Planning your wedding on a budget ? It's possible !
Read our 6 tips to organize it !

October 19, 2022

Conseils mariage

Breaking out your wedding's budget can get scary... And all the expenses that add on are sometimes unexpected. We've decided to put down a list of tips to stay within your budget and even save money !

First of all, you need to know that the secret of a low budget wedding is the organization beforehand. Do it well in advance - it's all about timing! By starting your wedding preparations a year and a half or even two years in advance, you will have more choices and opportunities to make good deals.

In this article, you will find our best tips to save money while organizing your wedding !

1. Find the perfect wedding venue

A place specially made for you

One of the first steps is to find your reception venue, the ideal place that suits you and where you can gather all your guests to celebrate your union. To reduce the cost of renting your reception venue, don't hesitate to get away from the big cities and opt instead for venues in small towns, or even villages. This choice will enable you to find places at low prices. This option can also lead you to find an atypical location, a place with cachet, you'll spend less on your decoration thanks to the natural charm of the place.

A great project, very innovative and trendy, which will help you a lot with your budget is renting a family home or large garden. There are now platforms for renting large gardens: and why not a garden with a large swimming pool! Find what you're looking for on the : WePeps

Get married all year round

The time of year can also guide you to great savings. Everyone knows that peak wedding seasons for weddings is during summer holidays. Therefore, if you decide to get married in winter, you will be able to allocate a little more of your budget to the reception venue. You'll have more options, and the same venue you couldn't afford on a summer day, at half the price!

You'll even have advantages on the rest of your expenses: dress, accessories, decorations... endless opportunities!

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2. Preparing a meal worthy of a caterer

When we plan our wedding, our thoughts go straight to "catering" for the wedding dinner. However, this is an option that uses a large part of the budget: between food allergies, restrictions and intolerances, don't you think that there is another option? There is! Many alternatives are available and can be adapted to all your guests!

Opt for food-trucks instead of caterers, very trendy and super flexible! You will be able to agree with them to make a menu that can suit all diets and dietary restrictions of your guests.

One option, which is not negligible, is to favor local artisans and producers.You will gain in quality with fresh and seasonal products and you will please your budget.

What about drinks? Well, let us give you a little tip for your more festive guests: select a sparkling wine instead of champagne, a good sparkling wine with similar flavors and a similar price. :-)

You will see them dancing on the dance floor by your side until the end of the night, celebrating the newlyweds as the way it should be done.

3. Why not be your own seamstress ?

The choice of your dress for the big day remains an important step for any woman. Nevertheless, it is one of the most expensive expenses of the preparation of your wedding. We propose you a lot of ideas to reduce your expenses while remaining sublime on your big day. Bohemian chic, country, princess, mermaid, whatever your tastes or your theme, we will help you find your happiness!

Crafting is always the best option

An idea that will take you some time to learn but will make you extremely proud on the big day, would be to sew your wedding dress yourself. If you have always been passionate about sewing, now is the time to get started! And don't hesitate to call on your friends and family, you surely have a seamstress who is happy to help you close to you.

Another money-saving tip : choose a ready-to-wear wedding dress and have it altered by a seamstress ! You will optimize the cost of assembly and fabric at the dressmaker's while obtaining a dress that will be adapted to your morphology.

The outlet and the sales, the corner of good deals

The best way to save money on your dress isto think about past collections. Plus, wedding dress brands often run promotions on previous seasons' collections, so checking out outlets would be a great shout!

As for your shoes,get a deal during the sales ! Whether it's with a luxury brand or a big brand, you'll be able to find your dream dress at an unbeatable price.

It is also possible to rent your wedding dress, many structures offer wedding dress rental for all budgets.

What about your other half?

Your significant other also has the right to get advice on how to stay classy without spending a lot of money on a suit that he will only wear once. Talk to him about ready-to-wear stores for suits: : brands like Zara, Massimo Dutti, or Asos for e-commerce, offer very good quality suits.

For your more relaxed or country weddings: a chino, a nice linen shirt and a bow tie will be perfect.

4. 4. The perfect touch to enhance your wedding outfit

Accessories are just as important to create a unique look for your wedding. Our atelier offers handmade wedding jewelry and accessories for all budgets!

Designed for the bride and her bridesmaids, from necklaces to earrings and hair combs and headpieces, we have made a special selection for you!

To adorn your neck, with our collections at Atelier Lilac :

Opt for beautiful earrings to match your dress.

You chose a backless dress, we have what you need to illuminate your back neckline.

Make your hairstyle unique ou sublime hair comb for small budgets :

Do you know about the hair pins ? This accessory can only make you look more beautiful and delicate.

5. Make your place even more wonderful

The decoration of your reception place is a task not to be taken lightly. When your guests will arrive on the premises, it is the decoration which will appeal to them first. It is therefore an important step in your organization, which you can make yourself to reduce your expenses.

Invitations

Before talking about decoration, let's talk about your wedding identity and your theme! Before even knowing what decoration to make, it is important that your invitation looks like you and coincides with your theme. You can find DIY tutorials on the internet, totally free, to make your invitations yourself! You can do the same for your menus, place cards, table plan...

If you are good with computers, you can make digital invitations and send them by email to your guests. As for paper invitations, don't hesitate to give them personally to your guests you see frequently. This way, you will limit the mailing costs and it is always a pleasant moment to discover the reaction of your entourage to the announcement and invitation to the big event of your life.

The table, the moment of conviviality

Dinner is the convivial moment of the evening, where the guests exchange with each other about the wedding, and potentially give their opinion on the choices made by the bride and groom. It is important to unite them and to make them feel good at the table.

To make them talk to each other, and also to save you paper, replace the paper menus with a chalkboard on each table, which all your guests can read together. You'll save money and it's definitely more convivial.

For the centerpiece, choose seasonal flowers,which will cost you much less. You can also buy your flowers from a wholesaler and make your own bouquets and arrangements. You will have more choices and you will bring a touch of your personality in your bouquets.

The choice of the placement of the tables is always complex, to avoid too many decorations, opt for large tables rather than several small ones You will reduce the cost of decorations such as centerpieces or small tablecloths that are more easily found ...

And if you want to find nuggets of decoration, go to flea markets to find objects at discounted prices !

6. Treat your guests, and your wallet !

Give them the opportunity to create memories

The Photo Booth is a great idea to entertain your guests. A homemade decor, a few fun props, or even disposable cameras... and you'll allow them to create their own memories!

A lively evening

It is always necessary to find a way to entertain your guests so that they spend a good evening! You can plan outdoor games: pétanque, wooden games... This will allow you to bring the guests closer together around simple and inexpensive activities.

In order to avoid hiring a DJ, make your own playlists for the different moments of the reception and ask someone close to you to take care of the dancing party.

Make them happy

If you want to give a small gift to thank your guests for being with you on this wonderful day, you can find a small gift that will please them at a small price.

To keep things simple, you can select one gift per couple or per household..Since the quantity is greatly reduced, you can afford to select products that are a little more expensive, such as a personalized item with the family name and the couple's initials.

If you want everyone to leave with a small gift, you canmake your own gifts for your guests.,You can provide yourself with small objects such as the traditional: candles, small plants, almond boxes, honey jars... And create a personalized label with your wishes.

Now, we hope this guide to your budget wedding has given you some hints and ways to start off into your wedding planning.

‍Feel free to check out our other blog posts directly in the Blog section of our site for more tips and inspiration for your wedding!

With love,

The Lilac team 🌸

Planning your wedding on a budget ? It's possible ! Read our 6 tips to organize it !