Low Budget wedding faqs - from our readers

How do I feed everyone on a budget?

The style and formality of your wedding has a massive impact on the expectations on the food provided and the cost. If you are holding a formal sit down evening dinner in a banquet hall, guests will expect big expensive dishes of meat and large servings. On the other hand, if you are holding a cocktail party in an art gallery or winery, guests will be thrilled to receive tasty but delicate finger foods or platters of cheese and fruit. So, my best tip for feeding everyone without appearing 'cheap' is to hold a reception better suited to your budget, rather than trying to force an event of a particular style into a lower cost bracket.

How do I have a budget wedding that doesn't look 'cheap'?

Easy. Be picky. That nasty 'cheap' look comes from settling for less than you want. Just because you are spending less, doesn't mean you should have inferior items. A great trick is to carefully choose the items that you spend less on. I had crystal vases on the tables at my wedding, filled with glass pebbles and a white candle. I chose nice quality vases but instead of the $10 bag of glass pebbles and $5 white candle from the department store, I bought the $2 bag of glass pebbles and $1 white candles from a dollar store. Looking at the decorations, guests would have had no idea that I'd saved $12 each by shopping carefully.
Another tip for budget weddings – trim the fat. By that I mean cut all of the unnecessary stuff that goes with weddings. If you have a budget of $3000 for your wedding and can manage to avoid spending any of it on silly little things that don't add to the atmosphere of the day (think expensive stockings, parasols, pens and teddy bears etc) then you'll have a lot more left to spend on the things that add to the opulent atmosphere that you are aiming for.

How can you let people know you're getting married and planning a small wedding, but can not invite them?

This is a tricky, but surprisingly common issue. Most of us have a large circle of people we know and are associated with, but a smaller circle of friends and close family. Where a lot of couples get into trouble is if they feel the need to invite both circles to their wedding. You end up paying for many more people than you can really afford to. My top tip in this situation – invite everyone to the ceremony. On the invitations, clearly state that they are invited to the ceremony but that the bride and groom will be celebrating privately with family and close friends. Anyone who is a good friend will understand. If anyone is rude enough to question their invitation, simply smile and say 'This is how we are keeping the evening small and about our special day'. You don't need to explain yourself. It's your wedding!

Is it possible to arrange a wedding on a budget from out of town?

Absolutely! I won't promise you that it will be as easy as organizing a local wedding, but it is certainly possible. Many a clever bride has organized a budget wedding via distance, even in places she hasn't been before. If at all possible, get someone who lives in the area you are to be married to be your eyes. Send them along to possible locations, take digital photos and email them to you and tell you their thoughts.
In this day and age where almost anything can be done over the Internet, distance is no real barrier to getting a bargain. The downside is that you may at times need to agree on things without having physically seen them so it is more important than ever to get all agreements and details in writing in case of a later dispute or problem. It is a great idea to check out many of the forums on the Internet as well. Quite often there are groups for brides being married in a similar area and they are often happy to share the details of suppliers they are using and recommend. Good Luck!

Do we need to take a honeymoon straight after the wedding?

No, but most couples do want at least a couple of days off to unwind after the months of planning! Seriously though, if it makes more sense to you to use the money for the wedding and save up again for a honeymoon later then do it! Maybe have a night or two in a local hotel as a 'mini-moon' straight after the wedding, but even that is just to give you a break. Save up and go on the honeymoon of your dreams later!

Things are so expensive! How do I get things for less?

Knowledge is Power! To get the very best prices on everything, you need to have done your research. For example, if you have your heart set on carrying a dozen red roses, call around or visit the florists in your area and ask them all the following questions; How much? Is delivery included? If I buy 3 do I get a group discount? And any other questions you can think of. Write down their answers as you get them. From here you can see what the market average is – as well as how widely quotes will vary! Now you need to work out who is the best deal. If 'Business A' has great flowers at a good price but no delivery and no group discount is it still a better deal that 'Business B' with a higher price but free delivery? Once you know this, feel free to try polite bargaining with the businesses, starting with the ones you prefer the most. You could call 'Business B' and say “I loved your flowers but 'Business A' is selling the same arrangement for $ XXX. Could you match that price?”. Or, you could call 'Business A' and say “I'd really prefer to get the roses here, but 'Business B' will deliver for free and has a group discount of $ XX. Would you be able to match that?”. You'd be amazed at the success you can have! Most business are used to people blindly purchasing from them without actually doing the number. For the small investment of your time you can be saving on everything from confetti to convertibles!

Where do I even start to plan a wedding?

Weddings are one of those enormous ideas that just seem bigger the more you think about them. My number one tip is to stop thinking and start writing. Make lists of who you would like to invite (this can always be refined later) and ask you partner what style of wedding he/she would like. Be honest and let them be honest. Then start making lists of possible locations for the wedding. From there, it will be a giant snowball of things to organize, research, book and buy. But as you may have gathered from the book so far, research and clever subtle compromise is the key to a budget wedding that looks and feels like an extravaganza.

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