PRIVACY NOTICEAPPLY NOW

How to Plan a Wedding on a Budget

In 2020, the average wedding cost about $19,000. For most people, that is simply not affordable. However, there are several ways that you can potentially lower your costs. With some creative planning, you could cut your wedding costs by a surprising amount. Here are 10 ways that you could reduce the cost of your wedding.

How to Plan a Wedding on a Budget

10 Ways to Lower the Cost of Your Wedding

  1. Only invite a select amount of guests
    Some people think that they need to invite a hundred or more people to have a successful wedding. The fact is, you and your significant other probably have a handful of close friends. When you include intimate family members, you can potentially cut down the wedding list. That can drastically reduce the cost of food, alcohol, and other expenses associated with weddings. 
  2. Do-it-yourself when it comes to decor
    Wedding decor can potentially be such a significant expense. The fact is, you can make some of the decor yourself. Websites like Pinterest offer several great DIY wedding decor ideas. If you have the spare time, you and your friends can make decor for the wedding and possibly save a large amount of money.
  3. Have your reception at your home or outdoors
    You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on renting out a space for your wedding. In fact, you could have the wedding ceremony in your home. You could also have your wedding outdoors, where you would spend a fraction of renting a large indoor space. Be sure to check the weather when you are planning an outdoor wedding.
  4. Use a dummy wedding cake
    A wedding cake can generally cost $4.50 - $6.50 per slice. Instead of purchasing a traditional wedding cake, you can buy or make a dummy wedding cake that you can use for decor. For about $25, you can purchase a one-sheet cake at a bakery and have more than enough cake for everyone.

    If you don’t want to buy a dummy wedding cake, you can make one yourself. Your only cost will be the crafts needed to make the cake and a couple of hours of labor. You can find some dummy wedding cake plans online. If you have an artistic side, making your own dummy wedding cake will seem like lots of fun.
  5. Time your wedding to save costs
    There are times of the year when it could potentially be more affordable to hold your wedding. For instance, having your wedding in the winter months is considered “off-season.” People who provide wedding services may be able to charge you less for their services during the winter months. This alone could save you big money.
  6. Be selective when choosing vendors
    You do not have to choose vendors for every single one of your wedding services. It would help if you were extremely selective when it comes to finding the vendors who will work your wedding.

    Here are some tips when it comes to deciding what vendors to hire:
  • What services can you do yourself?
  • What services can your friends and family not provide?
  • What services would be better in the hands of a professional?

Another way you can save on vendor costs is to consider using amateur people who have limited experience but the right amount of skill. For instance, you can find people on Craigslist who could provide the following services at a lower cost: 

  • Florist
  • Wedding planner
  • Caterer
  • Transportation
  1. Forgo a live band
    You do not need to spend thousands of dollars on a live band. You can simply create a playlist, bring a laptop and some speakers, and you will be done. Be sure you get a good idea of what music will be ideal for a wedding and a reception.
  2. Have friends and family provide services
    You can potentially save lots of money by enlisting friends and family members to provide services for your wedding. You can tell some of your friends and family members to forgo gifts and simply assist with wedding help. Here are some of the activities that you can have your friends and family members provide:
  • Photographer
  • Videographer
  • DJ
  • Graphic design
  • Cooking and food
  1. Use digital wedding invitations
    Why spend hundreds of dollars on printed wedding invitations? You can potentially cut down most or all your invitation expenses by using digital invitations. All you need to do is hire someone on a website like Fiverr to provide the design for the digital wedding invitation or have a friend who has the skill to create it for you. From there, you simply email the wedding invitation to your guest list, and you are done. You can get this task done in a couple of hours. Best of all, you could save hundreds of dollars.
  2. Have guests bring their own alcohol
    As you can guess, alcohol can potentially be a significant expense when it comes to the wedding reception. Instead of shelling out big money for the alcohol, simply have your guests bring their own alcohol. Chances are, you have a couple of friends and family members who already have a bottle of something at home. Doing this will not only save you on the cost of alcohol, but you can also save yourself the time and the hassle of transporting alcohol to the party.

Enjoy an unforgettable wedding day without breaking your budget

Yes. It is possible to have an incredible wedding day without breaking the budget. Be sure to use as many cost-saving approaches as possible. Who knows? With the money that you save, you could use those savings to go on your honeymoon or even make a down payment on a new house. 

