If you want to know how to have an elegant wedding for 5000 or less, we recommend the five tips below to pull it off successfully. You can also consider them as a guide on how to plan a wedding for under 5000 and still have an event of your dreams.
It can be overwhelming to try and manage a small wedding budget, but you can make it work by adjusting and compromising. Another quick read that you may be interested in is how to plan a destination wedding on a small budget.
4 Tips On How To Have An Elegant Wedding For 5000 Or Less
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Less people on the guest list
Do you know that when wedding planning, a quick way to have everything you’ll need for the wedding even at a budget of $5,000 and lower is to have a few guests? If you think about it, fewer guests mean booking a smaller reception and venue, fewer invites, plates, alcohol, and favors.
Therefore, you can splurge more on the location and decors to still have an elegant wedding. Furthermore, it’s easier to create a classy event with only a few guests since the setting is more intimate and controlled.
But if you have too many relatives and friends, you can invite them to the reception or another celebration some other time. You can focus on a small guestlist for your wedding ceremony and cut costs.
For a more detailed guide on having few guests, here is how to plan a micro wedding.
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Get a realistic venue
The wedding venue can take a minimum of 40% of your wedding budget. So if you can only spend $5,000 for your wedding, you need to be realistic with the venue you’re getting.
However, booking a simpler function hall instead of an expensive hotel doesn’t mean you won’t get an elegant wedding. Decorating and maximizing the space can make your wedding look costly, especially if you create a vision board from different wedding inspirations.
And since you’ll probably have few wedding guests, why not consider a destination wedding? Even with a $5,000 or lower budget, it’s possible to afford one when you score deals and all-inclusive packages.
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Plan the catering according to your wedding budget
Another significant portion of the wedding budget will be dedicated to catering. And if you only have $5,000 or potentially lower, you must plan your menu.
Even if you have few guests, the type of food you’ll serve at the wedding can still get very expensive. But of course, a potluck is out of your options since you want an elegant wedding.
Therefore, consider having a buffet or do the wedding after lunch. A tea party can feel classy, and it wouldn’t cost as much as a traditional multi-course wedding dinner.
Here is the cheapest food to serve at a wedding if you are tight on expenses.
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Get simple attire
An elegant wedding doesn’t immediately mean spending $10,000 on your wedding attire. However, you can still look expensive by planning your bride and groom outfits.
For example, maybe you have an heirloom wedding dress or suit that both of you can get tailored. Well-fitting clothes exude elegance because they flatter your size and body shape well.
You can also rent your wedding attire than buy them to cut costs. And if you’re very good at finding sales, you might even score designer pieces at half their original prices.
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Plan the vendors accordingly
Because of the small budget, you have to consider shortening the list of wedding vendors you’ll book. You can also check the portfolio of those starting in the industry as they’ll charge lower than those with years of experience.
Some wedding roles that you can DIY or assign to someone who may want to volunteer to include wedding MC, DJ, or even the officiant. Just make sure that they truly want and can handle the responsibilities if you assign a friend or relative.
Some vendors that you may want to allocate a budget to include the wedding photographer and decorator. But then again, this depends on your capacity and the people you know.
Sample $5,000 Wedding Budget Breakdown
Assuming you’ll have 20 guests on lower, you can pull off an elegant $5,000 or lower wedding with the following budget:
- $1,000: wedding attire and accessories
- $600: wedding rings
- $100: hair and makeup
- $50: wedding flowers
- $1,200: wedding ceremony venue and decors
- Backyard reception: free
- $1,000: wedding food and cake
- $800: wedding photographer
What Is Considered A Low Budget Wedding?
The average cost of a wedding is about $28,000, so anything lower than $5,000 is considered a low-budget wedding. However, there’s nothing wrong with allocating a small budget because what’s important is to be legally united with your partner and celebrate the milestone with your favorite people.
Small weddings and elopements are cheap, but even destination weddings can be affordable as weddings can be freebies in some hotels and resorts. So opt for packages to save more and lessen the hassle on your part in finding vendors.
Conclusion
Was this budgeting guide helpful? To recap how to have an elegant wedding for 5000 or less: have few guests, opt for an affordable venue, catering, attire, and vendors.
You can also DIY some of the roles and elements in the wedding to further save on expenses. Overall, it’s possible to still have an elegant wedding even with a limited budget.