How To Plan An Inexpensive Wedding

With the current state of our economy, we have to be practical with how we spend our money. If you are thinking of getting married, a good way to cut down costs right from the beginning is to plan an inexpensive wedding. It doesn't seem as hard as you think and I know because I've been there. Just thinking that you plan an inexpensive wedding will already save you thousands of dollars. Because once you start to swipe that card, it will keep going and going you won't even realize it.

When you start to plan an inexpensive wedding, nowadays, it can be a bit challenging. Prices of most things are going up and the paycheck is still the same. And you know very well that anything attached to "wedding" can have a huge price difference. That is why the wedding industry is profitable.

Did you know that American couples spend an average of a whopping $20,000 for 175 to 200 people to their wedding? That's a LOT of money even if you decide to charge it to your credit card and pay for it later. I've heard of couples who later wished they didn't spend that much money for a wedding. Instead should have planned an inexpensive wedding in the first place. Of course, the wedding is a once in a lifetime (not to mention one day) event and that everything has to be perfect, but certainly not too costly.

Come to think that you could use that money as a down payment for a house, to pay off student loans, or simply keep it for emergency use. A lot of couples end up so broke shortly after they get married. They simply failed to plan an inexpensive wedding right from the start. Knowing this, now you have the chance to learn from them. Isn't it true that relationships get stressed out when it comes to money problems? Act now and plan an inexpensive wedding.

Learn how you can save thousands of dollars for your wedding!

Anticipating the things you need for the wedding ceremony and reception can be overwhelming for a couple. And even more if you plan an inexpensive wedding. It's always easier to buy/use the usual wedding services rather than looking for a cheaper substitute. But don't stress yourself too much. As long as you plan an inexpensive wedding way ahead of time, you will more likely have the fairytale wedding that you've always dreamed of.


Here are the steps you need to do:

1.) Grab a pen and paper

2.) Discuss with your fiance/fiancee what you want for your wedding

3.) Set a conservative but realistic budget

4.) Brainstorm for ideas and keep them all coming. Organize all your thoughts together. Don't think about how you can plan an inexpensive wedding at this step yet.

5.) Determine the number of people you plan to invite to the wedding. You might want to consider only those who are really close to both of you. If you plan an inexpensive wedding, don't include people you barely know.

6.) Set a budget for major expenses such as wedding ceremony and reception

7.) Then, break down and itemize these major expenses. Ask yourself this: What do I need in the wedding ceremony? What do I need for the reception? Your list will be endless but just keep them going. You could always delete it later.

8.) Now that you have a list, check where you can get that item at a cheaper price. This is the fun part when you plan an inexpensive wedding!!! You will need some time to get these sorted out. You can check clearance, thrift stores, dollar stores, or even do garage sale.

9.) Solicit ideas from your family and friends. You don't need to use them all. Either you keep it, modify, or throw the idea away. Some of our friends offered ideas when they knew we plan an inexpensive wedding.

10.) Lastly, I call it time budgeting and management. I have a "To Do List" that I set up on my calendar so I am sure that I don't forget anything.

You will realize that the more you try to plan an inexpensive wedding, the more creative you can be. And you may not have realized your sense of creativity until now!

Start your wedding planning NOW!!!

Wedding invitation
Print your own wedding invitation. Buy a blank wedding invitation. We bought ours at the Dollar Store and used our printer to print the text. We put a little style by changing the font color and adding a border to it.

Wedding ceremony
Wedding gown: You can buy second-hand wedding gown from thrift stores, to name a few. Or use an evening gown or cocktail dress from stores. Add some of your creative ideas to it. You may also borrow someone else's wedding gown for the day or rent one.

Ring pillow: My wife and I bought our ring pillow and garter at the Dollar Store ($1 each) but it didn't look cheap at all. It was made of silk and nicely decorated with laces.

Wedding bands: Word of advice, if you plan an inexpensive wedding, is to use silver instead of white gold. You can get a wedding band for less than $50 at your local jewelry store.

Bridal bouquet: Make your own bouquet. If you don't know how to arrange the flowers, check out some pictures and you'll get some ideas from there. My wife made her own bouquet. She bought 18 white roses from Sam's club, wrapped it in tulle cloth she bought from Walmart, and tied it with a stylish ribbon from the Dollar Store.

Wedding reception
Venue: We saw a lot of romantic potential with a wedding at the park and rented a gazebo for $80 for the whole day. The lowest price we found for renting a whole room was $400. Talk about how to plan an inexpensive wedding!

Decorations: You can use silk flowers and Christmas lights to decorate the place. Our friends volunteered to decorate the gazebo for free. The ordinary gazebo in the park looked fabulous when we covered it with white tent sides. My wife also made colorful candy bouquets which served as our table center piece and it was a hit. Everyone liked it and guests brought it home with them. That's another way to go to plan an inexpensive wedding.

Food: Hors d'oeuvre can be bought from Sam's, Costco, and the like. You can also serve your food buffet style. Ask a friend to bake your wedding cake or order it at Sam's and other grocery stores.


Photography Another great way to plan an inexpensive wedding is to have your friends take the pictures. Hire students in a Photography class. It's cheaper than a professional photographer. Most of our guests brought their own digital cameras and one even had is camcorder.



We hope we were able to help you plan an inexpensive wedding. Saving a few hundred dollars here and there can add up to thousands in the end. We certainly were able to save thousands on our wedding.

Click here to view more budget-friendly ideas that won't break your bank account!

DON'T make decisions based on your emotions.

DON'T be an impulse buyer. Remember to stick with your list!

DON'T buy the first item you see. Canvass other stores for the same or similar item.

DON'T let wedding vendors talk you into products that is not on your list.

DON'T forget to try to negotiate prices or arrangement, if you can.

DON'T do things at the last minute. It will cost you a LOT of money if you do.

DON'T forget to plan things way ahead of time.