21 ways to save money on your wedding and keep costs down

Planning a wedding can be an expensive event, but it doesn’t have to break the wedding budget. With a little creativity and some strategic planning throughout the wedding planning process, you can save money on your expensive wedding and still have the celebration of your dreams.

Weddings are special occasions that deserve to be celebrated, but that doesn’t mean you have to rely on credit cards to do so. By cutting extra costs in certain areas and making smart decisions, you can have a memorable and amazing wedding without spending a fortune.

According to Moneysmart, the average wedding cost in Australia is $36,000. To put that into perspective, that was just a little over 30% of a house deposit for the average home in Australia. To put those funds to better use, we can begin by looking at ways to save thousands of dollars on your wedding with some affordable wedding savings tips.

Ways to save money on your wedding

For many of these budget-friendly wedding savings tips, you’re going to need to get crafty. Many MyBudget clients came to us in the hopes of having the affordable wedding of their dreams and the feedback (and photos) we’ve seen has been truly heart-warming.

It’s all about timing

The wedding venue is one of, if not the, most expensive item on a comprehensive list. It’s always convenient to get married in Autumn on a Saturday afternoon but venue owners know this. If you plan ahead, look for an indoor all-inclusive venue and schedule the big day for a weekday wedding in Winter, you’ll be surprised just how much you can save. Just make sure you give your guests enough time to book their annual leave in advance.

Marketplace

Who says everything for your wedding needs to be brand new? By simply typing ‘Wedding’ into Facebook Marketplace, you can find a wide range of items that people are selling or renting from their own wedding.

Look for food and alcohol sales and stick to beer and wine

Having an open bar is like having an open bank account. Instead, limit your alcohol selection to beer, cider and wine. If you’re happy to buy the alcohol yourself and pop them into some eskies and ice buckets, you can buy your alcohol in bulk when it goes on sale. Just make sure to not drink them before the wedding, no matter how tempting it may be.

Quick, bite-sized snack meals

A wedding with a dinner menu and multiple courses is going to set you back a pretty penny. Having quick, bite-sized meals guests can eat throughout the evening is a great way to keep your average wedding cost down and the general mood up.

Wedding cupcakes, anyone?

Who doesn’t love a good wedding cake? They’re always so beautifully decorated and taste amazing. However, no one seems to mention the bitter aftertaste in the form of a cake-shaped whole in your account. Opting for cupcake catering or a few dozen muffins can save you a lot of money and even provide flavour options for the guests. It’s love at first bite!

Avoid bonbonnieres

Wedding bonbonnieres are a common gift handed to guests but after all of the dancing and merriment, you’d be surprised by just how many get left behind. While they’re a sweet gesture, if you’re looking for ways to save money on your wedding, this should be one of the first items crossed off the list.

Use the same floral arrangements for your ceremony and reception

The cost of wedding flowers can be immense. Why buy two sets of flower arrangements when you can simply take the fresh flowers from the ceremony venue to the reception venue? Just tell Uncle Jack to bring his van (perhaps empty it out and clean it first) and once the ceremony is over, get a group to load and unload them from one venue to the next. Save on the cost of wedding flowers and put that money towards your future.

Better yet, just have one venue

If Uncle Jack’s van is at the mechanics, why not forgo the second venue and simply have your reception at the ceremony? Not only will it keep the cost of wedding planning down but it’ll also save time from your special day. You can even save money by hosting your ceremony in a public park; I’ve been to many Australian weddings hosted out in our beautiful country and they work as some of the most beautiful venues you’d ever see. Or if we’re considering outdoor weddings, what about a backyard wedding? Jazz it up a little and it can make for a beautiful wedding ceremony.

One bouquet, two uses

The last of our last floral wedding savings tips combines two into one. There is such a thing as having too much of a good thing, so perhaps consider having your bridal party use their bridal bouquets as the floral decorations on the bridal party table.

