10 Ways To Have An Amazing Wedding On A Budget

Funny fact about me… when Drew and I were planning our budget wedding, right out of college, Pinterest wasn’t around. 

So what you would do in 2011, was cut out pictures from bridal magazines and put them in a binder!  

Gah, now I feel super old!

But you know what? Thank goodness I didn’t have Pinterest because it would have made me compare everything to a million staged pictures and my expectations would have been unrealistic.

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Of our group of friends, we were the second couple to get married. (Poms2Moms very own “Dog Mom” Karey, was first!) They had an absolutely amazing New Years Eve wedding. But other than that, we had not been to any other weddings and had no idea where to start. 

I had a vision of what I wanted: something simple, springy, and kinda rustic chic. (I’d like to think I started the [amazon_textlink asin=’B075KJ1S9M’ text=’wedding + mason jar craze‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c4d7f484-9a6d-11e8-bfbc-63b74d40a336′]!)

The problem was we had to pay for the majority of our wedding on our own and were only one year out of college and not making the big bucks yet. So we had to save where we could.

But 7 years later, I still look back at our wedding and think, “Dang that was a great night!”

So if you also need some inspiration to plan YOUR budget wedding, here are 10 tips I can share that will give you a night to remember, for less:

 

1.) Don’t use a  wedding planner.

There are so many step by step [amazon_textlink asin=’1441321543′ text=’checklists‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8071bb35-9a6d-11e8-be3c-67f58b114c7e’] out there that can help you figure out the entire process of planning a wedding. (Again, Pinterest!!) Unless your venue requires it, do yourself a favor and cut this expense from the beginning.

[amazon_link asins=’1441321543,1986947513,0770433367,0770433774,0761165975,1722253673,140220504X,0646582968′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a1695e04-9a6d-11e8-bdbf-7164f1464b5b’]

We had our ceremony at the church I grew up in and asked one of the ladies who I had known forever to help organize our wedding party and maintain the flow. For the reception, we used the help of our DJ by giving him a detailed timeline.

2.) Save on invitations.

When I started looking at invitations, I could not believe how expensive [amazon_textlink asin=’B018JP6HTU’ text=’paper‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4b5c7291-9a6e-11e8-984d-b3857f8ff6f9′] could be! (Especially to have most of your guests just look at it and then throw it in the trash…)

So I did a little research. I found a girl who was in her senior year of college as a graphic design major and wanting to start a paper/print company. She designed my invitations and then provided me with all of the paper and envelopes. Drew and I spend an entire night with a few beers stuffing and [amazon_textlink asin=’1945888741′ text=’addressing the envelopes‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’94a288c1-9a6e-11e8-85d2-2b63d458fd02′] and saved ourselves a ton of money!

3.) Be wary of elaborate dinner options. 

This is where your reception can get expensive!  You do not need to have an elaborate dinner menu. You are having people come together to celebrate you, not sending them on a date night to Ruth’s Chris. I suggest self serve or buffet style instead of a plated dinner. We had 2 meat options, a carb (mashed potato bar!), and 2 veggies and we were set.  I do not know if anyone remembers our food, but I know they were not starving!

[amazon_link asins=’B01N3U2U7H,B07CB9WHKQ,B016TJ6MU2,B071NQ7QY2,B07B8ZP6DF,B07C2H6TMD’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’265cc00e-9a6f-11e8-b051-2986f41bd004′]

4.) Don’t overdo it on alcohol.

We opted for no liquor and went with beer and wine only. No need to go high end with your wine, just make sure you have the basics: 2 whites and 2 reds. My suggestions are a Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet, and a Pinot Noir. (Trust me, it’s my job!) And for the beer, go with kegs – it will get you a lot further than having cans or bottles.

5.) Be strategic about the venue.

Find a space that has things included. We used a golf course banquet area. With that space, they provided all of the tables, linens and chairs. They also had a dance floor so essentially, the entire evening was taken care of!

[amazon_link asins=’B01BSYUL32,B01GEFUB5I,B0746FFTXV,B01HYTKEMS,B071F3KBQZ,B075JHJZCB,B01LVYXE8Z,B01FFK4KP0′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’26c3f0a4-9a70-11e8-8287-43204b6eb77b’]

6.) Skip the favors.

People may not even give [amazon_textlink asin=’B00IZFDJ32′ text=’wedding favors‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’80c8d529-9a70-11e8-ad02-1306dda56cdc’] anymore, and they shouldn’t! You just provided your guests with a fun evening out, dinner, cake, and drinks!  But this may not be for everyone, so if you want to have something at the end of the night, setting up a small coffee station with [amazon_textlink asin=’B07BF5LVD8′ text=’cookies‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’71ae8f38-9a70-11e8-9635-b3bd172d9d4d’] would be a really nice touch!

7.) Bring in your own decorations.

(Did I mention I like to think I was ahead of the trend with the mason jars and assorted flower arrangements?) 😉  I went to Michael’s and would use a coupon to purchase a [amazon_textlink asin=’B00RNFSYVC’ text=’case of mason jars‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c27bd566-9a70-11e8-9725-d573bf110ab9′] in various sizes.  I used smaller ones and glued small solid white candles to the bottom. These were placed outside on the steps leading into our reception and on some of the tables outside. I still have these and am using them in many different places around our house.

The only other decorations we had were our flowers, and that was it! Simple and beautiful.

8.) Find flowers that are in season. 

I also chose large flowers so the quantity needed was less, but all of the arrangements were very full. I am obsessed with hydrangeas so this was an easy selection for me.

9.) Find the right, but reasonable photographer.

So, this is a big one! I could totally see spending a lot of money here. You want everything captured and you want every picture to look flawless. I went with someone who was new to photography and starting out, so it ended up being a great deal. I helped them by creating a detailed list of all of the pictures I wanted taken.

A few of my favorites were: My App State squad building 2 stunts for Drew and I to walk through as we entered our reception, getting ready with my bridesmaids, Drew wiping my nose during our prayer, the hours of dancing, the smiles on everyones’ faces, and the pizza Drew and I demolished when the night was over.

Pictures are great to look back and see how pretty it all turned out but the memories of the night are priceless.

10.) Remember that it’s not all about “stuff.”

The flower, the lights, the linens, the food… don’t spend money just to spend it.  The big event is only one night, but the entire point of your wedding is you and the love of your life making a commitment to each other in front of God and all of the people who support your lives together.

I would love to hear how your wedding planning journey is going and ways that you have been able to have a great wedding and stay on budget.