Who says weddings can't be amazing and affordable? With our helpful tips, yours will be.
01of 56
Planning a wedding on a budget can make it difficult to look at the big picture. Instead of getting overwhelmed by all the major details and the price tags associated with them, start with these small ways to save money. Not only will our simple wedding budget tips and tricks help you cut planning costs, but they'll add up to one unforgettable celebration. Who says weddings can't be amazing and affordable?
The best part of all is that these tips don't feel like sacrifices. Serving a signature drink? You probably wanted to anyway. But maybe you didn't realize that this is one great way to see major savings on your bar tab. Another great tip? Fill your bouquet and centerpieces with in-season flowers! Local, seasonal blooms are more affordable than imported varieties, and we promise that you'll love the look. Follow one, five, ten, or all of our tips and watch the savings follow.
If you're ready to plan your perfect wedding while saving big, these clever budget-trimming ideas are for you. Click through to see all 55 tips for making your dream day a little more affordable.
Plus, Learn About 7 Common Unforeseen Wedding Expenses
02of 56
Serve a Signature Drink
Serve a custom-made co*cktail, such as punch or a classic libation, instead of providing a full bar.
Get More Signature Drink Ideas
03of 56
Limit Alcoholic Beverages
Limit alcoholic beverages to wine and beer, choices that will satisfy most of your guests. Join mailing lists at wine shops, then, when wines you want for your wedding go on sale, buy in bulk and in magnum sizes to save.
When you're ready to buy wine, go with wholesale. You'll pay your caterer a corkage fee to pour it, but wine purchased through him can cost twice as much. Most merchants offer a 10 percent discount for buying wine by the case, and they'll often increase that if you purchase several cases at once.
More Ways to Save Money on Alcohol
04of 56
Consider a Wedding Breakfast or Brunch
Breakfasts, brunches, and afternoon teas are usually more affordable than evening receptions: They're shorter, the fare is lighter, and guests tend to consume less liquor early in the day.
05of 56
Comparison Shop Wedding Cakes
If your caterer's contract will permit it, hire an outside baker to provide the wedding cake. Even though you'll have to pay a cake-cutting charge, you will likely pay less overall if you shop around.
Even if you want a tall cake, have your baker make only the amount required to serve each guest one slice. Any additional tiers can be made of Styrofoam and iced to match the others.
06of 56
Buy Local Ingredients
Have your caterer use local fruits and vegetables that are in season. Not only will these items be more economical, they'll taste fresher.
07of 56
Avoid Pricey Main Courses
Use expensive ingredients, such as lobster, in hors d'oeuvres rather than in a main course. Consider a raw bar for co*cktail hour stocked with fresh clams, oysters on the half shell, and poached jumbo shrimp, lobster, smoked mussels, and crab co*cktails.
08of 56
Forgo Full Dinner Service
How dinner is served affects the price. French service, in which guests are served by waiters from a platter at the table, and regular plate service are the most expensive. More economical is family-style, where diners help themselves from serving dishes brought to the table.
09of 56
Make Cake the Dessert Course
Dispense with a separate dessert course, and just present the wedding cake as dessert, with coffee and tea to end the meal.
10of 56
Punch-and-Cake Reception
A punch-and-cake reception held in the late morning or afternoon is the least expensive type of party. To make it special, serve several cakes of different designs and flavors, or make punch in colors that match your palette.
11of 56
Two Wedding Cakes Can Be Cheaper than One
Order two cakes for the reception: a large sheet cake and a small fancy one to be used for display and the cake-cutting ceremony. The sheet cake, which can be less elaborately decorated than the other, gets sliced and dished up in the kitchen.
More Tips for Wedding Cake on a Budget
12of 56
Top Off a Simple Wedding Cake
Order a moderately priced, plainly decorated cake, and make the focal point the cake topper. Vintage bride-and-groom figurines, wedding bells, horseshoes, a basket filled with fruit, or a pair of doves (from an antiques shop or handmade) are classic symbols that can make a cake memorable.
See Gorgeous Wedding Cake Toppers
13of 56
Serve Champagne for Toasts Only
Instead of pouring Champagne all night long, serve just a single glass to each guest at the appropriate time to toast the bride and groom.
14of 56
Select In-Season Flowers
While most popular bridal flowers are available year-round, some traditional ones—peonies and lilies of the valley, for example—can be difficult to find and expensive out of season. Seek your florist's advice before deciding on your flowers.
Get In-Season Fall Flower Ideas
15of 56
Economical Wedding Bouquet Embellishments
Mix berries, pinecones, and other economical non-floral embellishments among costlier blooms to fill out bouquets and displays.
Get More Non-Floral Centerpiece Ideas
16of 56
Repurpose Your Wedding Flowers
Make floral arrangements do double duty: If there's an adequate number of ceremony flowers and they're an appropriate size, they can serve as centerpieces at the reception; otherwise they can decorate guest-book, seating-card, and favor tables. Place bridesmaids' bouquets on the dessert table.
