Wedding Planning with Smart - Budgeting Ideas for Our Millennial Brides

Wedding planning can be a daunting process for every engaged couple. It is definitely not an easy fête! It all starts with picking out a new wedding date and determining how this season will affect all the other related details. For instance, if you are planning a stylish summer wedding, the prices might be through rooftops. But to celebrate your summer wedding in style, sometimes you need to do a little homework to find amazing DIY wedding décor hacks, as an alternative to run-of-the-mill wedding décor ideas, to elevate the celebration. But whatever you might choose, figuring out your wedding budget is not an easy job. Your wedding celebration will most likely be the costliest and biggest party you have hosted in your whole life. You might need to take care of details like planning your wedding photos, which you haven't done earlier. To create a wedding budget you need to look into your savings and maintain detailed planners and spreadsheets to stay on track during your wedding planning process. From budgeting for unexpected wedding costs and creating a wedding budget contingency fund to taking the help of wedding planning phone apps that can help you to stay mindful about your spending to making meaningful cuts if you exceed your wedding budget, there are many tips to make your wedding planning a little easier. Although it is a hard process, having a debt-free wedding budget and sticking to it is much more important than everything else, since you will already be putting in time and energy.

When you are in the thick of planning, always remember that there are many affordable wedding planning tips to have a great wedding on a small budget, while not missing out on anything that you have always wanted. Irrespective of the size of your guest list and fixed wedding expenses like wedding photographer and videographer costs, there are many easy-to-follow wedding planning ideas that can help you to host the wedding of your dreams on a budget. Firstly, sit with your to-be spouse and have the wedding budget talk to mark the beginning of it. This wedding budget figure is going to dictate all your other wedding-related decisions like the length of your guest list, your wedding menu, reception entertainment, and other wedding logistics like venue, transportation, stationery, and wedding vendor tips. No matter what your starting number is, the trick is to always divide your wedding budget into two halves "for you" and "for them." This article will also talk about wedding budget breakdowns that can help you to get started after your first step of setting the ultimate budget. Follow these best wedding budget tips, from having a budget-friendly backyard wedding menu as a traditional wedding menu alternative to going for DIY wedding detail hacks. 

Easy and Smart Wedding Budgeting Ideas: 

No matter what, stick to the budget 

Setting your budget is the most important thing you can do to make sure you stick to it. But where to begin? Read this post to find out more about how to set a budget for your wedding and how to stick to it.

Wholesale and farmers' market flowers

Asking only for flowers that are "in season" is not a sure way to save money on y

our wedding budget. Even if they are in season, you can still buy them from outside the country if it is cheaper there. You can save money by using cheaper stems (no peonies, orchids, or Callas). Costs will go down if there are fewer centerpieces and fewer personal flowers. Go for big flowers and greenery as traditional wedding flower alternatives.

Go for fresh flower alternatives

Fresh flowers are beautiful, but they tend to be very expensive. There are a lot of ways to make your wedding look nice without using a lot of expensive flowers. Check out some beautiful low-cost ways to decorate with things other than flowers like votive holders, mason jars, and old books.

Pick a wedding date that isn't busy

Heard about a Monday wedding? Did you know that the date of your wedding can affect how much it will cost? Always choose a wedding date that will save you money, such as going during a slow month or in the middle of the week.

Cut down your guest list

Sometimes less is more! You might want to make a guest list as long as the one for the royal wedding, but think about it this way: every guest costs money. It sounds harsh, but that's the truth. With each person you invite to your wedding, the total cost of the event goes up. You might want to have a smaller, more personal wedding to save money. If the number of guests at your wedding doesn't matter to you and your fiance, try cutting it by 20%, then another 20%. Or, invite more people to the wedding ceremony and only have your family and closest friends at the reception or vice-versa.

Be the wedding planner

When you plan your own wedding, you do have to spend a lot of time on it. So, if you don't have much time or if the details drive you crazy, it's a good idea to hire someone to take care of the details. You might also want to hire someone to run things on the day of the wedding so that you don't have 20 people pulling on your wedding dress and asking what to do next. Here is a pro wedding tip- visit free wedding planning resources and be your own wedding planner.

Ask for help 

Ask family and friends to trade skills for gifts. If you have creative or organized friends and family, ask them to use their skills at the wedding instead of giving you a gift. Would you rather get a free stand mixer or free live music? Use the people you know. Is your aunt an amateur florist? Does your friend make amazing flower arrangements? Does your next-door neighbor own a restaurant that you could use? Even if they can't do the work for free, you might still get a big discount.

Go for a backyard wedding 

Have a backyard wedding ceremony or reception at your own house, a friend's, or your grandpa's. Most of the wedding budget, almost half, goes to the venue. If you want to save wedding budget money, why not use your home, a parent's home, or a public park as the background? A fancy, over-the-top wedding venue isn't needed if the ceremony and reception are held outside in a special place. You can go for gorgeous DIY ceremony setups for your backyard wedding with the help of your friends to cut costs even more. If you do choose to have an event outside, make sure you have a good plan B. Rain or even really hot weather can ruin your day, so always have a backup plan ready. Maybe go for an open-air wedding ceremony and then a full tent reception. 

Go for fun wedding entertainment alternatives

As for the wedding entertainment ideas, ask your family and friends to work together to make sure that the event has a lot of personal touches. For instance, if you want a fun, lively reception or cocktail hour with games but need to spend less money, you can whip up some entertainment the old-fashioned way. If you know how to use a saw, sander, and stain, you can make your own giant Jenga game. The materials cost less than $50, and your guests will love to play. A giant Yahtzee game is the same way. You only need wood cubes and a wood burner to get started. Games like horseshoes and corn-hole can also be added. Keep an eye out for deals at second-hand wedding stores where you can find gently used items. You can also ask your bridesmaids to make DIY corn-hole boards. Or ask your rockstar cousin to bring his live band to create a memorable and lively atmosphere for your guests. These personal wedding touches will most likely be remembered more than other cookie-cutter details.

