The wedding budget should be based on your priorities and include room rental fees, venue deposit, ceremony fee, parking fees, coat check fees, liability insurance, tax and service fees, and security. To keep track of your wedding finances, use a wedding budget checklist and WeddingWires budget tool to split your budget based on vendor costs. Divide your budget into percentages to cover each spending category, such as flowers (6%), decorations (4%), and wedding planner (3%).
Most couples budget $20,000 to $40,000 for their wedding, with the majority inviting 100 to 200 guests. Some 28% of couples optimize credit cards and perks to pay for their wedding. The top elements couples are willing to splurge on include the photographer, venue, open bar, catering, and attire.
Include essential wedding expenses in your budget, such as venue, catering, decor, photography, music, attire, and wedding bands. Remember to include your wedding bands as they symbolize your love and commitment to each other.
The average wedding in Canada costs just over $29,000, according to the 2019 Global Wedding Report. To create a detailed wedding budget, consider your financial resources, including personal savings, contributions from family members, and starting a dedicated wedding fund. Track your wedding-related spending and consider factors like venue, catering, celebrant, photographer, videographer, wedding dress and suits, beauty, and more.
📹 10 Things I am Doing To Save Money on My Wedding | Budget Bride
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How do I make a wedding budget checklist?
Wedding budget percentages: Venue and Catering: 40% for photography and videography. 15% for attire and beauty. 5% of your budget. Music/Entertainment: 10% of your budget. Flowers: 10% of your budget. Are you getting married and wondering how to budget for a wedding? Or you’ve realized weddings cost money and can be expensive! Oh my! We know! Planning a wedding can be overwhelming. There are many details to consider, such as flowers, guests, wedding party gifts, RSVP cards, music, decorations, makeup, hair, the wedding dress, food, transportation, the photographer, videographer, the celebrant, centerpieces, the venue, wedding rings, and the honeymoon. A wedding budget checklist is essential. Creating a realistic wedding budget is essential too. This article will help you make decisions and plan a beautiful wedding. We can help you budget for your wedding. Our checklist includes tips on setting an overall budget, tracking spending, and preparing for any surprises. Read on to learn how to create a wedding budget checklist to keep you accountable and start planning your special day! This checklist will help you stay on track and budget for your wedding.
Are you new to this? Read our guide to wedding planning tools to help you choose apps and books.
What is the biggest wedding expense?
A reception venue is often the biggest wedding expense. Couples spending on venues in 2023 spent about a quarter of their budget on venues, or about $7,000. Venue prices vary by location. Dresti says Bay Area venues are expensive. Couples usually spend about $25,000 on the venue. You can save money by choosing a less popular time to hold your wedding. Consider having it outside of wedding season or on a weekday or Sunday, which are cheaper than Saturday nights. If you don’t have to compete with other couples for popular dates, you can negotiate a better deal. Many venues have minimum guest numbers, so the price may rise if you pay per head. The second-biggest wedding expense is food and drink. Zola found that couples spend about 18% of their wedding budget on catering. For an average 2023 wedding, that comes to about $5,220. If your venue doesn’t provide event rentals, such as tables, chairs, linens, silverware, glasses, etc., the caterer cost could be higher. Sometimes you have to hire a rental company and pay about 5% of your budget.
How much money do the groom’s parents give?
The parents of the groom are expected to contribute to eight aspects of wedding preparations. They have a lot to do. In the past, the groom’s parents only hosted the rehearsal dinner and led him down the aisle. Now, they do much more. A recent poll found that grooms’ parents pay up to 24% of wedding costs. The groom’s parents have many wedding planning responsibilities. Here’s what the groom’s parents pay for.
1. The rings. The groom often buys the bride an engagement ring, but the brides parents sometimes pay for both. The groom’s parents sometimes pay for the ring or rings to help the newlyweds.
2. Rehearsal. The groom’s parents pay for the rehearsal dinner because they’re excited about the wedding. The rehearsal dinner preparations include choosing a place, making a guest list, deciding on a meal, and sending invitations. Speeches should be planned with the parents of the bride and groom.
Who usually pays for the wedding?
In the past, the bride’s family paid for weddings. Now, more couples are paying for at least half of the wedding themselves. Planning early and having a budget can help avoid confusion about who pays for what. Opening a joint account for wedding funds can be a good idea. Different cultures and family traditions affect who pays for weddings. Customs vary from couple to couple. In the United States, it’s usually the bride’s family who pays for weddings. The tradition of the bride’s family paying for weddings comes from the tradition of dowries. This ancient custom from the Roman Empire was a way for the bride’s family to help pay for her living expenses. The tradition of the bride’s family paying for the wedding came from the tradition of a dowry, where the bride’s family gave money or property to the groom’s family when they got married.
What is the most expensive part of a wedding?
Most expensive wedding features. The cost of a wedding depends on the ceremony and reception. The average wedding cost in 2020 was $20,300, but this can go up if the wedding is more extravagant. The most expensive parts of most weddings are the reception venue and food and alcohol. 1. Reception venue. The reception venue is not a single, large cost. It is a series of above-average expenses that add up quickly, especially if the bridal party gets a package deal from their venue. Renting a venue, catering the event, and providing other necessities make this the most expensive feature of weddings. Wedding reception venues often cost:
Venue rental: This is often one of the priciest parts of a wedding reception. Venues cost about $9,261, which is one of the most expensive parts of weddings. Couples have to rent tables, chairs, and other furniture to fill out a venue hall, which increases the cost. Catered food and drink: Catering is one of the most expensive parts of a wedding. If the venue requires the couple to hire their own caterer, it will cost them more. A wedding of 66 guests costs $4,075 on average, or $62 per plate. As wedding sizes return to normal, food costs will rise. Food costs will likely rise for more extravagant weddings. Hosts can save on venue costs by offering a cash bar instead of an open bar.
