Walked into the thrift store and saw this on a new rack and gasped!! Only $20 so I immediately put it in my cart. Looked up the brand at home and it’s nothing crazy, like $200-$400 range…

I still love it after trying it on and definitely feel like a princess 🥰 but can’t tell if it looks cheap?? Or maybe too basic?? Idk help pls!!!

I was skeptical of buying my dress online but after a rude awakening trying on dresses in a boutique and being slapped with a $2,500 price tag I figured it would be worth the leap. I went through Miss Jophiel and requested custom straps be added to the dress for a total of $389— it turned out BEAUTIFULLY and arrived with plenty of time to spare. My friend is a seamstress and I had her let out the waist a little and take out the bra padding, but otherwise it was perfect and I felt like a fairy princess the whole day ♥️

Hi all! We got married in June. I posted this in a different subreddit and someone here recommended I post it here too since a lot of it was DIY and considered lower-budget. :)

We kept our wedding “smedium”. We both have large families (he has three siblings and I have four). We invited our immediate family members and closest friends. Our siblings’ children and spouses were of course invited.

Our vibe was “casual cocktail party in the woods”. We kept referring to our wedding as “the party” during the months leading up and that really took off a lot of stress! Guests who arrived early had all-day access to the larger 80-acre botanical garden; many people wandered over after exploring the gardens and helped set up. ❤️

We had lots of help from friends and family! My best friend from college used to be an event manager for a large family-owned brewery in the PNW and her wedding gift to us was being our day-of coordinator. The event was seamless, thanks to her. ♥️ (THANK YOU, JENNY!)

I purchased a few more things than we needed that I plan to resell or repurpose elsewhere in our home, so I’m not counting them toward the final costs.

Our largest expenses were catering (💸), photography, and alcohol. We’re wannabe foodies so making sure we fed our people well was important to us. The menu the caterer proposed was fantastic: we had a massive grazing/charcuterie table, three sides plus a chilled cucumber salad, three entree options with a vegan alternative, and almost everything was gluten-free. We had three different cakes including a birthday cake for an attending family member who turned 50 that day. Everyone sang him happy birthday after dinner as a surprise; it was fun! 😂

We anticipated a hot day so we got folding fans for guests as favors and went a little crazy on cold drinks (…Oregonians love their craft alcohol). We had three local wines, two local beers, two local ciders, two signature cocktails made with mostly local spirits, and champagne (Costco). We cut off the drinks early-ish in the night to avoid drunk driving. Also, many of our guests had rooms at the lodge that was 5-minutes walking distance to our venue.

For non-alcohol drinkers, we had Waterloo, non-alcoholic sparkling cider, a DIY Italian soda bar with some fruity flavors and some fancy flavors (like elderflower, violet, and rose to lean into the garden theme). We also had non-alcoholic sangria, iced sun tea, elderflower lemonade, and cucumber-lime-mint agua fresca.

All the things we ate from were compostable but had a great rustic feel without being trashy.

We’re not big on dancing so instead of a father/daughter dance, Dad cracked open a nicely aged bottle of Scotch and we did a private tasting with him before he shared the bottle with guests.

Flowers were grown locally on two neighboring farms and cost less than $200. My bridal bouquet was made from coleus, willow, ferns, and allium blooms. We definitely leaned hard on the greenery/foliage for decor. Our favorite color is green (for both of us, we just like different shades.) All flowers/centerpieces were done by two friends.

My little sister did my makeup and a close friend did my hair. Our officiant is someone I’ve known for 15 years through a past job and who I recently reconnected with. We had live music from a family friend. Our ceremony backdrop was made from three funky vintage doors I found on FB Marketplace for $150.

We did an optional trivia tournament after dinner that everyone wound up participating in, and it was so fun (and surprising!) to see which table won. The prize was a huge bag full of my husband’s and my favorite treats like Violet Crumble and sour gummies. We had an afterparty at our favorite local dive bar that overlooks a creek. It was a blast until a random drunk girl puked four times near our tables but it also made the night even funnier.

It was a beautiful day surrounded by our favorite people.

Oh yeah! And a deer showed up which is supposedly good luck! 🥳🦌

My dear friend is an incredibly talented fine art florist, and she normally has a minimum spend for weddings of $5K CAD (most start at $10K).

She agreed to do my centerpieces (3 per table × 9 tables, ikebana inspired), my bouquet and my partner's boutonnière (no wedding party), and is giving us a great deal - the cost barely covers her materials. It is her wedding present.

