How to plan a wedding on a budget

My number one was Photographer, the pictures are literally the only thing we will have left when all is said and done, everything else, we can keep, I guess, but it's not like a picture, where you can go back and relive a memory.

Second, food. I have people who have all kinds of dietary restrictions, so when it comes down to it, I need something flexible, and cost effective.

Third, the alcohol, my FH's priority, he wants his family and friends to have a good time, which I suppose is a good point. LOL I am overthinking everything, what types of alcohol, how much, yada yada yada....so it's been my biggest stress, surprisingly.

We prioritized:

1. Food and Open Bar

2. Photographer

3. Music

We needed good food and drinks, along with great music to keep the night going. The photographer was also important, as we wanted a well-rated professional to capture our moments.

For us it was:

1. Food & drinks
2. Photography
3. Music

We knew we wanted to have good food and plenty of beverage options that would please our guests. For me, I wanted a photographer who would be able to capture the special moments I wanted captured. And a good party isn't any good if you don't have a good DJ!

We are spending the most on...

1. Our all inclusive venue (catering, linens, staff, DOC, decor, floral centerpieces, etc)

2. The band. We want the best dance party and for our guests to have a great time!

3. My dress (plus alterations and accessories) & photographer are the same cost.

4. Alcohol - our bar is BYO so we are getting our desired liquors, wines & beers delivered from a local liquor store. This may end up costing more than the items in #3, it will be a decision we make right before the wedding based on how much we have spent elsewhere. (We are 100% having an open bar - the decision is how nice the options will be, think $20 bottle of wine vs $10 bottle)

1. venue

2. food/drink (this includes dessert which is an ice cream truck and cake)

3. photography

Photographer, DJ, and a venue that had great food. Photographer since that is our memory and then DJ and food since that is what guests will mostly remember.

Photography, food, and open bar. The other stuff I can live without - for me, these were non-negotiable.

Food (both entrees and desserts), open bar, and videographer!

Number one is hair! As far as appearance goes, I found a bargain on my dress and had a relatively low limit for makeup, but I’ll pay whatever it takes for nice hair.

Photographer was another priority.

DJ wasn’t supposed to be a splurge, but once I started looking for a dj, I justified a more expensive one.

Food and drinks are obviously most important, but that was never negotiable in any way so I don’t really consider it.

The food/ drinks, the dress (even though I rather wish I had been able to find one cheaper), and the photographer.

Since most chapels in Vegas provide a photographer, we probably don't need a photographer. Because of this our budget priorities is probably going to be drinks, food, and outfits/hair and makeup.

1) An all-inclusive wedding venue- it was important for us to have a WEDDING venue, not just a space we can rent bc they know how to run a wedding smoothly and we didn't want the extra stess of making sure everything coordinated ourselves. Our venue included everything from food and drinks to all of our vendors.

2) A great officiant- I've been to way too many weddings with awkward officiants. It is important to us to have a professional and her expertise have already shown through!

3) Hair/Makeup/Dress- It may not seem like a splurge to most but I am extremely low maintence and have never had my hair and make up professionally done up. I also have never spent a large sum of money on any attire item, so this feels like a huge splurge to me even though our budget for it is not crazy.

1) Venue: dream wedding site + 5-star food

2) Great Photographer: to see the moments we missed and relive our favs forever

3) Dress & Hair Extensions: I wanted to feel beautiful!

Wedding complete. Would choose the same priorities!

1. Venue
2. Food
3. Music

I didn’t prioritize money spent on a photographer, getting as a gift from a talented friend (only taking pictures for 30 min), want to spend my day with people and having a blast!

1. Great food and open bar-Top priority since this directly affects our guests and their enjoyment of the day is the most important to FH and I.

2. Photographer-since its one of the only ways to document the day and look back when its over.

3. Venue- it's inclusive so it ties into food/bar. We had found other cheaper venues with good food but, we fell in love with the overall look and aesthetic of this one.

Our wedding priorities by ranking:

1. Venue
2. Photographer
3. Food
4. Music

(Had to add a 4th because music was a very important priority.)

That's a great planning tip! We are spending the most on Videographer, Photographer and Venue. It's a DW so we're keeping the guest count small (Food and drink will be really nice but we don't need as much of it!). We're getting married in a beautiful place, with a small group of friends so documenting the day is hugely important to me!

1. Venue
2. Open bar
3. Photography

All-inclusive wedding venue, photography/videography, and food

Photographer, dj, and dress. I didn't want to skimp on any of these.