How to Plan a Wedding on a Budget
Sources
TLDR
Summary
Chat with GigaBrain
What Redditors are SayingHow to Plan a Wedding on a Budget
Prioritize and Set a Budget
The first step in planning a budget-friendly wedding is to prioritize what matters most to you and your partner. Decide whether the number of guests or the type of event is more important 
[2:1]. Establishing clear priorities will help guide where to allocate funds and where to cut costs. It's also vital to set a realistic budget and stick to it, ensuring that the wedding doesn't control your finances [5:3].
Venue Selection
Choosing an affordable venue can significantly reduce costs. Consider non-traditional venues such as local museums, parks, libraries, or community halls, which may offer lower rental fees [1:1][4:4]. Some couples have successfully held weddings in their backyards, which eliminates venue costs entirely [1:10]. Additionally, consider off-season dates or less popular days of the week to further reduce expenses [4:5].
DIY Decorations and Affordable Alternatives
DIY decorations can add a personal touch without breaking the bank. Use materials like tulle for table runners and draping, or borrow plants from friends or nurseries for natural decor [1:9][1:11]. Fake flowers can be a cost-effective alternative to fresh florals, with many beautiful options available on platforms like Etsy [1:5].
Food and Drink Savings
Catering can be one of the largest expenses, so consider buffet-style meals from local restaurants or grocery stores instead of traditional catering services [1:7][4:4]. Opting for simple drink options like bottled beverages or having a friend bartend can also save money [1:1].
Guest List Management
Reducing the guest list is one of the most effective ways to cut costs, as it impacts venue size, food, and drink expenses [1:6]. Carefully evaluate who you want to invite and consider keeping the celebration intimate.
Additional Tips
- Utilize digital invitations to save on printing and postage costs [1:10].
- Avoid going into debt by cash-flowing expenses and considering unconventional approaches like a legal ceremony followed by a later celebration [5:1][5:2].
- Be wary of hidden costs at venues, such as minimum room bookings or surcharges for peak times [3:4][3:9].
By focusing on these strategies, you can plan a memorable wedding day that aligns with your financial goals.
Get Reddit opinions on Amazon.
Don't trust Amazon reviews? We've got you. Get Reddit's take on any Amazon item in just one click—simply add our extension to your browser.
Source Threads
POST SUMMARY • [1]Summarize
Looking for Budget-Friendly Wedding Tips! How Can I Plan My Dream Wedding Without Breaking the Bank?
Posted by Alternative_Scale716 · in r/partyplanning · 7 months ago
ORIGINAL POSTHi, everyone!
I’m in the process of planning my wedding for later this year, and I’m looking for some advice on how to make it a dream day without spending a fortune. There’s so much to consider, and the costs can really add up quickly!
What are some of your best tips for planning a wedding on a budget? I’m looking for ideas on:
- Affordable venue options – Any creative alternatives to the typical wedding venue?
- DIY decorations – How can I make my decor feel special without buying expensive items?
- Saving on food and drinks – Any budget-friendly catering ideas or ways to cut costs without compromising on quality?
- Invitations and stationery – Best ways to create beautiful wedding invites without the high price tag?
Also, if you’ve planned your wedding, what was your best money-saving hack? Whether it’s about decor, food, or even finding a great photographer for less, I’d love to hear your tips! 😊
Thanks so much for your help – I’m excited to hear your ideas and make this wedding amazing without breaking the bank!
At my 1st wedding in 2007, I rented a hall in a local museum for cheap. It came with tables, chairs, and a commercial grade kitchen/bar area. So i had someone bartend for me as a wedding gift and stuck to bottled drinks to keep it simple. We rented chafing dishes and ordered pizza, fried chicken and subs from local fast food places, and the bought salads in bulk from a grocery store. We rented a beautiful show cake for cake cutting photos, and then served sheet cake for dessert. We did a playlist instead of a DJ, and made all of the bouquets and centerpieces with fake flowers.
I love how creative and resourceful you were with your wedding planning! Renting a local museum hall sounds like a fantastic, affordable option, especially with the added bonus of having tables, chairs, and a commercial kitchen/bar area. The idea of having a friend bartend and sticking to bottled drinks is such a great way to save money while still keeping it simple and fun. Ordering pizza, fried chicken, and subs from local spots is a clever way to cut catering costs without sacrificing a delicious meal. Using a rented show cake for photos and serving sheet cake for dessert is such a smart and budget-friendly move too. Plus, making your own bouquets and centerpieces with fake flowers is a great way to create beautiful, long-lasting decor without the high cost of fresh flowers. The playlist instead of a DJ is another awesome idea to save money and still get great music! Thanks for sharing all these tips—so many great ideas for anyone looking to have a budget-friendly wedding!
Wow, this sounds like such a smart and creative way to keep things budget-friendly while still making your wedding special! Renting a museum hall is such a unique idea, and I love how you made everything work so efficiently—like having someone bartend as a gift and sticking to bottled drinks. Ordering from local spots for food is such a great idea, and I bet it helped keep the vibe relaxed and casual too. The rented show cake for photos and serving sheet cake for dessert is such a clever way to cut costs but still have that wedding feel. And using fake flowers for the bouquets and centerpieces—brilliant! Definitely some awesome money-saving hacks here, thanks for sharing!
My biggest tip is to figure out a few things that are most important to you and focus your money (and energy) on doing those well. For the things you don't care about, do the minimum or don't do it at all. The book A Practical Wedding by Meg Keene was really helpful to me in thinking this through.
But anyway, actual specific tips: food can be one of the most expensive items, and I saved a lot by getting a restaurant to set up a buffet-style meal instead of getting a package from a wedding caterer and doing plated meals. Florals can also be expensive so I just... didn't. My centerpieces were paper lanterns, my bouquet was fake and mostly made of sola wood flowers.
I love your approach—focusing on what's most important to you and cutting back on the rest is such a smart strategy! It helps keep the day meaningful without breaking the bank. The tip about food is spot on—buffet-style meals from a restaurant can definitely save a lot compared to traditional catering, and it keeps things relaxed and flexible for guests. As for florals, I think your choice to skip them and go for paper lanterns and a sola wood bouquet is such a creative and affordable alternative, plus it gives your wedding a unique touch. Thanks for sharing these tips! Definitely something I’ll keep in mind for my own planning.