What does the groom pay for at the wedding?
The brides parents hosted the engagement party, while some bridesmaids paid for the bridal shower. (Or anyone, not just the couple.) The groom’s family paid for the rehearsal dinner, honeymoon, wedding day transportation, and officiant. The groom paid for the bride’s engagement ring, wedding ring, and gifts for the groomsmen. The groom’s family often pays for the reception alcohol. But remember this from Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette Guide: “Traditions make weddings special, so a spending plan should help these traditions, not be a burden.”
The groom’s wedding ring; bridesmaids’ lunch or party; accommodations for the bridal party (if a bridesmaid is coming from out of town); wedding party gifts; invitations and announcements; wedding gown and accessories; floral arrangements and corsages; ceremony arrangements; reception party and vendors, like food; transportation; wedding photographer/videographer.
How much does the average Canadian wedding cost?
About $29,000. Key takeaways: In 2019, the average Canadian wedding cost about $29,000. Your wedding costs depend on your situation, culture, and preferences.
Average wedding cost. The 2019 Global Wedding Report says the average Canadian wedding costs just over $29,000. However, some weddings cost much less or much more. How much should you spend on your wedding? Your wedding budget depends on your finances, culture, and preferences.
How to split wedding costs?
Here are a few ways to pay for a wedding. Each person can contribute a set amount. One wedding consultant says it’s important for both sets of parents to let the couple know how much they’re willing to contribute. The different parties can offer to pay for certain aspects of the celebration. The brides and grooms’ parents can split the costs. Alternatively, each set of parents and the couple can each pay one-third of the cost. Finally, it’s increasingly common for the bride and groom to pay for the whole wedding themselves.
Special Note to Parents of the Bride: Don’t keep money secrets. As the parents of the bride, you should talk with the couple about how much you can afford to spend on the wedding. You can help by starting the budget conversation, even if you’re only contributing a little or nothing. Discuss this with your family, but the groom should talk to his parents about them contributing to the wedding costs.
How do you plan a $5 K wedding?
Even if your budget is more than $5,000, you can benefit from some of their strategies. Keep it small. Choose one venue. … Avoid wedding times. … Cut down on the alcohol. Make your own invitations. … Look beyond the bridal shop. Skip the florist. … Don’t ignore the dollar store. A wedding is special, but it can also be expensive. The average cost in the U.S. is $31,213, according to TheKnot’s latest study. That doesn’t include the honeymoon. Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. Be a smarter investor. Sign up for Kiplinger’s free e-newsletters. Get expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance, and more via email.
What is the basic budget for a wedding?
Budget at least $100 per guest. If you’re on a budget, invite fewer people and have a smaller wedding. You’re planning your wedding and making a list of all the things you need to do and people you need to hire. You and your fiancé probably can’t wait to start wedding planning. Before you choose between buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache, you’ll have to decide on your budget. Figure out your wedding budget first. Your budget will affect every decision you and your fiancé make, from the venue to favors. Once you know your budget, you’ll need to decide who pays for what.
How much should bride’s parents pay for a wedding?
If you don’t want to be responsible for the whole wedding, you can use statistics to back you up. Here’s how it breaks down. On average, the brides parents spend 44% of the budget, the couple 43%, and the grooms parents 12%.
📹 21 Wedding BUDGET SAVING Tips
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Let me say, as an older woman, I absolutely love your common sense wedding plans. More people should be following it and make it custom. Might I suggest putting some throw away cameras on the tables and asking your guest to take random pics for you and putting them in a drop box left at the wedding table before they leave. That way you can get them developed and have memories from your guests point of view. As we all know, the Bride and Groom are extremely busy on their special day and don’t have the time. Looking forward to more articles. Even part 2 – 3 etc. ❤❤
former bride + current part time wedding planner here now, just here to share my thoughts: 1) definitely do the article invite! I spend 100’s of dollars and wish I had done a article invite instead. You could always order a FEW paper invites for people who might like that if you want to 2) if you’re doing the taco truck ask what the cost would be to hire an employee to pass trays of food around. ONLY con about food trucks is lines, if you’re not worried about that due to your guest count then ignore this lol but just something to think about. 3) bud vases are amazing! we did these for our wedding and they looked gorgeous and so minimal and there was actually room for food on the tables. 4) I LOVE THE SURFBOARD IDEA!!! so freaking cute and unique to you and Jordy. 5) for bridesmaids flowers you could do a single white rose or flower. In my experience giving bridesmaids something to hold makes your pictures look more finished. Otherwise they don’t know what to do with their hands when standing next to you. SO EXCITED FOR YOU AND JORDY AND TO FOLLOW ALONG!!!!
I recently saw where people are going to Aldi to buy wine for their wedding. $3.99 to $5 a bottle and then put their own label over the regular wine label. Someone even said she peeled the labels and then put her own personalized labels on the bottles. I think it’s a great idea. I like the idea of food spread out throughout the evening but think the overall cost will add up to the regular catering cost overall. Flowers are not needed for bridesmaids, definitely a great way to cut costs. As someone in their late 50s, I appreciate the idea of no invitations. Sounds like you have a lot of great ideas, I’m not surprised, do what makes you and Jordy happy because that’s what it’s all about.
Michel, Your ideas are customized, creative & adorable! Sweet Girl, I hope you don’t feel like you have to keep explaining that this is “round two.” This is “Round One and Only” for you and Jordie, and therefore, this celebration is unique and special and one-of-a-kind! As such, enjoy yourselves to the full!
I love the surfboard idea, fun decor, but also meaningful for Jordy. A relative of mine created a print of a tree and had little stamps, so all the guests stamped a fingerprint as the ‘leaves’, which I thought was so cute and fun and different. The one drawback is you literally cannot tell you ‘signed’ and who didn’t 😅
Great budget tips! When my daughter got married, I made the black and white table runners and she had beautiful pots of green hydrangeas. Also instead of wedding cake, she had a cheesecake bar! When my son got married, we rented a house on a lake in Massachusetts with a large yard. Several family members stayed there for the week and we held the rehearsal dinner there. We catered a lobster boil! So much fun!
