Planning a cheap wedding

I've seen people follow up a courthouse wedding with a reception in a public park! You could reserve a covered pavilion that already has picnic tables and benches and bring in table cloths and speakers and whatever else fits your budget. You can check various marketplace sites for cheap wedding decor that people are reselling if you want, too. Caterers usually have a "budget" menu that's usually Italian, BBQ, or taco bars. Skipping the bar is a great first step because YIKES that adds up quickly.

You could also look at community centers, clubhouses, and Airbnbs (most say no events/parties but you can always ask!). My cousin got married at an Airbnb and had the ceremony in the courtyard then had a pizza food truck. His wife got her dress off Amazon and her sister made all the desserts and snacks that weren't pizza. They only had about 40 guests, though.

Look at venues that are on the lower end of the price spectrum, then ask about weekdays and elopement/micro wedding packages (unless you're set on the 100 guests, then ask about just the weekdays!). One venue we looked at was only $1000 for a Thursday wedding up to 60 guests.

I don't know what your extended family is like or how crafty/DIY you are, but if someone has a big backyard or lives on land, you would be able to skip a venue fee or offer to pay them a much smaller amount to use it. A friend of mine had her dream wedding for about $6k (including a $2k dress) by using her parent's land and then building the tables and benches (then selling them on FB Marketplace after). All the florals other than her bouquet were silk flowers from Hobby Lobby (Michael's and Joann's are also great and you can wait for coupons).

Let's see...you can get bridal attire at great prices by buying off the rack or shopping from Azazie or something similar or waiting for holiday sales.

Utilizing your home or a parent's house for getting ready will save on hotel costs if the venue you pick doesn't have a getting ready space.

You could also skip the fanfare and invite only those closest to you to a dinner in a private room at a restaurant (which, depending on where you live, could have a low/zero food and beverage minimum and then you'd just pick up the cost of dinner). You could specifically get a room that has enough space around the tables for a first dance and a dance with your dads!

Sorry, that was very unorganized, but that's what I've got so far!

Why not do a justice of the peace for the ceremony then rent out a VFW hall or something similar for the party? You could probably get catering from a restaurant for a lot less than catering a "wedding". Never mention its for a wedding because I swear that automatically increases the cost.

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Yes! A very important bullet I left out of my jumbled mess 😅

Check out local parks and recreation places. When we were looking many of them had cheaper rentals and space big enough for a party. Downside is many had no alcohol policies.

Weddings definitely are expensive and it does start to add up.

You can always do a small ceremony now and then a reception party later. Some brides on here have or plan to do celebrations at a park for their "reception".

Does anyone in your family happen to have a big lot where you can throw a wedding there? I did a backyard wedding at my husband's aunt's house, but of course the inside of the house was still accessible for us to hangout and use the bathrooms.

If you need to save here are some ideas:
-Lulus and Azazie have really low prices on bridal dresses
-Ling's Moments on Amazon has some really nice fake bouquets, corsages, etc.
-You can DIY your center pieces from Dollar Tree (I did, and I got some from other pieces from Hobby Lobby)
-Rent the tux (just be careful, I had some mishaps from Men's Warehouse unfortunately)
-DJs are a little expensive, if you can rent or know someone with a speaker system, just designate someone to handle the songs on a playlist (this is what I did as well)
-Look into elopement/microwedding services (check with the company to see if you can do a first dance and dances with the parents to see if it fits within their time frame)

Have you looked into community/recreation centers near you? There are some really nice lakefront community centers in my state of NC that are only about $200 a day to use and come with tables, chairs, and a prep kitchen. You could have the ceremony outside and move into the building for the reception. I would look for something similar to that where you live.

You could also look into pick-up catering options. A lot of restaurants have this option. You just pick up the food the day off and set it up yourself.

I heard Sam's Club sells flowers for really cheap. You can diy your flower pieces or buy their premade pieces.

We’re getting married at a state park, which is only $100 to rent! We’re doing our reception at a local ranch that isn’t used commonly as a wedding venue, so it’s cheaper than something that’s designated as a wedding venue. I’d highly recommend parks we’re also doing a taco bar, which is a lot cheaper than catered food!

I am on the same exact boat as you right now, thought I was the only one out there.

There's not much around it probably have everyone in your family chip in with food, music etc. Catering halls are automatically pricey. I started to google restaurants with private rooms and some of them have Great spaces that offer very affordable packages for events I would check there. I'm starting to consider Vegas and going all out for the honeymoon.

If you know anyone willing, do it at someone's house!

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much for all of your ideas. I really appreciate it. Me and my fiance have now talked about a lot of the ideas you had seeing if that will work for us. And I definitely understand the unorganization. It seems like planning a wedding can do that to us. I am the same way about everything about it.

View Quoted Comment This is now something we are thinking about doing. As I stared before our original plan was the justice of peace. We just want to be able to do the dance for our fathers. And I will definitely keep the fact to never say anything is for a wedding that seems like a great tip thank you so much.