I did fake flowers for my wedding and everything - centerpieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, flower girl baskets - came out to like $600-$800 (this was 11 years ago though). But I found someone on Etsy who made all the arrangements for me (except centerpieces, we did those on our own) and they were gorgeous.
Depending on where you're located, there might be some cool event venues that come pretty bare bones but have a neat industrial look that you don't need to add much to (I'm in Tacoma, WA for example and there are a lot of venues like that here).
The easiest way to decrease your wedding spend is to decrease your headcount. Larger venues are more expensive and food and beverage is usually a per person cost.
You can definitely save on invitations by going digital. The last several weddings we've been invited to have either been entirely digital or have had just a one-piece invitation rather than a whole suite (think invitation, inner and outer envelopes, other detail cards, response card, etc.). It's easy to do digital invites nowadays with things like Zola and other wedding sites.
Saving on F&B can be tough if you also want to balance feeding your guests a good meal! Have you considered having your wedding at a different time of day, like brunch? That's typically cheaper food, and you can get away with having a beer/wine/mimosa bar, perhaps with a signature cocktail like a bloody mary. People LOVE brunch. A morning wedding will also be cheaper almost everywhere you go.
These are all such fantastic tips! I love how you made fake flowers work so well—getting everything made on Etsy sounds like a perfect way to get a personalized, beautiful look without breaking the bank. And I totally agree about the industrial venue idea. Finding a place with a cool vibe that doesn't require much additional decor is such a great way to save!
Decreasing the guest list is definitely one of the easiest ways to cut costs. Smaller venues and fewer people mean a big savings on food, drinks, and overall expenses. And digital invitations are such a smart move, especially with platforms like Zola that make it so easy to customize and send out invites for a fraction of the cost.
The brunch wedding idea is brilliant! Brunch food is typically more affordable, and it has that fun, relaxed vibe. Plus, a mimosa or bloody mary bar is such a crowd-pleaser. A morning wedding also offers the bonus of being less expensive at most venues. Thanks so much for sharing these tips—I'm definitely going to keep them in mind as I plan my own wedding! 😊
I got married in my parents backyard, which was free. Evites are free or at least cheaper than paper invites, easier to keep organized, less wasteful, less time consuming, etc. so definitely recommend that. Also don't add shit that other people want. Do only what you want to do. If you don't care about inviting XYZ person then don't do it! Food and photos are where I wouldn't cheap out on but consider how you picture the event in your mind and go from there, like do you want servers going around with trays, a full sit down meal, buffet style, etc. The ebb and flow of the event in your mind can help narrow down the type of food you want to serve.
Your wedding sounds like it was a perfect example of keeping things personal and budget-friendly! Having it in your parents' backyard is such a beautiful and meaningful choice, and it cuts out a huge cost right off the bat. I completely agree with your point about Evites—they're not only eco-friendly and convenient but also so much easier to track, and they can still look beautiful and personalized.
Also, the advice about not letting others influence your choices is spot on! It's your day, so only focus on what truly matters to you. If you don’t want to invite certain people or do certain things, don’t feel pressured into it.
I love your approach to food and photos—those are definitely areas where spending a little more can make a big impact. Your advice to think about how you envision the event in your mind is a great way to guide the kind of food setup that works best, whether it’s a buffet or a full sit-down meal. Thanks for sharing your perspective—your tips are super helpful for anyone planning a wedding on a budget!
I don't know if you can do this, but do you have a friend that gardens? Or maybe you can talk to a nursery about renting plants? I was lucky that we had a friend who owned a nursery and let us borrow day lilies and other flowering plants to fill my reception space. We wrapped them in tulle. Tulle is also your friend. Buy in bolts for table runners and draping.
Yes, that's a fantastic idea! Borrowing plants from a friend who gardens or renting them from a nursery can be a great way to add natural beauty to your wedding decor without the high cost of buying flowers. Wrapping them in tulle is a great touch for an elegant look, and tulle really is your friend—it's so versatile and affordable for creating table runners, draping, and other DIY decor elements. Such creative, budget-friendly tips!
Thank you. I did a non alcohol wedding back in the 90s for $3000.00, including my dress and his tux.
r/wedding • [2]Summarize
Advice and a Rant from a Bride in the Planning Process
Posted by Crafty_Course7598 · in r/wedding · 5 months agoI (26f) got engaged about six weeks ago to my fiancé (25m), and while I’m thrilled to be marrying him, the wedding planning process is already wearing me down. I’ve dreamed about my wedding since I was a kid and thought we could pull it off with a budget under $20k—just enough for the essentials and a bit of flair. But I’m quickly learning that doesn’t even cover the basics.
I expected some stress, but I’m overwhelmed. I’ve looked at over 100 venues online, and the lack of pricing transparency is infuriating. Most don’t list fees for the venue, catering, or bar services. When I finally reach out, I’m met with long email chains or demands to schedule calls before they’ll share even basic pricing info. Many want to hear our “story” and “vision” before providing a quote—but how can I give you details like exact dates or meal types when I don’t know what you offer or what it costs?
It feels shady. The more back-and-forth there is, the less I trust them. Many ask for our budget up front, which feels like they’re trying to price to our max. I now have multiple spreadsheets, and the fun is getting lost. I’m pretty sad that most of my enjoyment has been drained away so quickly. I love planning and I was really excited.
I’d appreciate advice on how to navigate vendors and keep planning fun.
Also—how do I bring up money with my future mother-in-law? She’s very sweet and always been good to me. She has hinted a few times that she’d like to “help,” and my fiancé seems sure she’ll contribute financially. But I don’t know how much, and I’ve been asking him to talk to her. He seems to be putting it off, and I don’t think he sees how important it is to have a clear number while we’re trying to make decisions.
First question I have is, is your fiance doing anything with you? Because it's not just your responsibility.
