Although the economy appears to be heading in a positive direction, not a lot of us can reasonably afford to spend $20,000 on our wedding. However, most of us have imagined our weddings since childhood and can’t fathom having anything less. Never fear, it is possible to have the wedding of your dreams with a $5,000 or less budget. How you might ask? You will need to first and foremost be realistic and know what you can and can’t live without. Then you’ll need to make a list of all the things you’ll need for your wedding and number them in order of priority. Lastly, take the tips below in consideration when planning your $5,000 (or less) budget wedding.
1. Your Wedding Dress
A huge percentage of a wedding’s budget is spent on the bride’s wedding dress. In order to save big in this area, budget brides should consider second-hand gowns or purchase a gown from a discount bridal store. You can find second-hand gowns at thrift stores, consignment shops, eBay, the classifieds section of wedding blogs (e.g. Weddingbee.com) and e-stores selling used wedding gowns (PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com). You can also borrow a gown from a friend or family member. Also, check with the older women in your family to see if they still have their wedding gowns. These older gowns are vintage and you may be surprised to see how a few alterations can modernize a vintage gown. If you have your heart set on owning a gown never worn by another. Your best bet in saving money is to shop the clearance racks of bridal shops, or department stores like Nordstrom or Macy’s. If the clearance prices are still out of your budget, which as some bridal shops may actually be the case. Check out discount wedding stores like David’s Bridal or Wedding Center USA located in Modesto, CA. These discount stores generally carry wedding gowns for under $100.
2. Your Save-the-Date Cards & Wedding Invitations
Your wedding announcements, save-the-date cards and wedding invitations can cost you up to $1,000 or more depending on the vendor, style and size of each. You can keep a lot of money on your money tree by making your own save-the-date and wedding invitations (including RSVP cards, return envelopes and place cards). You can find DIY kits at Walmart, Target and Micheals. You can also search online for templates which you can download, customize and print on your printer (check out ThePaperMillStore.com for FREE wedding invitation templates). Creative brides can design their own invitations and purchase card stock paper from any office supply store or art store. Making your invitations yourself might take you a little time, but it will save you hundreds of dollars in the end. You might spend $50 for your invitations. Please remember, when creating your invitations and save-the-date cards, take postage in consideration. A save-the-date card or invitation may look beautiful, but cost just a little too much to mail. If you are into something unique, also consider hand delivering your invitations personally, if all your guest are in close proximity to your home.
3. Your Wedding Decor
Flowers, balloons, tableware, silverware, linens, lighting, candles, etc., all fall into the category of wedding decor. These items can take up to 40% of your total budget. It does not have to though. You can save big on Flowers by selecting silk flower instead of live flowers. If you are not much for silk flowers, go with in season live flowers, they’re a lot more affordable. Also, if you go with live flowers, keep your centerpieces and bouquets simple (i.e. as few flowers as possible, held together by a ribbon). Forget about the balloons, unless you’ll be using them as centerpieces as opposed to flowers. As for your place settings, check out Costco’s plastic flatware that looks just like silver flatware, until you touch it of course. Linens… This small detail can get very expensive. You can save on linens by making your own or just going without, if possible. Lighting is not necessary, depending on the time of your wedding and the reception. To save more money, plan your wedding during the day in order to use natural light from the sun. If you must have an evening wedding, a romantic candle light room always works. Please remember to check with your venue on their policy with candles. If your venue does not allow candles, look for the LCD votive candles. You can always find them at Dollar Tree (by the way, Dollar Tree has a huge selection of wedding decorations for the DIY bride or budget conscious bride), Walmart or Target. Whatever you do to save on your decor, remember to keep it simple, stylish and classic. Nothing is worse than a wedding that looks like a child’s birthday party.
4. Your Wedding & Reception
Venue The location of your wedding and reception is what accounts for over half of your budget. You can spend a majority of your wedding funds on this area. The best advice for saving on your venue is to think about having an outdoors wedding at locations that are free to the public, such as a local beach or local city park. You should also consider the home of family member who has a large enough place to have a wedding and your reception. It is nothing more intimate than a wedding at your parent’s home with a small picnic type lunch or cocktail party immediately following out in the backyard. If the above are not options you’re open to, then you should shop around for venues new to the wedding industry. They are likely more affordable and may give you a discount if you allow them to use your wedding for marketing purposes. You should also check with local motels to see if they have a banquet or meeting room in which you could have a small intimate wedding and reception. Also, if you’re having a Church wedding, it is often a lot more affordable to have your wedding a Church where you are a member. Most Churches also have banquet or meeting rooms which you can use as your reception area. Once you decide on a venue, you can save more money by having your wedding on a Sunday or early in the week (e.g. Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night wedding). These days might seem less convenient for your guest, but if you give your guest enough prior notice, they can prepare in advance to attend your early week wedding.
5. Reception Food & Drinks
You can save huge by having a family member or friend cook the food for your wedding. If you don’t have a friend or a family member that can cook for you, consider a cocktail type reception where fruit, cheese and meat trays strategically placed through your reception venue for your guest to serve themselves while mingling. So you have your hear set on a more formal dinner. Look for up and coming caters and see if they will give you a discount if you allow them to use your wedding for marketing their services. Just remember to try out the food before committing to anything. You can also ask a local Mom & Pop restaurant to cater, which is likely to save you 10-20% on what wedding caters would charge. If you are having an afternoon wedding, consider having a picnic style reception where you and your bridal party prepare lunch boxes for your guests the day or night before the wedding and have them ready on the tables. This is not only unique and non-traditional, it will receive a lot of smiles from your guest if you are able to personalize each lunch. You can save on your wedding cake by locating a new and upcoming baker or even ordering your cake from your local super market. With any other baker, you’ll need to do a taste test and make sure you get everything in writing. The drinks… You can save huge in this area if you do not serve alcoholic beverages. Depending on the time of your reception, keeping the drinks alcohol free might be the best option. However, if you must have your signature martini drink present, purchase all your drinks in bulk and ask a friend or family member with bartending skills to serve the drinks at the reception. Lastly, the entertainment at your reception is very important. A DJ can cost you between $250 and $500 and that is on the low end. A band can cost over a $1,000. You can save huge by playing your iPod. While planning your wedding, you should create a Wedding and a Reception playlist and include all the songs you want heard on your special day. If you are strongly opposed to the iPod, check with the local high schools and colleges for music students looking to gain additional experience performing. Want a DJ, you can also look to music students and local radio stations for low cost recommendations.
Having the wedding of your dreams on a $5,000 budget is not impossible. It is actually within arm’s reach. It will take discipline and a lot of your time and energy, but it will keep those dollar bills on your money tree for more important things like your first home. I hope these frugal tips help you during your wedding planning. Happy planning & saving!
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