If you’re newly engaged and planning on getting married soon, you should begin the wedding planning process by creating a budget. Wedding costs can add up very quickly, which is why a budget is a great way to set the stage and keep you and your significant other on track when planning the big day.

Let’s face it – planning your wedding on a small budget may not seem all that attractive, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. At the end of the day, a budget doesn’t dictate how wonderful your wedding will be. Below are a few helpful ways to save money on your wedding.

Determine Your Budget

The first step in creating a budget is figuring out what you and your partner feel comfortable spending. It is important to set a realistic price range when building your budget. This plan will ultimately help you see what you can afford and how you can change your spending in certain areas if needed. It’s key to do some background research on the prices of vendors, wedding planners, dresses, food, etc., so you can see what you’ll potentially be spending. Research is a great way to see where you can either scale back or splurge within your budget. You might also find that some sites have better pricing than others. 

When figuring out how much you can afford for your wedding, some things to consider are:

• What’s available in your savings account. Evaluate the amount you both can contribute to the budget. While prioritizing the wedding is ideal, you may have other important responsibilities you need to consider when deciding your budget.

• Living situations. If you are looking to buy a house together but are worried about affording a home and a wedding, look into options that will help you stay on budget. One option that has less of a financial requirement is an FHA loan. This loan is great for first-time homebuyers with low credit and other financial responsibilities. You then can consider how much to put towards your wedding budget once this is finalized. 

• Ask your parents if they are willing to contribute. Any amount they can lend, even if it’s small, such as paying for the DJ or band, would be helpful and will allow you to focus on the bigger ticket items.

Many factors make up your wedding budget, so having an idea of how much you can spend and where you are spending it can set you on the right path. 

Prioritize What’s Important

It’s a good idea to prioritize what’s important to have on your big day. Consider making a list of what you could live without, what you might like to have, and what you MUST have at your wedding. Some must-haves might be:

• Wedding dress 

• Photographer 

• DJ or band

• Venue

Some things you could maybe live without: 

• Getting your hair and makeup done professionally

• Wedding favors

• Full bar

• A destination bachelor/bachelorette party

Weigh out your options and see where you feel comfortable scaling back or cutting out completely so that costs are in a comfortable range for you. Think about all the factors such as florists, food trucks, caterers, and narrow down what specific wedding vendors you need for your wedding day.

Buy or Rent Resale Items

When you’re planning a wedding you probably don’t realize the amount of things you’d need to make your walk down the aisle look like something out of a movie scene or Pinterest post. It gets expensive! But don’t panic – You’re in luck. Part of our company, Devoted Columbus, is a Wedding Resale Shoppe with gently used items people have used in their weddings in the past. You can visit our store to look for discounted decorations to give your big day a more unique feel. Have you already bought your decorations? No worries, after your wedding, you can bring us the items you used at your wedding and we’ll buy them for you and sell them to other brides in the future! It’s a win-win!

Focus On What Costs The Most: Wedding Venue

The wedding venue usually has the largest price tag. What many people forget are the many little things that need to get added into your budget under your venue, such as:

• Tables & chairs

• Linens

• Centerpieces

• Costs of setting up/cleaning up the venue 

• Food

• Bar

• Dance floor 

• Day of Wedding

These items together can be very costly. If you are lucky, some venues offer cheaper options or even include these items within the venue cost. More money-conscious options to look into are having a backyard wedding, a barn wedding, renting out a cafe or restaurant, or even getting married at the courthouse. 

Consider A Smaller Wedding

Sometimes smaller is better. Consider cutting back the number of people involved in your wedding day. Limiting your guest list is an easy way to cut back on the cost. When you have a smaller guest list, there are fewer mouths to feed, fewer invitations to send out, and you won’t need to get an extravagant venue. 

You may also want to consider having a smaller wedding party. Some brides and grooms bend over backward for their wedding party and help out with the costs of dresses, suit rentals, hair, makeup, etc. You can even eliminate having a flower girl and ring bearer. With a smaller wedding party, you won’t have to worry about breaking the bank. 

Another thing to consider is to limit spending on decorations. Either purchase items from Etsy stores or focus on buying items that are on sale. You could also try some DIY wedding options. DIY is a cheap and easy way to get creative with centerpieces, table toppers, photo walls, and more! You could even consider selling the DIY projects after or loan them to a friend. 

The hard part is done. You and your partner have your budget, are ready to secure some vendors, and can get the actual wedding planning started. A wedding is one day, so don’t feel like you have to throw everything you have at it. There are so many ways to plan a wedding on a small budget. As long as you stick to the plan, then everything will turn out great!