Do your own hair and makeup

In an age where tutorial videos are just a few clicks away, doing your own makeup can save you hundreds of dollars. If you don’t feel confident in your own abilities, perhaps see if anyone in your bridal party is skilled with a brush and palette. It’s worth looking into before shelling out for someone else to do it.

DIY signage

Wedding signage, while pretty, can come at a hefty price when done professionally. Nowadays, online tools like Canva can help provide you with the tools to easily make your own at a fraction of the cost. Get them professionally printed and just like that, you’ve saved hundreds of dollars on name tags. You can even create your own wedding invitations this way, and send them online as digital invitations. It’s the 2020s, let’s get with the times.

Pre-loved wedding dress

Who says your wedding dress has to be brand new? When buying a new dress, you’re likely looking in the thousands for an item of clothing that’ll only be worn once. It’s one of the biggest wedding expenses there is. When looking for ways to save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on your affordable wedding, the wedding gown is a considerable expense, but at the end of the day, it comes down to what’s important to you and your partner. Or, for a more sentimental motif, consider asking your mum (or your partner’s mum) to wear the wedding dress they wore when they got married.

Keep your guest list manageable and limit plus-ones

Does the boyfriend of your third cousin’s niece really need to attend your wedding? Each wedding guest and their plus-ones are an additional wedding expense. Keeping in mind seating and catering, it pays to keep it simple with a smaller guest list of more immediate family and friends. This also allows you to consider smaller affordable wedding venues, ensuring the affordable dream wedding.

Create your own Spotify playlist

DJs and live bands, while lovely, are not cheap as you’re essentially hiring a professional musician (or multiple) to perform for hours at both the ceremony and reception. While it may not have the same personal touch, you can save a lot of money by making a custom Spotify playlist. Gone are the days of asking the band whether they know various songs, Spotify always knows. Professional music is an additional cost we can avoid and still get around!

Photographer friends

For a long time, wedding photo booths were all the rage, and an affordable alternative was to provide disposable cameras on every table and get the photos printed after the event. Nowadays, everyone can use their phones to take photos; make a sign at each table with social media hashtags so that you can flick through everyone’s photos the next morning. This is one of our favourite wedding savings tips that’ll save you a lot of money by not having to pay for a wedding photographer.

Expectations

Who says your wedding needs to be done a certain way? Some of the best weddings we’ve seen are ones where the couple has taken creative liberties and made their wedding their own. By removing unnecessary costs, you can reduce the chances of any additional unexpected expenses, making it easier to stick to your wedding budget.

No rush – buy items as you go

Not everyone will have this luxury but if you have enough time to be able to plan your wedding year(s) in advance, get in the habit of checking for sales and bargains. By avoiding last minute purchases and paying an arm and a leg for them, you can grab bits and pieces as you go.

Elope

A grand ceremony and reception may not be for you and your partner. At the end of the wedding day, love is all that matters and as long as you can share that special moment with those most important to you, who’s to say you can’t simply take a drive down to town hall and get married right then and there? The money you save could be better spent on your dream honeymoon or perhaps go towards your future home.

Sell once you’re done

Ask yourself: after the big wedding day, what do you plan on doing with everything you’ve bought? You may want to keep a few items for sentimental reasons (perhaps the wedding dress or a centrepiece) but whatever is left can always be sold on Marketplace to another couple looking for ways to save money on their own affordable wedding.

Make a list and check it twice

Let’s take a page out of Santa’s rulebook and give that list one more check. Is that orchestral band crucial to making your wedding day special?

Create a budget

Once you have worked out your affordable price, the next step is to save. Creating a budget that lists all of your income and expenses will help you to know how much you’ll have saved for every wedding cost. Download our free budget template to get started.

There you have it, 21 ways to save money on your wedding. Which of these wedding savings tips will you be looking to use on your wedding day? In the spirit of tip 21, MyBudget can help you to save for your wedding, your honeymoon and everything that comes after that. Give MyBudget a call on 1300 300 922 or enquire online for a free appointment.