Affordable Wedding Venues & Menus
Are you struggling to find a wedding venue that fits your budget? If you’ve been looking at wedding venues, you’re probably surprised by how much a wedding will cost. And when you start doing the math, the food and drink packages add up fast! If you don’t have a big budget, you’re probably wondering how to find a great venue that’s still affordable. If you’re still searching for your venue, here’s 4 easy ways to stick to your wedding budget.
1. Avoid Booking a Ballroom
Ballroom weddings are fabulous, but the price gets high, fast. Hotels and banquet halls have built in minimums. On average, a ballroom wedding starts at $10,000. Another reason they cost so much is all the add-ons. Once you fit the room and the meal into your budget, you still need to pay for a full bar. And a DJ. Plus the dance floor, lighting, wedding cake, flowers and more. A ballroom wedding is best if you’ve got a bigger budget.
If you’ve got your heart set on a ballroom you can save money by booking in the off season or on a weekday. Or you can have a brunch, lunch or cocktail wedding instead of a dinner and dance party.
2. Choose a Different Venue
Another way to save money is by booking a non traditional wedding venue. You can have your wedding anywhere that people get together. Instead of searching for a “wedding venue” try looking at alternative meeting places. Here’s some ideas to try:
Wine bar
Brewery
Bed & breakfast
Legion hall
Knights of Columbus hall
Lions club
Kiwanis club
Private club
College or university
Community center
Local park
Church hall
Historical home
School house
Community room in condo building
Air BnB
State parks
Nature preserve
Campground
Beach
Cottage
Farm
Ranch
Barn
Pavilion
Gazebo
Apple orchard
Botanical garden
Aquarium
Library
Theater
Museum
Art gallery
Nightclub
Bowling alley
Coffee shop
Greenhouse
Outdoor wedding venue with banquet tables, dishes and pink and white floral centerpieces.
3. Plan a Different Meal
Once you’ve found your venue, you need to figure out how to serve your meal. Hiring a caterer is the easiest option. If you don’t have the budget for a Saturday night dinner, there’s other options you can choose:
A breakfast or brunch wedding is a bargain when you’re hiring a caterer. They can serve a fantastic breakfast for a fraction of the cost of dinner. Plus, you don’t need a full bar. You’ll save a ton of money on alcohol. Best of all - no one expects to drink on Sunday morning, so you won’t get the side-eye from any of your guests.
You could also think about having a cocktail party for your reception. You’ll need to plan a full bar with alcohol, but instead of paying for a meal, you can serve appetizers to save some money.
4. DIY Your Wedding Food
If you’ve got the nerve, you can always DIY your wedding menu. Depending on your budget, your skills and how much help you have, you can choose the level of DIY that suits you.
Cake and Punch
A cake and punch reception is super easy to set up. And it’s affordable, even on a small budget.
Order From a Restaurant
You can save a lot of money by ordering food from a restaurant when it’s compared to the cost of a traditional caterer. You’ll just need to set up the food and serve it.
Pick up From a Local Deli or Grocery Store
Even bigger savings! Plan extra time and ask for help to pick it up and serve it to your guests.
Full on DIY Your Wedding Food
You can plan a potluck or you can cook a meal yourself. This option takes the most organization and skill. But if you can set it up, it’ll save you loads of cash.
For more on making your own wedding food, read this next - Self Cater Your Wedding: How to DIY Your Wedding Food
Wedding Planning E-Book
If you’re willing to get creative, you can find all kinds of alternative spots to have your wedding. For more info about planning an inexpensive or DIY wedding, get the ebook: Affordable Wedding Venues and Menus. It’ll walk you through the entire process, from starting your search right through to signing your contract:
