Beautiful At-Home Wedding Ideas on a Budget
A backyard swing with wedding guest chairs in the background.
According to The Knot, 55% of couples choose a wedding location that is special to them. So there’s no place like home- especially when you’re planning a wedding!
Whether you are looking to save money by planning a backyard wedding or simply love your space, at-home weddings are growing in popularity. They are intimate and easy to personalize to your unique taste.
Hosting an informal wedding doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your vision. There are many ways to ensure your special day is elegant and luxurious without breaking the bank.
Here are some perfect at-home wedding ideas on a budget that offer beauty and savings!
Budget-Friendly At-Home Wedding Ideas
A bride and groom sitting at a reception table with guests with string paper lanterns. Image by Brown Brother’s Catering.
Utilize the Natural Beauty
You’ll save lots of money if you capitalize on the natural beauty of your or a family member’s home.
When choosing a spot for your vows, consider the natural beauty of the outdoor space. Is there an area of your yard that has a particularly nice view?
Or maybe there is a group of trees that will be perfect for hanging LED lights for a romantic glow. Gardens or flower beds are also good places to take wedding photos or stage your vows.
If you’re hosting indoors, choose a room that will make for a nice backdrop, like one with a beautiful fireplace or a sentimental piece of art. Consider what will show up in photographs to ensure you are happy with the results!
2. Use Digital Invitation Templates
Traditionally, couples would need to spend money on paper invitations and RSVP cards as well as postage. This process was time-consuming and costly.
Modernize your wedding planning with digital invites! Designing digital invitations is a great way to save on stamps and streamline the RSVP process.
Choose a fun template design and customize it to fit your vision. Then, send them to your guest list! You can email or text them and link them to a Google form for easy, quick RSVPing!
3. DIY Wedding and Welcome Signs
A brown wooden sign reading “wedding” near a street. Image by Tai’s Captures.
If you or someone in your circle are crafty, create gorgeous signage for your wedding. You can get inexpensive blank signs and accents at most craft stores.
Acrylic paint and stencils will make for easy decorating. You can also use peel-and-stick vinyl and a Cricut for a crisp look.
Consider asking someone close to you for help. This will take one thing off of your plate and allow that person to show how much they care!
4. Use Fairy Lights and Candles for Lighting
An outdoor wedding setting with fairy lights, chairs, and greenery. Image by Junior Reis.
Another affordable at-home wedding idea on a budget is fairy lights and candles. Whether you are indoors or outdoors, LED lights, fairy lights, and candles make for inexpensive but gorgeous lighting.
Thrift glass vessels and fill them with battery-operated fairy lights in place of real candles. This way, you don’t have to put someone on candle duty!
Not only are they reusable, but you can easily customize the color of the LED lights to match your theme.
5. Create a Wedding Playlist Over Hiring a DJ
Nowadays, all you need to get a party started is a wireless Bluetooth speaker and an awesome playlist! You can cue up songs for the procession, ceremony, and reception and ask a trusted person to make sure the right song plays.
Curate the perfect playlist filled with songs that represent you and your spouse. You can choose songs that connect to special moments, describe your love, or just your favorite tunes!
Make sure the playlist includes a good mix of fast and slow songs and is long enough to last for the entire event. And as always, do a sound check beforehand!
6. Self-Cater Your Reception Food
A table of various wedding foods and desserts. Image by Angelina Yan.
Having an at-home wedding means you’ll have access to your kitchen. Save money by self-catering reception food.
You can offer a delicious wedding buffet display or craft a series of elegant wedding charcuterie boards. Choose versatile foods you enjoy and allow your guests to serve themselves. For example, a grazing table accommodates multiple food needs and has something for everyone!
Once you know your wedding food budget, hit the stores in search of the right ingredients. Opt for high-quality ingredients mixed with some affordable crowd-pleasers to manage costs.
Don’t forget dessert! Cupcakes or a cookie table are an easy-to-serve, budget-friendly, at-home wedding idea addition!
7. Set Up Lawn Games or A Campfire For Guest Entertainment
Dancing is fun, but you’ll want to provide your guests with various options for entertainment, especially if they have children.
Set up fun lawn games, like giant Jenga, lawn chess, or cornhole boards. If you are planning on partying into the night, plan for a campfire so your guests can roast marshmallows and enjoy each other's company.
8. Use Confetti or Sparklers for an Affordable Sendoff
A bride and groom walk through a crowd of guests celebrating with sparklers. Image by Elisabeth Arnold.
Confetti or sparkler send-offs are great options for when your guests are ready to send the happy couple onward. Plus, they’re a super affordable way to end your evening!
