Who wouldn’t like to have an unlimited amount of money to spend on their wedding? But if money is tight, this list of 9 fall wedding ideas on a budget is just what you need to pull off your big day within your means.
Take a look:
1. Keep your wedding small and intimate
Instead of having a huge wedding with hundreds of guests, keep your wedding guest list small.
When you do so, you’ll have a cozier, more intimate setup that lets you spend more quality time with each guest. You’ll also save money as you can book a smaller venue, order less food, print fewer invitations, and so on.
Think about who you’d really want at your wedding and who might not need an invite. For instance, you’d likely want your immediate family to be there (unless you aren’t on good terms with them), as well as your closest friends.
But that high school friend whom you barely talk to, apart from liking their posts on Instagram? Probably not.
Or if you feel uncomfortable with the idea of completely not inviting certain people, try this compromise: set up a live stream for them to watch the wedding proceedings from the comfort of their home.
2. DIY your wedding invitations
Now that you’ve decided on your wedding guests, you can start prepping their wedding invites.
Wedding card designers tend to charge quite a bit for custom-made cards. But if you don’t want to splurge on their services, use one of our top DIY fall wedding ideas on a budget—namely, creating your own save the date invitations!
That’s what this couple did while preparing for their wedding:
Using PosterMyWall, you can design stunning autumn wedding invitations even if you aren’t a professional graphic designer. Browse our collection of wedding invitation templates, then customize your favorite in our drag-and-drop design editor.
We’ve also handpicked 25 invitation design templates here to help you get started!
Pro tip: Want to save even more money on your wedding invites? Then send them electronically instead of mailing them. You’ll avoid printing and postage costs that way!
3. Book a more affordable wedding venue
This is one of those fall wedding ideas on a budget that can especially save you a ton of money: securing a more affordable wedding venue.
That’s because wedding venue rental is often one of the biggest costs involved in holding a wedding. If you can shave a thousand bucks or more off your rental costs, that’s a lot of cash you could spend elsewhere!
The trick here is to go for quirkier venues that may not be as popular, such that they offer cheaper rental rates. Here, for example, we have a couple getting married on a farm:
Another plus point of picking a more unconventional venue is that it’ll stand out in your guests’ minds. This will make your wedding even more memorable in the years to come!
4. Opt for minimalist wedding decor
Have you watched scenes of large-scale weddings in movies, or followed the news on high-profile celeb weddings? If so, then you probably have been blown away by their highly elaborate wedding decor, full of bling and sparkle.
It’d be nice to have that for your own wedding, but you’re on a budget and have to spend wisely. So opt for minimalist autumn wedding decorations that will help you keep your costs down while still adding a touch of class.
Here’s an example to inspire you:
By itself, the white lace curtain may seem rather plain. But wrapping two beautiful red roses around them instantly elevates the curtain to a higher level of elegance.
5. Rent a pre-loved bridal dress
Most brides wear a bridal dress only once in their lives. If this will be you (or your partner), then it makes little sense to buy a new bridal dress.
For a fraction of the cost, you can rent a bridal dress that will make the wearer look stunning on your special day. You can then return the dress when you’re done.
The wearer will save closet space, and the rental company will even wash the dress for you!
Choose the rental bridal dress the same way you’d choose a bridal dress for buying. Go for something that you like and that flatters the wearer’s body shape.
Don’t worry if the dress you’re eyeing isn’t a 100% good fit, because the rental company can often make quick alterations.
Just like how the neckline of this bridal dress was adjusted to be less revealing:
6. Order simple wedding centerpieces
Autumn wedding centerpieces are another thing that can trip you up, cost-wise. That’s because couples often think that they need elaborate (and hence expensive) centerpieces to make their tables Insta-worthy.
But who says beautiful centerpieces need to be fancy? Even the simpler ones can help brighten up your tables.
Just like this wedding centerpiece, which makes use of yellow, orange, and brown flowers to complement this lucky couple’s fall wedding:
Here’s another tip to save money on wedding centerpieces. If you aren’t too picky about your decorations, ask your wedding venue if they can provide the centerpieces for you.
As you’re already renting their venue, they might be happy to oblige for a smaller fee—or even for free!
7. Use lower-cost ingredients in your wedding menu
Now we come to the all-important question of your wedding menu. What will your guests eat?
Since you’re on a budget, you probably can’t afford to serve them caviar and foie gras. Instead, opt for lower-cost ingredients that can still keep your guests happy and full. Such ingredients include:
- Fresh fruit and veggies
- Pasta, which can easily feed a large group of people
- Bread (freshly baked)
And don’t neglect how you plate your food! The right plating can instantly make food look posher, even if it was prepared with cheaper ingredients.
For example, try serving your pasta in separate glasses:
If you’re creating your own wedding menus, you can also give your wedding dishes fancier names such as “Pasta Perfection” for a greater gastronomic experience.
8. Compile your own wedding playlist
Skip the wedding DJ. Using music streaming services such as Spotify and Deezer, you can easily compile and play your own tunes at your wedding.
Not only will you save yourself a few hundred or thousand dollars, but you’ll also have complete say over which songs will be played.
There are a few ways of compiling a wedding playlist. One method is to brainstorm your favorite romance and love songs, then add them to a completely unique playlist.
Another method is to adapt wedding playlists that others have created. For example, here’s a Spotify playlist of “50 Classic Songs for a Perfect Fall Wedding”:
Review the playlist, then add and remove songs from it until you have a perfect playlist for your wedding.
9. Get a family member or friend to photograph your wedding
People often hire professionals to photograph their wedding. If you may not be able to afford these pros’ standard rates, try reaching out to your family and friends.
Are any of them pretty good at taking photos with a smartphone? Talk to them about shooting your wedding for you.
If you’re lucky and have professional photographers in your network, they may also be willing to help shoot your wedding at a discounted rate.
Alternatively, if you are hiring a professional photographer at their full rate, you can save money by forgoing their optional add-on services.
Instead of having them design and print photo ecards for you, for example, you can create your photo ecards yourself.
Don’t let a limited budget stop you from making your dream fall wedding a reality
Even if you need to reduce the scale of your celebrations, you’ll be surprised how far you can stretch your dollar to hold a dreamy fall wedding. As these 9 outdoor fall wedding ideas on a budget have shown, it just takes some creativity, DIY, and the right tools.
With PosterMyWall, you can create all the designs you’ll need to bring your fall wedding ideas to life in 2022—from wedding invites to menus, photo ecards, and more. Visit the Gradient blog here to learn how to make the most of our design platform while you get ready to marry the love of your life!
Senior editor at PosterMyWall.
