For some girls their wedding is like the climax of their life…or, at least they hope it will be.

They’ve dreamed of it since they were little girls, have dozens of wedding themed Pinterest boards and have planned every detail of their grand extravaganza.

I’m not one of those girls.

I never dreamed of getting married. I never dressed up as a bride when I was a kid. I never imagined my “prince charming.”

Even when I grew up I never envisioned myself saying “I do.” At 22 years old I was too busy worrying about my perpetually single status. I was convinced that I would die alone (soooo young and soooo dramatic). Needless to say, planning a wedding was not on my radar.

Fast forward a few months and I met the love of my life.

After seven years of being in a relationship with my boyfriend, now husband (SPOILER ALERT!!) I still wasn’t convinced that marriage was for me.

My logic, if we love each other, we’ll stay together. Why do we need to spend thousands of dollars to feed and drink people at a wedding? Let’s save that money for a down payment on a house, better yet, let’s go on a trip of a lifetime together.

I’ll cut to the chase….we got engaged…and then we got married.

Even after my husband had convinced me that we should get married I decided I should also make the engagement difficult for him!

So, I had a lot of stipulations.

I didn’t want a proposal before I finished grad school….too overwhelming and I didn’t want to lose focus.

I also gave my husband a budget for my engagement and wedding ring ($2,000.00 if you would like to know). Jewelry doesn’t do it for me. I don’t need a big, shiny ring to prove that we love each other. I refuse to go into debt over a RING.

I know, I’m so romantic. Also, are you starting to get a sense for how bossy and controlling I am?

Anyways….

Just after I handed in my thesis my husband popped the question on Christmas Eve of 2013. It was an intimate and romantic proposal.

To my surprise I started wedding planning immediately.

After a few weeks of going full force, wedding crazy I got completely overwhelmed (mainly by the cost of EVERYTHING) and took a break… for a year.

In January 2015 we decided to make it happen. We got married three months later.

So, why did we do it?

Well, I love my husband and he wanted to get married. He’s a bit more traditional then I am.

Do I regret it?

Not one little bit.

In fact, it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. It was a magical day that I will always cherish.

Want to know why?

Because we did it our way. We didn’t go into debt, we didn’t do anything to stress ourselves out (minus the first round of wedding planning), we just did what was right for us at the time and with the budget we had available.

So, let’s get to the good stuff….

How to have a mountain wedding for under $10,000

When it came to planning the wedding I went through every conceivable option (which is why I quit and took a year long break to recover from the initial trauma).

• Elope (Nope, not unless we wanted to be disowned by our families)
• Justice of the peace and a nice lunch? (My mom was not feelin’ this one)
• Big, outdoor, summer wedding (Oh, wait, you have to book a venue THREE fucking years in advance)
• Destination wedding in Mexico (a vacation and wedding rolled into one….yes please. But too expensive for some of our important/family guests)
• Backyard wedding (not enough room, too loud for the neighbours)
• Wedding in a park (do you want strangers walking through the ceremony?)
• Hall wedding (nothing wrong with this, just not our deal)

We finally settled on a small mountain wedding. We rented out a bed and breakfast for a weekend in April and had 18 of our family members and closest friends attend.

The grand total for our mountain wedding was $9675.02 (minus parent contributions for venue, food and booze) The total for me and my husband was $4249.39.

Here’s a breakdown of everything and an explanation of how we kept our costs down.

Venue: $3920.00

B n B in Canmore, Alberta. The venue only accommodated 20 people (including us) so this forced us to keep to our plan for a small wedding. This price included a 2 night stay for all of our guests.

Both the ceremony and reception were held at this location.

Food: $905.63

(includes 15% gratuity for 2 servers and private chef). Dinner was amazing.  We had an array of Crave Cupcakes for dessert (courtesy of my husbands Aunt and Uncle).

Booze: $600.00

An open bar was a non-negotiable for us, especially with such a small group. We went to Costco and loaded up. This was more than enough for our 20 guests. Costco has great prices on booze and you don’t have to be a member. Just FYI, Canadian Costco’s only accept Master Card.

