There are plenty of ways to plan the wedding of your dreams without breaking the bank. There’s no need to bid goodbye to that vision of walking down the aisle in a beautiful gown, or the one where you enjoy the perfect honeymoon with your spouse.
In this post, we’ll explore several budget-friendly wedding reception ideas and cover savings tips for everything from the dress to the food. But before we dive into the specifics of how you can save money on various expenses, we’d like to stress the importance of saving for your wedding and honeymoon.
Savings accounts have a higher interest rate (0.50%) than a checking account and can help you save more for your wedding. You can even set up automatic transfers to your savings share to make saving money convenient. While saving on wedding expenses is important, working toward saving a particular amount before you begin planning can also help you determine your budget.
Assess each expense at your wedding and what it’s worth to you and your spouse-to-be. This will put into perspective what you’re willing to splurge on and what isn’t that important to you. For example, you may find that wearing an expensive couture gown is more important to you than having a professional DJ at your reception. If so, you can cut costs by having a friend manage the music and put the money you would have spent on a DJ toward your dress.
Create them yourself: The most affordable option is to design and print your save the dates and invitations yourself and use a local printer, such as a college print shop, to produce them for you. With so many design options out there, it’s easier than ever to create your own design. Websites such as Canva offer a great set of tools. Just be sure to do a print test first to confirm your design looks the way you want before placing your full order.
Browse premade cards online: If you’d rather not go through the trouble of designing a save the date or invitation yourself, you can check out websites such as Vistaprint, Amazon, or Etsy. If you have tech-savvy friends and relatives, send them to a custom URL to RSVP instead of printed response cards.
Rent what you wear: It’s common to rent tuxedos and suits, but don’t forget that you can rent your dress, too. This way, you get to look like a million bucks without spending a million bucks. A tip on renting tuxedos and suits: Renting as a group may get you a discount, so be sure the groomsmen shop together!
Shop for sales: For many brides, a wedding dress has sentimental value, and renting may not be a favorable option. That’s okay – you can still get a dress that’s yours alone and doesn’t burn a hole in your budget. Consider checking online shops and local discount racks for affordable wedding dresses, which usually have a great collection of dresses ranging from $100 to $500. Before making a purchase, check the shop’s return policy to make sure they allow free returns in case the dress isn’t what it looked like online. And, if you don’t mind buying a used dress, consider vintage or thrift shops that sell wedding dresses at a much lower cost. Most of the time, these are in great condition because they’ve only been worn once.
Ask about packaged deals: The cost of a venue may take the bulk of your wedding budget. Shop around for the best price and ask about packaged deals. You may find certain venues offer perks like speaker systems, discounted catering services, or a free cake, which may make the extra cost worth it in the long run.
Opt for a family-owned location: This could mean a family member’s backyard or a local privately-owned restaurant with a large banquet hall. Churches often have reception halls that you can reserve for free or relatively inexpensive costs as well.
Explore public spaces: You don’t need to have your wedding at a fancy banquet hall. Look around you! There are tons of open spaces well suited for a ceremony and reception. These include university campuses, parks, and public gardens. Public parks and gardens rent space for weddings and don’t cost as much as a typical banquet hall. Whatever venue you choose, be sure to visit it during the day of the week and the time you plan to have your ceremony and reception to check lighting, traffic, etc.
Think beyond traditional catering: Consider a range of food options that are not only inventive but also memorable for your guests. You could bring in a local food truck for your outside reception, offer food stations, or ask a friend or family member to cater. If you cover the cost of ingredients, they may be willing to do the work as a wedding gift to you and your soon-to-be spouse.
Skip the sit-down dinner: This can be a bit unconventional, but just because sit-down dinners are the norm, it doesn’t mean you have to adhere. Instead of a three-course meal, you could serve your guests hors d’oeuvres and cake after the ceremony.
Cut the open bar: One of the most significant ways to cut down costs is not having an open bar. Instead, offer a coffee bar, soda, or other drinks. If you want to provide your guests with drinks, check with your venue about bringing in beverages purchased outside or ask vendors about bulk purchase options.
Get help from family and friends: We all have a friend or family member who’s big into baking. Here’s where their skills will come in handy! Once again, you can pay for ingredients and ask if your baker friend would be willing to craft the cake for you as a wedding gift. Cupcakes are often less expensive and easier to serve to guests.
Check out neighborhood grocery stores and local bakeries: Grocery stores offer wedding cake options that are usually very reasonably priced, but still fancy.
Skip cake altogether: You can also take an unconventional route. Instead of having an expensive fondant cake, you can serve a different dessert. Cookies, pies, and candy bars are fun and cost much less!
