Small Budget

I understand your plight. While I imagine CT will be more expensive than Iowa, we are asking family and friends to help with everything from a tier cake, cooking, serving, DJ, livestream, you name it... That will be their "gift" to us instead which makes sense since we are not a young couple. I'm trying to keep ours at 7k or under. So far I'm under 4k and it may be doable...

Thrifting, ask friends who have had weddings if they have leftover decor. Dollar store, maybe. Buy flowers from a grocery store with a membership program maybe? (If you want, obviously! If you don’t there’s no shame!)
For a photographer you can maybe find a company for “beginners” who are either training or building a portfolio. I don’t know of any where you are, I am using YellowPaddle (Colorado) for example.
For venue we are using a state owned botanical garden for 2500 which is the cheapest we could get a Saturday in June for. Maybe something like that would be doable? Or a VRBO/AirBnB? (Make sure to tell them though)

Check out resell groups on Facebook of brides in your area reselling things for cheaper. Thrift items. Make your own florals out of materials such as paper. Ask family and friends to bake, cook, and offer assistance. My friend recently did a under 10K wedding by hiring a food truck, having coolers with booze, asking friends and family for assistance with items and more food, and they booked a state park which was super affordable.

View Quoted Comment Now, any advice on how to ask? Haha

View Quoted Comment Oh, a garden is a great idea! Thanks!

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A food truck is such a cool idea! And astate park is a great idea. Thanks!

View Quoted Comment Don't make it harder than it is. If you know someone who bakes cakes... ask them if they can do you a favor and how honored you'd be if they could help.


Know someone who is good with technology? Maybe they can video or photo or livestream. Take their strengths into what your needs are... make sense? I'd love to hear the outcomes!

View Quoted Comment Thanks for the advice!

View Quoted Comment How did it go with the food truck? How many guests to trucks? Was it as slow moving as food trucks usually are?


Usually it's recommended not to do food trucks as people will have to wait in line while others are already done eating and plates cleared. Would love to know if it worked out.

View Quoted Comment There was one truck for 30 guests and it went perfectly fine. Each table was called up to go get food while others mingled at the table. People were allowed to go back as many times as they want within the 2 hour period. As a guest who was at the wedding I did not feel like it was slow as the food truck had all food prepped ahead of time and just put it in to-go boxes. Not sure where these “recommendations” are coming from because at the end of the day it is about what you want and your choices. The choice of the food truck was perfect for my friend’s wedding and everything went well with it. As a guest I really enjoyed the concept and if I wasn’t having my own indoor wedding with catering in the next 2 weeks I would have considered this option earlier on in the planning.

Consider a venue that's already decorative and you can buy less. Outdoor park pavilions have views. Churches have ceremony and meeting/ event spaces that are super affordable. Or if looking for secular, check out community event rooms and libraries where you can bring in your own catering, add tablecloths, minimalist decor.

I know your family offered food. Will they cook themselves, or gift funds for the food budget? If cooking, keep in mind food safety, food costs, and considerable manual labor. 50-100 guests is a a bigger wedding, not small. You have 2 years to save money, pitch in for warming dishes, serving supplies, and groceries. Or outsource casual catering from local restaurants. BBQ, sandwiches, and taco weddings are common. Another option is a shorter cake and punch reception at a non-meal time. While it's nice for family to help, it's even nicer when they get to enjoy the wedding, too.

It is a lot and can seem overwhelming in early planning stages. Many are offering you their idea of wedding services. But, just because it's low cost, offered, or free doesn't mean that you have to take it. I read an article where a couple suggested finding a reception space that "respects your ceremony". In other words, keep in mind the reason you're getting married, and try not to get too consumed by reception party glamour esp if it doesn't fit you. If you like fresh flowers, don't sub fake because it's there. I think there's a Reddit for low-cost weddings that can offer ideas. Best wishes and congrats on your engagement.

I second what LH is saying. Self-catering a wedding even with help is a lot of work. Also, it would be best to treat your guests, as the hosts of the wedding. I would think of a restaurant that could cater hot fresh food, something like Italian or BBQ. Good luck in your planning!

If you belong to a house of worship, that will be the least expensive venue option. The next option is a venue owned by the local parks department, which includes tables and chairs in the price. Contrary to popular belief, a backyard is the most expensive option because you have to provide everything from scratch.


Make a list with fiancé of 3-5 most important things to focus your attention on and completely cut out what is not important on that list. Don’t skimp because it shows. Many couples focus on the guest experience (great food, free beverages, and great dj) and memories (photography). Skip the favors that get left behind. Skip the multiple dresses. Don’t have multiple ceremonies/receptions. Skip the proposal gifts and the cliche robes/pjs/jewelry that go in the trash. Buy a thank you gift for each bridesmaid/groomsman that you would buy for their birthday. If your guests are largely non drinkers, don’t serve champagne and beer/wine only that will be wasted money.

Many venues do not allow food that is not made in a licensed kitchen. So you may not be able to cook yourselves but restaurant drop off catering is much cheaper and easier. It’s also more efficient than food trucks that can only serve 1-2 people at a time. Plus DIY is not always the cheapest way because time and sanity equals money (minimum wage per hour in addition to cost of supplies). That is why rentals are often more cost effective than purchasing items that you have to transport to and from, set up and tear down and then clean before you sell them for 1/4 of the price.
If you want fresh flowers, they are cheaper than faux if you go to FiftyFlowers.com, a local wholesale florist in a major city or a grocery store florist.
Keep the bridal party to minimum legal witnesses. Don’t invite friends from school you no longer talk to or parents’ colleagues who have never met you.

View Quoted Comment Thank you for the input

Make your own favors!! The sale bins at michaels, dollar stores, Etsy, and Amazon are great to look for non expensive jars, twill, paper cranes, etc etc!

View Quoted Comment On a tight budget, favors are the first thing that couples tend to cut out. Unless they are edible, guests will take once glance and leave them behind. The costs do add up, especially with the amount of your time(at minimum wage per hour) that it takes to assemble them.

A super budget friendly option for us and easy to plan is going with an elopement company. I'm not sure if they exist in CT but it's worth trying to search for. They include all your permits, 1-2 hours of photography, floral for bride and groom, and they coordinate the whole thing for you. We are also using a small, local restaurant to host the reception dinner.

A lot of vendors in new mexico are $10,000 plus. one venue wanted 24,000 $$. but i found a place with the city and its costing me $1,000 with $200 refundable damage fee. maybe see if the city has any venurs.

Not sure if you’re still looking for a venue, but if you want something rustic, cozy, unique, and intimate for a small wedding, I HIGHLY recommend Powder Mill Barn in Enfield. No guest minimum and very reasonable priced ($3500 for one day, $4000 for two). They have a preferred coordinator and some really good vendors on their suggestions list. The owners are also friends of mine and they are so sweet and lovely to work with.

I did a lot of DIY. All bouquets, boutonnières, centerpieces, save the date, invitations, place settings assignments and table numbers in a pretty frame. We bought cute hand sanitizers, heart bottle openers and custom chocolates. A big savings if u do your own stuff. I used silk flowers and much from dollar store, Amazon, zazzle. Frames for table numbers at Bed, Bath &