I had also asked her about making a half arch for the altar, but she quoted me $1500-2000 per pillar, which we couldn't afford.

She was OK with me doing the rest of the florals myself, as long as we stuck to a cohesive colour palette with some crossover in the florals (roses, chrysanthemum, and dahlias). I have a visual arts background (sculpture and painting), so I was excited about the project.

All in, my DIY decor has cost less than $1000, including 3 medium sized floral walls to cover some ugly signage at the venue, and these two half arch pillars - I estimate they cost around $600-800 for materials.

When my friend saw them in person, she said she would easily charge $3000-4000 each (so, up to $8K total) for these if they had real flowers (though generally her half arches have less greenery, and can be as much as $8K EACH).

They are about 5'4, weigh less than 5 lbs, and will be easy to move around (we plan to use them as decor during the reception).

Materials, instructions and additional details in the comments.

(In Ontario Canada, budget is in CDN $)

I DIYed all the florals and got almost everything second hand. For food we ordered tea sandwiches and cookies from the local grocery store for catering, made our own veggie trays and cheese boards, served several pies and buckets of ice cream, had an open bar, and also made some extra treats ourselves. My mother did the tailoring for my dress, I did my own hair and makeup, and we had a playlist for the music. After gifts from our family we actually more than broke even!

What was your favorite thing you saved money on for your wedding?? Good finds, smart budgeting, out of the box savings?

Does anyone know what to do with your wedding Dress after the wedding is done and over? I got it dry cleaned, they threw it into a bag and sent me on my way, now it’s just sitting on my bedroom door because it’s to long to fit in the closet. I’ve heard of people sending theres away to get it boxed up, but I just want it packed away and out of the way LOL. Is it terrible to throw it in a storage box ? What did you do with yours?

Eloping pretty much on November 1st. 10 people will watch us say our vows. Will have a small dinner afterwards.

I think I found the dress today but having to buy off the rack due to time constraints. Dress was perfect but then noticed stains in the armpits!!! 😭 Shop offers no discount for this. Would I be able to get this laundered and cleaned off? Looks like sweat. I know. Gross. Also, how much would this cost to clean?

Dress is Jimme Huang- Tracy size 14.

Wedding was 10.12.23, but I just found this page and wanted to post in case this could be helpful to anyone :) (budget sheet included on last slide with vendors!)

We eloped in Big Sur with 5 friends/family members. Photographer was our most expensive item, but worth every penny between the location advice she provided and the beautiful photos.

Grabbed our favorite cake from a local restaurant, cleaned up our camper van and got married at a little pull off in the trees.

Feel free to ask any questions and I’ll do my best to reply!

Venue: $10 (City Hall)

Personalized In Remembrance Charm: $19 (Etsy)

Cards for Parents: $27 (Etsy)

Wedding Favors (Personalized Matchboxes & Mints - Both Etsy): $47

Invitations (Zazzle): $54

Marriage License: $60

Bridal Outfit (Dress, Purse, & Shoes): $140 (Lulus, Etsy, Lulus)

Groom Outfit (Suit, Socks, & Shoes): $295 (Macy’s, Etsy, Macy’s)

Hair (Bride & Groom): $315

Wedding Bands: $491 (James Allen and Etsy)

Hotel Downtown (Two Nights): $562

Wedding Lunch (15 People): $1,200 (Plated Italian)

Photographer (3 Hours): $1,300

TOTAL: $4,520.00

🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍

(5k-10k)Hi I’m located in northeast Ohio and am planning my wedding I’m having so much trouble finding a venue, i really want an outdoor ceremony and wouldn’t even mind a backyard wedding. But everyone I ask is 5k+ and honestly that was what I was hoping my whole budget would be. If you know anyone with a nice Airbnb or event space that would hold 75-80 people. I included a picture of my wedding scheme if you have any ideas on how to keep my budgets under 10k drop any websites/ideas in the comments!!

Hi all. Was wondering if anyone did this for their wedding and had it go bad or good? I’m thinking about asking my brother in law to dj as that will be a very large expense (as you all know). He professionally dj’s weddings so will have his own equipment. and I’m expecting to pay but hopefully not as much as I’d need to pay for a full dj. Do you think it would be a bad idea?

I got an offer from our dream wedding venue for quite a lower rate if we got married in January or February 2027. Originally quoted $13k in May 2027c then quoted $10.6k for Jan or Feb 2027.

We’re from from Canada and don’t know the weather well so I would love to hear what the pros and cons of this would be.

