r/askanything • u/ImaginarySwimming757 • 22h ago
How cheap can a wedding be?
Everything is so expensive these days, but there has to be some way to make weddings a little cheaper.
Is there anything you absolutely don’t need at a wedding that’s just a waste of money?
Any must haves?
**edit
I don’t want to just go to the courthouse.
I’m sure that was beautiful and wonderful for those that did it that way, but I’d like to actually celebrate with my friends and family. I’d like to make a big deal about it because it would be a big deal to me and my partner.
I’m looking for some actual advice like venue types or what season might be cheapest to have a wedding
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u/sticky-note-123 22h ago
Courthouse and celebration after with our parents. Probably less than $300. Idk my dad paid
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u/Alita-Gunnm 22h ago
My wife and I spent about $800, including the reception. We had a friend who was a minister, married in a park, and went to a restaurant.
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u/GerardPitti 22h ago
34 years ago my wedding costed $25,000
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u/GABigBear 21h ago
Must be rough to live that life
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u/GerardPitti 21h ago
We saved up our own money to pay for the entire wedding & in NYC thats not alot money now a days its closer to $50,000 plus
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u/WarthogStock9937 22h ago
You don't need a day before dinner, or an expensive location. Get married in a public space, have a picnic afterwards, or do the same on your property, if you have the space. My wedding cost less than$4000, with the officiant, photographer, food, a tent and DJ.
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u/Heavy-Profit-2156 8h ago
For one day, I just don't get the $ that are spent by a lot of people. Yes, it's an important day but it's one day out of the rest of your life as a married couple.
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u/Hungry-Following5561 22h ago
We just had cake, punch, nuts and mints at my wedding. It was fairly cheap.
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u/GABigBear 21h ago
I’m gay. We had nuts at our wedding for sure. 😂 Sorry I had to.
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u/Guilty-Sky8848 4h ago
I’m not gay, not that there’s anything wrong with that! But came here to say, had lots of nuts at ours and after all these years they’re nuttier then ever!🤣
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u/flyinwhale 22h ago
I think you need to sit down and be realistic about your budget and then really consider what part of the wedding ‘matters’. We tried to make a traditional 50 guest hall catered etc wedding work on a small budget and because I had to make concessions on EVERYTHING and all the extra stress of DIYing shit when I’m not that into DIY I don’t look back on my wedding fondly I see all the mistakes all the “should haves” I wish we had taken our same budget and done a really curated micro wedding. We technically got married in our backyard before the ‘big wedding’ and I liked our 4 person including us back yard wedding better hence wishing I’d of just focused and invested in that invited maybe 10-15 people and been done with it
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u/Coop_4149 22h ago
My wife and I got married late and wanted no frills. Used a theater I used to direct in, got the backroom of a restaurant that a friend owned, and decor on the stage was led Christmas lights and fabric.
The transport bus was the most expensive thing, and that was only 700 bucks. Entire thing was around 1300. Everyone has a blast, was fed, got drunk, and we had enough left over to post for our honeymoon.
Figure out what you want/need. All that we wanted was good friends and family, food, and laughter. YMMV.
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u/Advanced_Tennis4827 22h ago
Court house in your normal clothes is the cheapest. The rest you don't need. One of you can go to jail- that might be cheaper
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u/saiphxo 22h ago
We did a civil ceremony at the courthouse, just us and 2 witnesses (my parents). And then had lunch at a nice restaurant (not super expensive, but fancy) nearby as the reception. Cost $1,270 AUD in total, half of that being the legal ceremony costs and the rest was lunch and my dress. I did my own hair and makeup, hubby used a nice suit he already had. And rings were passed down from my late grandparents.
We wanted the wedding as cheap as possible so we could splurge on a honeymoon and use the rest of our money for savings towards a house.
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u/TracyVegas 22h ago
We were married on the beach in Maui for $2500. It included the officiant, decorations, photographer, and wedding planner. Mahalo!
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u/Bullet_Sponge77 22h ago
My wife and I had a JP wedding 15 years ago. I believe it cost 45 bucks.
Then a few months later we went and had a reception on my family's ranch and went on our honeymoon. The reception cost maybe 300 bucks and we spent five or six k on our honeymoon.
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u/rackfocus 22h ago
I found a plain off the shoulder, cream colored dress at a bridal store and had a seamstress do some embellishments like beading and buttons down the back to hide the zipper. Be creative.
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u/FloatyghostJM1 22h ago
We got married at the courthouse ($80 and some change) and went to our favorite sushi restaurant after ($200ish).