Browse dollar stores: As the name suggests, dollar stores are great places to find vases, artificial flowers, candles, and metallic confetti – all for just a few dollars.
Create your own flower arrangements: Want to channel some of your inner creativity? Now’s a good time to start! YouTube and Pinterest are brimming with DIY information and can help you put together some of the most elegant arrangements. These will only cost a few dollars, and you’ll get to show off your talent. Ask your friends and family to pitch in if you’re not confident about doing this yourself.
Borrow or purchase used decorations: Ask around to see if anyone has décor from previous events or weddings they wouldn’t mind letting you borrow. Does your friend have a tree they’re cutting down? Ask if she would be willing to cut the trunk into slabs for your wedding. You can purchase an inexpensive wood burning tool and write quotes, table numbers, or hearts with your and your loved one’s initials on them.
Set up your own system: You don’t have to have a big-name DJ or band to get the party started! A curated playlist will work just fine. You can have a collection of songs that are special to both of you, or you can ask a friend or family member to be the DJ.
Hire college students: There are some great college bands out there with a lot of potential. You could also check out new DJs and musicians. Check out some of their gigs and see if they can get the job done.
Stick to the basics: Some DJ companies make their money by selling extras. Save money by sticking to the basics and saying no to special effects such as expensive lights, photo booths, and smoke machines.
Hire recent graduates or newer photographers trying to break into the field: These are smart options if you’re looking for reasonably priced photography talent. You can reach out to them via local college or community sites. Check out their portfolios and see if there are any that would be a good match. Or ask around about up-and-coming photography talent. Just make sure you trust the photographer to get the photos you want. Your wedding only happens once, and you don’t want it to be remembered through blurry photographs.
Get a packaged deal: Ask for a packaged deal that will capture the special moments leading up to and during your wedding day, such as engagement pictures, getting ready photos, the wedding ceremony, the reception, and the after party. Also, make sure you’re able to get a print release and all the photos sent to you digitally or on a CD or thumb drive so you can print them yourself instead of having to purchase the prints through the photographer. If you also want a video of your special day, many photographers work with videographers and sell video and photo packages.
Use family heirlooms: Family heirlooms, such as your grandmother’s earrings, could save you from splurging on new jewelry. Don’t forget to borrow a piece of jewelry for your wedding day – a great way to get your “something borrowed.”
Shop online: Once again, online shopping comes to the rescue! There are dozens of online discount shops that offer rings in various metals such as rose gold, white gold, and yellow gold, and countless stones such as diamonds and cubic zirconia. Don’t worry about getting the exact size, as it’s usually well worth it to get a good deal and resize the piece later.
Stay local: A honeymoon is a good time to enjoy each other’s company and unwind after all that wedding prep. But it’s not necessary to travel halfway across the world to do it. You could always opt to stay closer to home and instead invest in a nice hotel suite. It will be less stressful than hopping on a flight. Staying local also gives you the opportunity to spend a little more time with relatives you don’t see very often.
Get creative with your fund: If going on a honeymoon is a must, then this is a good time to make use of your wedding registry. You could skip registering for gifts and instead use an online honeymoon registry to ask your guests to make a contribution. This way, you can afford your dream trip to Paris or Venice without having to spend a penny.
Hopefully, you’ve decided on what you need to spend for a memorable, world-class wedding. Here are a few more ways to cut costs so that you come away with some helpful ideas for cutting down:
Trim your guest list: This is an obvious way to reduce costs. Sit down with your fiancée and have an honest conversation about who you want present on your big day. Only include those who are most important to you both, such as immediate family and close friends and relatives.
Ask for discounts: Vendors may give you a discount, especially if you purchase several services from them. You can also offer to include their logo on your program or wedding website in exchange for a small discount.
Encourage guests to rent a home: If you have a lot of family and friends coming from out of town, it may be a good idea to rent a home instead of reserving multiple hotel rooms. You can save even more by renting a home that has enough space to host your rehearsal dinner. If it’s nice out, consider hosting a casual cookout in place of a sit-down dinner.
Skip the wedding planner: Wedding planners can take care of all your big hassles, but if you’re concerned about costs, then it’s best to skip the wedding planner. If you’re keen on having a professional on board, though, you can hire them for one session instead of the whole event.
Use a cash rewards credit card for all of your planned and incidental wedding purchases to earn back some of the money you’re spending. Our Founder’s Rewards Card offers you cash rewards for every purchase, if qualified.
Good luck and congratulations!
*You can earn 1.5% cash rewards on purchases. You can earn 2% cash rewards on purchases if you maintain a PSECU checking account and qualifying monthly direct deposit(s) of at least $500. See the Visa® Founder’s Card and Visa® Alumni Rewards Card Rewards Program Terms and Conditions for full details.