This may be your second wedding, but I think it’s your redemption wedding/marriage. I wouldn’t let people pressure you into not posting wedding content (if you desire to) simply because you get to have a second party. You are worthy of the celebration. People who have second weddings have endured something terrible, loss of a spouse or infidelity, things I don’t wish on anyone. This is no less special than if it were your first. In fact, this is more special because it will be your last. 😊 Blessings 🤍 to you Michel & Jordy
A someone of the “older generation” I think all your ideas sound fabulous! Your ways of cutting costs have all become much more you and Jordy oriented instead of all the traditional stuff that people are used to (and frankly bored of). I think your whole wedding weekend is shaping up to be fantastic.
Not even a specific suggestion for Michel but in general I love giving this idea- the BEST “favor” I have ever gotten at a wedding was a professional quality portrait of my husband and I all dressed up. The couple had a photographer with an assistant already, so they worked it out with them that the assistant would spend an hour or so by a nice looking background just letting people line up for quick photos. They were printing them out there, but it would also be nice to send around via email after the fact. Something that everyone actually wants and no waste!
I was not here for round one of wedding things so I will not be annoyed, and I’d rather watch the full round 2 of you with Jordie. You can be as excited as you want, this a joyous time and I think many of us want to celebrate with you. You deserve to celebrate this wedding to the fullest extent of your heart
You’re starting a new chapter in your life and you deserve to enjoy every minute of it. Try not to bring up your other marriage, there’s really no need for it. This is a new path you’re embarking with Jordy and the viewers that care, only care about you and Jordy having a good life together. Enjoy the wedding prep and don’t put yourself down because it’s your second go at marriage. Be confident and beautiful!
Some great ideas, Michel. I am a Grammie of 14. Two of my grandchildren used evites for their weddings. It was fabulous, easy to respond, the maps to church and reception were GPS attached which was very helpful. Also, the day of weddings we weren’t looking for the paper invites, everything was on my phone!
I remember going to weddings where they’re at the person’s house and the entire house is an event- one room is for salads, seafood, another for cheese board, another for meats, another for dessert, waiters passing drinks around etc etc. lots of fun!! The concepts are similar in that having stations are better for mingling.
We did e-vites and it was really awesome! It also makes RSVP so easy because you can just have the link or a response right there. Also when it comes to thank you notes, we decided if the invites were e-vites then it was more then reasonable to make the thank you notes as emails. And we included a drop box link in the thank you note to ask people to give us any photos they took. So excited for your wedding!
Regarding the virtual invites. I got married this year and we did the same thing – but elderly guests asked for written ones so they wouldn’t forget, which I can understand. So might be worth making a few just incase? Easily done by yourself on Word document or something. Then if they ask for one, or you think they might need one, then you can just printed quick one and send it out.
I did the florals the same way you described! Bud vases with 1-2 stems in each. We ordered from Costco (yes, they do florals!) and while the selection isn’t as wide as a florist would be, we literally saved hundreds. We got roses, baby’s breath, eucalyptus, and one other I forget. It was SO affordable!! And they shipped to us in perfect shape. Love seeing your wedding content! ❤️
I have 3 daughters. We did our own flowers for all of them and it’s one of our favorite memories. My oldest daughter got married Oct 8, 2011…no planes were bringing flowers in.. We asked all of our neighbors to put off pruning etc so we could use the greenery for bouquets. The DAY before her wedding, the floral department from Sam’s called me to tell me they expected their first shipment of roses. We were able to get 3 dozen of them and we put together her bouquets from ligustrum leaves, berries and those reddish brown roses. They were gorgeous, very “Fallish” We did pumpkins for table decor. I LOVE the bud vase idea. Check out Trader Joe’s flowers for your vases, trim the ends, pop them in your vases…it will take minutes. Tell your guests to take a vase &flower home if you don’t want to keep them all. I love all your ideas!
I think all of your ideas are wonderful. My Goddaughter got married in Mexico and we had her wedding reception on Cinco de Mayo at our home. We have acreage and we rented a large tent and batched a few different margaritas, beer and wine. Her fathers band played and we had a dance floor. I even put out washer sets and the guys absolutely loved playing washers. You need to do you and enjoy your day.
I’m loving your wedding articles! My son broke my heart & eloped, can’t really blame him, but darn! So thanks for sharing! I don’t believe in spending big bucks on a wedding, you & Jordy will have a beautiful day filled with so much Love & support! You’re absolutely not cheap! You are SMART!🥰 You mentioned activity, I’ve seen cornhole or the beanbag toss set up at weddings. You can get them custom made to make them look cute or maybe your Dad would enjoy making a set for you as his special touch on your wedding day after party😍 Just a thought! Enjoy the process☺️
Love all of these ideas! Before having my son I was a photographer assistant and wedding planner for over 5 years so these ideas make me so excited as they are fun and YOU! My husband and I did donuts on the wooden rods for our wedding and it was a huge hit! 4 years later and people still talk about it. I recommend getting little boxes for people to take the donuts home with them as well. But if you do this, put the boxes out later so people don’t take a dozen home with them at the start of the night. My aunt did this 🤦🏼♀️🤣
Love all these ideas! They’re so intentional. I think they’ll really add to the wedding and make the whole experience more personal/unique (and not be anything anyone would even notice was an area you’re saving $). I’ve been a bridesmaid in a few weddings where the bride wanted to save on florals, so she just got a few bunches of flowers from Trader Joe’s and we made bouquets. It was such a fun activity and I think they turned out shockingly well.
