Sweetest Wedding Ever (and how I spent less than 5k)

The average wedding in the U.S. costs $28,000. Call me frugal, but that is way more money than I’m comfortable spending. Huffington Post claims the average is misleading, stating that the typical American spends only $18,000, as if that’s much better. 

I’m not judging the people who spend boo koo bucks on their wedding. I’m sure some people want to and can afford to. My husband and I were simply not one of them. We decided our budget was $4,500, and by golly, we stuck to it (pretty close). 

First, the fun memories:

I could talk for hours about all the things I loved about the wedding. From the surprise poem vows Joe wrote for me, to the “Just Married” scribbles on the car, and everything in between, the day was more fun than an intergalactic journey on a space station complete with roller coasters, live concerts, and free popcorn. 

I have many many family and friends to thank for helping make the day special. Everyone pitched in to contribute to our big day, and for us, those acts of goodwill made our wedding possible and sweeter than I could have ever imagined (and tons less stressful). 

My favorite part of the day was hearing Joe’s vows… which were written as a poem. There’s something about rhymes that just make me smile, especially if I’ve forgotten to for awhile. 

Second, the budget:

Whether you’re spending $200 or $20,000, the internet is filled with great ideas for budget weddings. I highly recommend A Practical Wedding to calm your nerves and spawn ideas. Try the Budget Savvy Bride if you’re looking for personal examples of weddings within a certain price range.

Joe and I wanted our budget to cover every single wedding-related detail, including our honeymoon. This is how we fared:

Note: (1) “Preparation” includes miscellaneous costs, such as the marriage license and hotel room, and it includes a few expenses that were too small to be given their own category, such as the invitations and thank-you notes. (2) We had an Edible Arrangement in place of a traditional wedding cake, but “cake” is common vernacular and sounds cuter than “dessert.”

We were only $100 over our $4,500 budget. I’m calling it a success!

The thing I learned most about cutting back on costs is recruiting help from family and friends. We offered our guests to contribute to the wedding day in place of traditional gifts, and (to my surprise and delight) our guests were excited to help.

It was an awesome day filled with magical memories.