Expensive wedding costs are one of the reasons why young individuals delay their marriage until they’ve got a good amount of money to spend for that wedding day.
For that particular one-day expenditure, couples who want to get married do savings for years and deprive themselves of starting a blessed family.
If you do not want this to happen to you and are serious about how to plan a low-cost wedding right after you find your Muslim partner, I will break down each and every category of expenditure, and suggest cheap alternatives to save you thousands of dollars.
Affordable Wedding Plan
The wedding day has a lot of activities, and we can divide them into 7 categories. You will get an overall idea of executing them according to your budget from the following discussion.
Wedding Plan
Before you get overwhelmed, take a pen and a notepad to take clear notes on how you will be doing the following things.
1. Set a Budget
So, for the wedding day, what is your budget?
If you do not set a budget, then it will be quite difficult for you to limit the expenditure.
Whether you want to go really inexpensive or have a plan to make it look moderate, set a budget, and spread it accordingly for different categories.
2. Track Spending
Do not go on autopilot mode after setting a budget. Do track whenever you are spending the money on. It will give you a clear idea of the amount of remaining money, and you can increase the budget for a specific area if needed.
Invitations
3. Limit Guest List
Trust me, if you spend a huge amount to accommodate a large number of guests, you will regret later. Only invite those who mean something to you. Do not invite someone whom you hardly met, and will probably never meet after that day.
Limit the list within your family, close relatives, friends, and a few colleagues.
4. Print Invites at Home
As you are planning for a budget wedding, spending for wedding invitations is a big NO.
You can do it yourself if you are a creative person, or seek help from your friends to help you with designing the invitations, and then use a professional-grade printer for printing out those invites.
Venue
5. Low-Cost Venue
Most people spend a great amount of money on venues. If you can plan a bit out of the box, it will save you a huge chunk of money.
For a low-cost inexpensive venue, you have a few options to pick from –
- Your backyard, or someone you know who has a backyard.
- Reception at home
- Smaller venue with equipment and buffet
- Local restaurant instead of a caterer
Again, consider your budget, and the opportunities you have for selecting the venue. If you opt for a backyard, ensure it accommodates all guests you invite.
If you go for the cheapest option on the list, someone’s backyard, you will have to manage chairs and tables for it. You can ask for your friends who are willing to lend you chairs and tables for the day.
Otherwise, look on the Facebook marketplace for cheap chair and table deals.
Food
Prepare Your Food Yourself
If you limit the number of guests for the wedding day, preparing the food at home can save a great amount of money.
Do you have an aunt who can make delicious food for a large group of people?
If yes, she can be the savior in this matter.
Also, ask people from your friends to assist your aunt in preparing food. Having a helping hand will speed up the process.
Buffet or Caterer
If you will be holding the wedding at a local restaurant, a buffet can be a preferable option to go with.
However, if the wedding is at home, you can also opt for a family-owned business or caterer for preparing the food.
Both ways, you will save a considerable amount of money, and spend them on something more important instead.
Wedding Dress
From a budget perspective, buying a wedding outfit will not be a good idea if your budget is super tight. And considering the fact that you will only be wearing the clothes for one day, it is not worth spending a great amount of money. So, here are the options you can go with –
Rent or Borrow Dresses and Suits
In your relatives or friends, you will find someone who shares a similar psychic, and if he/she is married, you can borrow dresses from that person.
Also, you can rent dresses if you know a place for it.
Thrift Store
If you want to purchase expensive-looking inexpensive clothes, thrift stores are a preferable option.
You will find dresses that are really inexpensive, and keep them for that memorable day. Or you can rent or lend it to someone who will plan a low-cost wedding like you.
Hair and Makeup
Ask Your Friends
You will always have someone among your friends who is a pro at making hair and makeup and all this stuff. Instead of spending money on a beautician, you can ask that friend to help you on one of the most important days of your life.
Photography
Invite a Talented Friend
Similar to what I mentioned earlier, you will have a friend who is good at photography and editing stuff. If you ask about his/her skill for an exchange, you would be really delighted to help.
Decorations
Keep in mind that all the decorations will be done by yourself or a group of people from your relatives or friends. Below are some decoration ideas you can try to make your wedding look like something really special.
Lighting
You will find small LED lights at really cheap prices. Also, get some warm-looking transparent bulbs to hang onto stuff to give the wedding a good vive. Google is your friend to find cheap lighting ideas for the wedding day.
Flowers
No matter how low-cost a wedding you plan, without flowers, it will not seem special. So, do have some budget set for this.
If you can get free flowers from a nearby source, it would be best. Otherwise, buy flowers in bulk, and use them for decorations.
Candles
Another must have item to make the day more special. You will find cheap candles in grocery stores or online marketplace. However, you can also make them, which will be even cheaper, and you can make a lot of them.
There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube on how to make candles.
Mahr in Islam
The mahr in Islam is a gift given by the groom to the bride as a symbol of love and commitment. Instead of spending a lot of money on expensive gifts, consider opting for a more meaningful and sentimental mahr such as a personalized poem, a special piece of jewelry with sentimental value, or even a trip to a special place together. This not only saves on cost but also adds a deeper spiritual and cultural significance to the wedding.
Other Options
Apart from the above-mentioned ideas, you can brainstorm or invite a group of talented friends to find more ideas that are not expensive, yet can make a huge difference for decoration and stuff.
Using natural accents, pine cones, tree stumps, etc. are one of those you can consider.
To Sum Up
Weddings can be done even within a $1000 budget, but you have to have a solid plan to make it happen, and control each aspect of the day carefully. Hope, you got a clear idea on Tips for Planning an Affordable Wedding from this article. If you find someone else seeking your advice on this, you have a lot to explain to that person.
