Top Tips for Planning a Wedding on a Budget

Everyone has a budget. Some people’s budgets allow them to enjoy fine dining and multiple vacations a year, while other budgets allow you to eat out at a local diner once a week and go camping twice a year. If you’re on the smaller side of the budget range, you can still plan an amazing wedding. Thanks in part to tools like Pinterest, you can get ideas from other brides for planning a wedding on a budget. You can create a dream wedding board that gives you all the feels. Then create a DIY board so you can make it happen within your budget. Here are some of the top tips for planning a wedding on a budget.

Set Realistic Expectations

You might have dreamt of getting married outside of a castle in Scotland, but your budget is telling you otherwise. What about the fairytale wedding is most important to you? Is it the wedding dress? Is it the venue? Is it finding the best wedding videographer near me? It’s important to set realistic expectations if you know you’ll need to make some compromises about your wedding plans. Maybe you can still find a local castle, but it won’t be Edinburgh Castle. Perhaps you can get your favorite videographer, but you’ll only get them there for the ceremony and a little time afterwards.

Create Your Budget First

Before you go spending any money, it’s crucial that you know how much you have to spend in the long run. This will make it harder to overspend or stretch yourself thin on things that don’t really matter. Having the top number in front of you will help you make smart budget decisions for your wedding without causing fights or stress.

Get Family and Friends Involved

People love to help with weddings. To DIY everything from invitations to decorations, you’ll be spending a lot of time working on creative projects. Gather your friends and family together for wine, music, and a fun time putting together all the little details for your wedding. Not only will it help you get things done, you’ll make some fun memories in the process. Snap some pictures of you and whoever helps to put together for a fun slideshow at the wedding. Be sure to show your gratitude to whomever helps so you don’t make anyone feel bad.

Have Your Wedding on a Weekday

Weekday weddings are far less expensive than weekend ones. Most wedding venues get booked a year in advance and the weekend spots cost a premium. Getting married on a weekday can save you as much as 25% off the cost of the ceremony and reception venues. Some florists will even offer discounts for weekday weddings because they are not as overbooked on those days. Additionally, weekday weddings work better for small, intimate weddings as most people who are not immediate family or close friends would not take the day off for the wedding.

Don’t Serve a Meal

Traditionally, the bride and groom serve the guests a meal to thank them for coming to the wedding. However, at $20+ a plate, this can add up quickly, especially if you’re planning a larger event. DIYYou could serve an afternoon tea theme, serve snacks and punch, or even stick with simple veggie trays and chips if you have a tiny budget. The important thing is not that you spend a ton of money, but that you get to celebrate your marriage with all the people you care about surrounding you.

Elope Instead

Yep, I said it. Having a big wedding can be a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work and for some couples it makes more sense to simply elope. While you may not get as many presents, you could take the money you would’ve spent on the big wedding and spend it on a fabulous trip instead, and still have money left over to get some new bedding and a toaster. If you already hosted an engagement party with your closest friends and family to celebrate, eloping could be the perfect way to get married. You can even have a Las Vegas elopement and get married in the City of Lights.

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