Your wedding will be the most memorable day of your life, but it shouldn’t leave you in debt for years to come. However, with the average wedding in the US costing between ,000 and ,000, many have come to believe that overspending is part of the process of getting hitched. 

Despite this, there are plenty of ways in which you can begin to reduce the costs of getting married. This way, you can focus on what matters, celebrating your love for your partner! 

With that in mind, here are some effective ways in which you can plan a cheap wedding. 

Meet me at the altar in your white dress
We ain’t gettin’ no younger, we might as well do it

Cut down the guest list.

Cutting down the guest list is one of the easiest ways to save money when planning a wedding. Think carefully about who you invite, as there’ll likely be a few people you can trim from the list – such as people you haven’t spoken to in years or distant relatives who haven’t seen you “since you were this big.” 

The fewer guests present, the more money you’ll have to play around with. It also means that you’re celebrating with those nearest and dearest to you. 

Find ways to lower the cost of your wedding venue. 

Venue hire/rental is often one of the biggest costs incurred when planning a wedding. For example, a study published in Wedding Wire estimated that the average couple spends between $3,000 and $11,000 on venue hire alone. 

While this is an area in which you should be prepared to spend a significant chunk of money (especially if you have to accommodate a large number of guests), there are certain ways in which you can cut down your costs. For example, opting to get married outside peak season (typically the summer months) often results in lowered venue hire costs. Similarly, getting married on a weekday instead of a weekend or public holiday is also more cost-effective. 

Buy a second-hand dress.

Whether you’re looking for a princess-inspired gown, or something a little more modern, you can save a significant amount of money by buying a wedding dress second-hand. 

For example, you can visit different wedding boutiques and note down the names of different designers before seeing if the same (or comparable) dresses are available on sites such as eBay or Vinted. 

Alternatively, you could rent out a wedding dress instead of buying it outright, often for a fraction of the price.  After all, you’re unlikely to find another occasion wherein wearing a wedding dress would be appropriate, meaning it would otherwise sit in your room gathering dust for years to come. 

Turn to your friends and family. 

Another great way to save money when planning a wedding is to rely on those around you for support and assistance. This doesn’t mean that you should ask for donations, however. Instead, try to reach out to family members with a specific skill set to see if they’d be willing to lend a hand. For example, if your friend or loved one is a professional photographer, you could ask them to snap a few pictures during the ceremony as a wedding gift. 

Alternatively, if you know any professional or hobby bakers, you may want to ask them to help you make your wedding cake. If this extends beyond their expertise, consider cheaper alternatives, such as wedding cupcakes. They are just as delicious but much easier (and cheaper) to make. 

Let your guests take the photographs. 

Thanks to advances in mobile technology, you don’t need the latest camera in order to be able to take excellent photos. As such, you could always ask your friends and family to take pictures of the event on their phones before adding them to a shared online drive.

This way, you can access hundreds of photos from your big day without spending a single penny. There’s plenty of free photo editing software online, too, meaning you can improve the quality of any pictures that don’t turn out perfectly. For example, you could add presets to each photograph to achieve a specific aesthetic or to blur out any imperfections. 

Opt for buffet-style food.

Wedding catering can also get expensive quickly, especially if you’ve opted for a sit-down meal. Those looking for a cheap wedding, however, may want to consider less formal options, such as buffet-style food, as this typically has a lower cost per head. 

Ditch the Open Bar.

If you’re worried about the costs of an open bar, it’s important to note that it is not a mandatory expense. Your guests are there to celebrate the love you share with your partner, not to empty the bar of any and all alcohol – and many would be happy to pay for their drinks if necessary.

Instead, try to cover the cost of a few welcome drinks for each guest instead, as opposed to paying for an open bar throughout the entire night. Alternatively, you can bring your own alcohol, depending on the terms and conditions laid out by your wedding venue. 

Put together a playlist.

If you’re lucky enough to have any musicians in your close circle, you could ask them to perform during your wedding to treat your guests to some live music. However, if this is not possible, don’t underestimate the power of a good playlist. 

If you aren’t sure where to start, consider including a link to a playlist to any wedding RSVPs you send out so guests can add a song or two to the mix. This ensures that you’re catering to a wide range of music tastes, from karaoke classics to modern hits, which means that there’ll always be a few people on the dance floor! 

In short, there are many ways in which you can plan a wedding on a budget, especially if you want to be able to enjoy your day.