My bestie did fake flowers for her and the bridesmades bouquets, mine is still used as decoration in a vase that my dad made. Her flowers for the church came from family gardens(perk of June wedding). Her aunts made all the desserts they made their signature one and they had a small cake. We didn’t do a formal rehearsal dinner just bbq in the backyard. My cousin did index cards where people wrote advice or a fun drawing and they attached it to a metal tree as the leaves.
Hi Michel! I got engaged just after Christmas and am only slowly getting into wedding planning. Hearing how quickly you and Jordy set your date gave me the boot up to get moving 😅 so your wedding content is super relevant for me! We want to have a cocktail truck, a projector too (showing childhood and funny pics of us in the background) and a big dessert table 🙂 that’s pretty much how far we got so far haha well apart from the – I want lots of flowers and lights everywhere haha! I am taking notes while you’re sharing your ideas! Congrats from a fellow bride to be xx
We had flower buds like you showed in the inspiration photos and to me it was so much more current (not a bit old-timey like the big bouquets), whimsical and beautiful! Furthermore, me and my husband both don’t drink any alcohol and are vegetarians, so the dinner was veg and although there was a bar in the venue, we asked for it to be closed. It might have been weird for some people, but it is literally our choice and people can eat/drink differently than they’re used to for one night. Also, I’m from Europe and a lot of things that you mentioned, like bridesmaids holding flowers, seem to be an American thing, I guess. Never even heard of it before and def no one missed it in our wedding. I think a wedding is such a personal thing that no one is or should be allowed to say anything or pressure you to do something. It’s literally a celebration of the relationship of you two and you get to decide how you want to do it.
I also did bud vases! On top of that, I looooove the look of dried flowers. And I spent less than $200 total using dried florals (including bouquets and boutonnières). I got to hand the bud vase flowers to friends when they came over in the months after our wedding, and it’s so fun to see those lil vases in their homes!
I like the bridesmaids gift idea since they will be likely to wear the shirt multiple times instead of just for photos. I also love all the food and drink ideas. Plus I never thought about renting an air bnb to double as a rehearsal dinner venue and a place for you/bridesmaids to stay. What an awesome way to save money since it will be used for multiple purposes.
It all sounds Great! Idea: I went to a wedding where they had 13 Bridesmaids! AWWW A lot of flowers so…..Each bridesmaid had a beautiful LONG piece of thick ribbon. It was tied in a bow around her wrist.. It also had a small loop under her wrist that she could hold as they walked down the isle. It was a pop of color and also gave them something to do with their hands
Just a fun suggestion for your bud vase idea. You love thrifting. So since your keeping the numbers low. It maybe and idea to thrift bud vase options. I know most folks keep things very matching. However your clever so I bet you could do a few thrift trips for these between Cali & Tx. Or you could make some at the pottery places you enjoy. Since I have been around since the planning and diy of your first wedding. This wedding will be so much more enjoyable for you. Fyi: Remember to do the group photos with your guests. You previously was so exhausted from trying to visit everyone and do pictures. So much love and well wishes to you .
For florals, I used all fake flowers due to allergies, cost, and resusability. I bought them all on sale at craft stores (was a bit picky so they didn’t look plastic), but now I use them all around my house as decor and a subtle reminder of our special day! I also used my bouquet as the center piece for the sweet heart table.
Several things you’ve mentioned here are very much like my brother’s wedding in Germany, which was THE BEST WEDDING I’ve ever been to!! Having multiple food moments throughout the night, so fun! Self-serve on drinks, spot on. Your wedding is to make you and Jordy happy and that’s what matters most and I know this will be an experience you treasure!
I love your ideas. Both of my sons have married in the past 2 years. Tacos and donuts were a huge hit with the guests. Bouquet ideas; have each bridesmaid carry ONE flower that matches your bouquet. Simple, sweet and inexpensive. Both sons/wives opted for a simple rehearsal dinner. Outdoors, fun and relaxing. Your ideas are fantastic and budget friendly. Congratulations 🎉
Oh maybe consider for the bridemaids to hold a single stem rose I saw this at a wedding once and it was so elegant…no ribbons, nothing but the rose stem…it gave them something to do with their hands, looked so elegant and matched the flowers in the bride’s bouquet…you could do any flower that way and it would be beautiful. I think you can buy single roses at some flower marts…after the ceremony they were placed along the table in front of the bride and groom sort of criss crossed to make a pretty little accent.
I loved all these ideas! It feels more personal! I loved the flower idea and the projector idea along with the surfboard! Some of the best weddings I’ve been to were the ones that were the simplest. One thing that can add a fun touch to your rehearsal dinner is colorful pillows! Big, small, all the sizes and colors! I know someone who did this and it looked so good and added a functional touch for those who might want to sit on the ground or need an extra bit of support. I think you are on the right track!
My best friend’s wedding reception was a year and a half after her mid-lockdown elopement. By then, some things weren’t as important to her… and one thing I LOVED that she did was being present for all of her big day. They did a first look at the house where we all got ready (her party upstairs, his party downstairs) and the whole wedding party and their dates pitched in to stay at that house so we were all there all day and after the wedding. They had family arrive to the venue a bit early and did all the grandparent/wedding party/sibling etc. photos before most of the guests arrived and then they got to go to all of the wedding rather than stepping away for 45 minutes to take photos! Not a budget tip per se, but definitely a timing tip that worked really well for them and I’ll definitely do for my future wedding!