Not only do these options look great in pictures, but create a beautiful scene you’ll remember! Choose biodegradable confetti so you don’t need to worry about cleanup.
9. Craft Your Own Wedding Bouquets and Centerpieces
One of the most impactful at-home wedding ideas for a budget wedding are creating your own flower arrangements! Floral arrangements and centerpieces can get expensive. Save a bit by putting them together yourself.
For the bouquets you and your bridal party will carry, you can purchase fresh flowers in bulk or opt for silk ones. Look for inspiration online and play around with the arrangement. Make sure you have enough room in your fridge to keep them fresh!
As for centerpieces, experiment with unique pieces like fairy lights in glass jars or other non-floral arrangements. You will shrink your budget by getting crafty!
10. Repurpose Items for Aisle Decor
Aisle decor, like lanterns, runners, and bows, is a popular way to tie your wedding theme together. But you may not need to purchase new items to achieve the look you’re going for.
Check storage to see if you have any accents that fit your theme. Ask family members if they have anything you can borrow. This means you can save that cash and put it towards other components of your special day.
11. Create a Few Signature Alcoholic Wedding Drinks
Rather than offering an open bar with endless options, create one or two signature wedding drinks for guests who want them.
Create signage and set out a tray of these drinks for everyone to enjoy. This will save you lots of money and prevent having to buy a whole bar’s worth of beverages.
Or forego liquor altogether and offer one or two types of bottled adult beverages. You can also offer soda, lemonade, and water for guests who don’t drink alcohol.
12. Get Creative with Your Wedding Attire
A bride and groom dressed in non-traditional clothing and smiling at one another. Image by Jonathan Borba.
One of the most expensive parts of an at-home wedding is the bride’s dress and the groom’s suit. Fortunately, you can get creative and find ways to look your best on your big day for less.
You can rent your wedding attire for a fraction of what purchasing it would cost. This is especially cost-effective since you only wear the dress and suit once!
If you want to hold on to your wedding day outfits, consider thrifting. Go vintage with a white wedding suit or romantic with a beachy, flowy white dress.
The important thing is that you feel comfortable and beautiful! That could mean your soon-to-be spouse wears a comfortable button-down and you choose an easy, breezy dress that makes you feel like a million bucks.
Go a step further and do your own hair and makeup. Study online tutorials or ask a friend who’s good with a curling iron to help out!
13. Forego Wedding Favors
Wedding favors inflate your budget, and the truth is most guests don’t hold on to them for long!
Instead of offering wedding favors, set up a photo booth backdrop complete with props so guests can snap pictures to remember your special day!
If you want to send your guests off with something, offer a make-your-own trail mix bar so they can have a snack on the ride home!
14. Bake Your Own Wedding Cake (or Cupcakes!)
A tier of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes on a table. Image by Tai’s Captures.
A professional cake can cost hundreds of dollars. But if you’re looking to shrink the budget for your at-home wedding, consider baking your own.
Boxes of cake mix are very cost-effective. You can elevate your cake by whipping up homemade buttercream. There are lots of recipes and YouTube tutorials that can give you great tips.
Tips for Successful At-Home Wedding Planning On a Budget
Get Organized
Find an organization system that will help you keep all your ducks in a row. This could be a traditional binder with special trackers or a spreadsheet.
Make a list of everything you want for your special day, and check off what you already have. This will help you manage the budget and keep your composure through the stress of wedding planning.
2. Ask for Help
Your friends and family always have your best interests at heart. So don’t be afraid to ask people to pitch in to make your at-home wedding magical.
Crafty friends can help make wedding signage and centerpieces or help to decorate your yard. Family members who command a kitchen can bake, chop, and help plan your wedding food.
Everyone wants to see you happy. The worst they can say is no! So ask away.
3. Use What You Have
Avoid buying new when possible. There are plenty of decor items and craft supplies around your home or the homes of your loved ones that can be repurposed into wedding magic.
Reference your wedding plan list and double-check to see if you already own these items. Ask around to see what you can borrow or rent. It will go a long way in stretching your budget.
4. Take it One Step at a Time
No matter what, your special day will be just that. So just breathe and plan one day at a time. Anticipate things going sideways and brainstorm how you can get it back on track. Be flexible and smile, even when the planning process is getting overwhelming.
Remember that your wedding day is about the union between you and your spouse. So if something doesn’t go as planned, just know that nothing will detract from the celebration of your love! By incorporating at-home wedding ideas on a budget, you can save money and celebrate a beautiful ceremony!