How to organize an inexpensive wedding yourself

How to organize an inexpensive wedding? The celebration associated with marriage is traditionally celebrated in luxury. However, some couples prefer to save money on the holiday.

This may be due to the fact that the newlyweds want to save money that they could spend on celebrating, to travel during their honeymoon. Some people simply cannot afford a big-budget holiday. But even with little expense, a wedding can be celebrated beautifully.

What can you save on?

The savings that can be obtained by wisely changing the organization of a wedding can amount to several hundred thousand rubles. To achieve such impressive results, it is enough to reconsider the cost of some components. You can save on things from the following list:

live music;
renting a hall, replacing the restaurant with a country house or lawn for a picnic;
professional participants of the festival (toastmaster, organizer, etc.);
alcohol (you can’t take cheap brands - you should either limit yourself to a less expensive type of alcohol, like craft beer instead of wine, or give it up altogether);
wedding cake;
suits of the bride and groom;
motorcade;
decoration of the hall;
number of guests (invite only your closest ones, parents);
car decor.

Some things should not be touched - if you skimp on them, the holiday will be a failure. What elements of a wedding are “taboo” are described below.

How to have a wedding inexpensively but beautifully?

Has this situation ever happened to you: a gala event to which you are invited is organized in an expensive restaurant; the budget is clearly unlimited, and boredom never leaves the majority of guests, counting the minutes until the moment when it is proper to bow out and leave the holiday? A cheap wedding, in the understanding of many, means a canteen on the outskirts of the city, simple outfits “a la the local market,” a minimum number of guests, and not the best banquet menu. Let's try to dispel such misconceptions.

The soul invested in organizing the wedding, the imagination of the newlyweds-organizers, the desire of relatives and friends to provide all possible assistance in preparation are the main conditions for a memorable ceremony. Analyze your expected wedding expenses. Make a business plan for a cheap and a more expensive option. Organizing a celebration by contacting the specialists of an event agency will be much more expensive than planning a wedding yourself.

Another savings item will be the choice of a suitable wedding theme: the rustic rustic style is at the top of its popularity. Organizing a celebration on the cheap will require a lot of work, but the effort is worth it. A buffet in nature is an exciting event; Choose bridal outfits based on the wedding theme; make your own wedding bouquets and decorations; think over the holiday scenario.

For active newlyweds, going out into nature instead of a traditional banquet will help both “keep up appearances” at the registry office and give freedom, the opportunity to fool around and spend time as you want after that. The cost of renting a minibus for guests will be less than booking a restaurant or hiring a catering company. Offer to help your mothers, sisters, and friends with dishes for the wedding. Men can handle meat with dignity. Bring photos and video equipment to capture unforgettable moments of a romantic holiday.

Choosing a venue for the celebration

To have a cheap wedding, decide on the location of the ceremony:

Restaurant or cafe. Pay attention to the following points:

Location. As a rule, popular establishments are located in the city center. Prices for banquets, weddings, and the cost of food are not small. The distance of the cafe from the central part of the city plays into the hands of newlyweds who prefer to have an inexpensive but high-quality banquet.?
"Name" of the restaurant for the wedding. Promoted, well-known cafes are not averse to including part of the “popularity” in the cost of service. To save money, don’t be lazy to find a new, recently opened establishment. They can often offer discounts to attract customers.
Pre order. Once you have decided on the location for your cheap wedding, book the banquet in advance. Draw up an agreement indicating prices for wedding menu dishes.
Conditions for the wedding. Most modern cafes and restaurants offer live music and animators. If desired, discuss the cost of the musicians’ services with the administrator by including the clause in the contract. Such a service will cost less than hiring third-party artists for a wedding.
Holiday period. The end of autumn, winter and beginning of spring are traditionally the “low season” for the restaurant business. If you are planning a wedding during this period, bonuses, promotions and discounts await you.

Country house, dacha. Ask your friends and acquaintances if they would agree to provide a country house at the disposal of the newlyweds to have a cheap wedding. If you have such an opportunity, feel free to grab the offer: fresh air, inexpensive food, alcohol, savings on decor, rent and other pleasures outweigh any concerns.

Banquet hall of the registry office. Have you decided to go on a honeymoon after the ceremonial painting? Order a mini-buffet in the banquet hall of the registry office - please your family and friends by organizing an inexpensive wedding.

