How do you keep wedding costs to a minimum?

Answer 1

Pick a budget that you can actually afford and be committed to it.
Prioritize, as others have suggested. You can elope for nearly nothing. However, if you do want to have a wedding with friends and family, get creative about what want and what you can do yourself. Don't think of it as a wedding as much as a party.

Have an afternoon ceremony and don't serve a meal. At 2pm, you aren't expected to serve lunch or dinner. Just have tea, lemonade, and tea sandwiches. Don't serve alcohol, or limit it to a champagne toast. Buy the cake from a baker you trust. Fewer people = smaller cake.

A church + church hall is usually less expensive than some fancy country club. Renting a tent for use at a family home or public garden can also be inexpensive + pretty.

Flowers can come from a garden & garden center. Be creative about favors and invitations. Our invitations were a single page garden party invitation, professionally printed for $100. We had tulip bulbs as a favor - wrapping them in tulle was a pain, but it worked and was a memorable favor.

Have a friend in charge of the CD or MP3 player = no band.

Don't invite everyone you know - keep it to close family and friends. The fewer people, the easier to manage and the cheaper it is. Plus, it's nice to actually know all your guests well.

If you hire a photographer, have them come before the ceremony and just work for an hour. Agree that you own the negatives. Then you can have beautiful, professional photos for just a few hundred dollars instead of a fancy album (that you never look at) for thousands.

Keep the ceremony simple - why does anyone need 8 attendants?

Answer 2

There are several ways, the most important thing is to spend more money on what's most important to you. Cut costs on other things.

One big way to cut costs is to limit the alcohol or cut if out entirely from your reception. One way to limit it is serve only beer and wine, not hard liquor, or have an open bar for 1-2 hours then close it. don't do a cash bar, it's tacky.

Another way is to minimize costs of the reception meal. One way to do this is to have your reception at a time when people don't expect a meal, so you aren't obligated to serve them a full meal. A good time for this is a reception from 2-5 pm, or after 9 pm if your wedding begins in the evening. If you do serve a meal, buffet style or food stations are cheaper than a full service sit down meal.

At the reception and ceremony, pre-recorded music with a DJ is cheaper than a live singer and band.

The less guests you have, the smaller venue you can use and the less food you have to buy, which cuts costs. You don't spend as much on invitations either.

Wedding cakes can be bought cheaply from a local grocery store instead of a fancy baker. Wal-mart has surprisingly fancy and tasty wedding cakes that are very cheap compared to other places. Also, using fresh flowers to decorate the cake are chaper than fondant decorations or sugar flowers.

Save on attire by going to a cheaper bridal store and buying off the rack, as opposed to an orginal dress. Tuxes can be rented cheaper than bought.

Flowers that are in season are cheapest. If you're up for it you can put together your own bouquets.

Give out simple favors like chocolates or a small snack. Your guests will appreciate it and you won't send much.

If you have any other questions feel free to email me.

Answer 3

The bulk of your money is the reception. Look at many places and see who gives you the best bang for your buck. Having an earlier meal (like a brunch or early lunch/dinner) can save you money. Keeping things simple can also save money (flowers, decorations). For the dress you can look at bridal outlets (I did this and got a $1000 dress for $400), resale and thrift shops (most dresses were only worn once) or you can rent a dress like the guys rent tuxedos (much cheaper and you can get something really elaborate). The earlier you book things, and flexibility will also give you more bargaining power. Try pricing things out without using the W word (wedding) and see what happens. Having a planner may also be beneficial because they are in the business and may be able to get you some bargains. Look at the wedding sites to (like "the knot") get some creative ideas.

Congratulations and Good Luck.

Answer 4

Make 3 lists. The first is your must haves. The second is things that are nice to have but you can live without if you have to. The third is things that you absolutely don't want or that aren't important to you. Eliminate everything on the 3rd list.

Also, when shopping for wedding decor, do not buy anything that says "wedding" because you will find the same products elsewhere not labelled "wedding" that are better quality and 10x cheaper.

Answer 5

I have by doing my own flowers. I got 6 dozen roses ordered from the florist and I'm doing the bridesmaids and my bouquet with those. Also I got a few extra roses to do the boutonnieres with. The corsages are the only thing I'm having the florist do, that is just too time consuming!!! So all together not counting the corsages it was 115.00 for all. I also saved by using a individual cake maker rather than a bakery. We used her for my shower and her cakes are not only gorgeous but taste great!!! And with a four tier wedding cake and the two tier grooms cake they were only 380.00 (that's all together!) So there's a few ways I saved! I also found a place to have the wedding and reception all together so ppl don't have to travel to two different places and the place we picked does everything from decoration the chapel to the decorating the reception! So great!!! And helps with the stress not having to deal with that! lol

Answer 6

Elope, get married at the local District of the Justice/Courthouse, or have a cake and punch reception after an intimate ceremony with just family and friends. These are the most inexpensive options.

Other possibilities are having the event at someone's home...but again, this would only be for very VERY small guest lists, and you need to consider the size of the home, the number of available bathrooms, and seating concerns.

Good luck dear!

~Kat

Answer 7

Go somewhere exotic. Stay at a resort hotel that specialises in weddings. Guests are welcome but have to pay for their holiday. The cost of the reception will take into account that the guests have already paid (themselves) to stay there. It works out really good value and you get the honeymoon thrown in. The other plus is that you can have a few days to unwind before the ceremony and the hotel does all the hard graft anyway.

Answer 8

Keep the guest list small, hold the wedding on a day other than Saturday, get your cake from the grocery store rather than a bakery, don't do favors or programs, make your own invitations, hold the reception in a backyard, if someone has a nice one, only offer beer/wine/soda rather than a full bar...there are soooo many things you can do to have a really nice wedding without spending a fortune!

Answer 9

find inexpensive places to host your event. look for the places that let you either hire your own caterer or bring in your own food. food and drinks are the most expensive things in weddings. find a cheap DJ, hire students to play a cello or violin at the ceremony, get married in a park, get a good photographer though- it's the only thing you'll have to remember your day. have a family member in charge of videotaping all night. buy a used dress. see if a relative who has a big van can drive you and your wedding party around. make your own invitations, decorations- centerpieces, card box. find something inexpensive to give as favors- make your own candy or bookmarks with your wedding date on them.

Answer 10

Set a budget. Once you determine how much you are willing to spend you have to decide what is most important. Stick to it. If you say you are only willing to spend $400 on invitations, do that, even if it means not having the ones you've always wanted. A wedding shouldn't leave you in debt for years to come.