Fancy Wedding under budget

I'm a huge planner. I enjoy it so much, I often plan out my next two weeks' schedule by the hour. So when my man popped that ring on my finger and it came time for me to strut my stuff, I felt pretty good. I felt ready. Just another planning, I thought. Oh, I was so, so wrong.

Planning for a wedding is stressful. I know people won't care if the napkins are white or a half shade off-white; but I want everything perfect! After all, it's your one and only wedding (no shame in your second or more weddings. All the more power to you!).

Now, I wanted an elegant, fancy wedding. I wanted a chapel ceremony, a mansion reception, with open bars and just all around amazing time. But we didn't want to ask our parents for financial support. A quick Google search tells me that the average cost of wedding in the U.S. is about $23,000.00. We frankly didn't have that kind of money for a wedding! So I did what I do best; I researched. I looked high and low, thought of any rules I could bend, any hacks I could dig up. And dear readers, I am about to share with you what I have found so that you may avoid the stress and enjoy your time with your partners as much as you can.

1. Budget constraint above everything else

I am giving you my tips on how to hold a budget wedding, so this is going to be pretty important. Always stick to your budget. Make it before you go ahead with any execution of action. I took about 3 months coming up with a spreadsheet of master budget before I went shopping. Ask yourself: how much can you afford to spend for your wedding? For me, it was $16,000.00 maximum. Here's the thing: my budget is objectively not the lowest you'll ever find. "So what the heck, Jess, why are you even giving advice?" Dear readers, I am not telling you to follow my blueprint; I had my priorities as much as you have yours. Some people want a backyard wedding, some people want a 2-week wedding at Disney. No matter how you picture yours, the idea is to find out realistically how much you can spend. Plus, I still managed to go under that budget, too, so let me share with you what else I did.

2. Break down the budget - and leave some space

Obviously, this is the core of your wedding planning. This is the hardest part, but this is the part where you save your money. Include everything here - your dress, hair and makeup, and even each individual parts of the centerpiece. Try not to get overwhelmed - in the big scheme of things, remember it's really not thaat much. Remember, this is the hardest part! The process helps you take a look at what you have to consider. This is where I started reaaally researching. For example, while breaking down what I'd need for the ceremony, I decided I don't want flower girls because I don't like children.*Gasp*! But because I still wanted some flowery effect, I was going to place some buckets with petals inside at every row of the aisle seats so the guests would throw the flowers for me. Side tip: If you don't have preference, go for realistic fake flowers. Some fake flowers these days are really realistic! You can't tell from 3 steps away. I did this all the way, and saved literally hundreds of dollars. Anyways, I later decided that instead of buckets, I'll make some diy paper cones to hang by the aisle seats and save money on those, too. I mean, I'm not gonna use the buckets after the wedding, it's just such a waste. Paper cones can store the petals just as effectively, and they're cute! This whole process is what took me 3 months. So dear readers, take your time going through this step, and research any options.

3. Don't put randos on guest list

I almost made this mistake. If I invite A, I guess I should invite B, too...even though I've only barely had small talks with B myself. Nope! Remember, this is your wedding. Be selective with your guests. One of the biggest expenses comes from the reception venue, and this is because they charge anywhere from $80-100 per person. Don't go spending $100 to feed a friend you haven't met since your first week of college at your wedding! Plus, during the wedding, you'll probably go around greeting and talking with everyone. And trust me, this is extremely draining, even for extroverts. Keeping an intimate wedding party will save some space on your budget, and fill your happy day with the most important people in your life.

4. Rent your dress, or buy second hand

There's a lot of debate about this option. I altered my mom's old wedding dress, but if I hadn't, I would have looked for a rental option. There are many rental dresses that would work just as well as bought ones. It just doesn't make sense to me that you would waste so much money on a dress you'd wear for a day, unless you're planning on passing it down to your children. But again, I don't even have plans to procreate those lil monsters. Yes, maybe some might not fit, but from what I've researched I think there are more dresses that would basically fit than not. There are also definitely some sites that sell once-worn dresses for even 1/4 the original price that you can alter, if you really want the dress to be yours. I've seen some people buy their dresses for $2-3,000.00. I've also seen an absolutely beautiful once-worn dress, basically new, cost $70. Sooooo dear readers, pick your battles wisely.

5. Don't get wedding planner

I'm putting this last because this was obvious to me from the beginning, but I wanted to include it in case it hadn't occured to someone. You don't need a wedding planner. Yes, wedding planners are super helpful, but they cost twice the cost of renting a small chapel for 2 hour ceremony, easily. And that's a lot of money. If you think you absolutely need one, it means you're overdoing it, OR you're actually hosting a super super fancy wedding and you shouldn't be reading an article on trying to have a nice budget wedding. Often, ceremony and/or reception venues offer their complimentary wedding planner services. Be on the lookout for those venues! Another option is to have your wedding crew handy. What's your best friend for if they can't help you get your stuff together on your most important day? Ask your most organized friend to help coordinate the day together (This may or may not be the test of your friendship, depending on your personalities). Delegate them as the go-to contact person on the day-of. Your wedding party - your true wedding party - is there to help you celebrate a happy future ahead with your partner. Ask for assistance!

These are some basic guidelines on how to hold a wedding without breaking your bank. Plan ahead, and do your research around the area - heck, ask some of the newlyweds around you for some insight! They'd LOVE to rant to you about everything they suffered through, and you can learn from their, uh, insights. Most importantly, enjoy the process! You're planning this to celebrate your love. Don't forget what wedding is for: love.