How to Plan a Wedding on a Budget: Helpful Tips for Making it Work

If you’ve just gotten engaged, then congrats! It’s such an amazing place to be and such a memorable time in your life.

And now it’s time to share the happy news and start on your wedding planning. But before you start looking at wedding dresses, venues, and decor, it’s so important to first set your wedding budget.

Determining your wedding budget is going to help you understand what items on your list are realistic, doable, or might need to be altered. It’ll help you with every purchase you make and inspire you to find ways to have what you want without overspending.

And while it can feel a bit overwhelming when you don’t have the biggest budget for your wedding, there are so many ways you can save money and stretch your budget.

So check out these tips on how to plan a wedding on a budget below, and see how much you can save for your wedding.

1. Go Antiquing 

A great activity for you and your husband to be! You can find items for centerpieces, decor, signage, and more at your local antique shop for a lot less than a department store.

And if your local antique shop just isn’t providing what you need, then I would definitely suggest heading to a nearby city.

Do some research and make a list of the best antique shops in that area to check out, and make a list of the things you need. It’s a great way to save on wedding expenses and have classy pieces for your celebration.

2. Make a List of Everything You Know You Could Do Yourself

It’s a given that you can’t do everything for your own wedding, but there are some things that you might be able to do yourself.

So take some time, think about it, and make a list of things you know you could do, and a list of things you think you could do.

For your “think” list, look up tutorials and stories of people who have done those things themselves. And if you feel confident enough after watching others do it, then either move it over to the “know” list or practice and see how you feel.

Here’s a quick list of things you might want to think about doing yourself:

• Cake: If you already love to bake, then this feels like a no-brainer. But there are also plenty of Youtube tutorials on how to make a good wedding cake. Just make sure to practice before the big day so you can get it just right!
• DIY decor pieces: Head over to Pinterest and look up wedding decor pieces that match your vibe. Then see if this is something you’d easily be able to do with items from the craft store or learn from a tutorial.
• Invitations: Doing your own invitations is so simple! Sites like Canva already have pre-made invitations and you can create your own as well. Just get some high-quality paper for your wedding invitations, and you should be good to go!
• Accessories: If you love to get crafty, then creating your own hair pieces and jewelry might be a really smart budget move for your wedding.
• Dishes and drinks: There are so many amazing recipes that look fancy but don’t require you to pay a fortune just to buy the ingredients. Also, you’d have complete control over every dish and drink on your menu.
• Place cards and table numbers: Again, Canva is also a really great place to make your own place cards and table numbers. It simplifies the process and you can have fun with choosing your own styles.
• Guest book: Whether you’re using a photo album, a canvas for guests to sign, or a digital version of a guest book, it’s a good place to save money when wedding planning.

3. Build Your Wedding Playlist and Ditch the DJ

Instead of spending a few hundred (or thousand) on a DJ, build your playlist with you and your husband-to-be’s favorite songs.

It’s a simple place to be flexible and save on your wedding budget. Also, you can even invite your friends and family to suggest some songs before the big day.

4. Centerpiece Wedding Favors

Don’t bother buying gifts to serve as wedding favors, just use those custom centerpieces as take-home wedding favors! Guests will love the ability to take home a piece of décor (made by you) and keep the memory.

5. Buy in Bulk

Work with local farmers, restaurants, and craft supply stores to buy in bulk or wholesale for a better price on flowers, food, and party supplies.

It’s a simple way to cut costs just a bit more when budgeting for a wedding, and you can allocate that extra money to something more meaningful (or needed).

6. Friends as Photographers

Enlist a friends to photograph your special day by hiring them as your wedding photographer. More likely than not, they will help at a discounted price or for free.

And when you’re determining your budget, you can know that this is just another thing you don’t need to stress over finance-wise.

7. Use Signage Instead of Programs

Instead of printing pricey programs for guests that list the schedule of events, have a sign at the front door and inside to save money on printing.

I promise you, this is a simple way to save money and get rid of a bit more wedding planning stress.

8. Brunch Time Wedding

Shifting your wedding to a less used time such as the morning or for brunch can definitely help you spend less than you would have if you hosted your wedding during the evening.

As some have said, brunch is a lot cheaper than dinner, and you might be able to cut costs with your venue, some vendors, and catering.

9. Get Your Friends and Family to Help

Instead of hiring professionals for your wedding (which is of course expensive), ask your friends or family to help out.

So for instance, if you have a friend who is skilled with the violin, you could ask them to play a few songs. Or if you have a cousin who loves to do DIY projects, you could ask them to make the centerpieces instead.

It’s a great place to be realistic when creating your budget!

10. Buy Secondhand

When doing a wedding budget breakdown, look at the different places where you could buy secondhand.

There are so many places online where you can purchase things that are new or slightly used. So think wedding decor, dresses, suits, or even glassware. It’s a great way to get good discounts and your guests are never going to know the difference.

11. Flow Arrangement

Flowers are such a simple but beautiful way to dress up any room. And just by following a simple Youtube tutorial, you can learn how to display flowers in a simple but elegant way all around the room.

Just head to Trader Joe’s, your local farmer’s market, or a nice flower shop and find flowers that’ll work with the decor.

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