Hosting Your Dream Wedding on a Budget
Photo by Kara Schultz
Photo by John Foley Photography
Planning a wedding can be exciting and fun, but it can also be financially overwhelming. However, you can still have the wedding of your dreams on a smaller budget with some strategic planning. Certain elements of a wedding can be reduced or even eliminated entirely without affecting your celebration. Here’s some ideas on how to host a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank.
Focus on Family & Friends
Reducing your guest count can drastically lower the costs for your wedding. Having an intimate wedding can lead to savings on catering, decor (less tables), and possibly even your venue. Concentrating on your closest friends and family can result in a more meaningful and affordable wedding celebration.
Forget the Favors
By skipping wedding favors, you can reallocate funds to other aspects of the day that are important to you. Favors are often forgotten and left behind, so this can be a money-saver as well as more environmentally friendly as there’s less waste. If you still want to send guests home with a thank you, you can gift centerpieces, flowers, or even food or desserts since you’ll already have those.
Cut the Cake (see what I did there?)
Rather than spending tons of money on a full wedding cake, opt for just a small cutting cake for your photos. The savings from the cake can be used for other dessert options: consider instead offering a variety of dessert options: sheet cake, pie, donut wall, candy bar, churro bar, or ice cream. You can also set out bags or containers for guests to take dessert with them if you opted to skip having favors.
Fake Your Flowers
Another great place to save some money is on flowers: focus on bridal party florals like bouquets and skip full arrangements for the tables. Like the look of live flowers on the tables? Go for bud vases with 1-2 flowers in each rather than centerpieces for each table. You can also use wood or fake flowers to get the appearance of flowers while avoiding the potential high cost of real flowers. Or you can skip flowers altogether and go for candles and lanterns for a soft, glowing, romantic feel.
Opt for Online
Embrace technology and go digital with your wedding: send online invitations and RSVP cards rather than printing and mailing them. This eliminates paper, printing, and postage costs. You can also provide a QR code for guests to see the program and dinner menu on their phone to avoid more printing costs. Want to see extra photos from your day? Use another QR code for guests to upload their photos since you’re already asking them to use their phones.
With some strategic planning and mindful budgeting, you can turn your dream wedding into a reality. Prioritize what’s most important to you and focus on those aspects; also think about what’s not as important and decide if you want or need those to be part of your day. Remember, the purpose of a wedding is to celebrate your love with your closest friends and family.
The Homestead 1854 is a family owned and operated intimate wedding and event venue in Plano, IL. If you’re looking for a unique and historic wedding venue in Illinois, you’ve found it. Contact us here to learn more about what we offer and how to start planning the intimate wedding of your dreams.
