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11 Amazing Real Wedding Budget Ideas From Real Brides

December 17, 2015 by Ariane 14 Comments

Wedding budget ideas are so much better when you can see them! Check out wedding budget tips from real brides, with videos showing the tips in action!
real wedding budget tips 2016
Want a fairy-tale wedding without breaking the bank?  Everyone wants to have a beautiful, memorable ceremony, while also staying afloat financially.

That being said, the WeddingMix team interviewed our real brides (featured in their crazy fun, affordable wedding videos), and asked them about their best budget ideas they used for their big day.

Here are eleven of the best wedding budget ideas from real women who survived the wedding planning process.

1. Think Outside The (Flower) Box 

“I loved every bit of our wedding, but my favorite planning piece was the flowers!  I knew I wanted A LOT of flowers, but I didn’t want to pay a lot.  So I ordered fresh flowers from a wholesale distributor and picked them up the week of the wedding.  We supplemented with additional wildflowers from a local Amish farm.” –Rachel B.

 

wedding budget ideas flowers

Photo by Blue Elephant Photography

 

Moments filmed by loved ones using the free WeddingMix app & HD cameras. Wedding video by WeddingMix. 
2. Be Your Own Wedding Planner

“We didn’t have a planner or anyone showing us what we had to do. During the last couple of months we found it hard to get everything done that we wanted but we were able to work together to make everything happen. We had a lot of help from friends and family and we couldn’t have done it without their support.” –Sullivan

You do have to make quite the investment of time when planning your own wedding. Time=money. So, if you’re short on time or details make you crrrrazy, it’s definitely worthwhile to hire someone to handle the details. You may also find it worthwhile to hire someone to coordinate details the day of the wedding, so you don’t have 20 people tugging on your wedding dress wondering what to do next.

budget tips from real brides

Photo by  Femme Fraiche

3. DIY Wedding Video Through Your Guests’ Perspective 

“After being able to hire a family friend for an extremely reasonable price to do our photography, we began to look into a more “do it yourself” route for video. Long story short, WeddingMix was everything that we were looking for! Affordable, practical, easy!” –Natalie

“Once we’d distributed the cameras and told our friends how to use the app, we told them to go nuts and they didn’t disappoint. They gave us a ton of great footage to work with to create a really unique and memorable wedding video that we wouldn’t have been able to have otherwise.” – Sylvia

budget wedding video

Courtesy of WeddingMix, the Knot’s #1 Rated Wedding Video Alternative

4. Have a Family Friend Officiate the Wedding  

“For our ceremony outside in the Bedford Village Inn garden, we started with a very basic ceremony template, and built it from the ground up to make it our own. It was very personalized, and we were married by Matthew’s older brother, Ryan, who got licensed as an officiant just for this occasion. He did an absolutely beautiful job.” –Taylor

Keep in mind, while a friend can create a super personalized ceremony, there are also benefits to hiring a seasoned pro – like how to roll with the punches. In case something doesn’t go as planned, a pro will know how to make it all look flawless to both you and the guests.

See real weddings in your budget with WeddingScope!

5. DIY Your Own Reception Entertainment

“As for the details, our friends and our families worked together to create a lot of personal touches at our event. From the corn-hole boards made by our best man and then hand spray-painted by myself, my mom, and Matthew; to the incredible jelly and jam favor display that my mom created; and the other countless other little design elements that kept us busy right up until the final week.” –Taylor

budget tips from real brides

Photo by I Heart Weddings

 

DIY wedding cornhole board

Photo by Melissa Prosser Photography

 

6. If It Can Be Crafted, Get Crafting! 

“I penned out our entire ceremony, I made all the centerpieces, the Candy Bar, the invitations, the escort cards, the wedding website, I even made my neck-shoulder piece and birdcage fascinator. Anything that could be crafted, I did. In the end, I was practically sweating glitter. (I even made a kids coloring book!)” –Alexandra

Atlanta wedding planner Natalie Bradley adds, “If you want a fun and lively reception or cocktail time filled with games, but you need to scale back on the money spent, you can whip up some entertainment the (new) old-fashioned way. You can create your own giant version of the Jenga game if you are talented with a saw, sander and some stain … hard costs are less than about $50 and your guests will love playing!

