Ideas for Wedding on a Budget

First things first, always categorize items and elements that you want in your wedding. A good way is to categorize it into 3 categories―must have, optional, and needs to go. Once you have this list ready, planning the rest of the budget for the wedding will be easier.

What's your ideal wedding location? A temple, your backyard, a nearby park, or a church? Every bride has a dream of getting married in a particular location; so what's yours? Apart from the actual venue, you also need to finalize whether the ceremony and the reception will be held at the same venue, or at two different places.

Ditch the expensive banquet halls, and instead, choose from these amazing, yet affordable locations.

• Look for a small chapel in and around your area that have a social hall for the reception.

• State and national park can be an enchanting locale. All you have to do is get the permission from city hall, and start finalizing the décor.
• Research if there are any historical buildings and museums in your town that provide free space for weddings.

• Call a local botanical club for a romantic garden wedding.
• If you live near a river, lake, or a beach, you can easily choose either of the places for the ceremony.
• You can also consider a barn or a ranch for a country-style wedding.
• Another unique and playful location can be an amusement park.

As you narrow down your choices, always keep the color scheme, weather forecast, the transportation, and the both your personalities in mind. All these elements put together will definitely help you make a concrete decision.

Depending on the venue, choose the color scheme, flower arrangements, and other small elements can be finalized. This way, you can easily incorporate it in various occasions of the wedding―the engagement party, bridal shower, save the date cards, the invitations. All you have to do is plan as you go along and come up with theme for the wedding.

• Beach or Lakeside: Have an all-white wedding! Or how about working with the shades of blue and green? You can decorate the venue with seashells and tropical flowers. And since the wedding will be outside, you won't have to pay the electricity bill.

• Mid-summer: An informal luncheon-style wedding in the garden can bring a fresh, 'summer' feel to your wedding.
• White Winter: Decorate the venue with white flowers, silver bows, rhinestones, white tealight candles. You can serve hot chocolate, coffee, and hot cider at the wedding.

• Salute your heritage: Are you Indian, Irish, Oriental? Incorporate your heritage as the main essence of the wedding. You can ask your family members to help you make it as authentic as possible.

There are certain things which can't be overlooked, and one such element is the transportation. The classic stretch limousine is, well, expensive. So what if you can't have one for your wedding. There are other budget-friendly, yet stylish options available:

• A horse-drawn carriage
• Your own car
• A friend's car
• A bus
• A boat
• A motorcycle

If you're going to hire a vehicle, do an extensive research before making a final choice. Always check the condition of the vehicle before you select it. Check whether they'll give you a discount. Go over the cancellation policies and ask for references.

As you make all the arrangements, prepare a wedding checklist and timeline. Go on Pinterest for inexpensive ideas and let the chips fall into place. Think fun, and be creative!