12 Ways to Save Money on a Wedding in 2023

The first item on your wedding to-do list is creating a budget for your big day. Your wedding budget is your financial roadmap. Think of it as a set of guardrails to rein you in from splurging and overspending. A budget can also help you avoid starting your marriage off saddled with debt.

1. Figure Out Your Wedding Budget

Before you get started, sit down with your fiance and ask yourself these questions: – What are your wedding “must-haves”? – How long will your engagement last? – How will you pay for the wedding?

1. Figure Out Your Wedding Budget

Your savings, plus any financial contributions from family, will determine how much money you can spend on your wedding. That number will be different for everyone. A couple in their mid- to late-30s with high-paying jobs and generous families might be able to afford a luxurious $80,0000 wedding. 

1. Figure Out Your Wedding Budget

But a young couple right out of college with a small family network may only be able to budget $5,000 for a backyard wedding. Be realistic about your savings and resources.

1. Figure Out Your Wedding Budget

If you don’t have enough money to cover the extras, your two primary options are: – Plan a less expensive wedding. – Push back the wedding date to allow more time to save up.

1. Figure Out Your Wedding Budget

Once you figure out how much you can afford to spend as a couple and how much your families can contribute, you’ll need to start mapping out how much to spend on different wedding categories, from flowers to alcohol.

1. Figure Out Your Wedding Budget

There are lots of websites and apps to help you create a budget.  Your budget should include sections for estimated costs and the prices you actually pay. Make note of when initial deposits are made and when final payments are due.

1. Figure Out Your Wedding Budget

Here are some big categories to keep in mind: – Reception venue – Food and alcohol – Invitations and stamps – Wedding dress – Groom’s attire – Hair and makeup – Flowers

1. Figure Out Your Wedding Budget

– Photographer and/or videographer – Transportation – Wedding cake – Reception band or DJ – Favors – Ceremony site – Officiant – Wedding bands

1. Figure Out Your Wedding Budget

Finding a place to host your wedding is one of the first (and most expensive) things on your wedding checklist. Couples spent an average of $10,700 on their wedding venue in 2021, according to a survey by The Knot. It made up roughly 30% of their budget, which averaged about $34,000.

2. Find a Cheap Venue

Nearly 90 percent of all respondents booked a professional wedding venue for their celebration — which might be why they spent so much money. Thinking outside the box and getting creative with your wedding site can help you save thousands of dollars.

2. Find a Cheap Venue

Here are some cheap wedding venues to get you inspired: – A friend’s backyard (or your own backyard) – Public landmarks – A beach – Local state parks – Botanical gardens

2. Find a Cheap Venue

– Colleges and universities – Restaurants and breweries – Farms and ranches – Churches and meeting halls

2. Find a Cheap Venue

Keep in mind that some cheap (or even free) wedding venues come with hidden costs and extra coordination. For example, a backyard wedding may sound like a great way to avoid a pricey rental fee.

2. Find a Cheap Venue

But you’ll be on the hook for all the things many venues provide, like chairs, tables, linens, tents, silverware and an altar. You may need to rent portable bathrooms for your guests and figure out where everyone will park, too.

2. Find a Cheap Venue

Micro-weddings became all the rage in 2021 and 2022 as couples slimmed down guest lists amid pandemic precautions. But an intimate micro-wedding is still a great way to save money in 2023.

3. Consider an Intimate Micro-Wedding

A wedding with less than 50 guests helps trim the cost of food, alcohol, table settings, decorations and favors. How much does a micro-wedding cost? Think around $1,500 for some light food, drinks and wedding attire for a party in someone’s home or backyard.

3. Consider an Intimate Micro-Wedding

However, every detail you add to your micro-wedding jacks up the cost. Even a small-scale wedding with catered food, alcohol and flowers at a rented venue can easily cost $10,000.

3. Consider an Intimate Micro-Wedding

You’re only going to wear it once — so why pay a fortune for your dress? Get thrifty by exploring used wedding dresses online. You can find dresses in your area on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Several websites also cater to buying and selling used wedding dresses.

4. Buy Your Wedding Dress Secondhand

Here are nine that we found: – Stillwhite – PreownedWeddingDresses.com – Once Wed – Queenly – BravoBride – Loved Twice Bridal

4. Buy Your Wedding Dress Secondhand

– Borrowing Magnolia – Poshmark – Tradesy Most of these sites let you filter results by dress size, type, designer and cost.