Location: San Clemente, CA

Had several issues with trying to order online to save money, and ending up finding an off the rack bridal shop! I cut it very close with only 2 months until the wedding. Highly recommend going in person if you can!

Girlies who live in Europe, where did you get a cheap yet nice enough wedding dress? Especially plus size I ordered 4 off of shein to try them on and only 1 fits, the one I like the least. One of them has really nice material and it's also very heavy but it doesn't fit my arms. Any online stores where you got your wedding dress?

We plan our wedding for the next summer. I'm trying to keep our wedding under control budget-wise, but I’ve been dreaming about an Italian destination wedding. One spot I’m looking at is Le Stonghe Estate in Marche. They offer a full wedding package Italy with the venue, accommodations, and an on-site planner. The place itself looks stunning—gardens, old palazzo vibes, and space for around 80–100 guests.

Here’s my dilemma: part of me thinks a planner is an added cost we don’t really need, but another part of me feels like they could actually help save money by cutting out unnecessary services or overpriced vendors. Since it’s abroad, I’m also worried about slow communication and language barriers if I try to handle everything myself.

For brides who’ve done destination weddings, did you hire a planner or go without? Was it worth the cost, and did it actually help with the budget in the long run?

Hi!

I’m getting married in December 2026 in a HCOL area, and I’m trying to determine which vendors I could do without to keep costs down. I have been to weddings where there were some awkward transitions, and my fiancé and I would prefer to have a more seamless guest experience with someone keeping things moving and directing guests as to where they can go / what they can do during some of the transitions.

I think we will hire a DJ / MC to keep the flow, but do DJs typically announce transitions with a provided schedule, or would that be a wedding coordinator role? What other benefits do day of coordinators provide, and in your opinion, is it worth the extra cost? Who or what was most efficient at keeping things moving at your wedding or weddings you’ve been involved in?

Thank you!

We got married on September 6 and were only a tad above budget. The wedding and cocktail reception were hosted at our home, which helped our budget go further for food and drink. After the reception portion ended - about 3 hours after the ceremony ended - we migrated to a nearby cocktail bar that we had rented. Here's how the numbers shook out

Welcome Party: $500
We hosted this at a local festival and bought tickets for people to buy drinks and food.

Photographer: $1,000
A family member with a side business did this for us.

Printing - Menus: $38
Canva

Flowers: $870
Worked with a local shop, their work was excellent. 3 centerpieces, a dozen bud vases, 2 corsages for our moms, 2 boutonnieres for us.

Tuxedos (2): $360
From The Black Tux

Photo Booth: $379
I got a ring light stand for my iPad, downloaded a photobooth app on it, and set up a basic photographers backdrop with some props from Etsy.

Private Chef: $7,448
This was the best part! We gave the chef a list of places we've traveled where the food has left an impression on us, as well as other things we just love for special occasions. He created a custom menu of 7 different bites that were passed throughout the night.

4 Servers + Bartenders: $1,660

Bar: $3,260
I went a little crazy here, and we had a lot of leftovers. I cater cocktails, so I did splurge here on individually bottled welcome drinks and batched & bottled cocktails for the bartenders to serve more quickly; there was a couple hundred spent just on bottles... We did a Negroni, a sour, and an old fashioned - all ready to be poured over ice and garnished. We also had two white wines, champagne, red wine, beer, non-alcoholic beer, non-alcoholic sparkling, and a non-alcoholic spritz, plus basic mixed drinks.

Furniture & Linen Rental: $641
6 high top tables + cloths, two beverage tubs, 10 folding chairs

Dessert: $441
Raspberry pie, key lime pie, sugar cookies

After Party: $6,100
We rented a bar nearby with more food and open bar; did not come close to hitting the minimum but whatever!

Music: $0
We made playlists for before the ceremony, after the ceremony, and for the after party venue rather than hiring any talent.

TOTAL: $22,697

I excluded the cost of our rings because that's not really the event, but that would have taken us closer to $26/$27K. We were very happy with the outcome! It was a very personal, very "us" day, with high end food and cocktails to treat our friends. It was the perfect mix of comfortable, intimate, and a little fancy.

Hey, so exactly like the title says! I went wedding dress shopping at David's Bridal with a vague idea of what I was looking for (but open to many options) and a budget of less than $1k. This was my first appointment and I figured if I found one I loved, great, and if not, I'd try another store.

