How to Budget For Your Wedding Before Costs Skyrocket!

When you’re prepared with the best tips for How to Budget for Your Wedding, it will be so much easier to afford the beautiful wedding you’ve always dreamed about!

Then start planning your wedding with these 101 Budget Wedding Ideas!

How to Budget For Your Wedding

When it comes to getting married, there’s the sweet dance of falling in love, the thrill of getting engaged, and then the excitement of planning your wedding. Yes… the wedding you’ve been dreaming of since you were little! But let’s face it, weddings can be expensive, right?

That’s why I’ve put together this detailed list and breakdown of simple tips for How to Budget for Your Wedding!

These ideas will help you tackle each area of expenses with ease, all while finding creative ways to cut costs along the way!

So are you ready to start planning your dream wedding without breaking the bank? Here’s what you need to do…

Related: 101 Budget Wedding Ideas

#1: Determine Who Is Paying for Each Part of the Wedding

One of the first things you’ll want to do is to narrow down who will be paying for each part of your wedding.

Will you and your fiancé be responsible for all of the expenses? Or will your parents or future in-laws be contributing to some portions of the costs?

Once you specifically know what your responsibilities will be, you can start creating a plan!

#2: Calculate How Much Money You’ll Need

Now that you know what you’ll be responsible for paying for at your wedding, it’s time to calculate how much money you’ll actually need.

Basically, you’ll want to list out each individual expense, and assign it an average cost you anticipate it will be. You can ask around to friends or family members that have recently gotten married, or search online for average costs for each specific line item you’ll be covering.

This will help you know about how much money you’ll need to set aside.

#3: Create Your Wedding Budget + 15 Creative Ways to Cut Costs

Now that you’ve added up the expenses you’ll be responsible for, it’s time to create your wedding budget!

Weddings can be so expensive, but there are some really easy ways to save a bundle on your big day!

Following are some common expenses plus simple ways to drastically cut your costs on each expense…

Wedding Venues

Consider a pretty public park or beach and have a standing only ceremony to save BIG! I’ve seen so many intimate and breathtaking beach weddings over the years. If I could do it all over, that’s definitely the route I would go!

Cheap Wedding Reception Venues

Be flexible with your dates to save the most money. Saturday is the most popular day of the week for a wedding, so consider a different day… like Friday evening or Sunday afternoon. Certain months can also be pricier… like February around Valentine’s Day, December around Christmas, and the summer months. So consider planning your wedding for January, March, April, or November to save even more.

Wedding Save the Dates and Invitations

Have guests rsvp on an app to save money on reply cards and postage. Offer a phone # as an option for less tech-savvy guests. To save even more money, skip the printed and mailed invitations altogether and opt for digital only invites!

Wedding Rings

Consider tungsten, stainless steel or silicone rings for men. You’ll save so much money versus the traditional gold or white gold rings.

Bridal Gown and Tuxedo

For wedding dresses, consider using and refreshing your mom’s gown, buying a floor sample, or shopping the clearance rack. For the guys, consider a trendy suit instead of a tux.

Wedding Hair and Bridal Makeup

Visit a salon the morning of your wedding rather than having the stylist come to you, or enlist talented friends or sisters to do your hair and makeup!

Wedding Officiant

Ask a friend or family member to become ordained and officiate the wedding. It’s actually a fast and simple process, and it will save so much money! Plus, the added personalized touch in the ceremony will be so special!

Wedding Programs

Skip the printed programs altogether. Instead, you could email a program to guests, or just have one large program near the entrance on a trendy chalkboard or chic gallery wall.

Wedding Favors

If you’re on a tight budget, consider skipping the wedding favors altogether. They aren’t necessary, and no one will mind. Your friends and family are there to watch you and celebrate your big day!

Wedding Music and Reception Music

Ask your musical friends and family members to play or sing at your ceremony, and consider making your own playlist for the reception.

Wedding Flowers

Select local, in-season flowers you can use at both the wedding and reception. For example, bridesmaid bouquets can later be used as centerpieces at the reception.

Wedding Decorations

Always DIY when you can. Then use coupons at your favorite craft stores to save on additional decor. You can use these Store Deals + Shopping Hacks to find more ways to save on your wedding decorations.

Wedding Cakes

Remember… the more elaborate the design, the more you’ll pay. Consider pretty but basic cake designs, or have fun and serve cupcakes instead!

Wedding Food

Consider an afternoon wedding to save money on catering, and enlist friends and family to help serve at the reception. Then go check out my favorite tips for inexpensive Wedding Food Ideas guests will rave about!

Wedding Photographer and Videographer

Book early, hire a newer photographer looking to build their portfolio, and ask for a discount in an exchange for a review. Also make sure to create a designated area for a DIY Photo Booth. Provide instructions and an Instax or Polaroid Camera on a table, and have guests take selfies or fun candid shots of others at the reception.

#4: Shop Around For the Best Deals

So now that you know exactly what types of costs you’ll be facing, it’s time to shop around for the best deals!

In addition to the cost cutting measures above, you’ll also want to do whatever you can to find the best price for each vendor.

Read reviews or ask your friends, siblings, or cousins for referrals of vendors they’ve used and liked. Then contact the vendors early, as far in advance of the wedding as possible.

Always negotiate on pricing, and ask if they offer any additional discounts for paying cash or writing reviews.

#5: Enlist Friends and Family for Free Help

Another simple way to save a bundle on your big day is by enlisting your friends and family to help!

Many of them will want to help for free in any way they can! So go on and put them to work at the wedding ceremony and the reception.

Maybe they can pick up guests from the airport, pick up tuxes, help with hair & makeup, sing or play music during the wedding ceremony, make DIY decorations, bake cupcakes or cookies to serve at the reception, take the place of caterers and serve food or cake at the reception, be your reception DJ in charge of music or making sure the playlist is going smooth, or even be your photographer or videographer!

Not only will this save you money, it can also save you time and energy worrying about the details that they’ll gladly take over for you. Trust me, they’ll love the honor of being involved in your special day!

#6: Cut Costs in Other Areas of Your Life

Now for everything your friends and family can’t help out with, it will simply come down to cash.

So are you wondering just exactly where you’re going to come up with all of this money? Don’t worry… if you tighten up your budget in other areas of your life now, you’ll be able to start stashing away extra cash each month as your big day approaches!

Now is a good time to let some of those regular splurges go. To jumpstart your savings, go check out these simple tips for How to Save Money Fast! You won’t believe how much you’ll be able to save!

See? Learning how to budget for your wedding isn’t as hard as you thought, right?

With a frugal plan in place you can have that gorgeous wedding you’ve always dreamed of, all while keeping your costs in check! Just remember to slow down, relax, and take special time out with your fiancé to have fun along the way.

Congratulations on your big day!!

More Frugal Tips and Tricks

Now, here are more even more budget savvy tips to help you get ready for your big day AND save even more money…

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From Wedding cakes to creative alternatives, and delicious dinners to refreshing drinks, you’ll be celebrating in style at your reception… all without breaking the bank!

60 Wedding Favors for Guests

From useful to elegant, and luxury to ultra frugal, these favors will be loved by all!  Plus… the best part is many are super cheap to make yourself!

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So do have you have any favorite tips for how to budget for your wedding?

Leave a comment & share!