13 TIPS TO SAYING I DO ON A BUDGET – WEDDING PLANNING

Wedding planning is exhausting and can be stressful especially when you have a tight budget. You’ll need to find some creative ways in preparing one that you can afford.

From the wedding invitations to my wedding dress, I looked for ways to keep our wedding cost low. Although we had a “magic” number in mind in terms of money, it didn’t necessarily mean we could afford it. However, it’s a number we felt was “reasonable” considering what we wanted to do.

Here is a look at what you will need to think about while planning your wedding and the different ways to keep the cost down. Hopefully this list will help you, the future bride, prepare your dream wedding that won’t break your bank.

Create a budget for your wedding

Before you star planning, you need to know how much you are willing to spend on your wedding. Creating a budget before starting the planning of your wedding will probably save you some time and heartache.

If you are like me, planning a wedding on a budget meant that I had to figure out ways where I could save money or spend less. Although I did have a rough idea of how much I was willing to spend, I didn’t really create a budget. Besides, anything above 10$ was over budget for me.

To be honest, we spent roughly 10 000$ for 95 people but that price included everything (except our honeymoon). I did things backward as I had decided that 10K was my magic number and did everything in order to fit that budget. As opposed on calculating how much things cost beforehand and then seeing where I could bring the cost down.

I had no idea how much things cost prior to planning my wedding. I invited everyone I wanted to come (about 160) and prayed for enough money to pay for it all. 

If you need an idea of what things cost on average, you can read this article by Value Penguin . Also, use this site to get an idea of what your budget will look like.

Skip the wedding invitations

Save yourself time and money and use the digital age to your advantage. We created a private Facebook Group for our wedding and used that for our save the date as we did so 2 years in advance. From there, we created a private event once the venue had been picked.

For those who didn’t have Facebook, we used e-mail or called them up to let them know.

However, we did make thank you cards with Optimal Print after the wedding. The benefit of doing that is that you actually know the number of cards you need (probably less than the ones to send out). You can create a card in a way that it might not simply end up in the trash. Otherwise, you can just make a digital one and can use Canva to do so for free.

The Venue – Rent it

Picking a venue location is ultra important pending on the type and style of wedding you want to have. If you are planning a wedding on a budget, save yourself some extra cost by having your wedding ceremony and reception at the same location. We opted on renting a huge house where the majority of our guests could sleep there.

Another way of reducing the cost of a venue rental is to have the wedding on a Sunday, especially if it’s a summer wedding you want. This can be practical if a lot of your guests are coming from really far away as they will be on vacation anyway so a Saturday or Sunday wedding won’t make much difference to them.

Wedding officiant – Hire your own

We asked one of our friends to officiate our wedding. It cost nothing. Did you know that in Canada, anyone who is a Canadian citizen 18 years and older can officiate a wedding at the most 3 times? This is a good way to save money and make the ceremony more memorable. Also, if one of your friends is a lawyer he or she can officiate your wedding?

The meal – Have a BYOB buffet

One of the most expensive items on your wedding planning list will be food and alcohol. How do you budget that?

Choose a buffet over a full-on 7-course meal. If it’s a self serve buffet, you won’t have the cost of waiters to worry about either.

For our wedding, the cost per person was about 35$ which also included appetizers. We took the least expensive option as I didn’t want paper plates and plastic utensils. Instead, as an alternative, rent out nice plates and silverware if your venue doesn’t include it.

Personally, we splurged a little and rented vintage plates with La Vie est une Fête which went well with the vibe we wanted to create. The food and service from Méchoui Chez Vous were excellent.

As for the alcohol, we had my oldest and some friends bartend during cocktail hour and then people just served themselves. We had asked our guests to each bring a wine bottle and had given them 3 options to pick from. We provided the hard liquor, juice, and soda. Read our article on Food & Alcohol for more detailed ideas.

The wedding dress – Say NO to the expense

Did you know you could rent wedding dresses? I didn’t. I ended up not going with that option as I didn’t see one in my style. Another way of saving money is by buying a used one. This is a great way of saving money if you can’t afford the expensive dress you’ve had your eye on.