For my son’s girlfriend, I made her corsage with foam white roses i ordered from amazon. It came out beautiful. I was so afraid it would look fake and cheap cuz I had never used foam flowers, but they looked so real and it was unexpensive. She and her friends thought they were real roses, till the end of the night when my son told her they weren’t, so she was able to keep her corsage. Her friends told her if they had known, they would’ve asked me to make theirs as well because it looked really pretty. The leaves I used to do the rest of the corsage were real though, i plucked them from my yard 😅
Another free/cheap decor idea (if your fam has a history of happy marriages): we displayed the wedding photos from both of our grandparents’ and parents’ weddings on a table in golden frames, surrounded by candles and greenery 🙂 Otherwise, one of the few things we DID splurge on was to hire a local decorator. It was SO WORTH IT. The day before the wedding, I got to enjoy friends/family – not spend every minute setting up tables, tablecloths, doing florals, stringing lights, etc. Also, the day after the wedding, she took everything down and tidied the space so I could travel off to my semi-local honeymoon! 🙂 And it actually ended up being cheaper to rent decor/linens than to buy them ourselves and then have to deal with re-selling them!! I would say splurge on 1) things that will make your life easier/big day more seamless and less stressful and 2) the photographer, since those are the only lasting memories you will have from the day. 🙂
You are one smart cookie to rent an AirB-N-B to host your rehearsal dinner, etc. — who wants to sit in a “stuffy/noisy/expensive” restaurant when you can have “your own venue” — that’s win-win!!!! The more I watch this article the more I love your ideas! You should be a wedding/event planner because you are so creative & good at what you do — just saying . . . .
Potential idea: maybe have a little activity with your bridesmaids after the rehearsal dinner where you all DIY your bouquets. You could get a bunch of (relatively) inexpensive flowers from Trader Joes and assemble a few little bouquets together, that could potentially be repurposed as decor. I think it would be a cute and fun experience for everyone too!
Yes part 2!! I did bud vases for my wedding and it was great! We just did the vases, cheesecloth winding between them, and candlesticks – looked so cute and wayyy cheaper. You could consider having the bridesmaids hold one flower with a big head like a white tulip or rose or something? It could look pretty but still give them something to do with their hands. Also- I would look into return policies for alcohol, we saved so much money returning alcohol, we just did beer and wine and ended up spending about $600 for 75 people, we returned over $300 worth. We had to get a permit through the city that allowed it but it was worth it for us. We ended up hiring one bartender just to feel good about pouring amounts and people driving after, it was $200 and we enjoyed that. They also kept it so like one bottle of chardonnay open at a time, etc, so we saved money by streamlining alcohol so there weren’t half empty bottles lying everywhere!
Lots of fun ideas!! Some things you prob have figured out… my BFF did a grilled cheese food truck for her wedding and it was amazing! It did take them longer than anticipated to get up and running and the generator was louder than anticipate too. She parked the truck close to where we were eating but hindsight might have parked it a little further away so nobody had to yell over the generator. It was seriously the best and way better than our catered food! My mom and I did my flowers, it saved us sooo much money! We ordered them to come 48 hours ahead of the big day so all the flowers would be opened… good thing because they sent us the wrong color so it gave us time to get everything in order. We also stocked up on a bunch of Home Depot buckets for easy transport!
Michel!! I LOVE THIS vibe! I love this BOSS BABE attitude! It is your wedding and your true fans appreciate you sharing anything of the wedding details. One thing I can’t stand when I watch YouTube articles is the apology article like this is your life that you are sharing with us. We do not have a right to tell you what to do. So you go girl by setting us straight right off the bat in the beginning of the article 😂😂😂 It’s your way or the highway babe 😂😂
I would love a Part 2! This all makes my heart happy! I don’t know if you’ll see this but I have a suggestion, for the bridesmaid’s flowers since you’re having single stems in vases on the tables, each bridesmaid could carry a single stem and then add it into a vase on the tables. It would symbolize how each person is a part of the big day. Also never underestimate flowers at a local grocery store, sometimes they’re the best and have the best price. Another friend of mine asked her neighbors who had beautiful hydrangea bushes if they would donate some of their flowers and the neighbors were happy to do it. Love all your personalized ideas. As a 13 time bridesmaid, my favorite weddings were the ones that really reflected the couple and who they are (all the weddings were beautiful though).
It’s always a joy to see you on YouTube 🦋 You really put so much time in creating such meaningful content & it never goes unnoticed 🤩 Your impact is everlasting, truly! Michel, thank you so much for being a bright light in this world. It’s so amazing how you have the ability to spread joy, positivity and love 🤍 #1fan
What great ideas. I love that you’re getting what you want and doing things that mean something to both of you instead of going along with tradition just because it’s tradition. The fact that you’re saving money while doing it this way is so amazing. Keep the wedding content coming. I’m 55 and been married for 12 years but I enjoy seeing what’s going on with your wedding planning.
Love all these ideas Michel!! You are so creative and I think your wedding is going to be absolutely amazing. I am here for any wedding content you want to share but I also understand if you want to keep things more private. If you want to share more I would love to hear how you plan to do your hair, makeup, nails! ❤
Your wedding is going to be so fun and special to the two of you! My husband and I got married in 2017 and I still look back on it as the perfect wedding for us (even though some of it was very “2017”) but we loved every second of it and don’t regret a thing. Just do whatever makes you happiest! I love all of the ideas you’re planning 💗 We had a fire pit, s’mores and pizza after our reception so everyone could keep hanging out and it was one of my favorite parts of the night!
What creative ideas you have. You should do you just the way you want to! That way you enjoy the day too. So many times I feel like weddings become about the guests experiences and not your own. It’s one of the main reasons I always think simple is better. Wishing you a Wedding that works just the way you want it too!
Your ideas are very refreshing and creative! Love that you’re choosing to be budget minded and just as beautiful. The people you invite will be there because they love you and Jordy which is the most important thing!! When my girls got married we offered them a small amount of “Wedding Money” but Gave them a large amount of money for their down payment on their first home along with paying for updates and our help in painting etc etc… They have both been married 8 years now and I recently asked them if they wished they had spent more money on the wedding….both said NO!!!! You go girl!!!!