The same is true for a giant Yahtzee game. You just need some wood cubes and a wood burner and you’re in business. You can also add things like horse shoes and corn hole games. Keep an eye out for deals at Good Will and other places where you can find gently loved items.”

unique wedding entertainment like large jenga board

Photo by Melissa Prosser

 

Guests photos & videos collected by the WeddingMix app. Wedding Video highlight created by WeddingMix.
7. Find Everything You Need At Antique Stores & Libraries 

“One night Craig and I decided to sit down and brainstorm what we wanted for our wedding. Refinishing desks, designing pencils, contacting library after library to find card catalog drawers, visiting antique stores, and finding all the items we loved from our elementary school days not only helped bring our vision to life, but also brought us closer together. We were so proud of each detail, no matter how small, because we envisioned it, designed it, and created it. Our planning and crafting created a wedding that was perfectly us.” –Burns-Vital wedding

budget tips from real brides

Made by Helen Nie

The couple’s loved ones created & captured amazing moments with the WeddingMix app & cameras. 
8. Breakfast For Dinner! 

“Coming up with the idea to do a brunch wedding– not only did using breakfast food cut our bill in half, it was a sentimental choice too. Our first date was breakfast at a diner because we both worked overnights at the time. Plus, who doesn’t love breakfast? People loved the originality of the idea and the delicious food!” –Amy

wedding budget ideas food

Photo by BoDeans Baking

9. Take Your Time (Your Budget Will Thank You!) 

Very early on, we knew the style of wedding we wanted, and had decided on a budget. We had a pretty long engagement, and spent almost two years crafting, bargaining, and thinking of inventive ways to get the same high-end looking at less the cost.” –Lauren

budget tips from real brides

Courtesy of Etsy. Crafted by Sweetinvitationco.

 

10. When In Doubt, Etsy Will Save You

“We ordered dried bouquets and boutonnieres from Etsy for our bridal party. I have always had a hard time swallowing the cost of real flowers and not getting to enjoy them but for one day. I found a lady on Etsy  who made exactly what we wanted for our flowers and now I get to enjoy my bouquet every time I walk into my closet!” –Jessica

11 crazy smart etsy budget wedding ideas

Incredible Wedding in Lake Tahoe

In love with these stickers? Get your own – perfect for that something blue!

11. Get By With A Little Help From Your Friends

“One of the more unique things we did was our own flowers and they came out great!  The day before we did the bouquets, centerpieces, boutonniere’s, etc with the help of our friends and family…it couldn’t have gone smoother!” –Lauren

budget tips from real brides

Photo by TenSixteenPhoto

Did you find some great budget tips for your own big day? Do you have any DIY tips to add? Share in the comments! Also, check out WeddingMix to get an amazingly, affordable wedding video through your guests’ perspective!

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Filed Under: Wedding Planning Tagged With: affordable wedding tips, bridaltips, brides, budgeting, DIY, diy ideas wedding, DIYwedding, real wedding budget ideas, real wedding budget tips, wedding, wedding budget tips, weddingtips

Recent Posts

  • 11 Crazy Smart Wedding Budget Hacks from Real Brides

Comments

  1. Lorie Lee Thayer-Morse says

    January 17, 2016 at 3:21 am

    For my daughter’s wedding we didn’t have a very big budget for decor. So I found a ton of DYI video’s on YouTube that showed us how to do pretty much everything she wanted for her big day! From beautiful bling light up floral centerpieces to making your own pom pom back drops & hanging lace lanterns – it was awesome and very easy to do. Plus it gave us all more time to spend together before the big day. Everyone was amazed at how beautiful it all turned out. It looked like we paid an arm & a leg, but we actually got most of the stuff we needed from the dollar store!

