Making a Dream a
Reality: Planning a $5000 wedding.
By: Samantha Stichberry
A wedding is well-known as one of
the most expensive occasions in a couple’s life. I will be planning a wedding
for 100 people, the goal being to keep it under $5,000. Tips on how to cut
costs while still having a magical day will also be included, so, read on!
Because we are operating on a
budget, there will be some things that we will not be able to have at this
wedding. The most important rule about doing an inexpensive wedding is knowing
your must haves. Some of the must-haves for the wedding I’ll be creating today
will be:
-
A
photographer
-
A
DJ
-
Place
cards
-
Gifts
for the wedding party and parents
Venue: $900
Tips:
-
Try
to book your ceremony and reception at the same place. Quite often you can get
a deal for booking both in the same area.
-
Keep
the wedding small. Inviting only a few people allows you to look at smaller and
cheaper wedding venues.
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If
you book at a hotel, ask for a lowered price in exchange for filling up some of
the rooms.
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If
you’re fine with not having your wedding in a church, look for places that
don’t normally host weddings.
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Such
as: a zoo, parks, stables, movie theatres, a neighbor’s barn or backyard, an
ice skating or roller rink, a bowling alley, a car/history/art museum, or
anything else your town has to offer.
-
If
you take the time to apply for a permit, you can have a free reception at a
national park. Beautiful scenery for free? What can beat that!
-
When
planning your wedding, try to avoid prime wedding times, such as, Saturday
evening. Opt for an afternoon wedding or a Sunday brunch wedding.
For our fictional wedding, we are
going to budget $900 for an afternoon ceremony and reception venue.
Stationary: $75
-
Order your own stationary from Amazon or
Staples and design and print them at home.
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Cut costs by only sending out invitations.
RSVP cards, save the dates, information cards, and paper menus add up quickly
and are often unnecessary.
-
Don’t think you have the skill or time to
make them yourself? Pay someone else to do it. Fivver is a freelance services
marketplace where you could easily find someone else to design your invitations
for as low as $5.
Staples
sells stacks of 8 1/2" x 11" Ivory 250/Pack card stock for $15. I can use the paper for
invitations and place cards. By designing and printing everything at home, I
save a lot of money. I don’t think I will need to cut my invitations but in
case my design changes, my local Staples gave me an estimate of $10 to get them
all cut. It costs $50 for the stamps to get them mailed out. Using a wedding
website for RSVPs will cut down on extra costs. Final total is $75 for
stationary.
Attire: $725
-
Dress:
Ebay, Etsy, and large stores like Macy’s have great options for cheap prices.
Try to stay away from things labeled “wedding,” because it often comes with a
heftier price tag. Renting your dress is also a great way to go. If you want to
do some good while getting a bargain, Brides Against Breast Cancer offers massive
discounts on beautiful dresses. Part of the profits from the dresses goes
towards breast cancer research. Finally, buying off the rack can get you great
discounts and a dress immediately.
-
Accessories
can add up quickly. Some money saving options are:
o
Use flowers to decorate your hair instead of a
veil
o
Try
to find a used veil or check Etsy.
o
Jewelry
can be borrowed or found in thrift shops, on craigslist, and on Ebay.
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If
your fiancé doesn’t have a tuxedo or a suit already, renting is a popular
option that saves money.
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If
you don’t already have your rings, consider online shopping. Etsy has
beautiful, handmade options that have unique deigns for cheap prices. Opting
for a gemstone instead of a diamond can save you big bucks too. Again, staying
away from the word “wedding” will save you even more money.
-
Have
your bridesmaids, groomsmen, and children who are in the wedding, pay for their
own clothing. Pick easy colors to find and let them get something they will
appreciate being able to wear after the wedding is over.
I found a dress through Brides
Against Breast Cancer for $300, accessories for $100, rented a suit for $175,
and found two unique wedding bands on Etsy for $150. All of this leads to a
total of $725.
Food and Drink: $1,700
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Picking
an afternoon or brunch wedding with reduce food costs because you can pick
cheaper options.
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Homemade!
Ask you friends and family to help cook things in the week before the wedding.
Freeze as much as you can beforehand and thaw it out the night before.
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Skip
the cake. Seriously. If you want a big showstopper to put on display, build one
out of cardboard (except the layer you have to cut) and decorate it with
frosting and flowers or whatever you want. When the time comes, take the “cake”
away and cut and serve a sheet cake from the back. It’s much cheaper and people
won’t even notice the difference.
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Try
other desserts instead: donuts, cookies, brownies, pies. There are hundreds of
other dessert options that are just as tasty and wont break the bank.
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Get
creative with cheap foods. Popcorn, bulk candy, meat and cheese trays, and
cotton candy are some options.
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Make-it-yourself-stations
are fun and often cheaper than traditional options. Tacos, potato, salad, and
ice cream bars have all had great success.
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People
tend to drink less at day weddings, but if you choose to have alcohol, choose a
cash bar or buy alcohol from places that allow you to return unopened bottles
such as Sam’s Club or Costco.
My afternoon wedding for 100
people will include a potato and salad bar, finger foods, meat and cheese
trays, fruit trays, multiple dips, and dessert buffet that we make ourselves.