Invite a small number of guests

A large number of wedding guests entails additional costs. But often some people are invited “because it’s customary”: bosses, distant relatives, “necessary” acquaintances. If you want to make the wedding cheaper, discuss with your future spouse a narrow circle of guests, inviting your closest and dearest people whom you are always welcome to attend.

Reduce costs on newlyweds' outfits

Choose a bride's dress to rent - this will make this part of the wedding business plan cheaper. Another economical, but risky option would be to order the newlywed’s outfit through online stores: both foreign and domestic. In this case, opt for the model that you previously tried on in the wedding salon.

The savings will be so significant that some of the waiting time for your order will fly by. When choosing a suit for the groom, choose one in which your beloved spouse will later appear on holidays or go to work. The wealth of offers of high-quality, but cheaper shoes provides the opportunity to choose shoes that will be useful to you in the future.

Decorate the car and banquet hall yourself

When ordering a wedding car, be prepared to spend money on renting it: decorations, rental time and downtime are not cheap. Would you like to organize a cheaper version of the bridal procession? Contact your family, friends or acquaintances with a request to “provide” a car at your disposal for your wedding day. Think through the decor in advance, make or purchase decorations.

Invite your girlfriends and relatives to decorate the banquet hall. To ensure that the decor of the ceremony room matches the theme of the wedding, think in advance about the overall style, what accessories and materials you will need. Use inexpensive tinsel, balloons, and garlands of flowers to decorate the room. This will make an ordinary wedding venue look amazing.

Original wedding idea

The concept of the wedding celebration greatly influences the holiday budget. You can organize a wedding that will cost only 2-3 tens of thousands of rubles. The most important thing is to think about the location of the holiday.

Options:

Cheap holiday in your own country house. Both in winter and in summer, at the dacha you can have a good time in the fresh air, organizing competitions, buffets and full meals. This option is ideal for a group of friends or family. Here you can even save on entertainment if you have a projector or a good TV in your home - this equipment can be used to create a home theater. A family holiday in nature, where children are invited, usually does not include alcohol, which also allows you to save money. In general, you will have to spend no more than 50,000 rubles.
Picnic in nature. This method of marking allows you to save not only money, but also time. A modest picnic can seem unforgettable if you tie it to something - for example, use food, clothes, movies in the style of the 60s. Since the celebration in nature is short (guests simply cannot stay in the fresh air for a long time without amenities), the costs are very small - 20-30 thousand rubles, and if about 10 people are invited, then you can lower the bar to 15 thousand.
The event will take place in a small cinema, where the hall will be rented exclusively for the wedding celebration. Particularly impressive will be the independent choice of an open-air cinema or a night cinema. The cost reduction lies in the fact that you can forget about all the traditional attributes of a wedding - the toastmaster, the organizer, the banquet hall, even the motorcade. You can make homemade snacks in advance and limit the menu to invited friends. You almost don’t have to think about entertainment - you can watch 1-2 films dedicated to the theme of the wedding or to the favorite genre of films of the newlyweds. Particularly interesting are nightly programs in honor of certain directors - for example, the night of Hayao Miyazaki or Quentin Tarantino. Renting the hall will cost about 20 thousand rubles, snacks - no more than 10.

Wedding planning should be done at least a month before the celebration, otherwise, due to the rush, you can forget about many ways to save money. If you delay preparations, you may need agency help at the last minute, which will increase the cost of funds.

Creating an atmosphere

The venue should evoke a cheerful state. Decorations in the form of flower garlands, crocheted tablecloths, antique candlesticks, wooden tables and chairs are what everyone has in their country house. If you show taste and imagination, these ordinary things will create the right atmosphere. A selection of country-style tunes will add cheerful enthusiasm. A photo zone located near a tree, or in apple trees with fruits, decorated with ribbons, can be decorated with a cart wheel, burlap, intercepted with bows. A touch of antiquity on wooden barrels and hanging swings will be ideal for a photo zone. A cart or a decorated fence or even a bundle of firewood tied with twine will create a rustic mood.

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The main colors of the ceremony should be close to natural. Yellow decor will create a sunny mood. This will be an additional advantage during the cold season. Still, the best time is in late summer or early autumn. If the temperature outside is sub-zero, you can also go to the country house or rent an inexpensive cafe. The main thing in the decor is that it should be finished from natural materials - stone or wood. Having a fireplace will be very successful. To save money, you should start your search for an establishment not from the central streets. The prices there are much higher. The celebration scenario should consist of fun competitions demonstrating the economic and humorous sides of the newlyweds and guests.

Should you hire a wedding planner?