Recent Posts

What is an Overdraft Line of Credit
What is an Overdraft Line of Credit
How does an overdraft line of credit work? No one wants to deal with the headache of an overdraft fee...
READ MORE
Creative Ways to Save Money
11 Creative Ways to Save Money
Are you looking to buy a new house or perhaps get a car? Well, you will want to save up some cash.
READ MORE
Why Borrowing Online is So Convenient
Why Borrowing Online is So Convenient
Looking for fast cash? Perhaps you need money to consolidate your debt, pay off...
READ MORE

The information provided is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered legal or financial advice. You should consult with an attorney or other professional to determine what may be best for your individual needs. Big Picture Loans disclaims any and all liability in the event any information, commentary, analysis, opinion, advice and/or recommendation prove to be inaccurate, incomplete, unreliable, or result in any other losses. Your use of the information on the website or materials linked from the Web is at your own risk.

The content at any third party site may be subject to copyright or other intellectual property rights, and may not be redistributed without the permission of the third party site owner. Any reference obtained from this blog to a specific product, process, or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by Big Picture Loans of the product, process, or service, or its producer or provider.

Consumer Notice: Our loans should be used for short-term financial needs only, not as a long-term financial solution. Individuals with credit difficulties should seek credit counseling. For more information, please see our Financial Wellness Page.

Stop wasting time on other loans!

Choose Big Picture Loans and you could get the funds you need immediately after approval*, with no hidden fees.*

APPLY NOW

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PROCEDURES FOR APPLYING FOR A LOAN - To help fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities and to comply with Tribal law and the spirit of federal law requiring all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who applies for a loan, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. we may ask for your driver's license or other identifying documents.


*Big Picture Loans reviews and approves all loans on Tribal land at its office located at E23970 Pow Wow Trail, Watersmeet, MI 49969. If your application is verified and approved we will attempt to send your funds using Real-Time Finding, which can provide instant funding, including on weekends. The exact time your funds appear in your account may vary depending on your bank’s processing times. If your bank does not accept Real-Time Funding, we will automatically send your funds by ACH, which usually posts the next business day (Monday through Friday excluding all federal banking holidays). Big Picture Loans does not charge a fee for Real-Time Funding; check with your banking institution regarding any fees they may charge. Although we work to process applications as quickly as possible, unavoidable delays may occur.


Loan approval and amounts are based on minimum income amounts, other credit criteria, and verification of the information provided during the application process. The Annual Percentage Rate ("APR") may vary based on when your first payment is scheduled, pay frequency, total loan duration, and the amount of your loan. Big Picture Loans, LLC (“Big Picture Loans ®”) will run credit checks on all applications and may review credit information from specialized credit bureaus. Please note submitting a loan application does not mean it was fully approved. If you choose to re-apply for a loan and your circumstances have changed, you may not be approved for the same loan amount.


Big Picture Loans is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tribal Economic Development Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned and operated economic arm and instrumentality of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (“Tribe”), a federally recognized Indian tribe, created for the benefit of the Tribe and operating pursuant to Tribal law. Big Picture Loans is a duly licensed Financial Services Licensee of the Lac Vieux Desert Tribal Financial Services Regulatory Authority, an independent regulatory body of the Tribe, and operates in accordance with the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Tribal Consumer Financial Services Regulatory Code, which can be found here: Tribal Consumer Financial Services Regulatory Code.


You can an contact us at support@bigpictureLoans.com or at PO Box 704, Watersmeet, MI 49969-0704. All communications with Big Picture Loans are deemed confidential. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or disclosure is prohibited without Big Picture Loans’ express written consent.


Consumer Notice: Big Picture Loans should be used for short-term financial needs only, not as a long-term financial solution. Individuals with credit difficulties should seek credit counseling. For more information, please see our Financial Wellness page.


If Big Picture Loans approves your loan, it will be governed by Tribal law, applicable federal law and your loan agreement. The laws of your resident state may have interest rate limits and other protective laws that are more favorable. If you wish to have your resident state’s law apply, you should consider taking a loan from a licensed lender in your state. Availability of installment loans are subject to change from time to time as determined by Big Picture Loans. If you have concerns or complaints about your loan, please visit our Tribal Dispute Resolution Procedure page.

© 2026 Big Picture Loans