How to Plan a Wedding on a Budget

It’s no secret that weddings can end up being quite a costly affair. But they’re also one of the biggest events of your life, one which you're hopefully only going to do once. So, for some, it’s worth splashing the cash to ensure that you have one of the best days of your life alongside all your favourite people. Weddings don’t have to cost a fortune though. There are plenty of ways to cut costs and look after your wedding budget along the way. From substituting costly wedding day items for budget-friendly alternatives, to researching all the best cost-saving tips to simply setting a realistic wedding budget and sticking to it! Wedding expenses will fluctuate through your wedding planning process, but this article is packed with insightful wedding budget talk and can help you save money and bring down those wedding costs.

Are you ready to find out how to plan a wedding on a budget? Keep reading to find out...

Create a Wedding Budget

First things first, you need to set an actual wedding budget. Try not to get too deep into wedding planning without tackling this important step first. You don't want to dive in, book the dream wedding venue, order a designer wedding dress and invite your entire guest list to an exotic destination wedding if you haven't even considered whether you can afford to see these through first.

An affordable wedding doesn't have to be a boring wedding; it simply means setting a realistic budget, staying on top of your spending and finding a wedding planner and wedding vendors that can work with the budget you have.

Everyone's wedding finances will be different; some couples can save money easily, whereas some can't. That's just how it is. But if you do have some savings, that's a really great place to start! Next, if you have close family members, perhaps parents or grandparents, that want to contribute to your wedding day, now is the time to (politely) ask what this figure might be. Finally, work out how much money you can save in the run-up to the big day. This will obviously depend on venue availability, but if you have a month/year already in mind, use this as a benchmark. Together, these three figures will become your wedding budget. Of course, this may increase or decrease as time goes on, but at least you have a starting point in order to actually crack on with planning your wedding.

Your Guest List

The biggest impact on your wedding budget is the size of the wedding day you have. So if you’re already dealing with a tight budget or you need to reign in the mounting costs, you should seriously consider cutting down the guest list. A large guest list means looking at larger wedding venues, additional catering costs and potentially transport and accommodation too.

Having a smaller wedding can save you money in nearly all areas of your wedding, so before you start inviting everyone and anyone, make sure it works out financially first.

Wedding Venues

The hire cost of wedding venues can vary wildly throughout the wedding season. Although you might dream of a peak summer Saturday wedding, this is likely to be the most expensive option. Choosing to get married on a weekday or in early spring / late autumn/winter will definitely help you save money.

When you start researching your venues, you might find that some offer off-peak deals or late availability options, which could be worth considering for your own wedding day. Alternatively, you could pull back some of your budget by having an outdoor ceremony or a wedding ceremony in the same location as the wedding reception to avoid additional costs and transport options too.

Wedding Cake

There are a number of elements when designing your wedding which could be swapped out for more affordable options. Don't forget to shop around and request at least three quotes from each wedding vendor category (this is where having a wedding planner becomes super helpful!). One of these areas is the wedding cake. Most people will naturally favour a real wedding cake made by a local cake designer. But if you're watching the wedding budget, you could always have a partial dummy wedding cake and the rest real so that when you cut it, you still have actual cake, but a couple of the other tiers could be fake... no one would ever know! Clever, huh?

It's also worth asking your wedding caterer, whether they're with your venue or outsourced, whether they'd be able to throw in a free wedding cake with your package. A slightly cheeky request, but if you don't ask, you don't get! Wedding cakes can be costly items, so this is a great area to pull back some of the wedding budget.

BYO

Another big cost-saving exercise would be to hire a wedding venue that doesn’t have set wedding vendors and/or where you can bring your own drinks. Corkage can be an unexpected cost, so if you can eliminate that by having an open bar and sourcing your own fizz and wine for the wedding reception, it’s definitely worth doing. Alternatively, you could also ask all your friends to bring a bottle or two - this is another of the many ways to save money, but it might only work if you have an intimate affair with fewer guests. Otherwise, it could turn into a bit of a logistical nightmare!

Send Digital Wedding Invitations

Wedding stationery can end up adding quite a lot to your budget. Especially when you upgrade the quality of the paper, add additional sheets for accommodation info and menu options, include the cost of the envelopes and don’t forget about the postage! A great way to save money but not compromise on style is to send digital wedding invitations. This is free to do with Say I do and can end up being a better option logistically because you can track your RSVPs directly through your wedding website... bonus!

DIY Décor

If you have people in your wedding party that are creative and crafty or have access to helpful things such as lighting, or garden games for the outdoor reception, get them on board! It’s amazing how much you can DIY if you have the time and inclination. Create your own napkins to complement your theme, upcycle bits of wood for signage, and ask a friend with neat handwriting to write out your table plan and place name cards. DIY requires some careful planning and a big dose of creativity but start browsing on Pinterest, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can do for very little money.

Get your bridal party involved with the wedding favours, buy some ribbon for your ceremony chairs and invest in some gold leaf for decorating with - not only will you have a bespoke, beautiful wedding, but you'll also considerably cut costs during the planning process.

Budget weddings can be some of the most stylish, beautiful and memorable. Try not to get swept up in what everyone else is doing. If you stay true to yourself and design the perfect day for you and your partner, regardless of how much money you have to play with, you can’t go wrong.