Compilation of actual budget-friendly tips for conventional weddings
This is something I had to figure out on my own from so much research and i want to save others some time, if possible. I've read so many articles and blogposts about inexpensive wedding hacks that are frustratingly unhelpful because their low-cost suggestions are still too pricey. Or, you want a more traditional wedding but their tips rely on unconventional options ("have a backpack ceremony in a rural state park!").
So here's some tips from a future bride who understands that not everyone considers a 12k wedding "cheap":
VENUES: Probably one of your largest expenses. Non-profit community halls are your best bet for an inexpensive space.
VFW, American Legion, Knights of Columbus, and other groups often have event spaces available for rent for like $150-200/hr. Local recreation or community centers often have event spaces, too.
Also consider church social halls! Even if you are not a member of that particular church, a lot of them are willing to rent out their event spaces to outsiders.
These are all perfect if you really just need a big furnished indoor space without frills. They're a blank canvas.
"Unconventional" spaces like museums, arboretums, and such are only relatively cheaper than dedicated wedding locations (hotels, country clubs, etc). You're typically still see 3-5k price tags, and often they require specific "approved" catering services or additional in-house food minimums (another 2-6k).
FOOD: How much food you serve and how you serve it is gonna affect total cost a lot.
Consider a cake and punch wedding reception. These work best for early afternoon weddings, so that the reception doesn't fall during a major meal time.
You can also have a permanent appetizer/hors d'oeuvres station for an early evening ceremony, so that guests can munch aplenty and then go for a later 7 or 8 o'clock dinner after. The food can be really simple-- cubed cheese and fruit, crackers, some miniature sandwiches. The general rule is the less servers and dishes needed, the cheaper it'll be. Appetizer/cake receptions don't need either besides initial set-up.
Self-serve buffet is the next step up, but I'd avoid this because letting people take as much food as they want can get 😬. What you save in labor, you make up for in the necessary extra food.
For cheap labor, tap into your local high school or hospitality college. Especially if you just need a few extra people on hand to serve the buffet, buss tables, and clean up.
Stick with one, maybe two entree options. I know people like to have choices, but it gets pricey because you have to over-compensate. Try customizable meals like tacos!
Ethnic food as a general rule is the most inexpensive catering. Which is great if you just want something tasty and homey rather than fancy. We're going with a local Polish caterer.
Potluck receptions are NOT a good idea, unless your community is already into that and most of your guests are in-town. Otherwise you'll end up with not enough food.
ALCOHOL:
Liquor is damn expensive. And also, in most states you need a certified bartender to serve it (more service = cha-ching!). If you're really set on having a specific drink/cocktail, that's fine, just understand it's gonna be more than just the bottle cost.
A lot of guides insist you need an extensive wine selection (dry white, dry red, sweet white, rose, sparkling, etc) and multiple types of beer. I'm here to tell you that's B.S., a few is all you need. Pick what goes best with your food. Maybe a light white and dry red, with one wheat and one stout beer.
You don't need bar service! We're just putting a couple bottles of wine on each table and a chest of beer on the side. In our state, we don't need a special server for free beer/wine at events.
Most of the inexpensive venues suggested allow you to bring in all your own alcohol and that will save you a LOT. And since you only have a few choices, you can bulk order it for a discount.
Kegs sound cool but they're not always cost-effective. They're really heavy, need a tap to serve, hard to keep cold, and reduce options because you can only have one or two. Also, once opened, it only lasts a few weeks and that's really wasteful if your guests don't drink it all. The monetary savings are kinda negligible unless you're having a HUGE reception.
MISCELLANEOUS:
A single bouquet from a florist will run you $75-200. DIYing flowers can be a pain in the ass, but it'll save you so much money. Make it fun by involving the bridal party! Bulk order two or three different in-season flowers from places like Sam's Club or Costco, and spend an afternoon two days before the wedding making arrangements. My mom and I made ten centerpieces/bouquets for my sister's wedding this way for about $150-200.
Corsages/boutonnieres are expensive because they have to be made/delivered last minute since there's no water source.
Wedding dresses cost a fortune. Your in-person choices are basically designer dresses ($1k-3k typically, even second-hand) or David's Bridal. An option is to get a heavily discounted dress from either source and have it altered to fit your vision-- but be careful, major altering can get just as expensive as buying a new full-price dress. I got mine from an online store called Azazie, as they have a at-home try-on program (they send you a sample to try out for a week) and a very affordable selection for good quality ($200-400).
Guest numbers reeeeeally affect your price more than anything. 200 people need a lot more food, space, alcohol, tables + flowers, invitations, etc. than 60. Ask yourself if each potential guest is actually worth $70 to you-- that's probably how much they cost.
Skip the favors. Half of them get left behind and nobody really cares.
If you don't want the hassle of DIYing invites, Zazzle has a selection of "budget" invitations for like 60cents each (compared to like $2ea).
You know those kinda fancy, disposable cloth towels that fancy-pants bathrooms have? They make great napkins. $20/pack.
Easy signs: thrift store glass picture frames, write on them with water-based paint pens. Or print out something inside it. Or cut cardboard to the right side, cover with chalkboard paint, place in frame.
Instead of buying/renting flower vases, buy a set of tall drinking glasses from IKEA, and keep them afterward. You can do the same for votive candles with shorter glasses.
Grocery store bakeries make cheap cakes. Order a small round one to be your "slicing" cake, and a sheet cake for the guests.
Please feel free to add your own tips for a budget wedding. I just think it's ridiculous how normalized 20k-40k weddings have become, to the point where everyone inside and outside the industry just expects you to throw of oodles of cash at it.