Some things about wedding planning aren't joyful, but it should be fun. Learning about the hidden costs etc is annoying though. Google a list of costs and potential hidden costs, do a format of an email and send it to vendors by copy and paste. I find it saves time. Also do not tell them your actual budget. You need to have a budget for emergencies. If you have a budget of 20k, I'd tell them 15k.
Your fiance should be the one to ask your MIL, whether she wants to contribute to the wedding; he should also establish, that if she wishes to contribute, it doesn't give her a right to plan anything.
"Because it's not just your responsibility.
" .. Remember: SHE wants this He likely is just tolerating it for her sake.
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic, so I'm gonna assume you're not, correct me if I'm wrong.
If someone proposes without discussing a wedding first, they're an idiot; so again, I'm going to assume that he, like every adult should, knows what he agreed to when asking her to marry him.
So tired of the narrative, that only women want weddings and men are just in it for a ride. You're signing up for a wedding and wedding planning when you propos;both parties. Unless neither of you want a wedding.
It's his responsibility, just as it is hers.
When I was looking for vendors I used The Knot mostly. It sent a very generic email to so many vendors at once. I was easily able to navigate through them thanks to this.
Also you don’t ask your future mother in law for money. That is your fiancés responsibility as that is his mom.
You need to decide one detail first.
Is the number of guests the most important to you, or the type of event? Because that will decide your budget.
I’ve done small (40 people) incredibly elegant events that included everything and I’ve done champagne brunches with for 200 for basically the same cost. Both were lovely, both were what the couple wanted.
But unless you have an unlimited budget, that’s the first and most important question to ask yourself when creating your budget. Then you decide on importance of each component - are flowers more important than a videographer? Is an open bar more important than a 4 course, sit down meal? Etc.
Do not budget based on assuming you will receive money from others. Whether that’s parents, or guests as gifts. If parents wish to contribute, that info should be confirmed by the child of those parents (in this case, your fiancé. This is part of his job in the wedding planning). And it should be firm, and not contingent on parents having control over the guest list, venue or menu. It just causes arguments and friction later. The best method is to decide on venue, type of event & party size and budget what you can afford. Then, if parents wish to contribute, you upgrade components appropriately. So they contribute $x? Add a midnight snack/dessert table to the dinner or upgrade carnations to roses.
As for getting prices out of vendors, it’s a lot easier if you do have part of a “vision”. If you can tell them you want a brunch for 100 or a sit down 4 course for 50, you’ll find they are much more forthcoming with prices based on those options. When it’s a full service venue, they really can be offering events from $30 to $500 per person, but aren’t going to tell you that since a lot of couples hear that and think they can get the sit down dinner for $30 a head somehow.
100% all of this.
Every venue want to know the dates even work for them before they will go into detail for you. They'll make you seem like the most important person in the world but OP if theyre popular they don't "need" you.
Make a draft email to copy and paste to each. Confirm estimated guest number, estimated date (bare minimum month and year as each of these massively impacts cost) and then budget (give 50% of what you actually can forsee yourself affording.
Do not rely on outside funding from mil etc... if they give anything that's a bonus to improve something you already booked. But if they give less than expected and you're relying on it you then have to find that money from somewhere.
Can you just expect nothing from MIL and work your budget accordingly till your husband talks to her? Then maybe you can upgrade something from your list? Because I don't think you should bring up money with your MIL. It should be done by her son. Let him know that it's important and get a deadline or similar from him about when he'll confirm it.
This is what we did. Budgeted to pay for everything ourselves. Later in the process we graciously accepted his parents’ contribution - didn’t have to pull as much from savings, and it let us book a videographer.
I recommend giving them a much lower budget than you plan to spend for that portion of your wedding, most of them are gonna up the cost from your budget anyways so you’ll at least get smth around your range that way 🤷♀️
r/weddings • [3]Summarize
Stressed about the wedding and need advice
Posted by T_trouble · in r/weddings · 1 month agoHi! First time poster here :)) So me and my partner got engaded not too long ago and started planning already as we know what we want. The thing is we plan to get married in 3 years (due to the finances) and even though we have time I'm starting to get very stressed about the whole thing. I'm scared I'll forget about something or something will go wrong. So could you share advice regarding weddings? How did you prepare ? How to look for wedding halls? What to look for when renting wedding halls (hidden costs, decorations) ? What suprised you during this process? Any advice will be greatly appreciated :))
You will forget something. Something will go wrong. Life's like that, but it all works out in the end. Enjoy the planning. Don't let it consume you. Focus on the marriage, the relationship not the wedding.
Thank you ! That is so real haha
But yes, you're right a wedding is just a party to celebrate our love and the most important thing is our relationship :))
You don't know your wedding date until you know where the reception will be, so do that first.
So many venues are so expensive. But the most fun wedding I went to was a park pavilion ceremony and a fire hall reception. I called all places like that, and we booked at an AMVETS (similar to a VFW). It wasn't a beautiful room but we could afford it. We hired a great caterer, photographer and DJ.
My husband and I each spent $300-400 on our attire. Wedding dresses often start at $1000 and they make you feel cheap for thinking that's a lot of money. I bought a white dress at Nordstrom for $200 then accessorized. He bought a blue tuxedo.
The most important thing is the partner. If you two are solid, every detail of the wedding is jist background. Congratulations.
Thank you :)) And yes, you're right the most important thing is the partner, me and my fiance already talked about some ideas that we have and we both agreed not to spend too much money, unfortunately we both have big families haha But other then a long guest list we plan to cut costs, so we will look into cheaper wedding halls/places. Good thing is I already have a dress that I plan to wear and I'll buy a second hand veil or do no veil at all as they're expensive and my fiance also have a suit already
Couple of tips (I’m UK based so might not apply everywhere):
Check for minimum room bookings if the venue has rooms/operates as a hotel. Some wedding exclusive venues we looked at wanted 2/3rds of the rooms booked the night of the wedding, and I have attended weddings where the bridal party actively tried to rally numbers (if the minimum booking can’t be met, the couple have to pay the difference. It can add a couple of grand to the bill).
Check and calc menu options that come with add-on fees. Lots of places have a standard per-person food fee, but supplement charges if you upgrade to a fancier evening buffet or more expensive options e.g. steak.