Another Guest Book Idea I saw something really pretty. It’s a tree outline and there’s a thick frame and slats around the top everyone writes there name on a wooden heart and drops it’s into one of the holes, it looks cute and can be displayed. Another one I have seen is my anutie got a Polaroid camera and everyone took a photo and put it in the book, I thought that worked really well. I think the surfboard is a cool idea. With Flowers you could buy fake flowers and make bouquets really easily. You can get ones that look realistic. Have lots of floral reed diffusers to give off a scent.
I am just about to start the planning now, I love your article ramdonly came across it!! You have a beautiful vibe keep sharing it to the world xx thank you for all the tips I wrote down so many of them. Fav: the surfboard!! We go longboarding all the time, what a beautiful idea !! From your new sub in New Zealand 🙂
Surfboard sounds like such a cool idea. I did an atlas and got everyone to sign where they think we should travel. Now it sits as a coffee table book and I’m very happy with the choice. I know you’ll feel the same about the surfboard Obviously make content that makes you happy but I do love wedding planing articles. I know when I was planing I was trying ti find budget breakdown articles because I didn’t want to spend the a silly amount and it was good to see what people were spending. So if you feel comfortable sharing the budget I know that would of helped me massively.
Things we did – our own food (mixture of salads and meat on bbq smoker), bought/provided our own booze, hired an Airbnb that was both accommodation for the bridal party and close family venue for the wedding as well as reception and pre and post mini events, family friend was our celebrant, own music, mother in law made the fruit cake and cupcakes, v budget honeymoon. Splurged on my dress, flowers, and photographer which were all worth it imo 🙂 All up even with all those things still cost ~10k for 50 guests
Loved this article and would love any other wedding articles that you feel up up creating! Just because this is your second wedding doesn’t mean it’s any less important, heck it’s even more important as this sweet sweet man you are about to marry is celebrating for the first time! As such, I’m sure you both would love to look back on these wedding planning articles when y’all are celebrating 50 years of marriage ❤ so at the end of the day all of this wedding content should be about celebrating your upcoming marriage and wedding and if making these articles help you to celebrate this marriage, yourself, and your future husband, I say go for it as I’m sure all of the rest of us will be happy to support you both and celebrate in this marriage with you guys!! Much love 💕
Love, love!!! All of your ideas! Just one comment… don’t mention anymore that this is your second time getting married. If we have been perusal you for any amount of time…. We already know. You and Jordy deserve to do nothing else but focus on whatever you want too! This is your wedding with a man that is amazing as are you! Please do a part 2! Everyone who loves to watch you will want it all!!
My brother in law just did several of the things that you are planning: wedding venue was an AirB&B, they did digital invitations, and had an afterparty with a s’mores bar! Side note: the wedding was small, romantic, and awesome! Everyone felt like they had a chance to actually be with the couple more intimately. I can’t wait to hear more about your plans – so fun!
I LOVE all your ideas!! So fun 🥰 I just got married in July and used potted plants as flower arrangements in some places (e.g welcome sign/ or potted Orchids on the bar). I loved that I didn’t have so many “single-use” flowers and could plant them in my garden or use them as decoration in my house later. Also a really cute reminder everytime you see those flowers and they grow just like your marriage :)! We used the bridesmaid bouquets on the gift table and guest book table!
Filing all these ideas away for whenever I get married! When one of my friends got married she had a coffee bar and I love that idea instead of a regular wet bar. I think a food truck makes so much sense. Less to clean up after. Also I love the idea of your guestbook being the back of a surfboard. A lot of practical, fun, and personal ideas here. Thanks for sharing!
Super cute idea with the board! Also, a sweet thing would be a 5-15 second clip as your guests come in during the cocktail hour gives them an activity while you take a few wedding photos post ceremony and a lovely keepsake. More people are comfortable speaking vs coming up with something to write. Also, I’m sure someone will think of this, but design your PDF as a magazine and have it printed as a keepsake. You can add in photos from the wedding post wedding also and make a sort of digital scrapbook, then have it printed as a book full of memories and photos. Congratulations!!!
I love these ideas! I just went to a wedding where they only had beer, wine, and seltzers. Another friend is just planning on having beer, wine, and canned cocktails, like cutwaters. Having only canned/ premade alcohol might good option to look into for the after party, especially if you don’t want to be bothered mixing big batches of cocktails. You can get a ton of that at Costco or Sam’s club as well!
Hello Michel. My husband and I love perusal you grow and develop on your website. We are 53 year old Australians and wake up every morning you have a post and watch it together with our coffee in hand. We would like to say that you may not realise but you do refer to your previous marriage/wedding a bit. I think it is because as you have said before it is a bit of a disclaimer. We feel that you should not feel guilty or have to even mention the last time on every real you do. I was engaged once before I married 23 years ago and know how that feels. You are in a new phase and need to be cleansed of the past by not talking about it as often. Just a thought from Aus.
Part two please! And please stop hesitating to share because this is your second wedding. If it helps, try comparing your subscriber count then and now. There are a LOT of us that weren’t around back then. And because things turned out the way they did, I’m guessing most of us haven’t gone back to watch those articles. So THIS is our first time perusal you plan, and we’d LOVE to see as much as you are comfortable sharing. 😊👍❤️
I’m hearing you mention that this is your second wedding as if you are less entitled to your bridal moments. I just wanted to remind you that THIS is your forever wedding and it’s OK to have what feels right for you and Jordy, not what fits into others expectations of a second marriage wedding. ❤ Big hug.
I know you keep saying it’s round two. But round one truly was a foul ball or a strike or some other sportsy metaphor. This is the first round where it’s right and that’s awesome. We all want to be excited with you and just like we go along on your daily shops to Whole Foods, or to get Max to the groomer we would love to go with you on your normal daily life of wedding planning. That is all.
