Weddings are a celebration of your love, and for some people, this is going to be one of the biggest expenses you have as a couple – besides buying a home.

Costs add up quickly, and couples often get “sticker shock” when it comes to how much weddings cost. Having a beautiful, connected, and fun wedding doesn’t have to break the bank! Trimming the “fat” off your wedding budget doesn’t mean sacrificing style or elegance. It’s all about making intentional choices that prioritize your vision and goals.

Here are some of our top tips to stick to what matters, and let go of what doesn’t!

1. Set Your Priorities and Stick to Them
  • Identify the Non-Negotiables: Sit down with your partner and list the three to five elements of the wedding that matter most to both of you—whether it’s the venue, food, bar, photography, or a specific decor theme.
  • Flexibility on Less Important Details: Once you’ve decided on what’s most important, let go of the details that aren’t as critical to your vision. This allows for budget cuts in areas that won’t impact your overall experience.
2. Choose a Non-Peak Date and Time
  • Off-Season Savings: Opting for a wedding date outside of peak season (for the Bay Area is normally January – April), or choose a non-Saturday date. Most Bay Area venues have discounts for weddings on a weekly, Friday, or Sunday!
  • Daytime Weddings: Daytime events are often less expensive than evening receptions. A brunch or lunch wedding can give a unique twist to your celebration while trimming costs for both the venue and catering.

PRO TIP: Choose a Sunday on a holiday weekend and that’s a WIN-WIN!

Photo by Ian Teraoka

3. Keep Your Guest List Lean and Mean-ingful
  • Intimate Gatherings: More guests mean more expenses. Consider keeping your guest list intimate, inviting only close family and friends.
  • A Strategic +1 Policy: Instead of offering every guest a +1, reserve +1s for guests who are in long-term relationships, engaged, or married. Consider not inviting +1s that you haven’t met yet (this was something I did for my wedding!). Don’t worry about offending people – it’s your wedding, meaning your rules.
4. Streamline Decor and Embrace DIY
  • Minimalistic Design: Simplify your decor with a minimalistic approach. Choose a few statement pieces like a stunning backdrop or focal point instead of filling the room with decorations or a ton of flowers.
  • Cut Florals, Go For Plants: Plants are more affordable and long-lasting that florals! Purchase plants in nice pots and give these as gifts to people in the wedding.
  • Make Centerpieces as a Wedding Party or with Family: Make creating decor for the wedding as a fun activity you do at a Family Party! Or something you crowdsource.
    • For my wedding, I had a string of paper cranes and I crowdsourced folded paper cranes in specific colors from my friends and family who all mailed them to me for my wedding 🙂
  • DIY Details: Get creative and make some décor items yourself. Crafting items like table numbers, signage, or simple floral arrangements can save money and add a personal touch.
5. Save on Rentals with a Cocktail Party Style Reception
  • Most weddings tend to be more formal with everyone having a specific seat at a table. These days weddings are often more casual, and couples are frequently opting for a more open approach.
  • Try doing a Cocktail Party style wedding where you do seating for only half of the guests, then have cocktail tables and communal seating so that guests can be more flexible and in flow all night!
  • You can still reserve tables for key family so that Grandma always has a seat, and your Aunties have a place to put their purses, but this saves a lot on rentals, tables, chairs, and linens!

Photo by Gladys Jem

6. Limit the Open Bar
  • Signature Cocktails Only: Instead of offering a full open bar, consider having a limited selection of beer, wine, and 1-2 signature cocktails. Or just offer beer and wine for the whole wedding.
  • Hosted Bar for Cocktail Hour Only: Some people opt to “host” (i.e. pay for) the drinks only during Cocktail Hour. Then the rest of the night guests pay for their own drinks.
  • BYOB Alcohol: If your venue allows, bringing your own alcohol can be super cost-effective! Hire bartenders to serve the alcohol and bring all their bar tools (Including ice!), but provide the alcohol yourself.
    • You can purchase in bulk from warehouse stores, often with the option to return unopened bottles.
7. Nix Paper Invites and Go Digital
  • Go Digital for Invites and RSVPs: Consider sending digital invitations or using online RSVPs to save on printing and postage.
  • Simple Designs: Opt for simple yet elegant designs that focus on essential information. You can also skip extras like elaborate envelope liners or multiple inserts (they all typically just go into the trash anyway once guests RSVP).
8. Forget the Favors – Your Wedding Is Gift Enough!
  • Practical or Edible Favors: If you want to give favors, choose practical items that are affordable, like a small jar of locally-made honey or a homemade cookie.
  • Consider Going Favor-Free: Wedding favors are a nice gesture, but they’re not critical. Most guests won’t notice their absence, and this could easily save you hundreds of dollars. After all, the WEDDING is a gift in and of itself! 😉

 

REMEMBER – This is your wedding, and you make the rules. Try to let go of the pressure to compare your wedding to others’, and feel confident making choices that reflect you as a couple. We give you permission to create your own rules! 🙂

 

💙
Gina Mariko
Founder & Chief Experience Officer
Weddings In Color