If the wedding is inexpensive, this most often means that there are few guests, and the location of the celebration, the decoration of the hall, and the entertainment are simple and do not require much effort during the organization. All these items can be prepared by the newlyweds and their parents themselves, which will allow them to avoid spending money on the cost of wedding planner services. Savings – up to 15 thousand rubles.
How can you create a beautiful holiday without using professional services? You just need to distribute responsibilities between the future couple, and partially among the guests (if they don’t mind).

There will be a minimum of problems if all actions are performed step by step, without haste.

Here is a general step-by-step plan that will help you prepare your wedding yourself:

Choose a wedding theme and limit your budget. Select the elements of the celebration (costumes, decor, restaurant) in accordance with your budget. Below are the rules for selecting inexpensive wedding elements.
Keep the decor and wedding food simple. It is better to decorate the hall yourself or together with friends, and leave the preparation of dishes entirely to the cafe staff (or order ready-made dishes for a picnic or to the cinema - depending on the location of the celebration).
First, develop a general schedule for the day (registration at the registry office, then a buffet reception, then a banquet hall and a walk), only then add details.
Be sure to think through several options for the entertainment program. It is better if the classes are “with reserve” - in case the guests don’t like something and have to replace the game or competition.
Involve adult relatives who already have experience in holding a wedding in the organization. They will give valuable advice and can take control of the preparation time.

If both husband and wife are always bad at planning events, you can ask a friend to help with the planning for a small fee.

Original ideas for a summer wedding

To the cinema . Select a film and a screening in advance with the option of choosing a hall. This way you will reduce unnecessary visitors and the whole hall will be yours. Buy tickets and send them to all guests. Before your scheduled session, stop by the buffet and buy snacks for the session for everyone who comes. You can notify the cinema administration in advance about your idea and perhaps they will meet you and do everything possible in honor of such an event.

Fast food restaurant. It's tasty, fast and inexpensive. This is a great option for young people and their friends with a good sense of humor. You can even book a hall and it will be much cheaper than cafes and restaurants. Instead of a loaf of bread, for example, newlyweds can bite off a Big Mac.

Hike. An excellent option for active and sports companies. The newlyweds can sign in advance and then, having designated the bride with a veil, and the groom with a butterfly, they can safely go to the mountains, to the lake or to the forest for a hike.

Aquapark. The most wonderful option for a hot summer, because not a single guest will refuse such a vacation. It is necessary to visit the water park in advance and discuss all the nuances with the administration. If necessary, reserve seats, or simply buy tickets for all guests. You can also order snacks and drinks there. Bring a camera or arrange with a local photographer for a few photos.

How to find time for a wedding among work routines, schedules and schedules? We studied the labor code in detail in search of an answer to the question: “How to properly take leave for a wedding.” You can find the results of our work in a separate article.

In order to hold the celebration at the scheduled time, you must submit an application to the registry office in advance. How long before the wedding should I apply? How long will it be considered? You will find answers to these and other questions here.

In this article, we have collected 11 of the most interesting and original places where you can have a bachelorette party in a tasteful and inexpensive way.

You can have a fun bachelorette party at home. To do this, you need to carefully consider the menu, select accessories and create a good entertainment program. You can read about how to do this correctly in this article.

How to choose a restaurant

Where can I find a good but inexpensive cafe for a celebration? There are several tricks that will help you save:

Make your own snacks instead of ordering them from a restaurant. Savings up to 5 thousand.
Go to an establishment outside the big city, in the suburbs. Prices there are on average 30% lower.
Rent not the entire hall, but only individual tables.
Agree with the restaurant on a discount in exchange for free photos for the company website, good recommendations, etc.

You can even abandon the restaurant altogether (this was discussed above).

Inexpensive wedding dress – where and how to choose

A wedding dress is one of the most expensive parts of the entire celebration. A new outfit, tailored according to the fashion of the latest season, can cost several hundred thousand rubles. Typically the cost ranges from 50 to 100 thousand rubles.

Options for saving on a dress without compromising your appearance:

Wear a family heirloom. In some families, wedding dresses are passed down from generation to generation. This option is only suitable if the fabric is of high quality and the outfit has not deteriorated over time. If you take a family dress, you can do without any costs at all, but in some cases you will have to alter the outfit to the size of the new owner. This will cost several thousand rubles.
Rent a dress. Price for half a day - from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles. Compared to an expensive dress, this is a savings of almost 10-20 times.
Buy clothes in a regular store. Not all weddings should be held in a strict traditional style. Often it is enough to wear a well-cut colored dress, which differs from the usual one only in accessories.
Buy clothes at a discount. Bridal salons sell old collections at a special price. Price reductions can be up to 50%.

