Lower wedding budget to buy a house.........?

Question

My bf and I started talking about getting married. Our parents told us they would help some also. At first our budget was going to be $10,000.00 but we think we want to do $7,000.00 for a wedding and $3,000.00 towards a home. My sister-in-law is getting married right now and her wedding is costing $25,000.00. I think that is too much for a day. I know its supposed to be special but we want to have a home that is ours to come back to. Do we can pull off a wedding for that much?

Answer 1

Hi Holly and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

You are a smart, smart girl!  To answer your question, YES, you CAN have a lovely wedding on $7,000....maybe even $5K if you watch your pennies.

It's all about expectations and what you want!  You are totally correct....if family and friends are present to witness your marriage and celebrate with you....that is all that matters!

So....there are many options for cutting the budget and still having a nice wedding:

~ have a small number of guests....keep it to family and friends only....somewhere around 75 or less.

~ have a small bridal party (maybe a maid of honor and best man only.)  This cuts down on "bridesmaid stress" as well as it cuts down on the purchase of attendant's gifts and also the rehearsal dinner.

~ Look, look, look around for everything!  

~ Yes, your dress IS important....but you can get many quality gowns at a discount store such as David's Bridal when they have their $99 sale.   There are other online retailers also.

~ Other ways to save are on things such as:  

~ the guest book....buy it at Walmart, Target or even a Dollar Store!  No one notices these things.

~ Have your bridesmaids/maid of honor carry a few flowers instead of a huge bouquet!  This can add up to a huge savings on flowers.

~ Invitations:  Get one of the "boxed sets" of invitations, which you can find at places like Target, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Office Max, Michaels.  You  bring them home and print them yourself on the computer!  There are 50 in a box for about $25-$30.  This is a HUGE savings!

~ Flowers and cake:  Look at a grocery store that has a floral department and a bakery.  This can also be a huge savings.  If you live by a Costco, Walmart or Publix....their cakes are great!!  And....their flowers are arranged by trained designers and arrangers.

~ Reception:  The biggest portion of ANY wedding budget is the reception (about 1/2 of the budget).  So......you will have to look at your budget and guest list to see what you can afford.  If you do a late morning wedding (11 a.m. or 12 noon), then you can have a lunch reception which will be considerably cheaper than a big dinner reception.

~ Other options are to simply serve cake, punch, and coffee to your guests.  This would, obviously, need to be at a non-meal time, such as 2 p.m.   However, this can be a very, very nice and casual type of reception!  

~ Another option is a later evening wedding and then serving appetizers and desserts.  

~ Also....there are many, many choices on a venue LOCATION!  What about your home?  your parents?  a family member's home or backyard?  a park? garden? beach? lake? forest? museum? zoo? As you can see....there are LOTS of options.

The best advice I can give is to make out a spreadsheet.  Write down your budget amount.  Then write down everything you need/want:  dress, personal items for the bride; tux; invites; flowers; cake; photographer; cost of ceremony fees - musician, pastor/priest/minister/judge, marraige license; attendant's gifts; rehearsal dinner; reception costs - venue fee; food; drinks; etc.  Write everything down and then go out and see what is out there in your price range!

So....I hope some of these suggestions will help you.  Again, YES, you can do a wedding on $7K and even less!  Many on this forum have done it and they have turned out beautifully!  

I always say....a "budget" wedding is NOT a "cheap" wedding.  There is a BIG difference!  

Good luck and I hope you have a beautiful day!