View Quoted Comment You're definitely not alone. It seems so stressful trying to plan this special event without spending a lot of money. And ill definitely look at the idea of restaurants. And Vegas is always a way to save money. We keep going back and forth on what to do. We know we want our parents there and we don't want to spend much. Since our finances are more important then the wedding in our minds.

There are a million ways to save money and still have a beautiful wedding.

First before you do anything else, sit down with fiancé and discuss your vision and priorities within the budget you are comfortable spending without getting help from others. Pick 3-5 areas to focus on and cut out the rest. Many choose the guest experience (great food, free drinks, great dj) and great pictures for your memories.

Things that can be cut and no one will miss: favors, signs on anything except escort cards/buffet/bar, programs if you aren’t having a religious/cultural ceremony, welcome bags, welcome party, farewell brunch, flower girls and ring bearers, guestbooks, extra desserts beyond cake, proposal boxes for bridesmaids, extravagant bachelorette weekend sleepovers, generic personalized earrings and robes for bridesmaids, multiple ceremonies/receptions, photo booths and other new trends of entertainment beyond dancing and mingling, 6+ bridesmaids/groomsmen, active roles/jobs for everyone attending.
The only things that are required: a marriage license, an officiant who is legally recognized in your jurisdiction, a fiancé, witnesses as required by your jurisdiction, and a reception immediately following for everyone at the ceremony. Everything beyond that is optional.
A daytime wedding is often less expensive.
After you decide on your vision and budget, decide on your guest list. Many people say wait until just before you send invites but it’s a bit late at that point because your guest count determines the size of your venue. Make a list of those you can not imagine the day without and only they get invites. Everyone else gets an announcement card after the wedding and you meet up with them at another time. This is not the time to invite your parents’ friends and coworkers who don’t care about you or people you were once close with in high school and don’t talk to now, and never do anything out of obligation because someone else is guilting you. They can do things their way when it is their turn.
Look into restaurant drop off catering. Or look into budget caterers in your area. Many have menus listed online. Make sure you get a tasting before you book them.
All inclusive venues actually break the budget because they hit you up with a surprise food/beverage minimum that is easily 5 figures and not included in the rental fee. You are also not able to taste the catering until after you are locked into the contract which is backwards of how other vendors and venues work.
A blank slate venue is your cheapest and best option. Most if not all have tables and chairs on site to use. The rental fees associated with furniture generally only come in when you upgrade to something fancier than is provided. The parks and recreation department in every city has venue options. Some are basic and others are fairly elegant but they are the cheapest option. Take a look at eventective.com for venues.
When in doubt, ask your trusted VIP guests who will be attending. They are a better gauge of preferences than strangers online who have different preferences than your crowd.
If you intend for everyone to have a specific look, be prepared to cover it yourself. Otherwise it’s the responsibility of bridesmaids and groomsmen to pay for clothing they will never wear again and pay for their own hair/makeup/accessories. Do not pay for props (getting ready clothes and jewelry for bridesmaids). Let them bring their own button up tops and leggings, and earrings of their choice.
Many people say beer/wine only is a huge default cost saver but in some circles that will be 100% wasted as they may not drink those and only drink liquor or non alcoholic beverages. Again this depends on your crowd.
Renting 9 times out of 10 is actually cheaper than purchasing. People do not factor their time, sanity, and labor at minimum wage per hour into various projects. Including steaming/transportation/setup/tear down/selling the items into the cost. What are you going to do with 100 dinner plates or 20 table cloths? Same applies to faux flowers. Many articles on Instagram and Pinterest written by day of coordinators (also a must because your guests cannot do that job) at that purchasing actually has a bigger environmental footprint than renting. That is true because there is more waste with purchasing.
Stick with a grocery store wedding cake. Most are very tasty, can be delivered, and are much cheaper than a regular bakery. Faux cakes are expensive because you are paying for decoration costs. The same with cupcakes. Many people believe those are a completely different formula than cake. They are more labor intensive and messier to eat, so in any other industry would be charged as such but many bakeries charge less and lose money. If you do decide on cupcakes, make sure that you have plates and forks available. Other desserts are not necessary because most people actually look forward to cake at a wedding and are disappointed when it’s cookies and pie instead.
Stick with a grocery store for flowers as well. Or order from fiftyflowers.com.
Azazie, Cocomelody and Revelry have inexpensive wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses that can be tried on at home.

Also, pick your wedding dress planning to wear it the whole time. They are not cheap and the new trend is to take it off after the ceremony even though you will only have the one wedding day. So wear that dress as long as you possibly can.


The other new trend is multiple ceremonies/receptions. Some people will get legally married in a small setting by choice and have done so for centuries. Some leave it at that and others say the “legal part doesn’t matter and it isn’t real because we didn’t have everyone we know in attendance “. Then have one ceremony/reception with no gaps (people will and do leave if you leave them hanging longer than travel time between venues) for everyone. The ceremony only costs a base fee for venue rental if it’s at a different location than the reception but the reception is what breaks the bank because that is charged per person.

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Same... I would love to have my dad walk me down the aisle if it wasn't out of respect for my parents who raise me to be the woman he will be marrying I would have eloped but something is holding me back... I'm going back and forth so much I gave wedding planning a break.