My wedding dress cost less than 200$ (my budget price) and I got it at Boudoir 1861. My friends bought me a second one so that I could have 2 dresses and not have to decide on which one to buy and wear. Yes, I absolutely would have gotten married in the raspberry one.

I didn’t know it at the time, but there is a place in Montreal where you can rent dresses for any type of event. It’s called Loue 1 Robe.

The best part is that you can now rent my two wedding dresses there!

The music – Make your own playlist

The cost of a DJ can get really expensive. Instead, we decided to go with an entertainer who used the playlists we had created on Spotify. You can also do without an entertainer and simply rent the music equipment you need to play your music.

The flowers – Keep it simple

Let your florists know that you want to choose flowers that are locally grown and in season. That’s the best way of saving money. Reuse the ones used during the ceremony for your cocktail or centerpieces on your tables.

As for the boutonnieres, only have the groom wear one and the best man if need be. Not having a ridiculously big wedding party will save you tons of money. After all, only the best man and maid of honor matter as they are the ones that need to sign the wedding papers with the Bride and Groom.

Using herbs as part of your centerpieces or Boutonniere can also help you save money.

Wedding decorations – DIY projects

There are multiple ways of saving money if you are planning your wedding on a budget. One way in doing so is by making your own party favors, seating cards, cocktails, candles, and vases. For a more in-depth look, check out our DIY WEDDING GUIDE.

Instead of renting some equipment, buy it so that you can reuse it in your home afterward (if you need it). The outdoor lights used for our wedding are now being used for our terrace. It cost less to buy them than to rent.

The wedding rings – Use heirlooms

Your wedding ring doesn’t need to cost you an arm and a leg. If you are lucky, you can use your grandmother’s or maybe your father’s that just passed away, that was our case. Another option is to buy simple rings that you can use during your travels without worrying about them getting stolen.

If you are planning a wedding on a budget, wait for after the wedding or your first wedding anniversary to buy the ring of your choice that you can actually afford. It’s a great way in delaying this expense.

Hair & Makeup – DIY

Use Youtube to watch a tutorial on how to put make-up on.

Go to Sephora and get your own make-up done there for FREE. You’ll have to buy a thing or two but just get what you need for touch-ups. Obviously, this tip is only valid if your wedding is taking place close to a Sephora. But at least you can practice a look for free by going there.

Another option is to buy your own make-up at Sephora (love that place), but only what you need and can use again.

Little tip: for creams and foundations, ask one of the vendors for a free sample instead of buying the whole thing if it’s not something you usually use. However, you’ll have to use it less than 3 days prior to your wedding as they don’t last well in the container they provide.

Get your hair color and cut done a good week prior if you want a more natural look . On the day of, either do your own hair, have a friend do it, or see if there is a local hairdresser who can come and do it. Mine cost 60$ with the tip.

The wedding photographer – Don’t hire one

I know that sounds crazy but Photographers and Videographers can cost crazy money. Ask your family and friends to take pictures. After all, all you need is 1 or 2 great pictures to frame.

However, another way of saving money while still using a photographer is by having a photoshoot after the wedding. I don’t mean right after, I mean as in after you come back from your honeymoon. Why? It will cost you far much less, you won’t be stressed or tired and you get to wear your dress again.

My husband and sons bought their suits to reuse after the wedding so we had everything to recreate our special moment. By doing it this way, your photos will have more of a natural feel to them. After all, there is only so much makeup can hide on the day of.

Wedding dessert- You can’t have your cake and eat it too

A wedding cake is not a necessity to have but you do need a dessert! Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a cake, why not buy cupcakes of different flavours and sizes instead? It will cost you a fraction of the price.

Surround your cupcakes with different types of candy and make everyone happy! Trust me, you won’t have any left to take home!

So there you have it. Hopefully, with these tips, you’ll be able to save some money and sleep better. If that’s not the case, a few drops of lavender oil before going to bed every night should do the trick. Congratulations on your upcoming Wedding!