Frugal Wedding Tips
If you are here looking for frugal wedding ideas to help cut costs and wedding expenses, you have come to the right place.
A frugal wedding is a good idea if you are tight on cash.
I always recommend planning a wedding that you can afford and not one you see in fancy wedding magazines.
If you have a small budget for your wedding, you might think you won’t be able to make your day special.
Wrong!
There are many ways to have an extremely fashionable wedding while keeping the budget to a minimum.
This is where these frugal wedding ideas will help you.
We will show you how to plan a great day using simple, frugal wedding ideas that are not too tacky.
Whether you are planning a wedding with a budget of $2,000 or $50,000 is entirely up to you, but if you want to stretch your money, read on for different ways to make your wedding budget work.
To plan a frugal wedding on a budget, you need to learn how to negotiate, be flexible and think outside the box.
And the best way to cut wedding costs is to look at your wedding guest list, budget and everything else that entails planning a wedding, such as the time of year you chose to marry.
There are many cheap wedding ideas out there you can use to save extra money.
If you are reading this post, we are going to help with the following:
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Tips for planning the cheapest wedding ever
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Frugal wedding meaning
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Fun, frugal ideas to save money
Our frugal wedding tips will help stretch your budget as far as you.
If you can, try not to use credit cards.
And if you do, use one that gives you travel points (for the honeymoon) and pay the card off right away.
I used this No Spend Challenge Planner and these wedding money-saving tracker worksheets to help me stay on track with my wedding budget.
Before we get started with our frugal wedding ideas, please grab this quick wedding budget checklist to help determine if you can afford the wedding of your dreams!
I also recommend grabbing our Ultimate Wedding Budget bundle right now.
It’s designed to meet all your wedding planning needs and ensure you cover all your wedding expenses, leaving little to no surprises.
We help couples come up with frugal wedding ideas every chance we get because you deserve to marry the person you love without the stress of going into debt.
Please note all our money-saving tips for your wedding, as they will help you save big.
What are the best ideas for a frugal wedding?
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Benefits of frugal weddings
There are many benefits of planning a frugal wedding, including being able to:
- Focus on the essential things in life (family, friends, faith) instead of worrying about money
- Save for large purchases and pay in cash
- Fund emergency savings
- Purchase a home
- Have more money to pay off debt
- Build a retirement fund
- Have money for a honeymoon
- Give more money to your favourite charities
And more than ever, due to the recent recession, many couples are asking us to share frugal wedding ideas they can use to save money.
Finding alternative wedding ideas to save money will allow you to trim unnecessary wedding expenses, which can quickly creep up if you are not careful.
We have come up with a few ideas to help you start planning a frugal yet fashionable wedding.
Be sure to create a budget for your wedding that works, and watch out for hidden costs, so you do not end up overspending!
100 Frugal Wedding Ideas & Tips
Try to stick to one theme for your frugal wedding to create a fashionable feel for your big day.
From your invitations to the table settings, keep everything in line with your wedding theme; if you try to bring two or three different elements into your decorations, they can start to look more frugal than fashionable.
To cut costs, don’t go overboard and DIY when you can; table place cards are a great way to start DIYing if you’re not a seasoned crafter.
DIYs are perfect for those planning a frugal wedding.
Frugal wedding venue ideas
To have a frugal wedding, you must find affordable wedding venues.
Planning a wedding is a lot of work and expensive.
You want to take your time and pick the best possible wedding venue location that only meets your style but is inexpensive.
When the budget is tight, you must get creative with the venue.
With that in mind, here are some free or cheap wedding venue ideas to host your big day:
- A backyard wedding venue
- Airbnb if allowed
- Have a garden wedding
- A community centre
- Church hall
- Banquet hall
- Local Library
- City hall
- A park
- Historical site
- A theatre
- A zoo or an Aquarium
- A farm or barn
- Consider a country club
Be sure to look at unconventional wedding venues to help save money.
Booking an all-inclusive venue with everything you need could save you money.
This is the ideal frugal situation for budget brides.
Frugal wedding ideas to save money on food
There are a lot of creative and affordable wedding food ideas that can work with your budget.
You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on your wedding food unless food is essential to you.
In most cases, couples care about the food served at a wedding.
We will find a few ways to cut costs so you can save money on your wedding food!
Here are a few cheap wedding reception food ideas worth looking into:
- Trim your guest list
- Compare food costs
- Find a venue that allows outside catering
- Opt for inexpensive protein options
- Have a wedding buffet
- Serve gourmet food
- Cater your wedding yourself
- Make wedding desserts yourself
- Offer theme stations (pasta bar, pizza, tacos, etc.)
