Many people are inwardly embarrassed when they think of “cheap wedding ideas”. I can relate because I’ve been there and my bride and myself had an awesome and beautiful inexpensive wedding. The ideas but I’m going to present to you are just a primer. They are not the end-all. When you begin to think about cheap wedding ideas, it does not mean that your wedding is going to be second rate. The main point I want to highlight is replacing your mind the word “cheap” and replace it with the word “creative”. Did not the words creative wedding ideas sound much better? Everything in life is negotiable. So is the cost of your wedding and you are going to do something about it. How much does the average wedding cost? There is so much variance in this number that to me it’s just statistical nonsense. What you need to decide is how much are you going to spend and work backwards from there.

5 Cheap Wedding Ideas To Save You Money

Shop on eBay or Craigslist for a cheap wedding dress. Since wedding dresses are only worn once, a used wedding gown will work perfect.  The wedding dress is going to have to be altered to fit you.  Once this is complete, it will become your own.

Purchase a beautiful wedding ring with a small diamond to be replaced later with a larger gemstone. You may want to consider something like a cubic zirconia because the only two people that will ever know how you and your bride. Again, this stone can be replaced by a real diamond later.

The honeymoon is another expense of part of any wedding. It’s romantic, a lot of fun, and a tradition that I would never want to get rid of. However, there are many ways to save thousands of dollars on your honeymoon. You could find a timeshare on the Internet and purchase a discounted one or two weeks from somebody that is hard up for cash. Craigslist and other online sites offer plenty of vacation rentals that have fully operational homes for rent in beautiful areas. This will save you thousands of dollars on meals that you’d otherwise be going out for three times a day.

The wedding reception is another expense that really throws a lot of couples off. It seems that somebody wedding receptions today have full food buffets and open bars. Even if your guest list is pared down to 100 or less people, a wedding reception like the one that I just described will cost your $10,000. A simple wedding reception in your church without the frills of a food buffet and alcohol well eliminate three quarters of that expense. I really don’t think you have to worry about hurting people’s feelings because you did not fill them up with tons of fattening food and sending them home half drunk. The wedding is a celebration for you and your bride and your respect the families.

With digital photography surpassing traditional wedding photography you are easily going to reduce a lot of expenses. Sure, you are going to have to hire a decent professional to get great photography results. Sometimes you have to look no further than your local community and art colleges to find a young student who is eager to learn and hungry for money. Pay them well for their time and keep the digital images yourself. Or, if they are able to process the photos themselves, and then negotiate that into the price. I really like professional photography for weddings. However, the cost for a cheap wedding is prohibitive.

Have you seen how expensive a wedding reception hall is? Or how about an outdoor wedding reception? Both are extremely expensive. When shopping around for a wedding reception hall, don’t look for anything that is labeled with the words “wedding reception”. Most parks and business centers are closed on the weekends. They sit idle and do not generate any revenue. Do some phone calling or legwork and find out if you can rent a space large enough to handle your guests.

This is not an exhaustive list of cheap wedding ideas to save you money on your big day. I just want you to get to think outside of the word wedding and be really creative with your wedding planning ideas. There is no reason why an event that only last a few hours should set you back $20,000-$30,000.