Champagne is the only alcohol we would serve; bought at Sam’s Club for $100.
Servers will be hired to maintain everything and keep our friends from to do
anything during the wedding. All of this totals out to $1,500 with a $200 tip
bonus for the servers.
Music: $300
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Local
colleges are an amazing place for cheap bands and DJ’s.
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If
you don’t want to bother trying to find a band or a DJ, just create a few CD
mixes or a Spotify playlist (Ad-free for $9.99/per month) and have a friend man
the music booth for the special dances, then just start up the play list and
don’t worry about it.
For my wedding I hired a DJ from
a local college who brought his own equipment for $300.
Decorations: $700
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Skip
the florist and buy your flowers wholesale in bulk. Have a flower arranging
party to get everything put together. Groupon is a great way to find floral
arranging classes or a discounted florist if you don’t feel confident in your
abilities. Also, find out if purchasing the flowers yourself can get you a
cheaper price with a florist.
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Look
for your table linens online and in thrift stores. Buy in bulk if need be and
remember that curtains can double as table runners. Look for other brides who are trying to sell their wedding
linens. Tradesy.com
has tons of brides trying to sell off their old wedding things.
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For
tables and chairs look to your local churches and community centers to borrow
or get a reduced rental price. Estate sales and thrift stores are also a great
way to get cheap and interesting seating.
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For
dishware, ask around. Some people might have extra dishes they don’t want
anymore. Thrift shopping for dishes is also an awesome way to save money and
you get an interesting, eclectic look to your reception.
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Be
creative for signage. Go on Craigslist and look for free wood or other
abandoned items that could work. Homemade chalk board paint can help you get
cheap chalk boards for drink and food menus, seating charts, and welcome signs.
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Do
not underestimate the dollar store! Ribbon, burlap, tea lights, vases, and so
much more can be found there for affordable prices.
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DIY
is your best friend.
For my wedding I need 10 tables,
100 chairs, 10 table decorations, three bouquets, three boutonnieres, 100
plates with cutlery, four signs, aisle decorations, and an arch. In the end, I
ended up with $700 in costs. Here is the break down:
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Tables:
Borrowed/rented from local churches: $50.
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Chairs:
Borrowed from local church, estate sales, and thrift store finds: $50.
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Decorations:
vases and jars from thrift store and dollar store: $30. Table linens: $100. Candles,
ribbon, and colored pebbles bought from the dollar store for centerpieces: $50.
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Flowers
for bouquets, boutonnieres, and aisle and reception decorations: Bought in bulk
from Potomac Floral for $200. Floral arranging class for two people with a
Groupon: $40.
-
Arch
rental: $30.
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Cutlery
and plates: borrowed from friends and bought at thrift stores and estate sales:
$130.
-
Signage:
made out of abandoned wood found on Craigslist and homemade chalkboard paint
for a total of $20.
Photography and Videography: $150
-
Again,
local colleges are amazing for this! Photography and art majors are often
looking for experience and more pictures to put in their portfolio, so they
will do an event for a discounted price.
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Try
Groupon again for more good deals.
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Ask
friends and family if they know anyone. A lot of people will give you a
discount because a friend referred you.
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Try
not to keep the photographer at the wedding all day.
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Make
sure to meet the photographer before the wedding to see if their style is
something that you want for your pictures. A good way to find this out is by
looking at their pictures or by booking them for an engagement shoot to test
run.
Rehearsal Dinner: $200
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Keep
it small.
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Homemade
food reduces costs tremendously.
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Doing
it at someone’s house eliminates having to rent a venue
Spaghetti and Meatballs with
sides, done at a groomsmen’s house averages out at $10 per person allows us to
invite 20 guests; which includes our wedding party and some family.
Gifts:
$150
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The
dollar store and the internet will be your friends again. You can find cheap
packaging at both, but the internet is the perfect place to buy the gifts.
Etsy, again, has lots of unique and decently priced options.
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Put
your heart into these. Seriously. They are meant to be beautiful gifts that
tell you wedding party and family how important they are to you. Handmade and
handwritten can really show that off.
Gifts for both sets of parents
and the bridal party totaled out to $150. Bridesmaids got bracelets and DIY’d
spa kits for $15 each. Groomsmen got vintage shaving kits for $15 each. Both
mothers received photo albums with each child’s favorite memories, hand written
notes from both the bride and the groom, and spa kit at a cost of $15 each. Each
father was gifted a personalized beer stein and handwritten letters for a total
of $20 each. Both the flower girl and the ring bearer got personalized cups for
$10 each.
All of this totals to $4,900;
just under the target budget. All of the
prices I found were from actual websites for actual things, I didn’t just make
up all the numbers. Most of the numbers are actually rounded up to account for
inflation or shipping. So, as you can see, planning a wedding for $5000 isn’t
as hard as it sounds. You just need to know what you want and what isn’t
important to you. Research is the best tool. By looking around you can compare
prices and options to get the best deals on things. Don’t
stress if you can’t find something and remember to ask friends and family for
help. Good luck and happy planning!
