I’ve been getting a lot of questions recently all around the same subject – your wedding budget.  The questions vary slightly, but they all center around on one main question,

How do you have a beautiful wedding with a small wedding budget?

I know that for many this is a big struggle and it totally stresses engaged couples out and I get it.  Trying to figure out how to plan a wedding without a lot of money is daunting especially when you see all the pretty images out there that you want.

You don’t know how much things cost or what to expect.  It’s overwhelming and scary and seems impossible.

Well, it’s not impossible!

You can have a beautiful wedding with a small wedding budget, you just have to be creative and willing to compromise.  You won’t be able to have everything you want, that is impossible.  But, you can still have a wonderful, beautiful and most importantly, meaningful wedding.

So, the million dollar question, how do you do this?  Today we’re sharing 7 ways to have a beautiful wedding with a small wedding budget.

7 Ways to Have a Beautiful Wedding With a Small Budget

1. Set your expectations.  Stop looking at Pinterest and wedding blogs.  Stop lusting over that floral wall.  Inspiration is great, but you need to understand that you won’t be able to have everything that you want and be ok with that.  Get comfortable with compromise now because you’ll need to do a lot of it before you’re done.

Now, I’m not saying that you should shut away all your dreams and be sad in the corner.  We don’t want that!

What I’m saying that you need to be realistic and smart.  Remember that the most important thing is that you are marrying your fiancé in front of all the people you love.  That is what matters.

(Photo credit: Chrisman Studios)

2. Take a good look inside.  You need to really think through what is important to you and what your must haves are before you spend a dime of your budget.  This will help direct what you spend your money on and how much you allocate to each item.

Ask yourself what do you really care about?  And then, what will you need to make that happen?  This is what you should focus on and the rest you can compromise on.

(Photo credit: Rachel Robertson Photography)

3. Stick to your guns.  Once you’ve nailed down what you want, don’t waiver.  It will be really easy to start spending more in areas that don’t matter as much to you.  And then all of sudden you’ll realize you’re out of money, but you still don’t have any drinks.  Not a good situation to be in.

Remember what you care about what you don’t and don’t spend more without accounting for it somewhere else.

(Photo credit: Tomasz Wagner Photo & Films)

4. Find creative solutions. Usually, this is where DIY comes into play, but not everyone is a DIY person.  If you are, great!  This is a great time for you to exercise those muscles.

But if you aren’t, don’t fret.  There are always solutions out there that you just need to brainstorm like borrowing things from others, using electronic invites or finding ways to make items do double or triple duty.

(Photo credit: Strotz Photography)

5. Get help from your friends.  If you have talented friends, utilize them!  Got a graphic designer friend?  Why not ask them to design your invites?  Got a friend who loves makeup?  Have her do your wedding makeup. Got a music lover in the family?  Have them put together your playlist.

You can eliminate or reduce costs by having those around you help you out.  You, of course, have to ask and should thank them with a gift, but it could save you a ton of money and really help your small wedding budget out.

(Photo credit: Arrowood Photography)

6. Consider a wedding share.  Reach out to the couple getting married the day before or after you at your venue and see if there is anything you are both doing that you can combine together to mutually save costs.

For example, you could pick the same wedding chairs from the same company or utilize the same centerpieces.  While this doesn’t work for every wedding, it’s something to consider to help reduce the costs.

(Photo credit: Andria Lo Weddings)

7. Look at up and coming wedding vendors.  Hiring professional wedding vendors is key to having a smooth and successful wedding, but it’s important to remember that every reputable wedding vendor was new at one point.  And when you are new, your prices are always lower.  It’s just the nature of the business.  But, you can capitalize on that and find vendors who are newer and more cost effective.

Is it a risk?  Yes, it is because they don’t have the years of experience that others will, but if you’ve done your research and it’s a good fit, it can be a great option.

(Photo credit: Day 7 Photography)

I hope you find these 7 ways helpful as you create your beautiful wedding with a small wedding budget.  While not all inclusive, these ideas will help to steer you in the right direction and make planning your wedding more enjoyable.

Want learn all the tips you need to help you plan your wedding on your budget?

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So you can create the wedding you really want in the easiest way possible.