Breakfast menu

Coming up with the idea to have a brunch wedding not only cut our bill in half by using breakfast food, but it was also a very meaningful choice. Plus, everyone loves wedding breakfast menus, so why not? People will love the unique wedding idea along with the tasteful warm feeling.

Take your time while planning your wedding

Understand what kind of wedding you want and how much you can spend on it. There is nothing wrong with being engaged for a long time. Spend this time making things, haggling, and coming up with new ways to get the same high-end look for less money. 

Make and trade things to save money

If you want to save money on your wedding, you could do some do-it-yourself wedding projects. You can make your own decorations, bake your own wedding cake, set up a DIY photo booth with props, or make other personal wedding details for less than if you bought them new. In the end, don't forget about your own skills. Use your skills to trade for services for a wedding. You could trade your skills in graphic design for a free wedding cake or your skills in accounting for free dress alterations. Try new things! However, you should only do it yourself when you know the result will be worth it. And give yourself a lot of time to finish any projects you do yourself. You don't want to be frosting cupcakes or putting together table centerpieces until 3 a.m. on the day of your wedding! 

Thrifty online wedding stores will save you

You can get dried flower bouquets and boutonnieres for your wedding party from second-hand online wedding stores. You can find wedding vendors who can make exact copies of what you want for your wedding details like flowers and stationery at half the price. 

Take DIY wedding stationery seriously 

It's nice to have pretty wedding invitations, but do you really want to spend $800 on something that will end up in the trash? Make your own wedding invitations to save money. All you need is a good printer at home and an invitation kit from a stationery store or office supply store. 

Choose a venue that is naturally beautiful

If you choose a wedding venue that doesn't need a lot of decorations, you can save money on rentals and decorations. Places outside with nice views let the beauty of nature do the work for you. As an added bonus, many outdoor public spaces don't charge a lot to rent, so you might be able to find a cheap wedding venue for a ceremony or reception on a tight budget. You could say your vows in a national park, but if you need to, make sure you have the right permit.

Get your own alcohol 

Find a place where you can bring your own drink. The cost of booze is a big part of your wedding reception budget. Many weddings spend a lot of money on alcohol, so it's important to be able to control how much each bottle costs. Look for wedding venues where you can buy and bring your own alcohol so you can keep the cost down.

Skip the open bar

If you are worried that the cost of the bar will break your budget, offer a few signature wedding drinks instead of an open bar. The smart way to do cocktail hour is to serve your guests a drink that you and your partner both like. Costs for reception alcohol are easy to get out of hand, so this is a great way to offer drinks to your guests without going overboard.

Go for an easy wedding cake recipe

Wedding cakes are huge, complicated, or ornate designs that cost more because they take more time and skill to make. You can save a lot of money if you choose a simple and classic wedding cake design.

"Something borrowed"

Borrowing things from family and friends is one way to get great wedding decorations for less money. Like borrowing vases for your candy buffet or bringing a pair of velvet chairs from your parents' house for wedding photos. Even jewelry can be your idea for "something borrowed."

Go for second-hand wedding dresses 

Think about buying a used wedding dress. Do you want a designer dress but can't afford to buy it? You might want to buy a used wedding dress from a reputable seller. This way you can buy a preloved designer wedding dress for half the price, and save 50% or more.

Focus on what's important to you

It's so important to stay focused on what's important to you and your partner and not let other things or other people's opinions change your mind. Do what makes you happy and have the kind of wedding you want, not what other people think you should have.

Handy Wedding Budget Breakdown: 

40% of your budget will go to the venue and food.
15% of your budget should go to photography and videography.
5% of your budget should go to wedding clothes and beauty.
10% of your budget should go to music and entertainment.
10% of your budget should go to flowers.
2% of your budget should go to favors and gifts.
3% of your budget should go to transportation.
3% of your budget should go to stationery.
2% of your budget should go to the wedding cake.
10% of your budget should go to decorating.

Do what wedding planners do and make a spreadsheet to keep track of your spending every step of the way. Here are the main things you should include. On the side of your document, list the costs of each category's percentage. For example, make room for additional details like "Bride's attire" for the dress, accessories, and alterations. Fill in the columns with the important details. Every spreadsheet should have information about the vendor contract, the estimated cost, the actual cost, any extra service fees or tips, the cost of transportation and parking for vendors who don't work on-site, and the taxes. Make a line for your grand total, and use the auto-sum function to keep track of how much everything costs as you go.

We have always been a firm believer that you don't need to spend a whole fortune to have a beautiful and fabulous wedding. In fact, our real wedding gallery is a prime example of why budget weddings are sometimes the best choice. Sometimes even gorgeous DIY wedding ideas can look better and prove to be more thoughtful than store-bought wedding decoration items. You can host one of the most meaningful wedding ceremonies and receptions on whatever wedding budget you have got with the above real wedding budget breakdown tips. Of course, you would naturally want to have a memorable and unique wedding. But doing it should not break the bank, cut through your honeymoon budget, or even leave your bank account dry. After all, you should not be starting your brand-new life while worrying about your future. To deal with this stress-inducing phase of wedding planning, you can also speak to some of your friends who had a wedding recently or somebody who is in the industry to get better insights. Nonetheless, the above-mentioned wedding budget hacks can help you to survive and navigate through the process and keep you on track with your wedding budget.