Do you want to have a wedding that will be memorable and meaningful, but don’t want to break the bank? The average U.S. couple spends $26,000 on their wedding day. That’s more than most people spend on a car! But you can plan an amazing dream wedding for under $5,000.
Many people get discouraged when they find out how much it costs for weddings these days because it seems like an insurmountable task. But there is hope! If you’re looking for ways to save money and still have a beautiful ceremony-this blog post is for you!
As a general rule the best way to maximize your $5,000 wedding budget is by taking one area and focusing on it! If the most important thing for you is sharing a fabulous meal with your guests, focus on choosing a deluxe restaurant and reduce other costs by reducing the guestlist or skipping flowers.
In this blog post we will show you how to maximize the money you have to spend. Follow these tips to plan a fun and memorable wedding under $5000!
1. Pick one important area to focus your spending
The biggest pitfall for planning a small budget wedding is trying to spread the budget too thin across too many areas. This will mean that you’ll end up with a mismatched wedding that’s full of little details, but nothing particularly amazing or properly executed.
If having a large reception with a big group of friends and family is the biggest part of your dream wedding vision, then you can make your guest list the main focus area, and save money by going with cheaper food and dessert, a less expensive dress, less flowers, or a smaller or no bridal party.
Discuss and decide with your spouse to be which ONE of the following areas is most important to you both when you celebrate your wedding day, and then use our templates below:
a) Lots of your family and friends in attendance? Focus on “Large Guestlist”
b) A large photo album filled with many different wedding photos? Focus on “Deluxe Wedding Photography Package”
c) An amazing location to say your vows, such as a particular landmark, or wedding venue? Focus on “Special Location” or “Destination Wedding”
d) A ‘statement’ dress or a dress from a particular designer? Focus on “Designer Dress.
e) A high-end sit down meal? Focus on “Deluxe Meal”
f) A large wedding cake? Focus on “Deluxe Cake”
g) Expensive/fancy cars for transport? Focus on “Deluxe transport”
h) Is your number one area not listed here? That’s ok! Select one of the other templates and change the items around as you need.
2. Spend up to 60% on your chosen area
Start with 60% of your budget to spend on your chosen area. Do some initial research into how much your number one item will cost, and enter the numbers into your budget template.
If you chose a gourmet meal at a certain restaurant, how many people can you include within the $5,000 wedding budget while still leaving enough to cover your essential items (officiant, marriage license costs). How much do you need to adjust the other items such as wedding dress, venue and flowers?
If your number one item is a large guest list, how many is the guest list you’re thinking of? 50 people? 100 people? How will you be able to pay per guest food and drinks?
How do these initial thoughts look to you? Remember, this is a wedding planning PROCESS, its ok to go back to the beginning and change things around as you see the picture start to take shape.
3. Prioritize other items, and delete anything out of budget
Once you have your chosen area decided and a rough estimate of cost in place, you can discuss with your spouse to be the importance of other items. Rank them in order, and delete anything towards the end of the list that falls outside your $5,000 wedding budget.
Some things will be easy to say no to, such as a professional wedding planner, live music, and expensive champagne, but others might need some careful discussion between you and your partner, particularly if you have different ideas for your dream wedding.
You can also choose spend a bit more, or a bit less than 60% of the budget on your chosen item, but consider carefully what you need to adjust to make that happen.
4. Find creative ways to save on other items
The big-win areas when it comes to savings in the wedding budget are the following:
Reduce the guest list:
This one really adds up with how much you can save, but it can be hard to decide who to invite and who to leave off the list.
If you’re not sure who counts as a good friend or relative, consider inviting people that have been there for you through tough times.
If you’re in doubt about particular people, a good rule of thumb to use is to ask yourself have you seen or had much contact with these people in the last two years? Have they been to your house/or you to theirs? If the answer is no, you have a solid reason to not invite them.
With a small budget wedding, most people will understand if they don’t make the list. If they don’t, this is even more reason they don’t deserve an invitation!
Find a free wedding venue
If you don’t know someone with a fantastic farm or backyard, many local parks, community halls or church halls can be reserved free or for a small donation.
Often these can be located in gorgeous out of the way places that will provide a wonderful private atmosphere for you and your guests on your big day.
Ask around your friends and family if anyone is a member of such a group or church with this type of venue.
Consider a morning or afternoon tea reception
Moving the time of your wedding to an earlier event will mean you won’t need to serve a full sit down meal, or have an open bar with alcohol. You could save money by sticking to light refreshments and cake, and just a champagne toast.
Get creative with food, like grilled cheese sandwiches or pizza served buffet-style
If a certain menu is not your chosen area, you can use any number of creative, fun choices to save money on the menu.
Aim for a simple yet delicious buffet or picnic-style set up that can feed your guests without breaking the bank. Choices such as a grilled cheese bar, build your own tacos, or a fancy hotdog station are perfect for guests to casually walk around, eat as much or little as they want and then mingle with other guests.
Have homemade desserts
Ask the great cooks in your family to each bring a dessert to share. This will make great family memories, and most people will happily agree to a request like this.
Cut out the majority of decorations
Unless you have a significant amount of your budget to spare for floral arrangements, decorations and other unnecessary items like tablescapes or chair covers, keep things minimal.
While opting to rent decoration items may seem like a good idea, these items can add up quickly, so think about whether you really need it at all, or whether there is a way to DIY, or somehow make it free. Ask friends and family if you can borrow some vases or candle holders, or take cuttings of flowers and plants from their gardens.
Use a free wedding invitation service
Nearly everyone has an email address, and you could print and send invitations for the few who do not. Canva is a great place to design your own custom invitations (using free templates). You can simply email it out and track RSVPs in Google Sheets or use an online service that will automatically track RSVPs for you.
Have the shortest photography package
Many photographers will have a 2 hour photography package. This is plenty of time to capture the ceremony, some couple and family shots, plus the start of the reception.
Discuss with the photographer exactly the type of photos you want, so you don’t waste time on poses you won’t end up having printed for your wedding album.
Have a DIY wedding cake
While decorating a cake the day before a wedding may be difficult for the bride or groom, you may have a friend who is up for the challenge. Don’t forget that buying quality ingredients can add up for a large cake, so keep that in mind when you’re discussing who will pay for these costs.
5. Use our free themed budget templates to get you started.
We’ve created the following Google Sheet Budget templates for you. Download the Google Doc, make a copy and select the tab for your chosen focus area. Each sheet been designed around a different number one focus area, with the remaining costs split with a suggested amount, feel free to change these amounts to create your perfect $5000 wedding budget.