- Look into food trucks
- Consider doing a BBQ
- Serve a family-style menu
- Serve wine and beer
- Have a potluck wedding
- Close the bar during dinner
- Opt for breakfast or brunch reception
- Have a wedding reception with cake and punch
Saving on the wedding dress & other attires
For many brides, one of the most significant wedding decisions is choosing what to wear on the big day.
The tricky part is finding the perfect look within your budget.
I have seen couples spend $4000 or more.
But for couples planning a frugal wedding, it’s best not to overspend.
Whether you envision a full princess gown, a sleek and sophisticated A-line, or an Art Deco dress, try to opt for a wedding dress that is within what you can afford.
Look at special sale days at your local wedding boutique or online; you can get unique styles and fashionable dresses perfect for your wedding day at a better price.
What you spend is entirely up to you.
But if you want to save a little money and are looking for frugal wedding ideas to save on your wedding attire, you are in luck.
Let me start by saying you can buy secondhand.
Ask bridal boutiques for any sales happening or coming up.
More brands are offering affordable options that can leave you looking like a million bucks without spending much.
And if you’re worried about the fit, you can alter them at a fraction of the cost of buying made-to-measure.
- Lulus wedding dresses for $100
- Affordable dresses from Etsy
- Discounted wedding dresses from Cocomelody
- Nearly Newlywed – Get designer dresses at a fraction of the cost!
- Cheap designer dresses from Nordstrom
- Wedding dresses on Amazon
- Pre-owned wedding dresses
- Cute bohemian wedding dresses
- Check out these pre-wedding dresses
- Wedding dress on Revolve
Don’t forget about wedding shoes.
Here is an epic list of affordable wedding shoes from Amazon!
Kate Spade Wedding Shoes are amazing.
The entire store usually has amazing deals depending on when you check.
Need frugal wedding ideas on wedding bands?
You can check out Barkev’s or Manly Bands!
Cheap Wedding Flowers for Frugal Brides
Every season brings a new trend in wedding flower arrangements, so try not to get caught up in keeping up with the ever-changing styles.
Instead, pick a look that you can replicate easily without breaking the flower budget and keep with your frugal wedding theme.
For example, Candice Lake, a contributing style editor at Vogue, used wildflowers in her arrangements, bringing a fashionable boohoo touch to her big day back in 2013.
Not only is this example easily replicated, but you can pick wildflowers from your garden or a nearby field, and it will cost you next to nothing to create your arrangements.
Use the same flowers from your wedding ceremony at your reception to cut costs.
Skip boutonnieres and corsages to save some extra money.
You can make homemade wedding decorations and skip flowers to save money.
If you want flowers, I recommend frugal brides look into fake flowers.
Using fake flowers is so 2023 and is perfect for frugal weddings.
Here are a few places you can find affordable wedding flowers for cheap online:
- Sola Wood Flowers – You can use unique solar flowers for wedding centrepieces and bouquets. They have cheap wedding flowers and are constantly running sales.
- Fifty Flower – Have unique flowers that are cheap and frugal for budget-conscious brides. From ready-to-go centrepieces to fantastic wedding bouquets, score some gorgeous flowers.
- Lings Moments – Get gorgeous Wedding flowers from Lings Moments!
Don’t be afraid to decorate with gorgeous balloons!
Etsy is full of fantastic wedding balloon designs.
Get a wedding balloon kit like this one.
Frugal wedding decorations
Getting wedding decorations at affordable prices is a must.
If possible, always look for wedding decorations on a budget.
For example, these cheap pre-made floral wedding centrepieces are excellent for saving money.
Shop online for elegant but affordable wedding decorations, from ceremony to wedding banners, balloons, and decorations for the bridal car.
- Etsy has many beautiful handmade decorations, favours, and wedding attires. If you plan a frugal wedding, you can use Etsy to find amazing deals on wedding favours and decor! Check out all the frugal deals available on Etsy right now in certain stores! From thoughtful invitations to unique decorations – find everything you need for an unforgettable occasion!
- The Handmade Wedding section on Amazon has a few different categories worth exploring if you are looking for affordable frugal wedding ideas. You can also check this wedding section on Amazon. For specific wedding decor ideas – read my post packed with over 100 Amazon decoration ideas worth exploring!
- Koyal Wholesale – They carry a vast collection of wholesale wedding supplies with an impressive decor catalogue for every taste.
