Scared and lost

Here are a few ways I was able to cut some major costs for my wedding:

Cake: DO NOT advertise it’s for a wedding. The wedding tax is ridiculous. I asked for a bday cake for my outdoorsy best friend and got my wedding cake for $85 (small but the lowest quote I got for the exact same cake, but wedding, was $175)

Flowers: there are absolutely beautiful silk flowers out there. My bouquet, my bridesmaids bouquets, moms corsages, and the men’s boutonnières all came from Etsy and Amazon. I am picky and am THRILLED with the quality. Total for all was under $400
Decorations: DIY, Amazon, Facebook marketplace, are all great to put together a beautiful wedding. Mine are being done by a girl who runs a little local business out of her basement. The ceremony altar and aisle decorations, plus reception tables and sweethearts table decor, guestbook tables, and signage, are costing me just over $500
My bridesmaids are all super ok with paying for their own dresses because I gave them a choice between 2 colours and told them to pick something they like. This way they can spend what is comfortable for them and it’s another cost that isn’t on our budget.
We are having a friend get ordained for the day and officiate us, so we don’t have to pay anything for our officiant (not why we did it, but a definite bonus)
Wedding planning is definitely stressful and it feels like everything costs so much and adds up so fast. I think a lot of brides here can relate! I’m also in Alberta so feel free to send me a message if you want any more specific details on anything 😊

For food i have gone to a few weddings that have had a hutterite colony cater. It was simple tasty food and I belive it was pretty cheap. I have also gone to a wedding where they rented a pig roaster bbq and just made a bunch of coleslaw and buns. Super fun easy and low maintenance. Those would probably be your cheapest options for food.


As for what to do I used the wedding wire checklist which was super helpful. For decorations etc.. there are many facebook pages for second hand wedding decor which is usually cheaper than in store.
I hope things go well for you, don't forget to enjoy the day.

Hello! I am sorry you are going through a bit of a rough patch right now. Wedding Planning is not easy, on top of the venue; weddings usually include flowers, hair and make up, dj/band, photographer, videographer, etc. Weddings really do add up.

Unfortunately for catering it will probably not get that much cheaper than 3k. Depending on the number of people you have at your wedding, the next cheapest thing to do is cook yourselves and serve it at the wedding. The venue and the catering are the most expensive parts of the wedding, followed by a photographer.

To make things cheaper is to cut the guest list, that is the only way costs would go down. You would not have to get as much food, décor and florals for the extra tables, etc.

Also for figuring out where to start, I found the check list on Wedding Wire is extremely helpful, I mean there were things on the list I never even thought of before.

Here are my main vendors that I am using for my micro wedding

Baker, Florists, chair and arch rentals, photography, videographer, hair and makeup artist.

I am doing a restaurant wedding so instead of a DJ, I am hooking up a phone with a music playlist. As for your venue, there are tons of vendors in alberta where you are able to book just a few speakers and a hookup for your phone that is around $500 for the night which is a lot cheaper than a couple of thousands for a dj.

It sounds like you're doing great, do not worry! You've locked down a venue, have your invites ready and have your dress - those are great, key things to already have. I would definitely focus on food next and shop around - I know it can be pricy but it is an important part of the evening. Also an officiant - I would lock this in.

The rest of the things can be so optional - dj/band (instead of this, make a playlist and have some speakers on hand), photographer (al though I think worth it, maybe look at hiring someone who is new to the game, or only hiring for a small period of time, OR just count on your guests to take photos and have a platform everyone can post afterwards), decor - you can pick up lots from the dollarstore/michaels and do some DIY and don't have to go crazy with this depending on what your venue already has and what your vision is.

Definitely chat with this community if you have any questions - I found the people on here helped me out a lot during the planning process!

And just remember anyone attending your wedding should just be happy to be there to celebrate you and your fiance! Some laughs and some food and drink and anything else is a happy bonus