Bougie on a Budget

On September 22^nd, 2018 I got married to my best friend. At first when we were planning our wedding, we didn’t have the funds to have a big, lavish affair. We didn’t even know how we were going to pay for our dream wedding. Much of our beautiful wedding came from answered prayers and support from our parents, family and close friends. We were on a very tight budget as our goal was to save money for after our wedding, have a nice honeymoon and not be in debt. We spent overall under $38,000 for our wedding (this was the cost of everything even the things other people paid for us), which is cheap considering that sometimes weddings cost $60,000 and above. I wanted to share my experience with you, so that you can make wise financial choices while having a beautiful wedding that will be etched into you and your spouse’s heart forever.

1. You don’t need to invite everyone

Each person has a cost attached to them. The more people invited to your wedding, the more money you are going to pay for it. If you have an expensive taste in décor, cutting down the amount of people will help with the cost.

Take control of your guest list. You and your spouse should have the biggest say in who attends YOUR wedding. That one cousin who you met only when you were 8 years old? They don’t need to be there.

Think about the people who have supported you and your spouse throughout the years, who have made the biggest impact on your life, people who will be willing to give gifts; those are the people you want at your wedding.

Learn to say no and don’t feel bad or try to explain yourself. Those family members who seem to be unforgiving towards you for this, may eventually forget all about it but if they don’t that’s their problem not yours. Friends who you can’t invite (if they are friends) will understand. People who genuinely care and understand will support you even if they aren’t invited due to cost.

2. Morning Weddings…Morning Weddings…Morning Weddings

Morning weddings are underrated, and a lot of people don’t look at them as options. Morning weddings take up less time, and less time means less money to pay your wedding vendors and the less food you’ll need.

Breakfast weddings cost less, food wise and you get a wider array of food options that cost less. Morning weddings also takes less time (ceremony and reception wise), so less money for your DJ, less money your wedding planner and other vendors you’ll need on that day.

Also, morning weddings do not require LIGHTING! Lighting has a big cost attached to it but a morning wedding uses only natural lighting.

3. What are your free options?

There will be people in your life that will be willing to do certain things for free. If you know you will get exceptional quality from someone even if they do it for free, then go right ahead. Some people will use their craft to gift you a wedding present. Someone may be willing to make you a wedding cake for free, they may be willing to put together your appetizers for free, they may want to do your bouquet arrangement etc.

Also, friends who you can’t accommodate seating wise can help you serve food, wash dishes, bartend etc. on the day.

4. Shop Around

You don’t only have one option; you have multiple and people offer various prices. Look around for cheaper options, it’s okay to say no to certain places.

Talk to your wedding planner about your budget so that he/she can find different options for you. Look into your network of friends and associates and ask around for their prices. You’ll be shocked how much cheaper you can get different items for when you just ask around.

Ask for recommendations from people who have gone before you in their weddings. Ask them how much they paid for things. Even look at what you liked at their wedding and ask them how much they paid for it.

5. E-Invites!

Some of you all may not agree with this option, but it is a legitimate option. Save money and the environment with E-Invites! I didn’t use this one for my wedding, but I have friends who have. E-invites is almost, always free. You can also do whatever you want for this option and you are not limited by what you do.

There are apps and websites that can help you create a unique E-invite just for you and your spouse. The only con to this option is, you may not be able to use it for persons who are not technologically savvy.

6. About those little trinkets and memorabilia.

Trinkets and memorabilia are traditional must haves in a wedding, but it is something that you don’t have to have. I completely removed this from my wedding to cut cost.

You do not need to give your guests a token to go home with after your wedding. You can have a good wedding without those. People usually remember your music, food and décor. Trinkets and memorabilia add a little extra, but they are not necessary.

7. Be wise on what you do spend money on.

Look at your budget and see what you want to spend the most money on and the least money on. For example, my husband and I wanted to spend the most money on our décor, wedding co-ordination and wedding planner and we wanted to spend the least on the other things. We prioritised these because the look and ambiance were important to us, and we wanted a stress-free day hence the reason why we spent money on our wedding planner who also co-ordinated for us on the day. (Pro-Tip: GET A PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PLANNER/ CO-ORDINATOR AND NOT A FAMILY MEMBER FOR A STRESS-FREE DAY).

8. Venue

Venues can be very expensive but there are different options out there where you can pay less than $5,000. Community centres are cost efficient, using a family member’s yard can be less money. Ensure that it has parking, accessible to elderly folks, user friendly and can accommodate the number of guests you are going to have. Venues can make or break your wedding.

9. One Venue Weddings

When your wedding is confined to one venue, costs are drastically dropped. You don’t have to pay a lot of money if you are having your ceremony and reception in one place. You can have a venue that can accommodate your ceremony in one area and your reception in another.

Transportation can cost a lot of money when you must traverse from one location to another. Also, there are venues where you can stay over night or get ready there to save money with transport.

For my wedding, my bridesmaid and I stayed on location, which meant I didn’t have to worry about hiring a fancy car to transport me to my location. A one venue wedding puts an ease on everyone involved as it removes any worry about transportation and potential traffic in between the locations.

(Pro-Tip: Find a location where you can take your wedding photos on site instead of leaving and going elsewhere, this saves money, time and allows smooth transition from ceremony to photo-shoot to reception).

With these options, you can dramatically decrease costs. You don’t need to use all these options; you can find what can work for you and your future spouse’s budget. It is all about finding a balance.

All the best with planning your wedding and I wish you have a beautiful and memorable day. I leave you with this advice, whatever goes “wrong” on the day, don’t take it on but enjoy your day (hiccups and all). No wedding is perfect, but it can be unique, beautiful and memorable.