Something Old, Something Borrowed: Throwing a Wedding on a Budget

Every woman who dreams of becoming a bride has heard of the age old saying: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. And the moment a woman gets engaged, it’s off to the races to plan the best, most picture-perfect wedding that she and her guests will remember for the rest of their lives.

Unfortunately not everybody has an unlimited wellspring of finances to book the most expensive wedding location, commission a couture wedding dress, or even have a reception dinner curated by the top chefs in the world.

But throwing a wedding on a smaller budget doesn’t necessarily have to feel shabby or look frumpy. There are a lot of things us brides-to-be can do to celebrate our tying of the knot without breaking the bank.

Something Old: Wedding Rings

This one is particularly fun, and easy to achieve if you know where to look. While it’s nice to get a brand spanking new set of wedding rings, they can often fetch prices upwards of $3,000 if you’re not careful. Why not look for existing jewelry instead? Vintage rings lend a classic and dreamy touch to any wedding without eating up a huge chunk of the wedding budget. When the rings come from either side of the family, it ups the sentimental factor of the wedding rings and increases their significance to the couple too.

Something Borrowed: Wedding Dress

Wedding dresses are also another area that brides can skimp a bit on. The average wedding dress in the USA costs around $1,357. And that doesn’t include the cost for the entire entourage yet. In order to keep the expenditures at a reasonable level, why not borrow a wedding dress instead? Most brides get to wear their wedding dresses only once anyway. So if a friend is willing to loan their pristine white wedding gown, why not take them up on the offer? Bonus points if that friend is open to the idea of altering a wedding dress.

Something Borrowed: Wedding Reception Venue

The idea of weddings is to celebrate the union of a couple, not an excuse to flaunt money that we don’t really have. So why not tap into that guest list and ask if any of them have any properties that can be transformed into a wedding venue? If the wedding calls for a more rustic feel, try and ask if anybody has a barn that can be rented out for one day. Or try asking around for any beachfront properties to throw that beach wedding you’ve been dreaming of.

Something New: Wedding Cake

Here’s an idea: instead of getting someone else to make your wedding cake, why not bake the cake yourself? Making your own wedding cake is a perfect way to take up baking as a new life skill. And it doesn’t even have to be incredibly grand, since it’s all going to end up inside your guest’s tummies anyway. The important thing is that you make it taste good. So block off your bridesmaids’ schedules for a baking class or two, and bake that cake together with them. Or maybe you could get your fiance to do it with you instead for that romantic flair. It’ll make for a good wedding story.