    Reply
    • Amira Aziz says

      December 21, 2016 at 2:53 pm

      Do you have a link on facebook with pictures,I could please see,,,I am a mother of a bride to be too…

      Reply
      • Ariane says

        December 22, 2016 at 8:16 am

        Congratulations! What would you like to see pictures of, that aren’t here on the blog?

        Reply
    • Jean Rigdon says

      June 24, 2017 at 6:05 pm

      My daughter and her fiance have dated for 5 years. They are both students and always on a budget. Dollar Tree is one of their favorite stores. I bought cylinder vases and “blinged” them out with rhinestone banding. We also bought 10 inch tall candles in glass containers from Dollar Tree and are Decorating them up with various elements. We also bought lots of things from Michael’s and Hobby Lobby using their weekly coupons. I bought lots of beading from Amazon and Oriental Trading Company to make unique home crafted items to make things that will be unique to her wedding. It has been a lot of work but it will save us a ton of money. Also, we are not using a wedding planner.

      Reply
  2. Hannah says

    January 24, 2016 at 5:03 am

    We saved on our table decorations. I really wanted white lanterns, but could not find any of a decent size for a decent price, so I decided to make them myself out of photo frames. It worked beautifully, and with raw wood discs cut by my dad, a garland of foam roses and tea light candles in the middle, they looked stunning!

    Reply
    • Ramona Francis says

      February 6, 2016 at 11:14 am

      Would you mind sharing a photo of what you made?

      I’m very craft challenged…but we need something for the tables.

      Reply
    • Lisa says

      June 19, 2016 at 9:42 am

      Don’t be afraid to ask around if anyone has had a daughter or son get married. I have 20 beautiful large and small lanterns littering my living room right now. I have a friend who saved everything and I’m reaping the budget rewards right now! Yahoo!!

      Reply
      • leny says

        July 1, 2016 at 9:08 pm

        Hi Lisa , By any chance , after you are done , i am getting married in October 2017.

        WOuld you mind giving away the lanterns to me ?

        I would pay for shipping. I live in Ny

        Reply
  3. Julie Kitchener says

    April 9, 2016 at 9:28 pm

    You can save time and money if you RENT intead of buying your decorating pieces. RENT vases, gem fill, artificial flowers, lanterns, battery-operated candles, linens, backdrops, and more for a fraction of the cost of buying and you can still CREATE your own look with the supplies you rent. Add a few crafty personalized pieces if you like but don’t be burdened with tons of extra supplies and left-overs that you then have to find a way to unload.

    Reply
  4. Mary Ann says

    May 8, 2016 at 2:58 pm

    We’re opting for a less-than-traditional venue. Going for a space that HAS hosted weddings, but are not known for it, really saved on costs compared to those known for being top wedding venues. We’re holding ours in a single screen old movie house. It’s personal, unique and cheap because they don’t rely on weddings to make their money. The space for the entire night is less than a $1,000. Plus, we’re doing both the ceremony and reception in the same space. One venue + less travel + less planning = less money.

    Another tip – our city hosts several “wedding flea markets” throughout the year. Great for buying goods before (we scored real silverware for 100 people for $40), but also excellent to sell goods after the wedding and make back some cash!!

    Reply
  5. Majel says

    July 23, 2016 at 2:31 pm

    I don’t think these things help with a city wedding

    Reply
    • Fernanda says

      July 23, 2016 at 5:51 pm

      Hi Majel,
      Tips #3 and #11 have successfully worked many times, especially in NYC. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Cheryl says

    July 30, 2016 at 10:30 am

    How about keeping it simple as a budget idea. Instead of focusing on the details that won’t matter to your guests or yourselves 5 years later, focus on having a lovely simple ceremony and brunch, lunch or dinner following.

    Reply

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