17of 56
Streamline Centerpieces
Instead of decorating tables with large arrangements, float a few flowers in shallow bowls or glass cylinders filled halfway with water. Here, we floated five or six peony blossoms in a footed bowl, surrounding it with scattered votive candles and satellite peonies in smaller bowls.
Get More DIY Centerpiece Ideas
18of 56
Arrange Fruit-Filled Centerpieces
Bowls, compotes, or even cake stands filled with seasonal fruits from a farmer's market can take the place of expensive floral presentations.
See Wedding Centerpieces With Fruits and Vegetables
19of 56
Decorate Tables With Candles
A single pillar candle in a hurricane lantern is a wonderful centerpiece, as is a casual display of votive candles in the middle of a table.
See More Candle Centerpieces
20of 56
Turn Favors into Centerpieces
As an alternative to traditional flower centerpieces, group favors together on the table. Even if you spend a bit more on the favors themselves, you'll probably save overall.
Get Floral and Plant Favor Ideas
21of 56
More Flowers Can Cost Less
Don't overlook such floral standbys as daisies and carnations. They're available year-round, are quite affordable, and when arranged en masse make delightful centerpieces and bouquets.
More Flowers You Never Thought of Using
22of 56
Find Low-Cost Drama in Flowering Bulbs
Flowering bulbs—amaryllis, narcissus, and hyacinth among them—often cost less than regular flowers and are dramatic, even when arranged simply.
23of 56
Two-in-One Favor Place Cards
Use favors as seating or place cards to save a bit on stationery costs. For seating cards, write guests' names and table numbers on strips of paper, affix them to the favors, and set in order on a table near the entrance. For place cards, put favors with names attached at guests' places.
24of 56
Use What You Already Have
Your florist won't have to supply vases for your centerpieces if you have a collection of containers, such as jelly or milk jars. Filled with flowers, such vessels make pretty displays.
25of 56
Put a Cap on Calligraphy
Have a calligrapher letter only the cover of the ceremony program; print the interior pages using favorite fonts on your own computer. Consider making up menus, seating cards, and place cards with your computer, as well.
26of 56
Make Your Own Favors
Handmade favors and decorations are appealing and usually cost less than store-bought.
27of 56
Celebrate Off-Season
Vendors will be more likely to reduce fees if you choose a winter date rather than scheduling for summer, when rates are at their highest. This doesn't apply, however, during holidays. Fridays and Sundays are generally less expensive than Saturdays for renting a venue.
For a destination wedding, book a date that is not as popular for travel in the region.
28of 56
Downsize Your Bridal Party
Try to keep the number of attendants as small as possible: The larger the bridal party, the more you'll spend on gifts and flowers.
29of 56
Set Guest List Boundaries
To minimize the guest list, refrain from inviting children and coworkers. Include your friends' significant others but not casual dates.
30of 56
Negotiate Contracts
Before signing a contract with your caterer, photographer, or florist, try to negotiate a lower, yet still reasonable, price.
Get More Advice on Contracts
31of 56
Better to Borrow
Borrow accessories from family and friends instead of buying them; this can also provide your "something borrowed."
32of 56
Ask for Help
Ask talented friends or relatives to help with your wedding. An artistic friend, for instance, might design your stationery, or a baking enthusiast could make cupcakes or cookie favors.
33of 56
DJ Vs. Wedding Band
For your reception, remember that a deejay can be less costly than a live band. To avoid hiring two bands and paying two separate fees, ask if just a few pieces of the band can play during the ceremony and co*cktail hour, as well as at the reception.
Get More Money-Saving Entertainment Tips
34of 56
Party in Public Spaces
The nicest wedding sites—parks, museums, public gardens—may be the most affordable.
35of 56
Skip Reply Cards
Eliminate reply cards and have guests handwrite a note instead. You'll save on stationery and postage, and the responses will be great keepsakes.
36of 56
Know Your Priorities
Prioritize aspects of the wedding that are most important to you. By compromising in some areas, you can afford to splurge on others.
37of 56
Lose the Limo
Use a personal car rather than a limousine to get to and from the reception.
38of 56
Don't Pay Retail for Your Wedding Dress
Look for a dress at sample sales, trunk shows, and outlets; you can sign up for some designers' sample-sale listings online.
Consider wearing your mother's gown. The costs of cleaning and alterations will likely be far less than the cost of buying a new wedding dress.
More Ways to Save Your Wedding Dress
39of 56
Fly on Credit
Pay wedding costs with a credit card to earn frequent-flyer miles toward your honeymoon. Just make sure to avoid incurring interest charges by paying the balance in full each month.
Get More Honeymoon Spending Tips
40of 56
Consider a Cruise
Check cruise lines' websites for discounts or offers of free airfare during slow travel times.
See New Honeymoon Cruise Picks
41of 56
Capture Only the Most Important Moments on Video
Hire a videographer to work just from the ceremony through the first dance rather than for the entire wedding.