Ask if there is a ceremony fee for having the wedding on the premises rather than at a church or separate place beforehand.
Ask if there is a toastmaster/operations fee for a main person managing the day.
Corkage fees if you want to bring your own drinks.
If it’s external catering, check if they have fixed external suppliers and get quotes from them before you commit to anything.
Apologies, this is a long list - most places I went to were quite upfront on these things, but it’s good to know!
Final thing - surcharges on peak days/times of year. A genuine thing at several venues I visited (+£2k in May for example)
Oh don't apologize ! That's very helpfull I actually didn't know that the price can change due to the time of the year, I'll have to look into that.
Thank you :))
If your wedding was in May of 26, you would only have 9 months of stress and 27 more months of marriage. Please read about stress and what it does to people who undergo long periods of it! Don't wreck havoc on your health (mental and physical) for three years just to enjoy one day! Please, look at stress. Congratulations and Best Wishes!
Thank you for reminding me what stress can do !
I'll make sure to keep it under control and if it's becoming too much I'll talk and ask for help my family :))
Thank You! God Bless you both! I hope you follow up in three years! I am extremely interested in what a wedding that took three years to get ready for looks like, it should be amazing!
My wedding was set up and over with inside of 5 weeks! We had been together for 3: years and I knew she wanted to marry me and my only reservation was Her family, talk about DRAMA QUEENS! The planning would have started WW3&4. So I finally came up with the plan... I went with a buddy to Reno Nevada and booked a chapel and Minister. I also bought her wedding band, and the world's ugliest ring (gaudy gold skull with flashing red lights in it's eye sockets). I left both rings at the chapel so I wouldn't have to worry about them. When we got back home I informed my Brother and Mother of my plan. We took a family trip to San Diego and Los Angeles to see all the sights, on the way down I surprisingly found (wink) the White Convertible she had been dreaming of and got it for her (Bridal gift). On the way back we decided last minute to go have a night's fun in Reno! My mom took our daughter and she and I got dressed and went out. Once outside of Circus Circus I spotted a bar and we stopped for a couple of drinks (my buddy called letting me know they needed 20 more minutes) and I lost $100 on the dollar slots. So we decided to keep on going. Just as we approached the chapel I stopped and said "I got a crazy Idea, this has been a Great Trip, why don't we end it by getting married and then we can go home and freak everybody out! She looked me dead in the eye and asked "Are you drunk? How much have you been drinking? Did you do shots when I went to the bathroom?" Laughing I replied "No, but we are here and you do want to get married right? We aren't going anywhere without each other so why not?" She hesitated for a quarter second then started crying and said "Okay, Yes!" So I kissed her and we entered the chapel. I had purchased the ugly ring so they would know who we were when I asked for a "loaner ring" to use for the ceremony. The lady at the desk looked up at me and I asked do you have a "loaner ring?" She looked at me completely baffled (I had called when my gal went to the bathroom only 20 minutes before) "I have never heard of a Loaner ring in my life!" She was clueless! I looked around and couldn't see the manager anywhere. Look I was told that chapels here have EVERYTHING needed if someone decides to get married. I'm sure you have something we can use to get married, just loan us a ring, that's what I mean by Loaner RING!" I was really loud on the last word. Just as the lady was about to say something angry at me the Manager appeared out of nowhere and stopped her with a state that would make a Bull Moose run! " Go Alice, we will talk about this later! And by go I mean home! " He turned to me face radish red from embarrassment and asked " how many I help you? " From that point on everything went smoothly. When we got downstairs to the Chapel area we stood in the doorway and a preacher was standing at the front of about 80 people who had their backs to us. My soon to be wife kept asking questions. Then suddenly she asked me " Wait! Where are the bride and groom?" Everyone lost it and started laughing! They all turned around and she saw that everyone she cared about was here for her wedding! It was perfect! I omitted quite a lot but it's too long as it is!!!
P S. The manager was late because one of my buddies girlfriend had drunkenly stumbled down the stairs! LoL she bloodied her nose but was okay!
Keep in mind that you have a vision in your head that no one else shares. If your vision doesn’t come to fruition, no one will be the wiser except you.
ie I wanted carnation pink flowers at my wedding. They showed up an almost purple mauve. No one had a clue but me. Don’t stress over stuff like that. It’ll all be fine and people will be none the wiser.
Thank you!
That is really helpfull :))
r/budgetweddings • [4]Summarize
What worked for you?
Posted by Prestigious-Fig7261 · in r/budgetweddings · 6 months agoMy fiancée and I are getting married in 3.5 months, in Fort Worth, Texas. Her parents are generously providing a little over $20,000 (USD) to help with the wedding; mine are not able to provide anything. We have some savings that we would prefer not to dip into. We're quickly realizing how expensive weddings can get, and she is beginning to think that we will not be able to afford a wedding with the amount we've been given (our guest list will be at least 250). I don't have any experience with wedding planning or budgeting, but surely we can pull something off with less than $20k, right? Many of the options we've looked at have been consistently more expensive (sometimes by orders of magnitude) than I had anticipated, so I definitely see where she's coming from. But there are ways to cut costs like getting married on a weekday, finding cheap catering or not providing a meal, or sourcing flowers from somewhere that won't add a "wedding tax."
What have y'all found to be cost-effective? Would appreciate your advice and recommendations for venues/resources/vendors/etc.
That guest count alone is going to be crazy expensive… i would absolutely start at evaluating who is invited. I just had my wedding in Raleigh, NC on an off season Friday w 85 people for around $24k. Food and drink alone were $110pp. I’d say most big cities float between $70-120pp for food and bev.
Some of the biggest corners we cut were going without (the expected “wedding stuff”) and also finding budget friendly photographer (6 hours for $1750) and DJ (5 hours for $1500). You have to be ok with less when going budget friendly- less time, less experience, etc. We also were no frills on the decorating— we found a local flower farmer that sold seasonal flower buckets so we put together bud vases (saved pasta jars for a year) and that was about it decoration wise outside of tablecloths and the minimal tableware. We know several people who have used Costco flowers that also turned out great for the price. Weekdays and off season are good for lesser venue bills bc the “public park” option doesn’t always end up cheaper or easy for anyone involved. Evaluate what is important to you and how much you are willing/can spend and that will help you identify what your budget for your day looks like. It’s a special day but nothing to bankrupt yourself over.
