good money here even over the venue

Look at parks as they can be very cheap.

Research budget weddings on Pinterest or Google for more ideas.

The quickest way to reduce your budget is to reduce your guest list. Reception catering is one of the biggest costs of a wedding, so fewer people = lower cost.

Probably not a popular opinion but the best way to have a wedding on a budget is to cut down your guest list there are great tis on how to save in other ways bu those were things that *I personally* didnt want to compromise on like my dress, photography and food. we cut our list from 80-100 (at least $15k in dc suburbs) down to 5 (max $6k). it was hard but then corona hit so it makes much more sense in the current social climate. Our date is 8/8/20 and we haven't had to think once about postponing.

I'd keep your guest list as small as possible. With all the uncertainty of covid, that's the best way to keep your sanity during wedding planning. It's also better for your wallet.

Sample sale for dresses (I got mine 90% off).

Fake flowers (we used Budget Bride).

No favors.

No photo booth.

Ask your friends for recommendations, you might get discounts.

Film students for videography.

Prioritize what is important, spend the money there, and don't worry about the rest.