How does anyone afford this?

Congrats on your engagement.

Weddings can be very expensive! it is so important to remember the day is about you and your FH and it's what you want. My Fiance and I can't handle how expensive it can be.. We have cut costs to many things for example we are having a backyard wedding, BBQ style food doing ribs,ham and chicken cooking it the day before and warming it up almost like a backyard event with wedding stuff too.. We also decided since we don't drink we are limiting to 2 drinks per person/BYOB. I have also made almost everything decor wise with my cricut machine/ renting chairs etc...

The most expensive thing has been my wedding dress which came to a thousand bucks for two dresses,belt and veil.

Honestly at the end of the day it is about you and your FH celebrating your day! I wish you the best of luck on this journey

Hi👋🏼. I do agree that weddings are expensive and they keep getting every year. The most important is for you to know what do you really want, your budget and your guest list.


You can have a beautiful microwedding. Outdoors wedding also can reduce the cost if you want to have it in picnic form or BBQ. It really depends on how you want it to be.
Even in a venue, always go for the ones that offer all inclusives because some only give you the venue and you have to take care of chairs, linens, cutlery... It goes up quickly!
The key is the guest list!
DJ can be replace by Spotify or someone close to you can handle it for you.
Cakes don't need to break the bank, you can have a beautiful cake or cupcakes.
Wedding invitations can be a wedding website.
If yoi don't want party favors, you don't have to give them if it costs too much but could be replaced by something else like a photobooth. You could even DIY your own.
So many things you can cut off, but it really depends on your vision and budget!
Good luck! There are weddings for all types of budgets but don't go beyond yours!

I didn’t get a chance to thoroughly read the responses but here are some tips that I’ve heard of. A friend married in a church and had a small reception on site, the cost for reception space was by donation so they paid what they could. They ordered pizzas for everyone rather than catering. Of course it was very much their style so not necessarily for everyone. You could see if you have someone’s backyard to use for a ceremony/reception. Again for reception lunch is generally more affordable than dinner, or just have snacks rather than a full meal, or just have the ceremony and no reception! Have your wedding on an off day (mid week) and ask vendors if they have discounts for this; we saved on a few vendors because we married on a Tuesday. Buy second hand for dress/suit and decor if you want any, then resell. Tap into any connections who may be able to help with certain things (ie alterations, making a cake, etc). Spotify premium usually has a free 3 month trial; make a playlist and don’t worry about ads. In Alberta they allowed friends/family to be officiants so you wouldn’t have to pay for an officiant. Hair and makeup do yourself or have a friend do it; or go to a makeup counter to have them do it that morning. If you want to extend the wedding date to have more time to put aside savings you can have a long engagement. It may seem overwhelming but I’d say start off making a budget for yourself with how much you’d like to spend then start breaking down how much $ can go to each item based on importance (officiant would be super important, flowers and decor maybe less so). Also consider what is most important to you - if getting married as soon as possible is the #1 priority then do it and cut some of the “extras”!

There are so many great suggestions- you have tapped into a great resource!


My suggestion would be to find a venue first, things for 2023 are booking up quickly.
Don’t be afraid when booking with vendors, tell them upfront what your budget is so you don’t waste your time or theirs. That is what we did and so far have been successful. Also go for a Friday night and have a buffet, lots of food at good prices.

Definitely can relate to your post. In order for us to save we are having a brunch wedding with about 30 to 40 people the most. We just chose the family and friends we speak to regularly. My friend circle is pretty small so that worked out. My friend is doing my hair and make-up which is great, and all though we would like a wedding party we opted out of that. So that Definitely cuts out some cost. If we had it of course it would be nice to have an elaborate wedding with all the bells and whistles, however we are definitely staying within out means as it just for a few hours. You got this, good luck hun.

It may not be an option but as much as we absolutely loved our day - we would never ever have done it if it meant going into debt. Our favourite weddings have actually been backyard receptions (they got married with only immediate family) - small guest lists, good food, some had BYOB, rented sound systems.... Seriously great because of how relaxed they were. Definitely a preferred event for my low-key husband! Lol

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I know that neither is a very good idea, just that "going into debt" is unfortunately the answer to "How does anyone afford this?".

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Credit cards are fine as long as you have the cash to pay it off but DO NOT use a line of credit. Interest begins to accrue on the day you use it.

I don't think a lot of people pay cash for their weddings TBH. Many use lines of credit/credit cards to fund some or all of their wedding.