Finding these price cut options takes time and research. This group can be helpful but also join your local wedding facebook groups and see what other people have done/offered deals from vendors that exist out there. There are TONS of people in the wedding world who don’t exist on Google and those community groups are a good way to find them. Good luck!
Telling you right now that odd days, unpleasant food and weird hours does not appeal to guests. Cold brunch on a Thursday morning is not worth my PTO.
Cut that guests list, go outside the metro area, stick to your basics and only your must haves, avoid cheap and time consuming DIY just to say you did a thing. And consider pushing the date to save more - a few months of plasma donations can pay for your flowers, a weekend hustle can take you from a playlist to a DJ or a band.
Look for alternative caterers. Local delies , small caterers, local grocery stores and then do a buffet. It takes the price down thousands. You will need to find a place consider library, museum, parks (often have building).
Echoing what many have said here that for 250 guests, 20K may not cut it. Have you considered a change in season? Some autumn/winter weddings are just as beautiful and cosy and much less of a budget concern.
Truthfully you’ll need to make sacrifices somewhere— it’s really important for you and your fiancée to sit down and talk through your priorities. Identifying your must-haves early on will make the planning process much smoother, because you’ll be clearer on where you’re willing to cut costs and where you want to splurge.
You might consider:
What’s your absolute minimum guest list versus your ideal guest list?
How big do you want your wedding party to be (if you want one at all)?
What matters more to you: great food or a stunning venue?
How far away are you willing to have your venue? Sometimes getting away from town can lower costs.
How much DIY are you realistically willing (and able) to take on?
If you had to choose, would you rather invest in amazing outfits or beautiful decor?
What’s the one element of your wedding you're not willing to sacrifice?
For us, that non-negotiable was the location. We fell in love with our venue, even though it limited our guest list and meant some travel for our friends and family. But it felt worth it because it was something we both cared deeply about. Oddly the most helpful thing for us was hiring a wedding planner. She had good connections and was able to negotiate pricing for us, for example she knew a florist well and saved on fresh flowers by coordinating her to use the same type of flowers as another wedding happening that week. So the florist did more bulk work and gave us a slight discount. We also found a venue that had a "something borrowed" barn with leftover decor from past weddings. It all looked useless to me but our planner was able to create beautiful centerpieces out of the things she found. I didn't care about a fancy dress so we found a local seamstress to make my dress, it was only $800 and beautifully handmade.
Having these conversations early can really help you stay grounded when the Pinterest boards and opinions start flying. You just have to be intentional about what matters most to you. That being said we spent $15,000 for a 50 person wedding so our smaller guest list went a long way.
r/DaveRamsey • [5]Summarize
How to make a monthly budget plan when you are planning a wedding and don't know how much things cost
Posted by dirTladymj · in r/DaveRamsey · 5 years agoMy fiance and I are getting married in April and we are spent $12k on the wedding. Estimated cost will be around $15k (not including the honeymoon expenses). I have an estimated amount for everything left on our list, lately I've been under estimated so its been difficult. I have my bachelorette party next month (which I'll probably end up paying for) and my alterations at the end of the month ($300-$400).
r/weddingsunder10k
Cashflow as much as possible. Don't go into debt.
Thanks
You need to have a predetermined budget for your wedding. You control your wedding, it doesn't control you. Things are going to cost an infinite amount as long as you're willing to spend infinitely.
Yea that’s what I meant btw lol do a ceremony later on.
Go to the courthouse, save yourself 30 grand.
Being married and not going further into debt really are two big factors in the financial peace process for a couple. This advice may seem too practical, but it may be worth considering a “legal” marriage for now in order to merge debts and assets. Then you could cash flow the ceremony and honeymoon and do it when you are financially ready. It’s a little unconventional to the traditional American wedding but folks these days would respect it given the massive amount of student loan debt newlyweds carry these days. May God bless this important stage in your lives!
Wow...
r/AskReddit • [6]Summarize
What are some money saving tips for planning a wedding?
Posted by how-isthisnottaken · in r/AskReddit · 4 years agoinvite people that Really matter to you, not everyone you ever met just because your mother says so and because "theyre family". its your day, not theirs. crowds are expensive.
Just pay a judge to sign your paperwork. $150 wedding. Never regretted it.
This right here. If the paper means that much to you to prove you love some one
It’s a stupid party for family I don’t like. Used the savings to get furniture, including a paid-for massage chair.
Go to City Hall. You’ll be just as married for a lot less money.
Invite only the people you want to be there.
Shop around for the venue, and try to be as flexible as possible. This is where you're likely to spend the bulk of your money. My wife and I were lucky, and we found a community center that had a large room upstairs (we used for the ceremony), and a ballroom downstairs (for the reception). It was also located right near a public park, so there were lots of good options for photos.
Don't hire a dj. It's 2021. We got married in 2015, and used a laptop playing a Grooveshark playlist. I had fun coming up with the playlist, and all I had to do was hook into the in-house PA system, and push play and pause a few times.
Do hire a photographer. Good photos are actually hard. Even if you have a friend who takes photos as a side gig, make sure they are really talented. If so, pay them well. This is the one thing you're going to want to have paid premium for.
If you have baking skills, bake your own fucking cake. Wedding cakes are suuuuper expensive. Flour, and sugar are not.
Get food that people actually like. We ordered a shitton of pizzas, and had tons of wine, and beer. You don't need a professional catering company that is going to run you lots of $ per head. Everyone was happy. We did have a few specialty items for people with dietary restrictions.
You don't need a large wedding. We went for 50 people. It was in our budget, and we wanted to splurge a bit, since why else be frugal if not to reward yourself with memorable moments? There's a pandemic on now. Have a small wedding. Closest friends, and family only.
