Any way to not spend $25k??

Its Kempenfelt Conference Centre which is now closed in Innisfil. It was a beautiful venue that had a waterfront view. Here are some pictures of the hall and our wedding ceremony.

View quoted message Can I ask where you got married? Thanks!

Cut your guest list. That's going to be the easiest way to have what you want and keep it in budget.

It takes a lot of looking around but it can be done. The biggest thing with the GTA is that they seem to charge WAY more in catering costs than anywhere else so like everyone said keeping your guest list down is a great way to help. That being said, buffet dinners are said to be cheaper than plated dinners when it comes to larger crowds.

DIY projects where you can helps as well as long as the cost for material isn't more than the cost of buying.

You can also look at smaller venues that don't specifically specialize in weddings because they usually have more reasonable prices. Sometimes parks are cheap and make gorgeous locations.

There is lots of good advice on this thread.

Like many people said the amount of guests is greatly going to affect your costs.

It affects the size of venue, cost of food, favors, place settings etc.

We cut all non essential plus ones. If you weren't in a serious relationship and you would know other people at the party... sorry no date for you.

Also focus on what things are most important to you... if it's the dress, venue, food etc. Pick a reasonable budget for the things that matter most.. and then the ones that don't try to cut costs wherever you can.

I have seen people do burger bars, pizza bars etc at weddings. Pig roasts or barbecues are usually a good way to save on food and still have something tasty.

As far as decor goes, DIY what you can... and join all your local wedding buy and sell groups.

I bought tablecloths for 5 dollars a piece, where as the rental for comparable was like $15 each. Check thrift stores and dollar stores. You would be surprised especially in summer how much wedding stuff you can find there. And Vases year round etc...

Enlist your friends and family. We didn't even realize how many of our friends had talents in which they could make stuff for us.. or people may even have items you can borrow.

Keep your eyes on second hand dresses... but as well the local stores for sample sales.

They are crazy around here when they happen, but I know ladies that walked out with $3000 dollar dresses for like $400

If you're in a time crunch it is a little more difficult. But don't be afraid to ask loved ones for help in finding good deals and such.

My advice to save money:

less guests

cash bar

evite/online invitations

student photographer/videographer

at home ceremony/reception

used/rented wedding outfits

There are lots of ways to cut costs - just make sure the two of you are on the same page as to where you DON'T want to cut costs!!

Like a lot of ladies said, opt for a smaller guest list since more guests = more food, which is a good chunk of most wedding budgets! Also look into non-traditional venues such as parks, someone's backyard, etc so you're not renting out a hall, although you'll have to look at renting/buying tables, linens, chairs, cutlery, glassware, etc. I'd also stick to having a buffet or even a potluck to keep food costs minimal.

DIY is your friend to staying budget-friendly: make your own decor, invites. etc which can help a lot! Also if money is a factor, look into building your own playlist, getting a photography-savvy friend/family member to do photos, and doing your own hair/makeup.

You can get nice dresses for cheap, especially online. My friend got her wedding dress from 1861.ca (Canadian company) for $300! Also wear jewelry/shoes you already own.

I think it’s possible, you just have to be willing to cut costs on the big things, ie have a smaller guest list, smaller venue.

my biggest expense personally is venue and food. We’re getting married outside of Toronto and all the vendors we inquired with were pretty pricey.

like someone else suggested maybe use vistaprint for your invites - they have coupons fairly often. If you have a friend or friend of a friend who can be your photographer, you’ll save quite a bit there as well.

Decor and flowers are expensive also - if your venue provides linens, chairs, napkins, dinnerware use theirs. I got a quote for 10k recently to change our linens, napkins, dinnerware and chairs. Not to mention, we had to pay a fee to our venue for not using their chairs. It got kind of ridiculous and I said forget it - we’ll just use their stuff even if I don’t particularly like it.

If you are like us and are flipping the bill for everything, it can be a little overwhelming. Along with what the ladies are saying here, smaller guess lists, picking a date that is off season and ceremony times help. Also opt for cupcakes with a small single tier cake, seasonal flowers if you are going the root of real also shop around. When it comes to food, we are doing a buffet which is cheaper plus we are having the ladies auxiliary club make the food, (love grandma's cooking) my dress was second hand ( all processed go to cancer) our decor is simple as we are simple people and we are having a cash bar but are paying for the wine. You can save money by having the ceremony and reception at the same place.

Our biggest expense was the reception. Food and alcohol add up! To save money, have a smaller guest list, forego the open/toonie bar, have a later ceremony (after supper hour) and do appetizers or dessert for the reception. Or, have a morning ceremony and serve lunch instead of dinner.
We used the same decor in the ceremony and reception (centrepieces were first used down the aisle).
Flowers are also expensive (even artificial if you want quality flowers!) so reduce the amount of flowers you use.
Check out Facebook buy and sell groups.
Choose your top three areas and spend there and skimp elsewhere. For us, it was photography, food, nice venue so we had minimal decorations, no DJ and a family member make our bouquets (she had offered to make them at cost).
Also, skip the traditional wedding venues (such as hotels, nice halls) there are other venues that are just as acceptable for a wedding.

Our wedding all in is only 4k. we are very minimal couple, small guest list. reception and ceremony is same place. having a potluck buffet dinner. mind you we are from a little town and both of us are very country. we never wanted anything big for our wedding day

The biggest contributor to your budget is your guest list- you need to know how many people you plan on having before you start venue shopping, and a lower guest list means less money on everything else- centrepieces, rentals, favours, etc. Your budget will be much tighter when you have more people.

I opted to spend $20K and ended up spending $18500 all together.

Some of the things I looked were in areas that saved a lot of the time and effort.

Retail: only get what you need and if sales are coming up in the season. Favours were well under the cost of what was anticipated and the wedding bands due to knowing of the sales.

Online: Amazon and Ebay were my best friends for little details that cost less than $500 even when you consider what you buy out there. Even Kijiji was great for vendors and décor places that I didn't even consider.

Vendors: Many vendors were searched on the web and dealt with over the phone/email and contracts too. We met our photographer in person when we set up a time and location nearby. I met the DJ and had all the information filled out and ready to go with a down payment even. They all were from Toronto area.

Rentals: 2 locations worked out great for us and not having to store anything in our home due to the cost and space. Backdrop was local and décor for centerpieces and money box near my parents home courtesy of my dad paying for them. Wedding dress can be rented out if you don't feel you want to put out thousands of dollars for the one day celebration. Same goes for the tux for your husband.

Avoid: Wedding planners/Day of coordinator isn't going to be worth the cost since you can have the wedding party (chosen whomever) to help with setting up and break down. We did it all ourselves in 1 day (my husband and I). Real flowers if your not wanting to payout more than needed if not giving away too.

Do: DIY projects are great if you have resources or contacts that can help to get what your looking for. Consider Vistaprint for your invitations and they email savings up to 50% off the price. Got them done there including the menu cards and thank you cards.