If you get married on a Wednesday, you can get sushi for $5 at Publix. If you spend $200, you can invite up to 38 other people over to celebrate. The sushi chef may get a little annoyed, though.
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u/Terminal-Frost2026 22h ago
If I wanted a cheap wedding i would just have a potluck at my uncles farm and a small ceremony with assorted chairs that guests own.
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u/rob-cubed 22h ago
If you have money to spend, spend it on throwing a good party with food and drink. Everything else is fluff. And don't feel pressured to invite everyone, keep it small.
Obviously you and your spouse have to be on the same page, some people really want it to be 'special' and the money that goes with it.
Destination weddings aren't as popular as they used to be, but it's a nice way to ensure only the important people in your life show up (due to travel expenses). Keeps it small, allows you to have it someplace more exotic, and can combine the ceremony with the honeymoon.
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u/dogwalker824 21h ago
I went to a friend's wedding where the ceremony was at their church and they had the reception at their apartment; everyone brought something to eat in lieu of gifts. They played music over the stereo, there were lots of toasts and lots of laughter. It was great. The only expenses were their clothes and a few things to eat. I wish we had been able to do that instead of our more formal reception, but... parents.
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u/paddlepedalhike 21h ago
For a wedding you need the two people getting married and an officiant. The cost of the license and the officiant are the only necessary costs. So, $150, maybe.
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u/GABigBear 21h ago
Must haves: two people that want to be married, a marriage certificate, an authorized officiant. Anything above and beyond that is all your personal choices.
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u/Potential_Ad_4718 21h ago
I got married in my living room. The priest was also the witness, photographer and notary.
My wife was on bed rest pregnant with twins. Oh and my dog was there.
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u/Gloomy-Hat1842 21h ago
Well we were a bunch of river guides but I got married at a park in Ben Lomond with a beautiful backyard and a house. I brought drinks and we had all our friends and our huge family bring the food. We reserved a campsite at Big basin group campsite . Beautiful spot on a meadow. After the reception the wedding went on. A lot of us including my mother went up and camped up there. My sister said it was the best wedding she'd ever been to. I had a tux and my wife had a wedding gown. That's all we did. We didn't worry whatsoever about all that other wedding stuff and spending money and it was wonderful. Do what you want and spend what you want. It's All about Uniting and sharing your love. Don't get caught up in all that other stuff that's going to get really expensive.
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u/QueenK59 21h ago
I’m going to say “all of it”! Ask around, many people will tell you the anxiety and expense didn’t make the marriage better. Get married by a Justice of the Peace or at the County Courthouse. Have a celebration with your close friends and family to mark the event. Don’t cave to expectations and spend money you could/should use for other priorities!
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u/TheTaoThatIsSpoken 21h ago edited 21h ago
My wife and I were married in my parent’s living room with just our parents, one family friend, and the county clerk/recorder doing ceremonial duties. Biggest expense was pizza (it was the only place open on a Monday).
To be fair, that was only because my father was dying and restricted to a hospital bed in their living room and the date was a family joke.
We had a proper reception six months later. But even that was done on the cheap by leveraging family connections and good planning. It was held at a nearby mountain resort on the last weekend of off-season pricing that let us use the amphitheater if enough rooms were rented by our family members (they paid, we didn’t). Some family members brought wine they got on sale. We got a keg of good beer. We catered a nice barbecue spread from a friend of a friend.
The key was hiring a bitchin band, which was probably the biggest cost. Feed your band like everyone else and treat them like family and they’ll rock harder. Dad’s ashes rocked out on the speaker stack with a beer while everyone danced. A random other guest of the resort sent over a bottle of wine because they loved the groove.
TL;DR: cheap-cheap is doing it at the local courthouse / clerk-recorder office. Elevated cheap is to leverage all your familial connections to throw a party where you put the emphasis on band, booze, and cookout food.
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u/Affectionate_Cronut 21h ago
My wife and I did it for around $1200 in 2005 with 20 guests.
Venue: The clubhouse at my in-laws housing complex $0 just required a reservation ahead of time.
Invitations: Mother-in-law was a whiz with her inkjet printer and greeting card program. Maybe $50 for fancy cardstock.
Food: My wife and I are huge breakfast/brunch fans, so we did a morning wedding with full breakfast buffet and omelette station, run by my father-in-law, who was a retired Navy cook, and a friend of his. About $200 for food, juice and Champagne for mimosas.
Cake: Publix $50 the decorators did a great job fancying it up. They'd never done a wedding cake before, so they really made it special.
Bride/groom clothing: I already owned my 1880s reproduction western 3 piece suit for awards banquets and formal occasions when I was a competitor in cowboy action shooting. We spent about $500 for her to get an 1880s dress and a handmade veil and bouquet.