All said and done, our wedding + honeymoon came in under $6k.
r/UKweddings • [7]Summarize
Budget Wedding
Posted by Responsible_Mess2858 · in r/UKweddings · 5 months agoHow are we affording to get married?!
My partner and I will be funding the wedding ourselves. We both earn reasonable salaries for young professionals (we’re 26) but with also trying to get on the property ladder the thought of spending £15k+ on one day seems unreasonable.
We’re happy for a ‘low-key’/more causal wedding (e.g we’ve already decided we will forgo a seated meal for something like a bbq), but equally we still want a ‘nice’ wedding as we’ll only get married once.
The main barrier seems to be the venue, which seems to start at 6k or the cheaper options (e.g village halls etc) don’t allow you time to set up/pack away or don’t the have facilities (such as kitchens). A couple of people have suggested hiring a field and marquee but we’re cautious of UK weather and not many places rent just a field!
My question are-
- What is reasonable to spend on a uk wedding?
- How did you save money/cut costs?
- Where should you avoid cutting costs and just suck it up and pay?
For reference we’re based in the south-west (wilts). We plan on a church ceremony (which is a set price) then reception after. Hopefully May next year
I would say don’t scrimp on the photographer, but equally don’t bother with a videographer. Realistically how often do you watch home videos, a wedding vid is no different really.
Table favours aren’t a necessity. Folk won’t remember if you have them or not.
We did everything in one venue, ceremony and reception, so avoided the need for wedding cars and any other transport.
I wouldn’t recommend cheaping out on the food. People will remember that! However we forgot to provide wine on the tables and no one complained!
DIY what decor you can. We did our own table centre pieces from mirrored plates, empty spirit bottles, and fairy lights. It was ever so effective.
In reality you have time to pay for the big things. Deposits will be required, then final payments closer to the date. We found paying things that way surprisingly manageable. We were lucky that we had some contributions from both sets of parents, but we paid for more than half ourselves.
Our final tally, for everything including dress/suit/rings, was about £12k. This was in 2020. We are also south of England (Hampshire) so a fairly high cost area.
We didn't provide wine for the tables at our wedding. We felt that we were spending enough providing our day guests with a welcome drink and toast drink, plus not everyone drinks wine anyway. Definitely make as much decoration as possible. I work in a high school, so I got some of my students to help me make fabric bunting and my husband sewed the pieces at home with a sewing machine. Favours are definitely not a necessity, but we really wanted them. We gave people a personalised keyring bottle opener, which I still see lots of my guests using. My husband really wanted to bake some sweet treats (he's a chef). We also bought sweet cones. Finally, my husband's friend from work wanted to handmake for us laser cut fridge magnets to put in our favour bags.
Oh, we also didn’t bother with any of the current bits that are popular with weddings! No sweet table, photo booth, or anything like that. We did however have a magician to come and do close up magic to help keep everyone entertained in the bit in between the ceremony and wedding breakfast.
I hate the sweet table. Makes me cringe!
People DEFINITELY noticed a lack of wine on the tables lol. Nobody complains because they're polite...
We got married at our local registry office. She was pregnant, we decided to keep it then decided to get married. We were very young she was 19 I was 22. We decided to invite close family only then went back round my mum's for snacks. A family friend had a holiday cottage they let us honeymoon in.
That was 32 years ago and we are closer than we have ever been and love each other more every day.
I have seen plenty of people spend fortunes on a wedding. But just because you have a big day doesn't mean you are going to have a long and happy marriage. You are better off putting the money towards your future than wasting it on a big event.
I think a lot comes down to number of guests. We had a small wedding, dinner the night before, brunch on the morning of, cocktails after, then dinner followed by dancing/drinks in a local bar. We did it all for £5k (and I mean all, including the rings and a mini moon) and that was with us paying for all the meals, and hotels for the out of town guests for 2 nights. Basically decide what you really care about and spend there, cut everything else 🤷♀️. We cared about having our family there so paid for their hotel rooms - seemed the least we could do for people coming from Aus! I don’t care much much about clothes so bought a wedding dress on Vinted for £20 (and resold for £30 😀), don’t care about flowers so I made my own bouquet and the groom’s buttonhole from dried grasses for about £10 and used the bouquet work sent me for the table in the chapel…. Not suggesting that’s for everyone but I think the principle still applies.
Can I just say this whole comment had me grinning at my phone - sounds so gorgeous!!
Some good advice already but just to say a marquee isn't necessarily the cheap option! We looked at it but costs a fortune and you have to hire EVERYTHING including toilets etc so logistical nightmare!
I was coming to say just this, a field and a marquee without any infrastructure isn’t cheap when you factor in hiring flooring, furniture, toilets, generators for power, the logistics of catering without a kitchen etc.
Yeah we're hiring a marquee but at an activity centre so it already had toilets and a bar on site we could use. They recommended the marquee hire people but even the venue said they couldn't believe how much the price had gone up since covid.
Looks for second hand wedding decorations online (FB marketplace is good) as people sell them for nothing after buying them brand new and using them for a day.
Don't bother with favours.
Ask friends/family to make the cake(s).
Don't just look at wedding specific venues. We got married at an upscale pub with a stunning function room and gardens, and they closed the gardens off for us and didn't charge us room hire! We literally just paid for the food and drink.
Make sure you get ALL information before signing a venue contract. Unfortunately nowadays a lot will push you to sign and then tell you all sorts isn't included (tables, linen etc.)
Look at hiring a photographer on an hourly rate (e.g. Just for ceremony and an hour or so before/after) as this will be a few hundred £'s vs around £1k for the whole day.
Edit: didn't see church wedding deleted registrar advice.
r/Weddingsunder10k • [8]Summarize
Desperately need advice!
Posted by natetdubs · in r/Weddingsunder10k · 7 months agoHi! I'm finally planning our wedding and quickly realizing that our initial budget is not going to happen if I want a wedding venue I won't be disappointed with. So aside from venue what can I do?
(2 men, no need for wedding dress advice but thank you!)
We need to save money wherever we can without "cheapening" the wedding feel.
What are your tips or advice or DIY ideas to help shave the cost off of things? What don't we need, what can we make ourselves? What's necessary? I'm so lost and frustrated! Please help!!!
