I threw a wedding for under $10k – my 8 tips to save money, several people told us they liked our unique swap better

SOME cheap tips helped a bride have her dream day without dishing out the dough.

She said “I do” to some savings swaps — and guests even preferred one of her cheaper ideas.

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1. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Redditor Thinkysparkle shared the tips that allowed her to throw a “wow” wedding for under $10,000.

Her suggestions for spending less start with finding the right location.

“Look for a cheap venue that doesn’t lock you into certain vendors, like a park,” she said.

“We had it in a backyard, which probably saved some money but not much because we needed to rent a tent, tables, chairs, linens, and a restroom trailer,” she added.

To save even more, however, she now realizes that hosting an affair in a public park or restaurant — or any place that already has most of the essentials — is the way to go when it comes to a wedding venue.

2. GO OUTSIDE

She doesn’t want you going into debt on decor, something that can be avoided if you host your event outdoors.

“Less chance you have to cancel over a Covid wave, less decor needed,” she said.

“Decor is not what people remember,” she added.

3. FOOD ON THE GO

According to the bride on a budget, you can forget about favors altogether and instead focus on having good food .

She also recommended having a food truck rather than hiring a regular caterer.

4. DRESS FOR LESS

And don’t get bogged down by going over budget on your gown.

Instead, you can opt for “a Lulu’s dress or similar.”

Lulu’s offers affordable alternatives to designer dresses with creations starting at around $118.

Her next suggestion might just be music to your money-saving ears.

5. PLAY IT RIGHT

“Playlist instead of a DJ or band,” she said.

It might not be a popular idea, but she has no regrets.

“People say not to do this because DJs manage the energy level and the timing, but my wedding wasn’t dancing-centric, being outside in the grass,” she said.

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“We had activities instead (bubbles, Jenga, walks in the woods, s’mores) and people loved it,” she added.

She shared the steps she took to put the playlist together.

“If you go with Spotify, definitely practice with your playlist first,” she said.

“I found that shuffle mode can repeat songs, and the iPad version of Spotify wants to shuffle by default, so I had our MC start the playlist by playing the first song with shuffle turned off,” she added.

To ensure the evening went smoothly, she had a friend practice using the sound system at the rehearsal dinner.

“People complimented us on how well things flowed, and we stayed on schedule, but that was also thanks to our day-of coordinator,” she said.

6. STILL BE BOOZY

Staying on budget also meant being careful about not spending too much on booze .

“We had coolers of beer and wine instead of a full bar and a bartender,” she said.

“It was a lot of lugging alcohol — we rented 3,120-quart coolers and had to have someone do an ice run the day of, so it wasn’t the easiest choice, but it did work out just fine,” she said.

“We did spring for a day-of coordinator and I am extremely glad,” she added.

7. DIY, BABY

The bride said DIYing can be great, but don’t set yourself up for failure on the day.

“Prefer DIY for things that can be done way in advance,” she said.

“On the day before/day of, you’ll be busy, and delegating can work but your friends and family aren’t wedding planners, so it’s dicey.

“We did spring for a day-of coordinator and I am extremely glad.”

8. HOLD YOUR (WEDDING CAKE) TIERS

She also cut costs by not having to cut into any wedding cake.

Guests were super floored by the frugal swap.

“I had donuts instead of cake. I bought an acrylic tiered cupcake holder to put them on so we’d still have a tiered thing, and we each fed each other a donut,” she said.

“People loved it. I got several comments about how they preferred it to cake. And it was less expensive than cake,” she added.

If you decide to copy her cake substitutions, she does have a warning – they go stale fast.

To avoid any issues, she had a friend pick the donuts up the day of the wedding while the coordinator continuously replenished them.

FRUGAL FANS

Others were impressed with her tricks.

“My fiance and I are going back and forth a lot with a dance-centric ceremony versus a hangout/backyard/fun-time-while-in-dresses kind of reception,” said one commenter..

“The idea that we can just do a Spotify playlist of our favorites is a good point towards a backyard-style hang! Love this,” they added.

“Your wedding is exactly what I’m in the works for doing mine! Happy to hear our ideas aren’t too much and it’s totally feasible,” another Redditor agreed.