To get married cheap but nice, focus on cutting guest count, choosing an affordable, non-traditional venue (like a park, backyard, or restaurant), DIYing decor, opting for digital invites, and simplifying food (potluck, food truck, or restaurant drop-off) and attire (second-hand dress, rental tux) to keep costs down while creating a beautiful, personal event.
Less food, less drinks, less seating etc. Look for parks or public spaces where you can get a permit to have your ceremony observe the existing decor or foliage. Not having to dress up a space for the ceremony or reception can also help cut back on cost.
Yes, a beautiful wedding for under $5,000 is absolutely possible, but it requires prioritizing, keeping the guest list small (under 50 people is ideal), embracing DIY, and making smart choices for vendors like food and photography, often involving backyard settings or off-peak times for savings. Focus on what truly matters, like good food and memories, while finding creative, budget-friendly alternatives for other elements like decorations and attire.
The cheapest way to get married involves a simple civil ceremony at a courthouse or registry office, focusing only on legal requirements with minimal guests, often just two witnesses. To save more, choose a weekday, use free locations like a park or your home (with a celebrant), and DIY decorations or food, or opt for a simple celebrant-led elopement for a personalized but budget-friendly experience.
If you're looking for a wedding that is romantic, intimate and incredibly affordable, then a registry office wedding is a fantastic option. While a registry office wedding doesn't offer you the scale and grandiosity of other weddings, it makes up for it in simplicity and elegance.
The 2-2-2 rule for marriage is a guideline to keep a relationship strong and connected: have a date night every two weeks, a weekend getaway every two months, and a week-long vacation every two years. This system encourages regular, intentional quality time, breaks from routine, and deeper connection by ensuring couples prioritize each other amidst daily life, work, and family, preventing stagnation and fostering fun.
Affordable Weddings
A registry office marriage ceremony is a relaxed, no fuss, simple legal wedding for those who prefer a low-key wedding. Two witnesses are required by law, and can be anyone over the age of 18.
The 777 rule for marriage is a relationship guideline to keep couples connected by scheduling specific, regular quality time: a date night every 7 days, a night away (getaway) every 7 weeks, and a romantic holiday every 7 months, often without kids, to foster intimacy, reduce stress, and prevent routine from overtaking the relationship. It's about consistent, intentional efforts to prioritize the partnership.
It's totally possible to plan a wedding without spending five figures. You can even make it happen for as little as $1,000. (Seriously.) Don't worry if math gives you a headache.
Start With a Solid Budget Framework
Use the 50/30/20 rule: 50% for essentials (venue, catering, attire) 30% for enhancements (photography, décor, entertainment) 20% for surprises (unexpected fees or extra guests)
The 30/5 Rule for weddings is a time-management guideline that says tasks normally taking 5 minutes can take 30 minutes on your wedding day due to distractions, while important 30-minute events (like the ceremony) can fly by in 5 minutes, so you must build in buffer time for the former and savor the latter, creating a realistic, relaxed schedule that accounts for unexpected delays. It helps ensure smooth transitions by adding extra minutes for setup, photos, and guest interactions, preventing stress and allowing couples to enjoy the day.
A realistic wedding budget depends heavily on location and guest count, but averages in places like Australia often fall between $30,000 and $50,000 AUD, with venue, catering (often 35%), photography, and attire being major costs. To create your budget, determine what you can realistically save monthly, research actual local vendor quotes for your guest list (e.g., 100 guests might need $35k-$45k), and allocate funds for essentials like venue/catering, then add a 5-10% buffer for unexpected costs.
Small Wedding Ideas You Can Steal
Depending on your individual circumstances, marriage may benefit you or your intended, or both of you. Your overall cost of living might well be reduced if you're sharing the expenses of a mortgage or rent, and insurance, You also have a better chance as a couple to put aside a substantial amount towards retirement.
The most popular wedding months on the calendar tend to be June, October, and September. May and August aren't too far behind.
There are plenty of ways you can cut costs and save money throughout the wedding planning process.
Learning how to budget as a couple means staying flexible and working as a team — especially when needs, goals, and finances shift. What is the 50/30/20 rule for married couples? It's a popular budgeting method that suggests putting 50% of income toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings or debt.
The cheapest way to get married involves a simple civil ceremony at a courthouse or registry office, focusing only on legal requirements with minimal guests, often just two witnesses. To save more, choose a weekday, use free locations like a park or your home (with a celebrant), and DIY decorations or food, or opt for a simple celebrant-led elopement for a personalized but budget-friendly experience.
Here are a few other ways our experts suggest you can cut costs and plan a budget-friendly wedding.
1. Lack of Honesty. Often when we think of honesty, notably honesty in marital relationships, we think of a very tangible “where were you last night” kind of honesty. While this is obviously critically important, there are many other kinds of dishonesty that can destroy marriages.
Follow the four golden rules – don't lie, keep your promises, argue productively and always play nice – and your relationship will never go anywhere but forward.
You know you're falling in love when your someone begins to take up major real estate in your thoughts. You might find yourself rehashing your conversations in the middle of work, thinking about your next date days in advance, or even envisioning your future together.
Courthouse Wedding: Having your wedding at a courthouse is a simple and inexpensive choice. The marriage ceremony can be performed by a judge or court clerk after you have obtained a marriage license at the courthouse. This choice is usually quick and doesn't need extensive planning or preparation.
In many places, this tends to be during the late fall to early spring months when demand for venues and vendors is lower. Specifically, months like January, February, and March are often less expensive for weddings due to decreased competition for dates and services.
Organising a last minute wedding is totally possible, we've been helping couples do this exact same thing for years, so here are some top tips from one of our wedding experts, Chloe. One of the best things about a last minute wedding is that a short engagement means you stay firmly in the exciting engagement bubble.