AD | Planning your dream wedding can be an incredibly fun and exciting journey. But let’s face it: most dream weddings also come with a hefty price tag too. So, is it possible to have a stylish wedding on a budget? Yes indeed, the good news is you don’t have to spend a small fortune to have a classy wedding. What you do need is some creativity and strategic decision-making.
How to Plan Your Stylish Wedding On a Budget
There’s all kinds of advice out there, but here are some of the best tips to follow for how to create a luxurious-looking, memorable wedding while staying within your budget.
Set a Realistic Budget – And Stick to It
Let’s start with the most important tip of all – setting a realistic budget and sticking to it. Seriously, this is the first and most important step in creating a stylish but budget-friendly wedding.
Sit down with your partner and determine how much you can comfortably spend on your wedding. Once you have a clear budget in mind, you can allocate funds to different aspects of your big day, like the venue, wedding cake and food, the dress and tux, flowers, decorations, etc. Write down every cost, and factor in a little extra for ‘just-in-case’ scenarios. It’s essential to be thorough and realistic here, and stay committed to your budget.
Choose Your Venue Wisely
The location plays a crucial role in a wedding’s ambiance. Depending on your venue, your wedding can feel bohemian, traditional, modern, rustic… Not to mention, it will be immortalised in your wedding album.
This is why choosing the right wedding venue is of utmost importance. However, this doesn’t mean you have to opt for the most expensive location you can afford. Instead of popular locations in big cities, look for hidden gems along the outskirts of your town. You can also rent a holiday property and use it as a wedding venue if the owner agrees. And beaches, campsites, and village halls can make for lovely wedding venues too.
If you’re going for a cosy, intimate vibe, your own or your friend’s backyard can provide a unique atmosphere at a fraction of the cost.
Pick an Off-Peak Wedding Date
If you don’t want to compromise on your venue but still want to have stylish wedding on a budget, pick an off-peak date for your wedding ceremony.
According to Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2023, half of weddings take place on a Saturday. Friday is the next most popular weekday. As for peak wedding seasons, these are usually Summer and early Autumn. So, if you book a Spring or Winter wedding on any other day of the week other than Saturday or Friday, you’re guaranteed to save money on venue rentals and other services. As a bonus, most vendors offer discounted rates during these times too.
Trim Your Guest List
The more isn’t always the merrier: the more guests you invite to your wedding, the higher the costs and the stress. The solution? Invite close family and friends only. That’s what we did and it made for a really relaxed and intimate occasion. No having to be nice to people we didn’t really want with us on our special day. 😊
A smaller guest list means you don’t have to book a big venue, which will instantly save you a lot of money. Secondly, you don’t have to spend as much on food, drinks, service, and invitations. Just make sure you invite everyone who’s most important to you!
Borrow or Rent What You Can
One simple but highly effective way to cut costs is to borrow or rent whatever items you can. The old “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” adage is well worth remembering.
Start by asking friends and family if they have any wedding items you can borrow. From table linens to centerpieces, all the way to jewellery, you can borrow a lot of things you need for your wedding and, in doing so, save a LOT of money. If you’re on a very limited budget, why not consider renting your wedding dress and suit or tux as well?
Use Your Guests’ Photos for Your Wedding Photo Book
Instead of hiring a professional wedding photographer for every moment, ask your guests to capture special moments throughout the day, either with their phones or disposable cameras. You can also create a designated hashtag for social media sharing.
This will not only create a fun and interactive atmosphere but also give you a great collection of candid and heartfelt photos taken by your loved ones. Unique wedding photo books that combine both professional and candid guest photos are the best as they tell a story from multiple perspectives.
The Most Important Tip
However you save money, and whichever of these tips you use, don’t forget to relax and enjoy your wedding. Because at the end of the day, surely that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? 🙂
Which of these expert tips was your favourite? Or, if you’re married already, what style ideas did you use on your big day? Have you any other money-saving tips to share or recommend?
* This is a collaborative post – please see my Disclaimer.
I’ve got 2 weddings coming up, one in December and one in August next year, so I’m aware of how expensive they are based on what they’ve been saying! These are some fab tips. I don’t think weddings need to break the bank in order to be meaningful and beautiful!
Absolutely no, they don’t. It’s a special day but it’s only one day, and if you’re paying, you should be able to decide who comes and who doesn’t, as well as where you have it. Thank you, Jenny 🙂
These are some good tips! I had two weddings to go to last year and lovely to be a guest. But I can imagine how much work goes into it. Thank you for sharing this!
Lauren x
It’s SUCH a lot of work – the expense and stress is huge, especially when you consider it’s only for one day! x
Stylish and budget friendly wedding is everyone’s dream. Some fabulous tips in this post for stylish wedding on budget.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the article.