I know this isn't possible for everyone, but a very fast way to cut costs is by cutting the guest list.
Some other ideas:
Use Facebook Marketplace to look for decor. A lot of things look great after being used only once, so the fact that you're using something that's already been used won't be noticeable to most of your guests. There are also people selling things that have never been used (maybe they overbought, or bought something, then changed direction).
Do beer, wine, and 1-2 signature cocktails instead of a full bar. Or, cut out the liquor altogether and just have beer/wine/seltzer.
Limit the size of your wedding party - obviously this depends somewhat on cultural expectations on what you'll be paying for when it comes to the members of your wedding party, but, by having fewer people, you can save costs on bridesmaids dresses, tuxedo rentals, wedding party gifts, hair and makeup, the rehearsal dinner, etc. In my experience, most people are not offended by not being in a wedding party if it's very small. (Like, just children, or just a maid of honor and best man.)
Choose a venue that doesn't require many decorations. If you choose something like a park with lots of lush greenery or a botanical garden, you won't need to spend nearly as much on decor, but won't feel like the decor is lacking.
Cut back on food during cocktail hour. Instead of having a display (charcuterie, cheese, veggies, fruit, etc.) and passed apps, just have the display, or just have the passed apps.
Don't worry about favors. No one really cares about them. If you really want them, make a DIY candy bar and get the candy and containers at Dollar Tree.
Look at non-traditional places for the bride's dress. Check out sample stores, sample sales, or dresses that aren't sold as wedding dresses from places like Nordstrom or Mac Duggal. If you're OK with a more casual dress, there are also ready-to-wear wedding dress lines from places like Asos.
Good luck!
The guest list is key! Id rather have my dream wedding with 25-30 people than one I wouldn’t really like with 100 people
Great ideas on dress stores!!
I would recommend you reach out early for quotes for XX side dinner on a Saturday or Friday, it’s not binding and people respond pretty fast. A couple commonly suggested wedding restaurants in my high COL city that want 20,000 for certain days because they’re so popular.
We had to really scale down our expectations of how nice dinner would be based on our guest size and desired spend, due to food and beverage minimums, or the cost of food plus drink package plus tax plus tip plus admin fee plus potential room rental fee
If we had to cut something "fancy" or "classy" because of expense, we tried to add something fun or unique. People can't be focused on using house liquor and domestic beer when your ring bearer is in a penguin costume.
This might depend on where you live, but I found that it is much easier and less expensive to do a restaurant buyout (or a private dining space, depending on your guest count) than to rent a venue and have to arrange caterers, tables, decor, DJ, etc. etc. Choose a place with a vibe you like, add some minimalist florals, make a playlist and call it a day. You don't even have to worry about set up or breakdown.
That’s what we’re doing! And a ceremony at our dream venue
A couple of things we did to safe costs:
- I had a secondhand wedding dress. It was my dream dress and it was well-kept. I don't have any regrets and would recommend checking out secondhand wedding dresses to anyone, regardless of budget
- It's often cheaper to hire a venue and catering separately than to hire both together. We had a venue, organised a BBQ and all of the drinks ourselves, and the rest of the food came from a catering company. We saved a lot of money that way.
- Official wedding decorations and bouquets are expensive. If you look at regular decorations, or if you can make some stuff yourself, it's a lot cheaper. I'm not creative at all, but I asked my sister in law (who's amazing at this stuff) to make the wedding decorations as her gift to us, and she did. I made my own bouquet. There's lots of Youtube tutorials and it's not actually that hard
- Same goes for hair and make up. Any official bridal hairdo and make up are expensive. If it's important to you, it's fine to spend your money there. It wasn't super important to me, so I asked two friends who are good at this stuff to help me out. We had a lot of fun preparing for the day, it was all super personal, and I still think I looked great.
Your second point is not always true. I'm finding it cheaper to book a venue that includes catering, servers, bartending, tables/chairs, plates, cutlery, etc than to book each of those separately.
Not always, but there’s usually one aspect of an all-inclusive venue that you are overpaying for. You’re probably going to be locked in to a caterer or drink package that may not be the most affordable option in your area. That’s only if you are really dedicated to squeezing the most out of your budget though
Thank you!
As the other commenter noted, obviously you'll want to get some quotes. But I am in a VHCOL city, our restaurant seats up to 60 and has a $7K minimum for 5 hours. Minimum can include tip. We will likely go over the minimum but I still find it really reasonable compared to event venues in the same neighborhood. Good luck!
r/weddingplanning • [9]Summarize
Budget: how did you create your budget and stick to it?
Posted by Doougie147 · in r/weddingplanning · 3 years agoWe decided together how much of our savings we wanted to spend on a wedding.
We really didn't care what the "average" wedding costs in our area. We decided to put on whatever sort of event we could host within that budget.
We set up budget lines once we had the overall budget. IF we wanted to go over in one budget line, we promised ourselves that we would have to find somewhere to cut on another budget line, and we did. We came in on budget and no surprises.
I would say the key is research. Make sure your budget aligns with the type of event you're planning in the place you're planning it. We initially guessed at our budget (if $x is the average wedding in the US, $x + $20k should cut it here in NYC). That estimate was a joke so we eventually just sat down and looked at our income + expenses. Once we determined we could save $y per month, we multiplied that by the months of our engagement and that became our budget and we compared it to local pricing to make sure it would work.
We started researching venues locally to see roughly what they were costing, and made decisions from there. We knew we wanted a particular type of event and once the numbers were hitting the spreadsheet we determined if we were comfortable diverting the cash. We live in an extraordinarily expensive area but are established in our 30's so we agreed to go ahead with the big wedding. We never really had an 'upper limit' with the budget, it was more that the average range of costs in our area for this service was between x and y, and we stayed in the ballpark.
I have a copy of a Martha Stewart book on wedding inspirations/ideas and it was a pretty in-depth book on the different aspects of most traditional weddings. One portion talks about budget and a general % range of how much you can expect certain items to cost. For example, plan to spend ~40% of your budget for catering and drinks. I can send you a picture if you’d like.