4. Buy Your Wedding Dress Secondhand

You’re guaranteed to discover something beautiful for way less than a new designer label wedding dress from your local boutique. Before you buy a pre-owned wedding dress, make sure you understand the return policy (if there is one) and find out who pays for shipping. 

4. Buy Your Wedding Dress Secondhand

Also keep in mind you will likely need to pay to get the dress altered after it arrives.

4. Buy Your Wedding Dress Secondhand

Skip clergy or justice of the peace fees by having a friend officiate your wedding ceremony. Becoming ordained is simple and doesn’t take much time, but be sure your officiant is complying with local laws and regulations.

5. Get Hitched by a Friend

Let’s be real: 99% of wedding invitations eventually get tossed in the trash. That’s literally throwing money away. If you’re trying to save, go with bare-bones physical invitations or take the entire process online..

6. Keep Invitations Simple or Go Digital

Wedding websites like Joy, Paperless Post or Greenvelope give you access to a wide range of tools, including RSVP, plus-one tracking and photo sharing. You can even send out survey questions to collect meal preferences.

6. Keep Invitations Simple or Go Digital

If you’re set on mailing out physical invitations, keep it simple. Like super simple.  Walmart.com offers a huge selection of cheap custom wedding invitations starting at $67 for 50. Likewise, you can get 25 wedding invitations plus envelopes from Staples.com for $30.

6. Keep Invitations Simple or Go Digital

Also skip save-the-date cards and reply envelopes by sending your guests online to RSVP instead. Services like The Knot and eWedding let you create a free wedding website where you can list accommodation options, directions, RSVP and a link to your registry.

6. Keep Invitations Simple or Go Digital

Include your wedding website on your invitation or an accompanying note, and you’ll be able to save upwards of $100 or more.

6. Keep Invitations Simple or Go Digital

Don’t be afraid to utilize your resources to save a bundle on your wedding. DJs, photographers, bakers, florists and hair stylists all come with their own fee. Ask friends and family if they can contribute their talent to your big day instead of a gift.

7. Call On Your Talented Friends

You can capture fun, informal photos of friends and family without renting a photo booth. Set up a simple backdrop and provide some fun props. Guests can use their phones or personal cameras and snap away.

8. Create a DIY Photo Booth

If you’re using a wedding hashtag, you can pick and choose Instagram snaps to have compiled into photo books by companies like Blurb.

8. Create a DIY Photo Booth

There’s plenty of listings for decor and other wedding-related items on sites like Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp and Craigslist. You can often find once-used linens and decor at prices that beat the cost of renting.

9. Buy Decor From Other Brides

You can snag items at a fraction of the cost, including candles, centerpieces, altars, garlands, signs, lighting, chalkboards and table runners.

9. Buy Decor From Other Brides

Instead of a fancy traditional wedding cake — which can cost upward of $350 or more — consider an assortment of cupcakes or a series of pies. Cookies and ice cream is another great choice. Or you could order six dozen donuts for about $60.

10. Choose a Wedding Cake Alternative

These options will be much less expensive than a traditional cake.

10. Choose a Wedding Cake Alternative

To save money on booze, consider sticking to beer and wine only at the reception. Kegs of beer at a wedding can keep costs low.

11. Rethink an Open Bar

You can also do a combination of an open bar and a cash bar. Guests enjoy free drinks during the first two hours of the reception, after which they pay their own way. Drink coupons and tokens are another option.

11. Rethink an Open Bar

Determined to have an open bar for the entire reception? There are still ways to keep alcohol costs down, such as only offering house brand liquor and banning shots.

11. Rethink an Open Bar

Weddings come with many easily overlooked costs — like tipping your vendors. Knowing who to tip and how much to tip is essential if you’re trying to save money. First, you don’t need to tip everyone. Many vendors nowadays have gratuities or a service fee already built into the cost.

12. Be Smart About Tipping Your Vendors

You may also be able to offer something else in lieu of a tip. You can show your appreciation with a thank you card, a small gift, a stellar online review or a gift basket.

12. Be Smart About Tipping Your Vendors

Still, tipping is important — and the right thing to do — in certain situations. Parking attendants, hair and makeup stylists, reception staff and the band or DJ depend on tips.

12. Be Smart About Tipping Your Vendors

Learn more about how to organize a dream wedding and not go crazy