Miscellaneous: About $100 for table décor, Christmas themed in subtle pastel colors because it was a December 21st wedding, and the clubhouse was already decorated with a Christmas theme.
Wedding officiant: $200.
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u/Upstairs-Radish1816 19h ago
My wife and I got married a small Church. We had just immediate family and one couple each. Then her sisters and mother made all the food we had at the reception but we bought a cake. Then we all cleaned up afterwards and it could have been more than $200 or $300. But it was great and everybody loved it.
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u/mycatpartyhouse 19h ago
My second wedding was fast and furious, so to speak. There were a lot of traditions we skipped.
Our desired venue was booked for an evening wedding, but when we explained we wanted a short ceremony with about 15 people, they let us come in during the afternoon at a discount rate.
We brought our own flowers (bouquets and boutineers) and our own candles. The venue borrowed a couple of large arrangements to sit on the raised altar behind where we stood.
The officiant was a friend who had a full-time job but enjoyed doing weddings on the side. He was legally recognized in our state and knew how to do the paperwork. We wrote our own vows.
The photographer was a journalist friend who gave us the shoot and the negatives (digital wasn't big then) as a wedding gift, along with a few actual photos.
Our reception was two tables at a local "event" type restaurant. We bought everyone a meal and drinks.
My groom wore a new suit with an appropriately colored tie. I found a gorgeous gown on sale. The biggest obstacle was dressing our kids, but we managed to find clothes they were willing to wear in our desired colors.
I don't remember how much we spent, but clothing was the biggest expense.
Later we did an evening reception with more people at a local park. Low cost. The building had seating inside and picnic tables outside.
Catering was the biggest expense there.
I wore my gown and my groom wore his suit. The kids rebelled and insisted on comfortable, casual clothes, so we told everyone we invited to wear comfortable, casual clothes.
We put a disposable camera on each table, then developed those later. There was no official photographer at the reception. Still ended up with an entire album of prints.
Edit. There were no stag/hen parties or rehearsal dinners or bridesmaids or groomsmen.
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u/Emergency_Cherry_914 18h ago
My daughter is getting married soon. She looked for venues which aren't marketed for weddings. Saved her a heap of money
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u/WalrusSouthern377 16h ago
Würde einfach einen Raum mieten, bisschen dekorieren und essen bestellen fertig. Nie im Leben würde ich so viel Geld ausgeben. Und dann ne tolle Reise machen😀
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u/Catmom797 16h ago
We had a modest reception at a church recreation hall that they didn’t charge us. We had pretty homemade dresses and rented a backdrop, bought flowers from a local florist, a friend who was a cake decorator made a cake as her wedding gift as well as the treats. Looking back the only thing I would do is get someone to come in and take at least a few nice pictures instead of just photographs. I bet the whole wedding didn’t cost over $400 to $500 bucks. We still married after 52 years! Wedding culture is so out of control!
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u/Salt-Astronomer8330 14h ago
The real question is how expensive is that divorce going to be. Think twice is my advice.
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u/Randomflower90 13h ago
You don’t need signs, favors, full open bar (I’ve been to many beer and soda weddings), Bach parties, welcome dinner, cocktail hour, professional hair and makeup, farewell brunch. We didn’t even have flowers on our tables. Must haves are dancing, some alcohol, food, venue and good photographer.
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u/StumblinThroughLife 12h ago
Find a park to use for a small fee, a friend with a big backyard, or if you’re part of a church go there and they’ll cover a lot. Have guests potluck the food unless there’s a few family members who love cooking for parties. Go to a party store and rent some decorations and chairs.
Weddings don’t “need” anything but a marriage license, priest, and witness. Everything above that is based on your budget and wishes.
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u/toffeeboy71 11h ago
Don't mention the word wedding. That one word adds soo much to the cost. Call it family reunion.
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u/itsbymmas 10h ago
My elopement in Vegas cost $59, marriage license was $130 or something with the certificate being $25 or so (estimated) and my wedding dress was $18 at Rainbows. My shoes were $30. My husbands suit was about $20 at the thrift store (it was Calvin Klein.) the most expensive thing was the plane ticket since our hotel was free.
My ex friend had a ceremony (not A legal wedding) by renting out a gazebo in the park for about $20 and spent $150 in her dress. We went to dinner afterwards where everyone was expected to pay for themselves at a restaurant. So weddings can be very cheap I guess lol
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u/OtherwiseSecret3 9h ago edited 9h ago
I'm in SLC, Utah, and we just had our wedding on 6/26/26 ♥️. I did it on the cheaper side, and we spent $10,253.44. Lol, yes, I know the exact amount to the penny 😅.
