Getting married is such an important step. The average wedding in the US costs $10,000 to $14,000. Let us say your wedding budget is much less than in few hundred dollars.
Yes, it is possible to create a wonderfully romantic wedding for much less. Let us look at the various components to a wedding. There are the invitations, wedding site, officiator, bridesmaids and groomsmen, flowers, music and the banquet.
Invitations can be created on your home computer photoshop program or canva. They can be beautiful and tasteful, for pennies on the dollar, plus postage. To cut postage expenses, send the invitation to the central member of the family group, with a request that they pass it on to the others. Or hand deliver to those closest to you. Create a maximum of 20 invitations, if you are looking at 40 to 50 guests.
It provides a wedding site without charge if any of the guests are church members. You will also be allowed to use the church hall for your banquet. Recruit family and friends to clean afterward to avoid a cleaning fee. If you are not a church member, think about an outdoor wedding at a park, or the home of family or a friend. You will be expected to give the officiator a gratuity, however.
Regarding bridesmaids, maid of honor, best man and groomsmen, be honest about your budget. Ask for their suggestions. Fewer people in the wedding party will mean less expense. Set your theme more casually, so the people who stand with you can wear their own dress-up clothes. Pull it together with scarves, silk flower corsages, and boutonnières from the dollar store.
Your wedding gown is special. Nearly every second-hand clothing store has at least 2 or 3 gowns, or check on any auction site for a low-cost gown. You will want to have it professionally cleaned. Finish it with a pair of dressy sandals, your best underwear and your grandmother’s necklace.
To dress up the banquet table, you will want flowers and candles, which are very low cost at most dollar stores. Use clean, ironed white sheets for tablecloths for a low budget.
For your wedding favors you can either make them yourself or find some really cheap ones online.
For music, create Pandora or Spotify playlists for your wedding ceremony and banquet afterward. For pictures, use a couple of old school point and shoot cameras, in the hands of friends and family to capture your special day.
Wedding cakes are inexpensive when you make your own. Decorate with more silk flowers. This cost is only for the cake and frosting mixes. The remaining part of the budget can be used to provide a buffet meal, prepared by you and your family.