Corkage Fee: $200.00

My Dress + maid of honour dress: $ 810.00

This price includes alterations. My dress alone was $510.00. This is the single most expensive piece of clothing I have ever purchased. I bought my dress at a cute little boutique. It was the first store I went into and the sixth or seventh dress I tried on.

I only went to one additional store right after. It was a big bridal store with tons of people and it even had a cow bell that they rang when a bride decided to “say yes to the dress.” This store made me feel completely overwhelmed. We did one lap and got the hell out of there.  Just a reminder here. You are buying a dress that you will wear ONCE. Maybe twice if you are lucky….just remember this detail when you are deciding to go over budget!!

Shoes: $180.00

More then I wanted to spend but I’ve made an effort to wear them a few more times!

Hair: $150.00

I did not do a hair trial. Gasppppp….I just couldn’t justify spending $100.00 for a professional hair dresser to practice doing my hair. My train of thought. No matter what she does it will be an improvement on what my hair normally looks like. Instead, I made sure I had an experienced hair dresser and brought lots of pictures so she had a good understanding of the look I was going for.

Make up: $200.00

I did my own makeup. Double Gasp. Instead of spending a couple hundred bucks on a professional make up artist I decided to put that money towards the purchase of nice make up that I could use again and again. I am literally still using some of it…almost three years later.

Don’t judge me.

I made appointment at the Bobby Brown counter to get a free consultation. My mom took video of the girl doing my makeup so we’d would know exactly what to do on the day of. She also gave us step by step instructions! This worked great.

Another reason I did this. I’ve had my make up done in the past for graduations and other events. I almost always hate it. As someone who doesn’t wear a lot of make up I always leave feeling like a streetwalker or a clown. By doing my own makeup I was able to control the amount of stuff on my face and feel like myself…just a more touched up version.

Husbands suit and shoes: $930.00

His suit cost MORE THAN MY DRESS! Is this wedding blasphemy?

Decorations/Flowers: $350.00

My decorations were simple. Lots of white candles, delicate lights and flowers. It was a spring wedding so we went with tulips….from Safeway!

We called the store a week before to confirm they would have lots of tulips. They were able to order in more the day before. They were beautiful and bright and perfect for the setting. They were also very reasonably priced. Some of you might cringe when I say this…my bouquet was also an arrangement from Safeway.

It was really pretty but I laugh when I see pictures because it was literally plucked out of a vase minutes before I walked down the aisle and tied together with a piece of ribbon.

Music: $0.00

My talented little brother played the guitar as I walked down the aisle. My sister and her boyfriend have awesome taste in music so they made a playlist on their phone that we hooked up to speakers after the ceremony.

Photographer: $400.00

I know some people who plan their weddings around the photographer they want. Some people also pay upwards of $10,000 JUST FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER. Don’t get me wrong, it was important that the day was captured but we aren’t a celebrity couple. These pictures aren’t going to be on the cover of Vogue .

Our photographer was recommended by the lodge, they used him to take promo pics but he was largely a landscape photographer. He was just getting into wedding photography and has a small portfolio. He stayed for 2.5 hours, and then a bit longer to have a drink! He brought an assistant as well. I was super happy with the results, and the price!

Save the date/invitations: $29.39

I used Vista Print to create our save-the-dates. The price was $29.39 including shipping. I used Paperless Post for invitations. I was afraid this would seem cheap or tacky but I think times are a changin.’ I’ve since received a few online invitations for weddings.

Thank you gifts for guests: $200.00

Handmade coffee cups with the name of the lodge we got married in. A beautiful keepsake for our guests.

Thank you gifts for maid of honour and mom. $300.00

I gave my sister a Michael Kors bracelet and a silk robe. I also got my mom a silk robe. They were beautiful and perfect for pictures.

Thank you gifts for groomsmen. $0.00

This was my husbands responsibility. Sooo….