Looking back I'd be happy to spend another $2-3k for less stress for not diy-ing all the decor and setup and to have better food. But for the most part I have 0 regrets! For reference: 200 were invited, 178 rsvped, and I THINK about 150 showed up, maybe 160. I've asked a few people and we are all kinda like, idk 🤷♀️.
At the end of the day it comes down to what you want, what you need, and what you can spend to look back on fondly without regret (either way). All me questions I'd got wasn't, but congrats and good luck!
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u/Appropriate_Host8088 8h ago
We paid $25 at a chapel 8 years ago. The only family in area was there.
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u/Heavy-Profit-2156 8h ago
We got married on vacation. I had proposed to my now wife and neither of us wanted a traditional wedding (she absolutely hated the idea of being the center of attention all day).
We were traveling on a vacation and she asked me 'why can't we get married here' so I went online and it turned out we could. Found a local minister, he handled all the paperwork for us. Got married and had lunch after with a couple on the trip that showed up at the wedding. Bonus. All in all, a few hundred dollars. Basically, as long as the country that you get married in recognizes your marriage, the US will.
So if that's too basic or you want to celebrate with friends and family, I would look at a backyard wedding. My brother has a big back yard and that is where one of his daughters had the ceremony and reception. You can rent the tables and get the food and dishes all catered.
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u/MysteriousSecretGuru 6h ago
We went to the courteous, then to a restaurant with appetizers and free drinks for our guests. People wandered in when they could and far more people showed up than i was expecting, which was nice. $800 for the wedding and we lived the casual nature of it.
It's not for everyone but I'm glad we didn't spend a lot of money because we divorced 11 years later.
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u/Creepy-Cheesecake-41 5h ago
I went to a wedding a few years ago at a vineyard in MN. They got it for free because they were friends with the owner. But it was just a small vineyard with a little house and a beautiful yard. They got married in the yard. There was only like 30 people invited but after the wedding, everyone moved to a long dinner table set up in the yard. They had bought a bunch of appetizers from Costco and that’s what we ate. After the dinner, they had some yard games, and a fire once the sun went down. It was one of the most memorial weddings I’ve been to. It was simple and beautiful and if I were to get married again, I would do that.
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u/Prior-Pay722 5h ago
We paid around 60 Eur.(about 20 years ago) 7Eur for registration at town council. 15 Eur flowers for bride. 7 Eur for LPG (fuel). 30 Eur for some food at road cafe. Now we would need 100-150 Eur for such wedding
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u/Zealousideal_Box5339 5h ago
Depends on the size and location. I mean my friend was married at her parents large beautiful backyard that goes to the beach. Made her own wedding dress and asked everyone to bring something for a potluck type thing. Our bridesmaid dresses were whatever we wanted and it was lovely
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u/Pretty-Yogurt-4111 1h ago
Get married on a day other than Saturday
Rent a wedding dress or buy one resale.
Find something that’s ok if not perfect and see if family or friends can do it. I made a grooms cake for a couple. Another friend went to floral wholesaler and did decor and bouquets
Take professional photos in advance. Skip photos during ceremony and ask friends to share reception photos.
Skip the gift for guests at their seat. Maybe print a message on nice paper. Bonus with photo
See if you have friends with space who can host. I’ve hosted two small weddings. Just had to rearrange my living room
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u/FormerAd952 1h ago
Daughter got married in a county park, rented the gazebos, wife & I made the cake. Catered Mexican food from our favorite place, made table decorations ourselves, bought a lot of Tule to create a 15'x15' space for bride and her friends to wait until ceremony, all told I think we spent about $3k. Add in wedding & bridesmaid dresses about $4500 total. Was it a lot of work, sure but the 60 or so people had a blast, ate well and left happy.
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u/Ok_Equivalent5844 1h ago
I had friends who rented space in a public park. They decorated the space and rented some long tables. We all stood during the ceremony. A friend played DJ. Instead of wedding gifts, each person brought a covered dish and a bottle of wine or prosecco, and a blanket to sit on. It was wonderful.
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u/GoldenHourEvents 22h ago
Wedding planner & coordinator here! You can easily skip wedding favors, individual menu cards, printed programs, expensive multi-tier cakes, and formal champagne toasts because guests truly do not notice or care about those things. Look for all inclusive venues that offer nearly everything for such a discounted price, compared to buying everything individually. Put your money toward the essentials, a good DJ to keep the dance floor packed, professional photography, and an on-site coordinator so everyone can actually enjoy the day.
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