I like your ideas! ❤ It’s interesting to see what is considered a budget to some people. We all have different budgets. And some of us “me 😂” are super frugal. We did my daughter’s wedding and it was gorgeous and fantastic and we spent just about $1000 and we had 200 guess! Her dress she bought brand new for $100 from a girl who decided she didn’t want the dress anymore but couldn’t return it. We did a Chipotle style dinner bar with servers. We cooked all the food ourselves,flowers for from Costco and re-made into bouquets. We did luck out on the venue as it was our church so we didn’t have to pay for it. We did all the decorations ourselves. We were able to use the tables and chairs at the church building. For a lot of the decorations we would use the 40% off coupon for Michaels and Joannes and every week we would all go buy how many other things we could buy with the 40% off coupon so it made it really cost effective Also we had two cakes, a bride cake and a grooms cake, but my best friend made them. She is an amazing cake maker, and she basically spent less than $100 for everything. My son-in-law’s friend was the DJ and did not charge us. We also had a photo booth and a dessert bar. My daughters engagement photo dress was from Nordstrom but it was on clearance for $80 down from 300. I just thought I would share some of these tips for other young ladies, who are looking to do a wedding on a budget.
Cheap food ideas…. we did a local BBQ buffet-style, and it came to about $12 a person. For cutting cake, we got two round sizes of white grocery store cake and stacked them, topped with fake flowers ($30 total for cake, maybe $12 for fake flowers). All my aunts/mom/sister went in on making dozens of cookies for the reception in the month before the wedding and froze them. The day of, we just set them out on platters around the cake and they thawed in time for the reception (free/gifted, and tasted totally normal, despite being frozen). For drinks, we just offered beer and wine (helped lessen the expense and controlled how wasted everyone got, lol). For beer, we got a local taphouse to provide a beer cart with several kegs, and for wine, we stocked up on boxed wine from local liquor stores (gave us a discount because we bought in bulk). We made a drink station outside and there were no bartender expenses because everyone could just pour their own drinks! Hope these tips help someone out! 🙂
Great ideas and fun to see your process. I little suggestion for your cake diy from a cake maker- if you’ve got a chance to do a test run, for a friends birthday or an event, try it out beforehand. It’ll make the process easier on the day. It’ll highlight any snags you might face on the day and you’ll know exactly what tools etc you’ll need. Obviously change up colour schemes or whatever, it’ll give you a sneak peek also at the florals u intend to use too 👍
for our wedding last year we set up a Google Photo album and had QR codes all around the venue/on tables/announced it at dinner for our guests to take photos of the wedding. It was free, we were able to see photos that night after the wedding instead of waiting weeks for the pro photos, and were able to capture so many unique photos that the photographer would have never taken. It was great addition to our pro photos and FREE
Instead of a guest book, I made up postcard sized cards for them to put their name and contact info and a space to write something. I later also added to the back what they got us. They were handy for obvious reasons but also just a great reminder for later. You can then package them any way you wish like a scrapbook, a box, or just band them together, whatever. Plus no one had to stand in line to sign their name. They can be hand be handed out and taken up or how ever you want to do it, including being a placecard or whatever
Whatever you do with your signatures, take pictures of them for a scrapbook so you can look at a smaller, closer shot anytime without having to bring down a surfboard or whatever. You can even group them together like pages in a yearbook. Perhaps when you get photos back, put their signature with a picture of them. This would be a digital edit after the party of course.
Another thing to consider with the alcohol portion, which I’ve been to a wedding that did this and it worked really well so I thought I’d mention it. Wine, beer and hard seltzer only they had massive coolers with one cold wine and champagne bottles, one with import beer, one with domestic, and one with hard seltzer. Then about 20 bottles of various reds. They went to a Sam’s club and they got the coolers for free for 24 hours for buying everything there and they got wine and champagne glasses (high end plastic) free.
You’re SO creative! I love all these ideas, especially the surfboard keepsake. I still have the t-shirt from my 1982 honeymoon. A wearable gift is the best!! We paid for our wedding ouselves (my 2nd, his 1st) and rented a small group of cottages and a main house in Carmel, California; had BBQ for rehearsal dinner at the on site dining hall and ceremony next day. We also had pastries for dessert (I don’t like cake but had a small one for the cake cutting and photos) and everyone loved that they had a choice of dessert. You’re making some very smart decisions! Good for you… Yes to a part 2, please.
Love your ideas and love that you’re making it your own. FYI you can order your flowers at the farmers market and you’ll spend like $300 of bouquets flowers for the tables, the boutonniers. That’s what we do for our weddings. We use the old town Temecula Farmers market and there’s a guy there that’s an awesome florist. 🥰
I love the taco truck idea!! everyone loves tacos. I like how a lot of your ideas are not traditional. Maybe incorporating some vintage items you already own would give the wedding a special touch. To save also maybe also no party favors, to be honest I always end up throwing all the ones i get at weddings.
I think you’ve been so thoughtful and intentional of your audience and family during this wedding season, yet I wouldn’t feel a need to tone it down especially because this is Jordy’s first wedding and I’m sure Jordy’s family really wants to celebrate you and your love, too! I’m thinking as someone who has brother and would love to have a new sister-in-law!
I love all of your ideas!! Your cake idea is beautiful! My hubby and I ran out of the money towards the end of our planning and we only had enough money to have a wedding cake OR swim with dolphins during our honeymoon (which we both really wanted to do!). So we had brownies for our dessert instead of a cake (brownies are my hubbys favorite) & we had the most memorable memory of swimming with dolphins. 15 years later I am still so glad we made that decision! Do what works for you and what makes you and Jordy smile! PS Yes to part 2 and all the wedding content!!
I love it!!! I love your guest book idea 💡 I will say as an ex wedding photographer I used to tell my brides to put someone in charge of the guest book because no one writes in them otherwise and it’s a waste. But I love signing a 🏄♀️ I love the invite idea I think it’s very on brand to have it article and totally get the no wedding website. The rehearsal dinner option is genius! Exclusive venue without the exclusive price tag ❤
Love the Airbnb idea! I’m getting married in a couple of weeks and am doing the exact same thing! We picked an Airbnb about 5 minutes away from the venue so my parents can stay there the night of with our dog. It makes life easier for everyone, you get to use a beautiful space and you save so much money!