Incidentals/things I’ve forgotten: $500.00

The moral of this long winded story. When it comes to your wedding….

Determine what you value. For us it was brining our two families and closest friends together so they could spend the weekend getting to know each other. We also value how hard we work to make money and didn’t think that it was worth it to go into debt for one day. Lastly, we value travel. Because we stayed on budget for our wedding we were able to afford a three week honeymoon to Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Do what you want, not what you think you’re supposed to do. You don’t have to spend $30,000.00 on a wedding just because that’s what all your friends spent. You don’t have to wear a white dress, have a cake or carry a bouquet. You can elope in a pantsuit on a Tuesday. It’s your call!

Make a budget and stick to it. We set a budget of $10,000 (this included the money that our parents contributed, thanks Mom’s and Dad’s). If you have parents that want to contribute ask them how much up front so you can plan it into your budget (I recognize that this can be an awkward conversation).

Chill the fuck out. I needed someone to tell me this when I first started planning our wedding. Just chill. You are planning a wedding, not curing a disease.

The reason our wedding was so fun is because we didn’t have some rigid plan for the perfect day. I wasn’t tight assed about every detail…which is weird for me. I just kinda went with the flow, sipped some nice champagne and enjoyed the day. Remember the end goal is to marry the person you LOVE.

Some Additional Cost Saving Tips for Your Wedding

Venu

• If you aren’t dead set on a particular date for your wedding then consider getting married in the off season (Jan – March).
• Consider getting married on any day other than Saturday. For instance, a Thursday evening affair could make for a nice long weekend for your guests and will save you a bundle.
• Consider an early wedding (brunch/lunch) as opposed to a more expensive dinner option.

Food and Drink

• Look for venues that will allow you to bring your own booze. This is a major money saver when drinks are $5-7.00 and even more for premium beer, booze or good champagne.
• Do a twoonie bar (or a two-dollar bar, for you non-Canadians!)
• Pay for peoples first two drinks and then the rest is on them. You can do this by handing out a specific number of drink tickets to each guest.
• Have guests pay full-pop for their drinks. For me one of the highlights of going to a wedding is the open bar. So, I don’t like this idea but you do what you gotta do.
• Skip the crazy expensive cake. Opt for a cheaper option like cupcakes. Or get friends and family together to help you bake a selection of desserts and freeze them until the big day. This is assuming that you can provide your own dessert at the venue.

Wedding Attire

• Rent a dress (for the bride and bridesmaids) (check out sites like Rent the Runway). 
• Buy second hand
• Buy a normal white dress from a store that you love. It doesn’t have to come from a bridal store.
• Borrow shoes from a friend.
• If you pay full pop for your dress consider selling it on Kijiji, E-bay or other online sites that specialize in used wedding dresses like (preownedweddingdresses.com)
• If you are paying to dress your bridesmaids/groomsmen maybe only have one or two people stand up with you rather than an army of 10.
• If you want the army and you expect your bridesmaids to buy their own dresses then give them some direction on colour or length, then let them choose their own dress so they will actually wear it again.

Hair and makeup

• DIY or get a friend/family member to do it. If you get a friends/family member you can have them practice a few times (for free) before the wedding to make sure it’s what you really want.
• Find a freelancer who is trying to build up her/his portfolio. Again, this might give you some negotiating power.
• When it comes to your hair you can ask for a junior stylist to do it. This will usually give you a cheaper price tag. Depends on your risk tolerance!

Photographer

• Look for new wedding photographers who are trying to build their portfolio. They will probably be cheaper or at least more willing to negotiate on price.
• Again, you can ask someone who is just getting started. They are usually looking for opportunities to build up their portfolio and won’t charge as much.

To sum it up…

A wedding doesn’t have to be stressful or cause you to go bankrupt. Make a plan (and a budget) and stick to it. Remember, it’s only one day.

If you have any creative tips on how to cut wedding costs I would love to hear them.  Please leave a comment below!

Also before you say “I DO” make sure you check out my post on 10 Questions you Should ask Your Romantic Partner About Money.