Planning a wedding ceremony is itself a task, whether you plan a big fat wedding or a simple one. The level of planning and coordination one needs to do when they want to have a simple wedding is more compared to other styles. Of course, even in a simple wedding, you need to make sure that everything goes fine.
There are many couples who are planning to host a simple wedding and trust that there are many benefits of going simple. And the best benefit one gets of going simple is – Budget friendly wedding. Yeah, otherwise weddings are really very pricey affairs. If you are also planning to host a simple wedding and wondering how you should go ahead with it, then you have landed on the right page. As this post is specifically meant for those who want to host a simple wedding, here is what you need to host a simple wedding.
1. Envisage the big day
First things first, before you actually start planning for your wedding, you need to envisage the big day. What exactly you are looking for your wedding. Once you know exactly how your day should go, you would be able to plan the rest of the things associated to your wedding. Also, it will help you set the right wedding budget, and you can work on the other details like your style, theme, colors and design.
2. Discuss and decide with your family and partner
Since you are engaged and now it is the time to decide the type of wedding you are looking for. For deciding the type of wedding, it’s crucial that you decide it with your partner and your family members. As, they might have different plans for your wedding. It has to be a combined decision of both the families (bride’s and groom’s families). So, make sure while you plan to host a simple wedding, your spouse to-be and his family is comfortable with your decision.
3. The wedding budget
When you plan to host a simple wedding, the most important thing you should consider is the size of the wedding. As, according to the size of the wedding only you would be able to finalize the wedding budget. And it is a primary step for any couple. As your entire wedding expenses will be taken care according to the budget set for your wedding. And while you prepare your wedding budget you need to consider all the aspects of the wedding such as the vendors, guests, food, décor, photography, outfits, ornaments, gifts, sweets, etc. Hosting a simple wedding may seem easy, but you need to ideate everything accordingly.
4. Trim the guest list
Simple weddings simply means less wedding guests. We understand how much you feel tempted to invite everyone you know on your wedding, which is not wise, especially when you are planning to host a simple wedding. However, this is going to be a harrowing task overall, as it is trickiest to decide who will be the part of your big day and who to chuck out from the list. Trimming down your guest list will help you save a lot of money, it’s already an intimate ceremony which you want to host for only a few family members, close relatives, friends.
Be wise while preparing your guest list as it will directly affect your budget for sure. Make necessary cuts wherever you feel like and invite those who you feel important and their presence is mandatory. Sit with your spouse to be and both families to create the list in accordance. It will help you slosh down the expense of their travel, accommodation, meal, etc.
You can always make two lists: list A and list B. First send invites on list A and depending on the RSVPs you can send invites to your list B guests.
5. Keep The Big Day Small.
Indeed it’s your big day, but keeping the whole thing small will save you a lot. You can always hold a great wedding with just 30 – 40 people at the most. All your expenses like food, music, cocktails, etc.can be covered in the most affordable manner. Have an intimate wedding, with closest family and friends in attendance.
6. Hold your wedding ceremony at home.
This is crucial, for a simple wedding, you don’t have to rent an expensive place. The best is to hold your wedding ceremonies at your home itself. And if you think your house is not that big to hold a ceremony like wedding, then you can consider hosting it outdoors, in your friend’s backyard, or even in some nearby park in your locality. Remember that renting a wedding hall for your ceremony and reception would cost you too much. This way you would be able to save on your venue expenses.
When hosting a wedding at home, you always have the privilege to create an ambience that will help you tell your story in a better way, and you can always host a memorable event like this.
7. Recruit a Coordinator/help
Hiring a wedding planner will price you again, so it’s better if you recruit a help who can take care of things efficiently, a person who understands your style and taste, who knows you well and the one who you can trust as well. Recruit someone from the family member or friend who you can trust completely and you know that you will get what you desire. He/she can be your close friend, your brother/sister or your cousin anyone who you can trust can be a great help money wise and otherwise also.