I did NOT want to watch your article about a wedding (been married for 53 years), buttttttt i’m so glad I did. Your ideas sound like how you guys would want the wedding to go even if you had a million $ budget. It sounds very personal, intimate and fun. The surfboard is a great idea. My daughter used a wooden bench that is at the end of their bed, so they see it everyday and it is still fun to read. (10 years for them so far) I can’t wait to hear all about it when it is all said and done!
I think your surfboard idea is great… some other ideas I’ve help brides with…. A Matt for a picture frame with people signatures and notes to go around a wedding photo that hangs in the house. Also, you can leave recipe cards out or send with your wedding pdf and have your guest send you recipes to try… collecting them in a binder to leave in the kitchen. Another thing one of my brides did was … asked each of her guest to find a postcard of their hometown (or make one) and on the back have a date night idea and their contact info. She then made a photo album contact book. She placed them all in with the pictures showing and as they did the date she turned them around to the writing side.
Michel! This is a wonderful article! I love the surfboard idea so much, and the s’mores idea is perfect- I might have to steal for someday in the future. I was at Moon Crush this weekend and spotted you! I wanted to say hello, but never worked up the nerve! I hope you had a wonderful time. You looked beautiful and Jordy played great!
All great ideas! Only thing I could add is your table vases could come from second hand stores and be all miss matched, but maybe add a ribbon to each (to unify) And those flowers could just come from the grocery store the day of. And if the bridesmaids felt they needed something in their hands, a single flower out of one of these could work. Also as your guests leave hand them a vase- instant clean up!
That sounds an absolutely wonderful . You are so creative .I am from Europe and most people do do have the type of an American wedding which costs a fortune . I went to one wedding and they did not have a guestbook but a photo of them and everyone could sign it – was cute . Can’t wait to see more of the wedding planning
Ooohhh milk bar is so delicious! We bought a plain-ish cake from a local bakery and added greenery and sugared cranberries! It turned out beautiful. Definitely the way to go. I did the same with flowers- no one else needed any and they’re so expensive! But!! For mine and my husband’s boutonnière, we had dried flowers! Not DIY because I would’ve messed it up, but professionally dried. So much cheaper and now we still have them and they don’t look like they’re meant for Halloween like all the flowers I’ve tried to dry myself.
I love these budget tips. I’m saving this article for my redemption marriage someday, God willing. The only question I have is if Marjorie has offered to make a cake for your wedding. This is more of a compliment to her talent for making beautiful cakes. Would you allow her to if she offered? Love all these ideas. You’re doing it your way. Simple yet elegant.🌺
So many great ideas! 👏🏼 I will say, from a photography perspective (former wedding photographer here), skipping bouquets for the bridesmaids is the one I would encourage you to keep thinking on. People are awkward with their hands especially in pictures. Bouquets help a lot for both the ceremony if they’re standing with you and also for bridal party photos. AND as the neutral queen you are, they’d bring such a lovely fresh element to what is sure to be a perfectly pale palette. I have to stand for the difference they make in pictures! WHAT ABOUT: bouquets of primarily (or maybe entirely) leafy or viney greens rather than blooms? Or that with just a single or low number of focal floral(s)? Just an idea! 🌿 I’m all about the wedding content so keep it coming if you ask me! I wasn’t here for the first one and just love you and Jordy together 🫶🏼🤍🌊✨
So a few friends of mine that have been married in the last couple of years have some evites for their wedding and they have always been beautiful! Why not save there, bc invites get pricey for sure! Also a friend of mine who got married in April did donuts for their wedding dessert! It was so cute and so yummy. I wish I lived closer to you bc I would offer to make you a gluten free small cake for you to eat! I made one for a friend last year who is also celiac and she loved it.
Two thoughts to share! We put out s’more stuff at my wedding and I don’t think a single person made a s’more lol usually people are pretty full by that time! Thankfully it’s cheap and easy, so low risk, but if you’re looking for something to cut for cost/time, you could safely skip that. Other thought: I didn’t want to pay for flowers either. Love the bud vase idea, but here’s another idea: We bought a pallet of pothos from the local nursery and simple white pots off Amazon and used those for centerpieces, AND we told people to take them home at the end of the night! Nothing got thrown away, it looked fantastic, and I regularly get pictures of people’s plants from our wedding. We got 6″ pothos for probably $10 a pop, maybe less, and the pots were probably $5 each. HIGHLY recommend!
For the article savings at the lighthouse, you (with a tripod or friend) could film and edit yourself and add the film and grain vibe to it in adobe premiere with the free trial. Plenty of tutorials. You could also add light leaks to the article for visual interest. You already know how to edit and it’ll save you a lot of time paying a professional (if you have the time to do it).
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE all of these ideas!!! I was married in 1993 and we paid for our wedding. (Less than $1,000) My mom made my dress, her dress and the bridesmaids dresses. We had a friend who was a chef and she did the catering and had a friend who donated an ice sculpture. My mother in law made our cake, close friends owned a flower shop and gifted the flowers (they surprised me with a haku lei crown to attach my veil). Another friend was a singer and offered to sing as her gift to us and the wedding was in my brother and sister in law’s backyard (house on a hill with a gorgeous view). We made thank you scrolls for all of the guests with tea lights. At the time, my (husband) worked at a print shop and his boss gifted the invitations. We basically paid for fabric for dresses, the champagne from Costco, wedding party gifts, license, his tux and the minister, everything else was gifted. We had our honeymoon in San Diego and went to Sea World. 💕 Do NOT let anyone “rain on your wedding” You and Jordy do what is SPECIAL and Meaningful to you!!!🎉🎉🎉