The simplest and least expensive option is to simply introduce a non-traditional dress code so that the bride can come to the holiday in a looser outfit.

Wedding accessories

You can order many accessories and small items for a budget wedding online; it will be much cheaper than buying in expensive salons. Or you can do them yourself with the help of simple and exciting master classes, which are available both on our website and on the Internet. In addition, in handicraft stores you can find special kits for creating various kinds of accessories. What you shouldn't skimp on is rings, because you'll be wearing them for the rest of your life!

A great idea for invitations in the age of technology is virtual cards or even a video invitation that can be sent to guests by mail in the form of a link to the video. Original and funny.

How to inexpensively do a bride's hair and makeup (tips)

You can reduce the cost of makeup by doing it yourself or asking a friend. Nowadays, many girls know how to do excellent makeup on their own.

But you will have to allocate funds to purchase expensive cosmetics - cheap ones will be noticeable even with skillful application.

It is almost impossible to create a complex wedding hairstyle for little money. A girl can simply loosen and style her hair in a standard salon, and then decorate it with a wreath.

If you still want to get an interesting composition, you can ask your familiar stylists for help or try to do your hair yourself, following the instructions in the video tutorials.

How to decorate a hall and cars at minimal cost

Decorations for cars should be prepared by yourself. There are inexpensive traditional types of jewelry:

you can make natural wreaths with woven ribbons yourself using plants from your garden plot;
Rag dolls are often attached to the bumper of a car - there are no costs at all, since many people still have rag toys from childhood;
A good decoration option is balloons, which will cost about 10 rubles. per piece, but they always look great thanks to the bright color.

If the husband and wife have friends in the printing industry, you can ask them to print temporary stickers for vehicles.

Decorating the hall is a more difficult task. The following budget elements can be used:

Balloons. If you have the skill, the balls can not only be attached to the arches and left near the ceiling, but also arranged into entire compositions depicting the rings of the newlyweds or a swan (a symbol of love). The easiest option is to purchase a large number of balloons in “expensive” colors (white, cream, gold) and fill them with helium.
Flowers from your own garden. If the bride or groom has their own summer cottage, and the wedding time is summer or early autumn, you can cut flowers from your own property to decorate columns and tables. Some inflorescences, such as hydrangea, are dried, others should be cut right on the day before the holiday. To prevent the flowers from wilting, you should prepare small baths of water for them, which can be hidden in the overall composition.
Candles. You can buy many candles for up to 1000 rubles. They will give the holiday a traditional atmosphere, especially decorating the hall at night. To make candles look even more impressive, you should use beautiful candlesticks or lanterns. Buying them yourself is expensive. It is better to inquire in advance if the restaurant establishment has such props in the pantry. Restaurants often stock this kind of thing for decoration at banquets.

Newlyweds' outfits

A simple bride's dress made of natural fabric, which you can then wear for a walk. It could also be a chintz sundress. The main thing is to have less shiny decor. But beads, jewelry made of wood or handmade polymer clay will look very organic. The length of the dress does not have to be floor-length, which will still be comfortable to wear. For the bride's bouquet, you can choose small sunflowers or other seasonal flowers. Canvas with ribbon or paper with twine are perfect for wrapping.

The groom can choose a loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt and jeans, or linen brown trousers without creases. They can be complemented with suspenders and a cap. A cowboy wedding or a gangster hat will look good with jeans.

Both newlyweds can avoid wearing shoes altogether. Rustic also involves a simple hairstyle that the bride can do herself. Loose hair or a braid will suffice for a bridal look. It can be decorated with a wreath of wildflowers. And this will be the most beautiful bride in her simplicity.

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Another expense item that can be reduced is the cost of rings. For a wedding, you can save on the presence of stones and engravings. Or just get by with silver ones. The metal seems to be inexpensive, but noble. You can completely refuse the services of a photographer and ask friends to take photos.

How to save money on the services of a toastmaster, musicians, photographer, videographers - ideas

It is better to abandon the toastmaster and musicians. The couple's relatives can host the entertainment program, and a music playlist that switches automatically is even more convenient than live music. Savings – up to 50,000 rubles.

