5 Ways to Help Plan Your Wedding for UNDER $20k

OKAY. So you’re here for one of two reasons: you either NEED to know how to spend less on this huge event celebrating your love, or you are SO curious about how SUCH a huge event can be thrown for this amount of money. WELL, if you’re here for one or the other, you’re in luck because… I CAN HELP!

Here are 5 ways to help you plan your wedding for under $20k:

1.) Have a smaller wedding.

Girl, I KNOW how hard it is to scale that guest list down, but cutting out 200+ people (who are relatives you don’t talk to, high school friends who you’ve lost touch with, or your parents friends that they work with) will save you LOADS of money. Think about this: in 5+ years, will you look at your wedding photos and think, “Oh my gosh, I’m so glad Jim from my dad’s accounting firm was there!”…? Probably not! This is something I wish we had done for MY wedding, and we had only 60 people at ours in California! If you invite fewer guests, you’ll be paying for fewer plated dinners and the bar tab will be smaller, too. Think about paying for food and drink for 300+ people versus 75 or less… (I hope you’re envisioning more money in your wallet!) When all is said and done, you’ll be happy your closest family and friends were there to support you on the best day of your life.

2.) Don’t drop thousands on a wedding dress.

Okay, this is basically just a suggestion on WHAT to prioritize on your wedding day. Personally, I spent $550.00 on my wedding dress, and LOVED it. It was so ME, and I remember trying so many on in a boutique and being pressured to almost buy a $3,500 dress with my entire bridal party watching. It made my stomach turn thinking about handing over my credit card because I was wearing this dress for ONE day. You can spend so much less than you think you’re supposed to on a dress and it can still be absolutely amazing. I got mine from BHLDN, but there are other online shops like Etsy where you can find dresses for less than you think.

3.) Get creative with your venue.

I want you to know that you have OPTIONS. A lot of the time, I see so many who get engaged and think they have to do what their friends did or what their mom suggests and only have about 10 venues to choose from in the area. You have SO many options when choosing a venue for your best day ever! You do not NEED to rent the venue that’s $8,000 and only includes tables and chairs in the rental fee. Most don’t include the food or bar tab in that rental fee! With scaling down your guest list, you also have more options on where you can fit 75 people instead of 350. For my wedding, we rented out our favorite local restaurant that had an open space in the back for yard games and fire pits, and the best thing ever was that we KNEW the food was amazing and the craft cocktails were JUST what we wanted (AND it was ONE bill that was around $5,000 total that included rental fee, food, and drink.) We even had some of the prepaid bar tab left at the end of the night which was a surprise! Look for Airbnb’s that you can married on the grounds in a tent, or find a studio or rental space that can fit all of your guests. But just know you don’t have to do what everyone else has done!

4.) Scrap the over-the-top decor.

You won’t realize how much all the little things cost until the last few months when you’re paying for floral table arrangements, place settings for every table, head table decor, furniture rental, and party favors all at the same time. All the little things can add up FAST, and can be super overwhelming leading up to the big day. I LOVE to suggest getting married in a place where it’s naturally beautiful (think: Colorado in the mountains, near the ocean, or in a botanical garden) so you don’t have to spend so much on decking out a space that is more of an eyesore. Use the space as a part of your wedding decor and you won’t be shelling out thousands to upgrade your space for your big day. If you WANT a ton of decor, look on wedding Facebook groups for used decor (most of it is in mint condition and only used once) or go thrifting and find pieces you can use in your home after your wedding day is over!

5.) Spend wisely and INVEST in the most important parts of your day.

I’m a little biased, but a photographer is an investment and it’s WORTH it. After all is said and done, the flowers will die, your dress will get put in a closet, but you’ll be able to display your photos for years and years to come. You can hang them on your walls, give them as gifts, or make an album to put on your coffee table and your babies and grand babies can flip through it 25 years from now and see just how sweet you and your hubs were back then on your wedding day. If photography and an open bar are the most important things for your wedding day, budget around those items and scale down your budget for everything else. You don’t have to spend thousands on every aspect of your day to make it an amazing day.

Money aside, this day is about YOU and YOUR BOO pledging to love each other for the rest of forever. That’s it. The day is not about pleasing everyone else who will be there or one-uping that one girl in your friend group and doing it bigger and better than her. Let go of thinking that you HAVE to do it one way, because you have SO MANY options. You can get married overseas on a cliff with 12 guests and go to dinner afterwards. You can get married in a tent in a field and have your favorite local restaurant cater. You can rent an Airbnb and get married on the front lawn with a reception in the backyard. Or HECK, you two can elope just the two of you and have a reception later on at a bar serving only drinks and appetizers. It’s YOUR day and you can marry each other how you want to, don’t let anyone interject or tell you differently!

I hope this helped you save some money and hopefully spend less on your best day ever! Do you know of any more money saving tips and tricks? Leave them in the comments below to help another bride out!