Having a wedding budget is definitely a smart thing to do. What seems impossible for some is having a beautiful wedding and keeping you budget to $5000.00. So how can you accomplish this task. Following is a step by step guide on how you can plan the perfect wedding ceremony and only spend $5000.00 regardless of where you live.
The first thing that you need to do is come up with a reasonable guest list. Since you are only dealing with a $5000.00 budget you should keep your reception rental expenses to no more than $2000.00 this would include food, eating utensils (if backyard wedding) and the efficient of the ceremony. There are two key points to remember.
1. Serving brunch, and or lunch will be a lot cheaper. You don’t have to have a full meal, you can just serve simple finger foods. Don’t panic this is not a difficult task to accomplish at all.
2. Keep the number of guest you invite reasonable, and choose a location that will accommodate all of your guests. It is reasonable to keep you guest list to immediate family and close friends. Try to keep you number under or at 80 guests to accommodate your budget.
3. Try to have both the ceremony and the reception in one location.
Next you can choose from the follow budget friendly locations. The first would be checking any local parks in your area. Most parks will require you to pay a modest rental or reservation fee, and submit an application to reserve the space and date. Of course if you are going to go with a park rental than you may need to supply your own chairs and canopy which can become expensive. There are some parks who provide this and include it in your rental fee. Or perhaps you know a family member who happens to have a very nice yard that you can use. Remember that a yard wedding can be beautiful and affordable.
Another option is to rent a private room in a restaurant. There are plenty of buffet restaurants, and regular restaurants that offer party rooms for rent, and the prices are usually pretty reasonable. There are even some restaurants that have garden areas where you can hold the ceremony. This would be a great option because you would not have to pay for transportation to the reception site and decorations could be as simple as canals on the table.
When it comes to the person who will be performing the ceremony try to find a family me member of friend who would be willing to perform the ceremony at a reasonable price that fits into your budget.
One you have chosen your location and written out your guest list you can work on getting your invitations ready to go. When dealing with a $5000.00 budget you really need to cut some corners when it comes to your invitations. This does not mean that the invitations have to look tacky.
The first place you can visit for your invitations is your local Target store. Or you can go to www.target.com and type invitations into the search area. There you will find a nice selection of invitation kits. In this kits you will find 50 invitations, envelopes, response cards, and a seal. In most cases you will probably buy two packs, but at Target that still comes to about $50 for your invitations. Then if you have beautiful handwriting or you know someone who does and is willing to write out your invitations that’s great. Or if you have a printer you can just run them through and you will be done in a snap. Keep in mind that cutting corners usually does mean that you will be doing a lot more work, so get as much help as you can. You can also try your local party shop to find reasonable invitations for sale. Try to keep your invitation budget to at least $80 or less.
Next on the list comes your wedding gown. This is very easy to keep to a low budget. You can read the article “Discount stores for Wedding Dresses”,, to help you find an affordable wedding dress. By using some of the suggestions listed in this article you can get a designer dress for as little as $150.00. When it comes to the groom, he can rent a tuxedo from any local shop and the price will usually be very reasonable. When it comes to finding the perfect veil and accessories you can save a lot of money by visiting your local party store. Many people never realize that party stores actually carry very simple veils for under $20.00. Or you can purchase a tiara at your local bridal shop and go without the veil. Remember that your veil doe not have to cost you hundreds of dollars to look nice. Try to keep your budget for both your wedding gown and your veil to a total of $250.00, which would include your shoes. If you do some serious bargain shopping you should have no problem accomplishing this task. Your husband to be should spend no more than $150.00 on his tuxedo rental.
Photography
You definitely cant have a wedding without pictures to remember your special day. Since you are working with a small budget hiring a professional photographer is out. Since everyone has digital camera’s nowadays you can have someone use your own or one of theirs to get some shots of the wedding. Another option is to purchase wedding camera’s for each of your wedding tables. If you plan just one camera on each table you can have small cards written up next to each camera that says for your guests to take candid pictures of everyone at their table and of the bride and groom. At the end of the reception you can have one member of your bridal party collect the camera’s before your guest leave and give them to you. One website you can visit to get a good price on camera’s is www.weddingcameras.com. You can get ten camera’s for only $32.99. Ten camera’s should be enough if you kept your guest list to the recommended number. Keep in mind that you will have to pay for getting the pictures developed so keep that figure as part of your budget as well. When it comes to your wedding photo album you can purchase one at your local target store for a reasonable price or you can include it on your registry and maybe someone will purchase one as a gift. Your total budget for your pictures should be no more than $250.00.
This is where another portion of your budget will go to. You really cant’s have a wedding without some type of music. Most DJ’s will be somewhat expensive. If however you have some family members with a portable CD player and some speakers you are already to go. This will cost you nothing and you can play your favorite CD’s at the wedding. Remember working with a $5000.00 budget means that you have to keep things simple. If however you can find a DJ in your area who is affordable than you may consider hiring them. Try to keep your entertainment budget to at least $400.00 if hiring a professional.
Wedding Cake/Decorations/Bouquets
Your wedding cake is usually the most important part of the wedding. Many feel that even if you cut corners everywhere else the wedding cake must be the best. First of all wedding cakes don’t have to be over the top extravagant. A new trend among many is to have round tiers of cupcakes displayed. It’s affordable, practical, and very easy to set up. All you would have to do is order at least two cupcakes per guest. For direction on how to set up your display you can visit http://www.cakechannel.com/cupcake-tree.html. You can have beautiful candy roses, or flowers placed on the cupcakes. Or if you prefer you can purchase a few round cakes decorated with roses and flowers. Then visit your local dollar store or your party store for a cake stand. You can usually find a nice tiered cake display stand for about $10. Or you can find some beautiful cake display stands online at http://www.nextag.com. Try to keep your cake budget to $200 or less.
Your decorations are very simple. All you need to do is visit your local dollar store to get simple yet elegant wedding decorations. You can also visit your local art’s and craft store to find some simple items. The dollar store would be great for your table clothes (if needed). For centerpieces keep it simple. If you purchase one vase from your local dollar store for each table and fill it with a floating candle that can be lit by a family member before the guests arrive. Or you can purchase a few fake flowers that can be placed in each vase and left the table. Either way keep your decoration budget to $100.00.
For your bouquets you can use fake or real flowers. Either way you will spend the around the same amount of money. Remember that the smaller and simpler your bouquet the more affordable it will be. Some brides have only had a bouquet for themselves and have had their bridal party walk down the isle holding a single rose. It looks really nice and elegant and the best part is that it will fit your budget. Try to keep your flower budget to at least $400, which will include the bridal party and the reception hall decorations.
Hair/Makeup/Nails
Last but certainly not least is the brides hair/makeup/nails. There are no shortcuts for this unless you have a family member that is a hairstylist and a manicurist. This is where a little bit of pampering comes in. Treat yourself to getting your hair done professionally and your makeup the morning of your wedding. Your budget should be at least $200.00
By sticking with some of the suggested budgets mentioned above you will find that you can spend a little bit more in certain areas. Just remember that it is sometimes better to come in under budget instead of over budget.
Transportation
In order to stay within your budget it may be a good idea to have friends and family transport you and the bridal party to and from the wedding. Or you can have everyone use their own vehicles if possible.
