When it comes to planning a wedding, cutting down costs is the least fun part, but likely the thing stressing you out the most. I know how important stretching your money is and how disappointing it might seem when you feel like you’re not going to be able to bring your vision to fruition.
Fear not! Your wedding can still be everything you want it to be without totally crushing your finances. These are the best tips, tricks and ideas for how to plan a wedding on a small budget.
The key to sticking to a budget, wedding or otherwise, is to be really honest and really strict with yourself. This doesn’t mean not allowing yourself any fun! Budgets are not about deprivation! A budget is meant to be a tool that helps you, not hurts you.
As someone who has been financially-challenged for most of her life, I understand how intimidating putting a budget together can be if you’ve never done it before.
(Related: The Best Wedding Budget Checklist to Make Your Life Easier | Free Template)
Spend some time looking at your finances to determine what your budget is. Once you have that number figured out, now you’re going to “slot in” all the necessary expenses, the things you have to have, the things you want to have, and your buffer for incidentals.
Take a look at this free google doc budget template and wedding budget checklist to help you organize everything.
Now that you have everything listed out, you can look at what’s busting your budget open. There’s usually a couple culprits, so now is the time to get creative and find solutions to keep your budget in check. Here are some tried and true tips and tricks for how to plan a wedding on a budget.
Keep the Head Count Low
The general guide is to assume each guest will cost you $100. That’s a nice round number that unfortunately adds up super quickly. The easiest way around this is to make some hard-and-fast rule with your spouse-to-be about who you are inviting.
For my wedding, my husband and I had strict criteria for the guest list. If someone we wanted to invite didn’t meet that criteria, they weren’t invited. It sounds harsh, but it’s honestly the easiest way to prevent your guest list from getting out of hand.
The nice thing about setting rules around the guest list is it also makes it easier for you to explain to that long-lost relative or salty co-worker why you weren’t able to invite them. Like I said, it sounds harsh but trust me on this, stick to the guest list criteria and you’ll save yourself some budgeting woes later.
Consider the Venue
When you first start thinking about where you might want to get married, think like you’re planning something other than a wedding. An office party, for example. This will force you to think outside the box and may lead you to come up with a place you might not have considered otherwise.
Other things to consider when looking for a venue:
- Use your contacts!
- Do you know someone who has a cool property/backyard you could use?
- Ask about off-hours, non-peak seasons
- If you have a venue in mind, be sure to ask them if there is a day of the week or time of year that might be less expensive. Instead of a Saturday, maybe do a Tuesday. Instead of May, perhaps consider November
- Do a non-destination destination wedding
- If you’ve exhausted the options in your town/city, try looking in the surrounding area or neighboring cities. For my own wedding, I couldn’t afford anything in my city, but I did find something 2 hours away. It was significantly cheaper and still easy enough for people to get to.
- Skip the venue altogether
- If you want to do something more intimate, consider bringing your officiant and a couple guests somewhere outside– your favorite hiking spot, a nice spot on the river, a city park (you may need a permit, but that won’t run you more than $100 in most cases).
Get Creative
This doesn’t mean DIY! I know not everyone is a Crafty Queen (even though DIY-ing certain things are a definite budget-saver). Almost every element of a wedding can have a more budget-friendly option if you get creative.
The theme, if you couldn’t already tell, to planning a wedding on a small budget is to think outside the box. And to plan, plan, plan. When you have everything planned in advance, it leaves less room for surprises later (and surprises = budget-busters).
When I talk about thinking outside the box to find creative solutions, this is what I mean:
- Instead of buying things brand new, consider buying second-hand
- Consider joining wedding facebook and reddit groups to source supplies
- Find designers/brands you like and use resale sites to look them up. You may even find them brand new!
- Price out buying supplies in bulk vs. having them included in your package
- Don’t hold yourself to tradition
- Don’t care about a sit-down dinner? Don’t have one! Maybe something like this is more your style anyway
- Don’t like cake? Opt for something cheaper (and more unique!)
- Wear a non-traditional dress (i.e. not a wedding dress)
Accept Help
If you’re anything like me, asking for help probably doesn’t come naturally. But when it comes to planning a wedding, you’re going to want the help. You might not even realize yet all the things you need help with.
Accepting help will only have a positive impact on your budget. And when it comes to weddings, people actually want to help you!
I’m not just talking monetary help, either. Here are some things people can help you with:
- DIY
- Bookkeeping (if having someone else be in charge of tracking your expenses to keep you accountable, go for it!)
- Admin/ Organization (mailing the invites, booking appointments)
Also, if you have friends or relatives who are in the profession of anything you need (baking, music, hair/makeup, etc.), ask them if they would be willing to provide their services in place of giving you a gift (i.e. their services will be their gift!).
Get Planning Early
The final tip to plan a wedding on a budget is to start your planning as early as possible. Planning early will mean you won’t have to spend top dollar on something just because you’re in a time crunch. Planning early will also allow you the time to research and weigh all your options.
Remember that how to plan a wedding on a small budget really just comes down to establishing a solid plan. So go over the checklist with you and your partner, prioritize what’s important to you, and create a game plan.
Your budget will be the road map for your success and if done right, will keep the stress levels low and manageable. Remember to get think creatively and to stay open-minded about possible solutions! You got this! Your party is going to be Ah-maze!