8. Go minimal with venue décor
It is one of the major expenses in the wedding which can cost you anything from a few thousands to lakhs. If you choose wisely you can still save money on the décor part. Make sure that the wedding décor is done smartly. Instead of spending a fortune on expensive flowers and wedding decors, go minimal and keep the whole thing simple and elegant. You can always opt for minimal decor or you can go with resourceful decor elements like fairy lights, playful signage, colorful drapes, and anything which is easily doable
Or you can choose to decorate the place or your home with lots of lights and lanterns to make it look best and beautiful. Lighting all your trees and plants, using paper lanterns, drape the ceilings, and floral chandeliers which will use less space and will give the appearance of big space for your wedding. You can even go for fake flowers and DIY centerpieces.
9. Rent your wedding outfit
You may have wondered many times why people spend so much on their wedding outfit but when it comes to buy our own we also join the race and buy the most expensive wedding outfits for a two day celebration. And it always happens, whether you agree or not but it’s true that your designer wedding lehenga and your reception gown is not going to be used ever again in life. But the money which you spend on buying your wedding outfits is huge. How about renting a wedding lehenga and reception gown? Well, the idea may sound weird, but trust, it is the best way to save money on your wedding. You know your lehenga can cost your entire wedding shopping if at all you give a thought to rent your wedding lehenga, not only this you will get a myriad of beautiful options to choose from that too in just minimal rent. Save, and use that money in something else, there are so many things to take care in a wedding.
Also see: Tips on what to rent & what to buy for your wedding day
Or else, see if your aunt sponsors your wedding outfit. Your relatives and family members also set a budget for your wedding gift, there is no harm to ask them if they can sponsor your wedding outfit, you will save a huge amount and off course it will be a proud moment for your aunt too when she will see you in that lehnga gifted by her.
10. Buy only what you need
Wedding demands lots of shopping, make a list of what to purchase beforehand and then go for shopping with your bridesmaid as you know wedding shopping is pricey and you never know when what entices you which you will regret buying later. Make it a point that you buy only what is most essential. Initially everything while shopping seems important but it is not necessary that what all you buy for the sake of your wedding is important. Buy wisely, you will save much more than you thought.
11. Use your surroundings as your backdrop.
If you are holding your ceremony at a nearby park, you don’t need to spend too much on decoration and all. You already have a privilege to use the surroundings as a backdrop for the wedding reception. It won’t be wise to spend extra money on decoration instead use your scenic surroundings as a backdrop to add that extra flair to the overall function and make the best and the most memorable one. You can minimize your expenses, there is no need to splurge on extra décor when you are already surrounded by natural beauty.
12. Host wedding ceremony and reception in one place
Another way to have a really simple wedding is to have both the wedding ceremony and reception in one place. There are numerous benefits of hosting your wedding ceremony and wedding reception in one place, such as, your guests won’t need to travel to a different location, you will not need to spend money on two different venues separately. Moreover, if you are really tight on wedding budget then having the ceremony and wedding reception can help you host a budget-friendly wedding.
13. Do the catering yourself
With limited number of guests it is possible to do your catering yourself. You can always do it with the help of your family members who are good at cooking. Believe you me, it will drastically reduce the cost. If you find catering yourself a tad tricky, then you can have a small family-owned restaurant doing it for you. Usually, small restaurants are able to handle small celebrations, you can always ask the owners of the restaurant to cater your wedding. Family-owned restaurants are good to go with as they can provide you catering services in your budget.
14. DIY the invites or send e-vites
Printed wedding invites again cost you huge. If you have a limited number of guests you can always go either with DIY route or send e-invites to your guests. You can make beautiful handmade invites that your guests can even use as keepsake, such as small plants. If DIY seems difficult then go online. These days most people have smartphones, you can always create a beautiful wedding invite that you can send on whatsapp or other platform.
15. DIY wedding favors
We are in the era of DIYing, it is really very easy to DIY things these days. And it is the easiest way to save a lot of money on wedding favors. Instead of skipping the wedding favors completely it’s better to DIY them so that your guests feel special and happy. When it is about wedding favors, you don’t have to buy expensive items for your guests. Wedding favors are just a way to say thanks for attending your wedding, which you can do without spending a lot of money on them. You can have small plants to give away as wedding favors. These plants will always remind your guests of your wedding. Or you can have homemade cookies as wedding favors. There are several ways to DIY wedding favors for your guests.
16. Use your own stereo equipment.
Instead of hiring an expensive DJ for your wedding reception, you can simply use your own home stereo equipment, or you can borrow them from your friends. All you have to do is simply create a wonderful playlist on your iPod, put speakers around the dance floor area, and you’re ready to rock it. Like this you would be able to personalize the whole wedding experience.