Keeping your guest list small is the best way to keep your costs down. There are many restaurants in my city that offer small private rooms to book 20-40 people at $75-$100 a person. You then don't really need flowers or décor. You could get away with spending $100 on a single bridal bouquet. There are lots of alternative wedding dress options now, so you can spend less then $1000 on a dress. Skipping a ceremony and just getting married the week before in a private ceremony and then celebrating with a small family dinner is probably the most budget friendly way to go.

I created my budget by starting with the things we really wanted/needed to have at our wedding (Officiant, food, venue). Then doing research to see what we realistically had to pay to get that. I have a spreadsheet with about 10 different venues an how much they would cost us. You can find most of this information on the venues website, but sometimes you have to email and ask for it. Once that was picked I started budgeting for extras.

I would like to say that higher costs =/= better wedding. It's all about what you value and what your prioritize.

Some people's idea of a grand time is to sit around having a few drinks chatting and laughing with one another while others is a big dance party. You absolutely do not need to have a formal dinner with a decorated hall. Don't let the wedding industry's tendency for excess bring you down. You can absolutely have a minimalist wedding that won't detract from how special it is to you and your guests.

Also, there is absolutely nothing wrong or unglamorous about a City Hall/Civic Centre wedding. A lot of them look way nicer than you'd imagine.

How much you need to save will depend on what you want in the end but you have over 20 months to do it. The most basic costs will is absolutely required be your officiant and marriage license. Food and photography would be your biggest costs but even that has wiggle room if you're flexible. Everything else like DJ, flowers, decor etc are optional.

Wedding bands can be bought for as little as $50 for a set if you're willing to opt out of fine jewelry like gold. I got a pair of sterling silver and tungsten rings for travel purposes so that if we lose them while away, I wouldn't hurt over it.

You do not need a "wedding dress." The dress doesn't even need to be white if you don't care about tradition. Even if you do, there are options like JJs House or Azazie like Rayanne says.

For the gent, a blazer or sport coat over a dress shirt over a pair of nice pants will be more cost efficient than a full suit while still letting him look sharp. Look for sales during promo periods like Father's Day, prom season, end of summer sale, or Black Friday/Boxing Day.

Congratulations! Some great options from people here, another one I thought of is doing a brunch/lunch wedding, alcohol is a big part of the bill so that will be smaller if it’s during lunch time we have booked our day for 2023 so it gives us a bit of time to save etc.

Have you looked at the microweddings? My venue has one that is everything except your clothes and the marriage license for about $3000. They have one where you have up to 25 people and another price for up to 50. They decorate, the photographer, the officiant, some food and a limited bar. You can look on marketplace for dresses (some not even worn because of covid) renting a suit or tux isn't too terrible either. I think it is just a few hours so it would be nice to do as a Sunday afternoon type of thing. If we hadn't already booked the big wedding we would 100% go this route. I'd look at micro/mini weddings in your area. You never know what you'll find in your price range. They also have the popup weddings (usually for around 50 people). Good luck. I got my dress from JJ house in the states. The price and duty and everything made my dress under $350 and its gorgeous.

Kelsey made some great points! Another thing to consider is keeping your guest list all small as possible. More guests = higher cost. If you are having a small wedding, maybe a backyard wedding is an option. Some ways I am saving money for my wedding: I got my dress at a bridal consignment store (loved again bridal in Barrie) there's also the Brides Project in Toronto. We are using empty wine bottles as vases in our centerpieces and flowers I got 70% off at micheals. We are also just ordering our cake from the grocery store and asking a couple family members to make a dessert as our wedding gift. For food, you can DIY your wedding food. It is a lot of work but my MOHs family did it for her wedding of 100. We originally We were going to some DIY for food. Hire someone to do the meat then DIY the sides. I also recommend figuring out what you can actually afford to set aside each paycheck (even it's only $20 or $50) and then calculating how long your engagement needs to be to save your wedding budget.

Hey Diana,
Congratulations on your engagement! Weddings can definitely be expensive but there are many ways to cut costs. Community halls can be reasonable to rent. Cut the dj and assign one of your friends to make a Playlist and rent some speakers (your venue will likely have them!). Book your wedding in off season on an off day, like a Sunday in March or something. Your venue will be cheaper and many vendors are less expensive as well. There are places you can rent your wedding dress and other attire, or check Facebook marketplace! Try to find an newer photographer, they will be eager for a good review and be less expensive. See if you can find a local grocery store to cater. They can look at what is seasonal and cut costs there. Supply your own booze and keep an eye on sales! If you have time, you could also grow your own flowers depending on how many you want. Fill with fake flowers when Michael's has a coupon! Also Value Village usually has fake flowers.

Some of my favorite weddings have been ones that the budget was between $3000-$8000. It is definitely possible. Utilize any connections you or your partner have and enjoy your day ❤.