How to Plan a Wedding with Less Than $5000

The Venue - $0

A fancy venue will certainly be one of the major expenses when planning a wedding. So when you’re trying to stay under $5000, the venue is the first thing you need to adjust/simplify. In general, a fancy restaurant will automatically mean a sit down dinner for all the guests, and 7 course dinners are yet another major expense. So how about solving two problems at once by forgoing the fancy venue altogether? Solution: backyard tea party! Whether it’s your own yard, a friend’s or a relative’s (or maybe even your neighbor’s), a backyard affair presents many cost-efficient benefits. Besides the fact that such a casual event won’t have anyone expecting a sit down dinner (which means that cheaper food alternatives will be available), it also means that the most suitable time of the event is the afternoon – and we all know that less alcohol is consumed during the afternoon than during a nighttime party, which is another saving plus).

Extra Tip – Other venue options for free or close to free: church halls, local sports saloons and village halls.

The Music - $0

When trying to follow a $5000 wedding budget breakdown plan, saving on music becomes a necessity. An iPod, a laptop and some speakers (borrow them from friends if you don't own them) are the way to go! For sure, one of your friends will happily take the job of occasional DJ-ing.

The Invitations - $100

Have a skilled friend design your invitations and print them yourself – or simply opt for a digital invitation to save on the printing costs as well.

The Food - $700

Since we're talking about a tea party, desserts are the way to go! Grandma's famous pies and your aunt's blueberry muffins have never been more needed than now - have a baking day prior to our wedding and bake all the goods with your family. In addition, opt for ready-made goods like savory snacks or opt for cheese, nuts and fruit platters.

Extra Tips – Hire a family owned restaurant or bakery for the catering and you can count on saving bucks! Or add a couple of hundreds more and hire a food truck!

The Drinks - $200

Since it’s a tea party, you can forgo the alcoholic beverages altogether (except the mandatory champagne), which will save you a lot of bucks and go simply with a tea bar full of delicious options.

The Rentals - $500-$700

You will probably need to rent chairs, tables, table covers, glasses and plates, as well as additional decoration such as candlesticks or vases for the centerpieces. If you're aiming to sit 50 people, then save $500 for all the rentals.

The Flowers - $300-$700

Here’s the thing: if you’re holding the wedding in a little yard, then you’ll need to spend some extra money on flowers in order to make your venue seem somewhat dreamy and magical – complete with the right lights (string LED for $200!), any backyard can become a dreamland. But if your garden is already blooming with gorgeous flowers, then a budget of max $300 is enough for the bridal bouquet and centerpieces. Keep all these in mind, as they are key elements of a $5000 wedding budget breakdown.

The Photographer - $1000

This one is a major expense, rounding up at around $2500 for a skilled, experienced photographer. And since that’s basically half of your budget, what you need is a gifted art student in need of creating his/her portfolio. However, since you do want the best even on a small budget, be extra careful when selecting your photographer – check their previous work and recommendations, opt for a pre-wedding photo-shoot as a test run if possible.

The Wedding Attire - $500

Since we’re talking about a backyard wedding, your dress does not need to be ultra-fancy and expensive. That said, you’ll probably need to allocate around $500 for your dress, suit, shoes and other accessories. Go for the dresses from the previous year’s collections in order to score some great bargains.

The Rings - $1000

Choose simple gold bands that you can jazz up in the years to come if you want to follow this $5000 wedding budget breakdown plan list. While they are a very important element in any wedding, you can certainly avoid spending $5000 on rings alone.