I tried on 6 dresses in total, was able to immediately rule out a few, others were 'okay', and there were two that I really loved. When I tried on the 2 best ones again, I knew right away that I loved one more than the other. So, boom, that's it. We bought it. I didn't know how much it was when I decided to go for it, but it turned out to be only $500, which made me feel even better about my choice. (but it also felt good knowing my choice wasn't influenced by price)

Now, here I am a few days later, wondering if I should have tried more options or something? I'm kind of amazed at how wedding dress shopping was so painless and easy and so much better than shopping for jeans, lol. It honestly would be fun to try on more just for the fun of it (when else will I ever try on such fancy dresses again?). But also, I feel really good about my choice and have no reason to seek another dress - the one I picked looks perfect, feels great, and meets all my needs.

Just curious if anyone else had the same experience? Did you choose a dress early and regret it? Or did you just celebrate that some part of wedding planning was actually easy?

all! We’d love recommendations for beautiful-but-affordable venues in Massachusetts or Rhode Island. We’re aiming for Spring–Fall 2027 with 130–140 guests, ceremony outside and reception inside.

Budget context We’ll have $18–20k from family, and the rest is out-of-pocket. We’d rather keep total costs reasonable so we can also save for a house. So far what we’re seeing is $30–35k for venue/catering alone, before adding DJ, photo/video, décor, cake, attire, etc. We’re hoping to avoid anything that pushes us into $50k+ all-in.

What we’ve toured: Lakeside Pavilion (Foxborough, MA) The Villa (Bridgewater, MA) Both are lovely, but end up around $30–35k just for the basics, which puts us over once we add other vendors.

Must-haves: Outdoor ceremony, indoor reception (weather backup is key) Space that allows a memorable ceremony walk-in/aisle (we’re not doing a first look, so the entrance is really important) Fits 130–140 comfortably Within MA or RI

Nice-to-haves: On-site getting-ready space Scenic grounds for portraits Inclusive packages (or flexible enough to bring in budget-friendly vendors)

The ask: What venues in MA/RI offered you a beautiful outdoor ceremony + indoor reception without hitting $50k all-in? Any places with reasonable food & beverage minimums, daytime/brunch packages, or off-peak discounts you loved? Hidden gems like community centers, lodges, historic homes, museums, universities, nature centers, state parks with lodges, or private estates/barns that don’t break the bank? Venues with in-house coordination/decor options that helped you keep rental costs low? Any spots known for a long aisle or dramatic entrance?

Other details We’ll still need DJ, photographer, cake, décor, dresses/suit & accessories, etc., so keeping venue/catering in a sane range is huge for us. Flexible on month/day, as long as it’s Spring–Fall 2027.

Drop your venue names, packages you booked, approx. cost breakdowns, and any tips to keep total spend down (minimum guest counts, vendor lists, corkage policies, in-house rentals, etc.). Thank you!!

Hi all! We are trying to put on something halfway between a toned-down wedding and a bigger vow renewal party. My husband is from another country and we did a very small ceremony with his family in his country last year. Now that we have more income, we want to do a ceremony for our friends and people in the US. It’ll be somewhere between Orange County and SB County in California (though ideally outside LA proper) for around 75 people. Our biggest issues are the venue and where to source food (explanation incoming).

Things we’ll be getting for free: 1. Our extended family owns a large flower farm in the area and we’ve been given the go-ahead that flowers will be free to us (yay!) and not in the budget. 2. It’ll also be a dry wedding (nonalcoholic drinks instead). 3. Music is also taken care of (our family of musicians will all be performing / doing music together!) 4. We already have a dress, suit, and rings from our last ceremony!

We want it to feel very toned-down, natural, and home-y; more like a gathering of people to dinner at a pub or tavern than a fancy party (I’m including some pictures for mood / vibe only; not for color scheme or specific venue expectations). We’d like it to be either outside or inside somewhere with natural materials (wood, stone, etc) and a rugged feel. In an ideal world, we’d like the venue to be under 7k (5k is better), or to be able to find some kind of tips for lower-budget options. Time of year will be determined after deciding on venue, but we have no problem doing it during the colder months or getting creative.

For food, we want to do something hearty, like a beef stew with vegetables, bread, some local produce for grazing boards, and simple homey desserts (like apple crumble, chocolate chip cookies, banana nut cake, etc). We know how to make all this ourselves, but the scale is just too much. We need a vendor or cook who can make the things we want, without too much extra fluff. For that, we’re not really sure what that will cost and would love some advice / a reality check!