17. Use your own crockery
Instead of renting crockery for your wedding, you can use your own home crockery and save a great deal on it. Say, yours is an intimate wedding celebration with just 30 – 50 people, usually we have crockery at our households that we use only occasionally, the same crockery can be used at your wedding as well.
18. Hire a freelance photographer
Wedding photography is again a costly affair, these professional photographers charge heavy money for one day event. So, it is better you hire a freelance photographer, there are many portals such as fiverr, where you can hire a freelance photographer. Before you hire a photographer for your wedding, make sure you see his/her prior work so that there are no surprises later. Also, it is good to take quotations from at least 4 to 5 freelancers.
Related: Wedding Expenses Checklist
Or if you have a great friend who is a passionate photographer as well, ask him to do the needful at your wedding. Or if you feel a professional wedding photographer is needed for your wedding, then hire the person for the main event and on an hourly basis. And let your passionate photographer friend handle the small events at your wedding.
Or another way is to contact a local university. If there’s an art school or photography program in some college of your city, you can see if there are any talented students or recent grads who are willing to photograph your wedding at a discounted rates for the portfolio-building experience and exposure they’d receive.
19. Stocking the bar yourself is a great money-saver
When it comes to wedding expenses, alcohol at the wedding is a big expense. You can always stock your bar. While arranging for alcohol, you can probably look for a discount liquor store in your area, and stock up at least the basics, such as red and white wine and a different types of beer at the very least. And, if you’re planning a full bar, pick up the standard liquors like gin, rum, vodka, and whiskey, plus a few mixers and soft drinks like sodas and juices. And if you really have a lot of time to prepare for your wedding, you can always DIY your wines also. See if you can!
20. Choose affordable wedding rings/bands
Of course, your wedding bands are an important part of the wedding ceremony, they symbolize your commitment to each other. But that doesn’t at all mean that they have to be costly. While planning a simple wedding, this is the major area to cut your cost on. Instead of buying an expensive material wedding band or ring, you can always choose a ring made of titanium, sterling silver, or other materials that are less expensive, durable, and can be personalized for even deeper meaning.
21. Get your people involved in wedding preparation
Of course, hiring a wedding planner will cost you money. It is better to ask for help from your own people. You can always pick some of your friends and siblings or cousins for wedding day preparation, who you think would be able to create a great event for you. There will be so many things that you will need to DIY, there these people would be able to help you. You can always dedicate each person specific duty that you think they would be able to handle efficiently.
22. Register for wedding gifts that you want
You can have a wedding registry. Many stores provide registry services free of charge to the prospective bride and groom. It will allow your wedding guests to choose things that you need or want. It is however, a great way to have exactly what you need to furnish your house. You can even include a wide range of other items, such as your honeymoon to donating money to some specific cause, which you support.
23. Grooms can rent their wedding outfits
Wedding Tuxedos are again costly. If you don’t have any specific reason for owning a tuxedo, you can consider renting one. Or if you’re not planning a tuxedo at your wedding, then you can have all of your groomsmen wear a black suit (which usually people have) or other matching formalwear at your wedding.
24. Plan a delayed honeymoon
Almost every couple wants to hit their honeymoon destination the moment their wedding is over. However, delaying your honeymoon gives you an opportunity to save up for the trip of your dreams. As your wedding is already a pricey affair and spending on honeymoon just after your wedding can bring financial crunch. You need to have some breathing space after your wedding. So delaying your honeymoon and saving for it let you have that space. Also, it gives you time to know each other better and spend your initial days in your own home and maintaining it the way you always wanted to.
25. Stay Happy
Last but not least, whether you host a big fat wedding or a simple wedding, it is crucial that you stay happy for that amazing bridal look. There will be myriads of occasions wherein you will feel stressed out, but it is okay. Remember that your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event and issues that are almost negligible can be avoided without paying much heed to them. Don’t let external factors affect your mood adversely, instead try to avoid things which are not in your control and have a great wedding celebration.
To pan out…..
Be it simple or extravagant, have a great wedding celebration. Let you and your guests enjoy your day to the fullest. Simple is not always cheap, it is always elegant. So, have an elegant celebration that you can cherish all your life.
