Budget Cutting Guide for Weddings

*especially helpful for trimming your budget* 

According to WeddingWire’s 2019 NewlyWed Report, the average cost of getting married in the US is $38,700! This includes the engagement ring, ceremony/reception, and honeymoon. Don’t know about you, but going into debt to have an Instagram worthy wedding is just……crazy.  

Don’t get us wrong, there is nothing bad about having a beautiful wedding, but there are definitely ways to keep it within budget AND keep it classy.

Idea #1 Save Money on Flowers–accentuate. Gone are the days when having a florist decorate every corner of the venue was the norm. If flowers at your wedding aren’t a priority, have a florist accentuate what you want to highlight instead! This would be you, blushing bride. Get a beautiful bouquet! You can even find a fake bouquet from Etsy and DIY the rest from a wholesale flower store. I have my beautiful fake bouquet still sitting upright in a vase on our dresser!

Idea #2 The groom probably isn’t as giddy about showing off his ring to his buddies as the bride is. With that said, he probably doesn’t want a cheap looking or dingy ring either. The best rings I’ve seen, which are also super durable and affordable, are Tungsten Carbide. Amazon has these for around $20! 

Idea #3 Location, location, location. Wherever you get married, have the ceremony and reception at the same location! This saves time AND money. If you decide to get married in your church, know that most churches won’t allow dancing (at least most Southern Baptist churches don’t haha) so make sure to consider that!

Idea #4 Go off the Grid. Talking about your wedding dress 😉 Don’t shop big retailers. Places like David’s Bridal have BEAUTIFUL dresses. They really are lovely, but it’s likely that you’ll be able to find just as beautiful of a dress hidden away in a cute bridal boutique down the street for a quarter of the price. Or even online! Renting your dress is an option too! Check out renttherunway.com!

          

Idea #5 Potluck meals. This is one thing that I love about smaller weddings! They can be intimate enough that you can have a few family members bring a couple crockpots or casseroles or themed meals to share (soup potluck, taco bar, casseroles, etc). Alphabetize who brings what and don’t forget to have someone bring dessert! 😉

Idea #6 Backyard Wedding–If you know a family member (or really close friend) with a beautiful backyard, ask if they would be willing to let you host your wedding at their place! 

Idea #7 Get married on an “off” day. Weekend weddings are the most expensive regardless of where you get married and even if the wedding itself is short. Friday is better, but Monday is the least expensive option. It may be hard to have a lot of your guest list come, but maybe that’s the point? 😉 

Idea #8 If you suffer from wanderlust and desire to have a minimalist life together without all the things, definitely get a money registry with honeyfund.com instead of requesting “stuff”! Build that honeymoon registry and travel!