- Target – An excellent place to find simple wedding and party supplies! Here is the wedding party supply section to check out!
- For Your Party – Everything you need for your wedding can be found for cheap – Shop for your wedding day today!
Affordable wedding cake ideas
When planning a wedding, everything can look like dollar signs to you.
And it probably is.
This is even more true for people that are naturally frugal and are looking for cheap wedding ideas.
Not everyone eats cake at weddings.
If you can save money on this, you can allocate the funds to other things.
Here are some ways you can save money on wedding cakes:
- Skip wedding cakes if you can’t afford
- Purchase the cutting cake and serve sheet cake
- Have mini desserts {dessert tables}
- Opt out of the caterer’s cakes
- Bake the cake yourself
- Choose cupcakes instead of a cake
- Order for fewer people
Cheap wedding invitations online
The first impression your guests will have of your wedding is from your wedding invitations, so make these fit in with your theme of the day.
Share your special day with those you love by sending them an invite designed by the best.
You don’t have to go all out on wedding invitations either; minimal designs or even handcrafted invitations can help cut the costs but still give that first good impression that your wedding will be fabulous.
Brides that are planning a frugal wedding typically go for the DIY look.
Making your wedding invitations yourself can save a lot of money.
Wedding invitations, save the dates, and all the other wedding stationeries can cost an arm and a leg.
But shop at these places to save:
- Minted – The most affordable wedding invitations are usually found on Minted for cheap. Minted also has a fantastic coupon codes and promotions page I love to keep an eye out for.
- Zazzle – Amazing deals on invitations, save the dates and all your wedding paper needs.
- Evermine Labels – Do you need labels done up, such as wine bottle labels? Save as much as 20% discounts on orders!
- The Wedding Printable Shop – Score $1 wedding printables all year!
- Artifact Uprising – Grab prints, photo books, save the date and other wedding-related things at a discount during cyber Monday wedding week deals!
- Picky Brides – They are already cheap, but you can save even more when they have sales.
Don’t be afraid to design a gorgeous e-invitation; send it by email if you are tight on money.
Skip the save the date cards, save hundreds of dollars, or design them yourself.
Forget menus and programs – these can add to your wedding expenses easily.
Source: From Minted
Affordable honeymoon ideas
You can read this post to learn all my tips about planning a honeymoon on a budget.
Honeymoons can run several dollars if you do not plan correctly and within budget.
Most couples spend about $5600 on their honeymoon.
But spending $6000 on a honeymoon is not feasible for those looking for frugal wedding ideas.
- Go on a mini-moon
- Travel to the next town
- Travel locally
- Have a staycation
- Rent an Airbnb
- Bed and breakfasts are always fun
- Start a honeymoon fund
- Do an all-inclusive
- Look for cheap excursions online (Viator) before you travel.
Other frugal wedding ideas to consider
We have given a lot of fantastic ideas to save money, but there are a few more things you can do to reduce wedding costs.
Here are my top frugal wedding tips to get the most bang for your budget:
- Get married during the offseason
- Opt for a winter wedding
- Here are the best month for a wedding to save
- Friday and Sunday weddings are best
- Weekday weddings can slash your budget in half
- Have a morning or day wedding
- Consider a destination wedding
- Ditch unnecessary details
- Don’t do anything custom
- Ask someone you know to be the officiant.
If you can, shop when vendors and supplies have sales and discounts.
This usually happens at the end of the year, like on Boxing day.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday is also great time to score wedding discounts.
This is perfect for those planning frugal weddings.
Amazon prime days is a great time also to score Amazon Prime wedding deals.
And that’s it for frugal wedding ideas to help save money.
If you have more ideas that are perfect for saving money, please share them below.
We want to hear all about them!
All frugal ideas to save money for your wedding are appreciated.
I recommend grabbing these savings trackers for your wedding and honeymoon savings plans.
And don’t forget to grab this epic Wedding Budget bundle right now to simplify your budgeting needs.
Don’t forget to grab this Miss To Mrs. bridal box subscription: must-have items for every bride-to-be!
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Read next:
- Best wedding day tips & tricks
- Pull off a frugal wedding.
- DIY Wedding dollar store decor
- DIY Wedding Reception Ideas
Check out our wedding printable shop to get more checklists, printables and everything you need to plan a wedding.
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we want to renew our vows does this apply to us? no big wedding like before we are thinking a cheap boat ride somewhere.thanks
Absolutely. Saving on events is hard, but these frugal tips should help cut costs.