Wedding planning

Get married in a large scenic local park. Have a friend be the officiant. Use Walgreens.com for the invitations. Do your own make up and hair. Have a friend take pictures and print them yourself. Use a speaker and phone playlist for your dj. Have only a maid of honor and a best man. Have a bbq style reception in the park. Have family bring food/liquor (potluck). Keep your guest list as small as you can. Go to David’s Bridal and find a 99$ dress. Zales usually has good sales on wedding ring sets. Try to get flowers from a friends garden.

Truthfully not the ceremony but the reception will hurt the budget. Limited guest list and reception should be during s noon dinner time. You don't have to serve alcohol but if you want just do beer and wine.

View Quoted Comment Wonderful thanks for great ideas😊

View Quoted Comment Any time! Hope your day is as wonderful as you envision it

Cut the guest list, skip unnecessary things such as favors, flowers, etc. Maybe skip the wedding cake. Get married at city hall, a park, community centre or fire hall, etc.

If you “must have” a lot of guests (100+) then I suggest a non-mealtime ceremony in a church (or temple), followed by a simple cake & punch reception in the church hall.


Small guest list of 20 or less? Ask nicer venues (hotels, restaurants) for a small wedding package (usually weekdays) then treat guests to lunch or dinner at a nice restaurant.

I would say prioritize getting some nice photos if you can (see if you can find a photographer who will do 2-3 hours, not a full wedding package? maybe a local / amateur photographer, not a “wedding photographer”) and forgo the rest. You can DIY so much - decor, flowers, cake, DJ, etc. but you may want a few nice pictures to remember the day by.


Also - if you want a full length gown but don’t want to pay sticker price for a wedding dress - look for bridesmaids dresses that come in white! The vast majority of bridesmaid dress retailers sell dresses in every color, including white, and most are under $250