But what about the photographer and videographer? You can choose from the following options:

Call a photographer you know. If you know someone, they can give you a discount.
Combine the cameraman and photographer in one person. Saving 1.5 times.
Find aspiring photographers online who are building their portfolio. They are often willing to conduct photo sessions for a nominal fee or even for free, but in exchange for good recommendations.
Install the video equipment on a tripod and turn it on for the entire duration of the celebration. So you can refuse the videographer.

It is better not to ask friends who have no experience in photography to photograph.

Cortege for an inexpensive wedding

Are you sure you need a limousine? Perhaps the cortege can be removed from the list of items required for the wedding. This will significantly save money.

If a tuple still seems mandatory to you, you can choose a budget option. You should choose cars from car sharing organizations. This is a car rental for an hour.

Calculate exactly how much time you will need to transport your guests. After this time, deliver the cars back to the company with your friends. The savings come from the fact that wedding agencies often rent out a car for the whole day and add a large markup.

Another inexpensive option is to use a relative or friend's car.

If the number of guests is small, you can limit yourself to 1-2 cars.
It’s easy to get this amount of transport by simply asking your friends. If there are a lot of guests, you can order a minibus. Simple, no-frills transport, which is intended only for transportation, costs about 2,000 thousand rubles per hour. But you can also use the service of a mobile party - rent a bus, inside of which everything is equipped for dancing, making cocktails, etc.

Cost - about 10 thousand. This is 2.5 times less than the cost of a holiday limousine, while the capacity is greater, and the interior is spacious and there is an opportunity to have fun along the way.

Remember the numbers

Even when your budget is limited, there is a risk of spending more than you were originally prepared to spend. To prevent this from happening, remember the numbers in each expense item and avoid temptations. The best option is to get an organizer or install an application for wedding preparations. When they offer you the decor, venue and dress of your dreams, but more expensive than you want, check the plan. Are you preparing for a wedding with friends and family? In this case, take with you shopping only those who can dissuade you from spontaneous purchases. And if you have friends who are aware of all the sales or have discounts from contractors, contact them for help.

Not all couples planning a budget wedding give up the decorations or cake. They just use popular life hacks. Firstly, they study young specialists. Among them there are always those who do their job well, but have not yet developed. Therefore, the prices for their services are lower than those of experienced contractors. Secondly, they are looking for organizers who offer profitable “wedding packages”. Your attentiveness will also help you reduce costs. Read contracts with contractors before you sign anything. If they include services that you don't need, feel free to refuse them and reduce the price.

What you can't save on

Most wedding paraphernalia can be removed and made less expensive to save money properly. But the question arises: “Which moments must be left traditional and dear?” Not every way to reduce spending is right.

It's best not to try to squeeze additional savings out of the following:

Bride's makeup. It would be better if the image of the girl is prepared by a master, but she will look impressive and will amaze everyone with her beauty. If attention is not focused on the future wife, we can assume that the holiday was a failure.
Taste of festive dishes and timely ordering of a table. You can limit the number of different food options and replace main courses with appetizers for the buffet table. But the main component of the dishes, the taste, cannot be deteriorated, otherwise the guests will literally be left with a taste of cheapness. It is better to spend money on individual dishes (cake, meat compositions), but you can save on snacks.
Cake. You can reduce its size several times, but if you start saving completely on it, both the guests and the newlyweds themselves will be unhappy. It is better to find out the address of the nearest expensive pastry shop and order a small cake with a minimum of decor, which is suitable for a family celebration. You shouldn’t bake the product yourself if you don’t have the skills, or buy regular store-bought options.
Rings. When proposing marriage, it is important to understand that changing rings after the wedding is a bad omen. Therefore, it is better to try and be able to buy expensive jewelry than to change it after the wedding. If you change the rings, then the young couple, according to popular beliefs, will have to face troubles.
Working on the groom's style. You should at least find a decent suit to rent if you don’t have a business jacket and trousers in your wardrobe. If you forget about the appearance of the groom, then he will be overshadowed by the male guests.
Bride's hairstyle. Here it is also better to trust the professionals.
Photo and video. It’s better to give a lot of money to a professional photographer to capture one of the most important days in the life of the newlyweds, than to see blurry, failed shots instead of ceremonial photos against the backdrop of the city and the wedding palace.

This video contains a lot of useful tips on how to organize an inexpensive wedding:

Even a very inexpensive wedding can be the best day in the life of the newlyweds. After all, the main thing is not the amount of money invested, but the quality of the entertainment program, the friendly atmosphere and the originality of the celebration. Have you come across examples of successful low-cost weddings in your life? Surely yes.