How to have an affordable wedding?

Wedding is a milestone moment in life, it is not only a solemn declaration of love between two people, but also a bond that connects two hearts and two families. This ceremony carries the sweet memories of the past, but also opens up the future of the common expectations, so that the love in the witness of friends and relatives more and more mellow, and become the warmth of the spirit of support in the years to come. 

However, creating a wedding to remember doesn't necessarily require a hefty budget. When romance and affordability meet, they can collide to create a cozy chapter that is uniquely yours. This guide is for couples who are looking for value for money, and teaches you how to weave a dream of love within your budget.

How to save money on a wedding ?

1.Venue Selection: Think Outside the Box and Tap into Cost-Effective Options

How to pick a wedding location ?

1.1  Zero rent / super low-cost venues 

Your own backyard / balcony: suitable for small ceremonies of up to 10 people, easy to clean, no rental costs; Community public areas: public lawns need to be reported in advance, with a refundable cleaning deposit of $50-100; 

Non-commercial scenic public beaches (e.g., in parts of the U.S. state of California and Florida), with zero cost, limited to 15 people, need to comply with environmental regulations and confirm the set-up policy in advance; 

Friends and family private Private sites of friends and relatives: borrow friends and relatives unused farms, small yards or seaside vacation homes, save all the rent.

1.2 super low-cost rental venues Non-hot time small church annex space:

Half-day rental price of $ 100-300, to meet the needs of couples with low-cost ceremony; mid-week (Monday to Thursday) small cafe room: 3-4 hours of rental cost of $ 80-150, coastal towns of affordable cafe (such as the United States, Oregon) mid-week rental price of $120 minimum, a five-minute walk to the beach

2.Dining arrangements: delicious and affordable at the same time

Low-cost wedding meal plan Cold buffet (mainly homemade): the couple or friends and relatives make their own sandwiches, salads, fruit platters, ingredients per capita of 5-8 U.S. dollars; with 10 U.S. dollars can buy 3-4 bottles of 2L of affordable beverages, saving service fees to reduce costs. Simplified dessert: abandon the traditional wedding cake, choose supermarket cupcakes (about 12 for $10), insert handwritten blessing cards, the cost is only 1/10 of the traditional cake, taking into account the sense of ceremony and cost-effective. 

Lite version of the meal (within 15 people): order SUBWAY sandwich set ($10-15 per person) or Taco Bell Mexican fast food ($8-12 per person), efficient and convenient, but also save money.

 3.Decoration design: DIY to create a unique atmosphere 

Firstly,DIY decoration (with free / pick up materials) bottles and jars decoration: pick up the neighborhood clean glass bottles, markers graffiti (zero cost); filled with tap water + roadside wildflowers (non-protected plants), or put 2 U.S. dollars can be purchased small tomatoes, green mention embellishment, the total cost of less than 3 U.S. dollars; photo wall: to the old newspapers, magazines as a backdrop, the supermarket self-service printing of 10 photographs for about 1 U.S. dollars, with the family twine, the old clips fixed. The total cost does not exceed 5 US dollars; light decoration: cell phone flashlight + transparent glass cups to make “simple lights”, or borrow friends and relatives unused Christmas lights (free), instead of professional string lights, no additional cost. 

Second, optimize the decorative flowers (vegetables + simulation of fake flowers) Vegetable decorations: ready-made vegetables from the kitchen, such as carrots sliced and carved patterns, celery leaves tied in small bunches, cucumbers cut into small sections of the string of “mini-flower strings”, zero-cost and fresh and natural, suitable for the dining room table or the ceremony table; simulation of fake flower decorations: Angela Flower or second-hand platform to buy 1-5 USD/bunch of simulated flowers (e.g. plastic roses, asters), wrapped in old newspapers and inserted into found glass vases; reusable, 90% less costly than flowers and no need to worry about wilting. 

4.Clothing preparation: rent and buy to emphasize individuality 

What should wear in wedding ?

Dress Prep: Rent, Buy, Borrow, Make a Statement Wedding Dress / Tuxedo: Borrow a married friend or relative's wedding dress (free, only $10-$20 for dry cleaning); thrift platforms (Facebook Marketplace, Thrift Store) can pick up a one-time-only dress for $50-$100. 

Groom/Best Man Attire: Groom wears an everyday suit (no extra cost), best man wears his own dark colored top + jeans (uniform color scheme, no cost). 

Accessories: Bride's headpiece with old barrettes + roadside flowers/fake flowers (free or $1), jewelry borrowed from mom, best friend (free), save on accessories. 

5.Other details: fine-tuning without compromising romance

Free / low-cost wedding program Invitations: use the free template of Paperless Post, which is commonly used in the West, to make e-vitations, send them by email / SMS, and track guests' responses, with no cost. Photography: Ask friends and family who can take photos to take photos with their cell phones, and send $10 chocolates as a thank you afterward ($1,500+ less than hiring a photographer); record key moments on video, and edit them with the free overseas version of the film. 

Candy / favors: No favors, or $5 for bulk candy from the supermarket in old envelopes/bags, no packaging costs and practical. 

Simplify the process: Keep only the “Vows + Ring Exchange” (15 minutes), and skip the receiving and bouquet tossing to save time and resources. 

TOTAL BUDGET SUMMARY

Super small wedding for 5-10 people (own backyard / public beach + homemade cold cuts + borrowed attire): total cost ~$200-500 (mostly ingredients, cleaning deposit, dry cleaning). 

Small Wedding for 15-20 people (low-cost cafe / beach town venue + pizza delivery + second-hand attire): about $500-$1000 total, low-cost but not low-ceremony. 

The key to organizing an affordable wedding is creativity and heart. By incorporating love into every detail, you can create an unforgettable and romantic celebration even with a limited budget. Remember, the significance of a wedding lies not in how much it costs, but in the beautiful expectations of two people for the future and the sincere blessings of their friends and family.