As for actually deciding how much we could afford to spend, FH and I agreed that it was very important for us to keep our emergency savings intact and to not have to take on debt for this wedding. We settled on a number we knew we could save up for and not have to take loans on. We planned for a wedding a year and a half out from our engagement and agreed that we could each contribute about ~$12,000 and our wedding is looking to cost about $25,000. To actually stick to that budget, we had a list of vendors to prioritize and how much we could afford to spend on those vendors. If we went under a little, that meant being able to splurge a bit on the next thing. If we were right on target, that meant having to just keep it moving. We didn’t even bother to consider vendors we knew were going to be drastically over our designated budget for that item. That’s risky business and could cause you to spiral real quick.
r/weddingplanning • [10]Summarize
Budget friendly wedding planning - where to begin?
Posted by PizzaRat23 · in r/weddingplanning · 3 years agoHi wedding Reddit! I just got engaged on 9/27! I’m not in a rush to get married but my fiancé and I are both organized planner type people so it’s hard not to dive in. Any advice on where to start? None of my close friends have gotten married yet and all of my aquantainces that have gotten married come from wealthier families so it’s a little hard to pick their brains.
We threw together a guest list and figured out that our non-negotiable bare minimum to invite is 55 people, inviting everyone we would possibly want would be 125, with 100ish being a happy medium of inviting the people we love but cutting out a few obligatory invites and plus ones (I also get not everyone invited will come).
Finance wise things are a little tricky. We’re comfortably middle class as far as 26 year olds go, but I have a single mom so there’s zero family money on my side. My fiancés parents might give us some money but I’m trying to go into this with the expectations that we need to cover it all. I personally would LOVE a target budget of 10k but that just seems absolutely unrealistic. Less than 20k might be doable (I’d rather spend less though) but I don’t even know if that’s realistic either.
I’m low maintenance about a lot of things (ex. open to a used wedding dress, open to letting my cousin man a Spotify playlist instead of getting a DJ, things like the flowers and cake don’t really matter to me, etc) and have some DIY talents myself and in my bridal party (I’m great with cricut and calligraphy, my sister is a professional MUA). I also personally think I will skip the bridal shower/bachelorette mess.
My fiancé has his heart set on an open bar of some sort (beer/wine only OK) and for myself a good photographer is non negotiable.
Additionally we live in NYC, my fiancés family is from the Albany area and mine is from Massachusetts, so we don’t even have a location nailed down (except that NYC is probably almost expensive).
Any advice on where to start? Apologies for the scattered vent, I’m excited but very overwhelmed!
Start with A Practical Wedding by Meg Keene. The first few chapters really lay out how to decide what you want out of a wedding and get you and your partner on the same page.
Next is a guest list and budget, and I think you will likely need to do some research to figure out a plausible goal budget.
The main portion of any budget is the venue. I shopped around for a long time until I found one in my budget. We also got married off-season to save some money.
r/weddingsunder10k are your new BFFs.
The number one tip to save money is to cut your guest list. Depending on your budget, it is very possible that you will only be able to invite your must have guest list of 55 people.
To give you an idea of how much I’m looking to spend, I am at 20,000 Canadian Dollars for a 40 people guest list in downtown Montreal. We have among the most expensive archidiocèse in North America, and inflation for caterers is a double whammy (we had the strictest restrictions during COVID in North America and our food is priced in US Dollar - the exchange rate isn’t favourable right now). It’s a small but fancy wedding.
I would also go towards a LCOL area, so Albany may make sense or Western Massachusetts (far from Boston).
Good luck!
You'll need to look outside NYC even with a $20k budget. Your best bet is to look at options that aren't wedding venues and be open to food options that aren't the typical passed apps and plated dinner, such as drop off catering or food trucks. Try r/Weddingsunder10k. Your budget may very well be over $10k, but you'll pick up some good suggestions, particularly vendors in your target area.
The easiest way to keep the cost down is to keep the guest count low, so I'd really consider using that 55-guest count with just a few additions possibly. A 55-guest wedding might also open up the possibility of having the wedding at a restaurant.
r/weddingsunder10k is a great resource.
You’re off to a good start—cutting the guest list as much as possible and thinking through your priorities so you can spend only where it really matters and find cheaper alternatives for the rest are the most important early steps.
Food and drink are usually the biggest expenses, so think about whether you’d be open to less traditional food options (drop catering, taco bar, bbq, etc.) and look for places that let you bring your own alcohol. If you’re flexible on location/date, start getting quotes from places in each location, including non-traditional venues like restaurants, and consider off seasons or days other than Saturday if your guests can make the travel work.
Top People to Talk to
AI Answer
How to plan a wedding on a budget
Key Considerations for Planning a Wedding on a Budget
Set a Realistic Budget: Determine how much you can afford to spend overall and allocate funds to different categories (venue, catering, attire, etc.).
Prioritize Essentials: Identify what aspects of the wedding are most important to you (e.g., venue, food, photography) and allocate more of your budget to those areas.
Choose an Off-Peak Date: Consider having your wedding during the off-peak season or on a weekday to save on venue and vendor costs.
Limit Guest List: A smaller guest list can significantly reduce costs for catering, seating, and favors. Focus on inviting close family and friends.
DIY Where Possible: Get creative with DIY projects for decorations, invitations, and favors. This can add a personal touch and save money.
Consider Alternative Venues: Look for non-traditional venues like parks, community centers, or family homes that may be more affordable than typical wedding venues.
Negotiate with Vendors: Don’t hesitate to negotiate prices with vendors or ask for package deals. Many are willing to work within your budget.
Utilize Online Resources: Use wedding planning websites and apps to find deals, compare prices, and access budget-friendly tips.
Takeaways:
- Budget Tracking: Keep a detailed spreadsheet to track expenses and stay within budget.
- Flexibility: Be open to adjusting your vision based on budget constraints; sometimes, the best memories come from unexpected choices.
Recommendation: Start planning early to take advantage of sales and discounts, and consider enlisting the help of friends or family who have experience in event planning or design to help keep costs down.
Still looking for a better answer?
Get more comprehensive results summarized by our most cutting edge AI model. Plus deep Youtube search.