Get More Photographer Budget Tips
42of 56
Initiate an Officiant
There are many unexpected costs that can inflate your budget; an officiant can be one of them. If that's the case for you, consider having your vows administered by a trusted relative or friend. Universal Life Church and Esoteric Interfaith Church are two organizations that "ordain" laypeople so they can officiate weddings, which most of the 50 states will recognize. Laws in a few states, such as Virginia, are strict, requiring officiants to be active in their ministry. To be sure you're in the clear, check with the county clerk about the laws where you'll be wed.
43of 56
Swap Cities
After moving her wedding from Brooklyn, New York (her current home), to a beach town in Michigan (her native state), bride-to-be Vicky Sherman watched catering quotes drop from $140 per head to $40—a savings of $15,000, based on her 150-person guest list.
44of 56
Seek Free Fonts
Finding the perfect typeface that's also free is a bit like searching for the Holy Grail. Here's reason to rejoice: four decidedly un-tacky fonts that don't cost a hard-earned dime. Top row from left: Customize place cards, coasters, menus, or thank-you notes with simple Kontor serif or Lane sans serif, from dafont.com. Bottom row: Use the more stylized Monogram kk and Hoedown fonts from abstractfonts.com to stand in for a calligrapher or give a "Just Married" sign a retro Western kick.
45of 56
Say Yes to All-Inclusive
"Choosing a venue that comes with extras built in, like a wedding coordinator or an on-site ceremony location, means significant savings," says Christina Latvatalo, wedding sales manager at the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York. All those extras can add up to thousands you won't have to spend.
46of 56
Create Your Own Dot-Com
Save on paper, printing, and postage by sharing your wedding details online. Many businesses charge only a small fee to use their webpage templates, and some charge nada. On weddingwire.com, for instance, users can pick a design, upload photos, and even add a song that will play whenever guests pay a visit—all for free.
See the Best Wedding Websites
47of 56
Focus on You
When it comes to your ceremony site, you don't need to deck the guest-book table and every pew with flowers. Get the most bloom for your buck by asking your florist to design two lush altarpieces, which will direct everyone's eyes exactly where you want them to be: on you and your groom.
48of 56
Bouton-ette Your Bridesmaids
Turn your cost-saving tactics into a fashion statement. Instead of giving bridesmaids costly bouquets to carry, pin one beautiful blossom on each of your attendants.
49of 56
Sign Up for Spam
Most wedding-dress designers allow you to sign up for news and updates. Even if you have a policy of sharing your e-mail address with only your nearest and dearest, this is one of the few times where it pays to offer up your deets. Get on their e-mail lists, and you'll be privy to time-sensitive insider info such as sample sales and trunk shows.
50of 56
Sample-Size Your Makeup
If you're getting your wedding look done at a makeup counter, buy only the items you'll definitely use again (e.g., lipstick). Scoop up samples of anything you'll use only on the big day (e.g., face powder).
Get More Beauty Budget Tips
51of 56
Shorten Their Hours
"You can save on makeup by hiring the best person you can afford," says Rosemary Redlin, a New York-based makeup artist. "Then ask them to leave a touch-up kit behind." Many artists charge by the hour, and you'll rack up serious costs by having them stick around for your photo session, when all you will really need are touch-ups.
52of 56
Use Bud Vases
Instead of centerpieces with oodles of blooms in them, consider using petite vases (we painted ours, which came from CB2 and cost only $3 each). Fill them each with a few flower stems and spread them out. An added upshot: "Each person at the table will get a feel for the flowers, which isn't the case when you have one centerpiece," says Siu.
53of 56
Give a Newbie a Break
There are many talented photographers who haven't made a name for themselves yet, and their lack of fame can save you a fortune. If you fall hard for a photographer who's in high demand, ask if she'll refer you to a lower-priced colleague (just make sure you like his work before you commit).
54of 56
Boycott Overpriced Bubbly
Technically, Champagne is sparkling wine that's from the Champagne region of France. But there are plenty of worldly competitors without the high price tag. Substitute with Cava, the Spanish take on Champagne, or Prosecco, from Italy, which is smoother, sweeter, and a better fit for a small budget. It's even true of French sparkling wine: "The least expensive bottle of Champagne we sell is $57," says Boutillier. "And Cremant, which is made the same way but isn't from Champagne, is $33."
55of 56
Pool the Presents
Instead of registering for stuff, ask guests to contribute to your honeymoon stash: At honeyfund.com, you can register for your trip, add vacation extras (from boat tours to spa treatments), then break the expenses down into gift-size increments.
Get More Honeymoon Registry Ideas
56of 56
Show Off A Little
Can't do without a designer cake? Go ahead and order one—but just for the two of you. You can put it on display and slice into it for the cake-cutting ritual; then serve a classic sheet cake for your guests to enjoy.
See Gorgeous Small Wedding Cakes