Wedding planning on a real budget

Plan a wedding you can actually afford.

Real numbers, full checklists and tools that do the math: budgets, guest lists, seating and day-of timelines for couples planning on a budget.

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Featured · Planning ChecklistsWhich Wedding Vendors to Book First: The Order, Lead Times and What Can Wait

Chapter 01

Wedding Budget & Costs

See all wedding budget & costs

Wedding tipping guide: a row of plain ivory tip envelopes with blush wax seals in a wooden tray on linen, with white ranunculus and ribbon

Wedding Budget & Costs

Wedding Tipping Guide: Who to Tip, How Much and When

7 min read

Empty rustic barn venue with rows of wooden chairs and string lights, set up before any guests arrive

Wedding Budget & Costs

How Can I Save Money on a Wedding Venue? 9 Ways With Example Numbers

7 min read

How much does a 50 person wedding cost: restaurant private dining room set with five round tables, ivory linens, blush roses and candles for 50 guests

Wedding Budget & Costs

How Much Does a 50 Person Wedding Cost? 3 Real Budgets

7 min read

Wedding budget checklist on a clipboard with blank check boxes, a pen, a calculator and a laptop spreadsheet on a linen-covered dining table

Wedding Budget & Costs

Wedding Budget Checklist: 60 Line Items to Price Before You Book

10 min read

Chapter 02

Guest List & Seating

See all guest list & seating

Wedding plus one rules: ivory invitation envelopes tied with dusty blue ribbon, a pen and a bud vase on a marble table

Guest List & Seating

Wedding Plus-One Rules: Who Gets One and How to Word It

7 min read

How to cut wedding guest list: a printed guest list with some names crossed out in pencil beside a stack of ribboned invitations and pink roses

Guest List & Seating

How to Cut Your Wedding Guest List: 8 Fair Rules and What to Say

8 min read

Wedding guest list template on a laptop beside a stack of addressed ivory envelopes, a pen and blush flowers on a white table

Guest List & Seating

Wedding Guest List Template: Build It by Household in 5 Steps

8 min read

Wedding seating chart planning flat lay with a hand-drawn table plan, round paper table cutouts, sticky notes and blush flowers on a linen table

Guest List & Seating

How to Make a Wedding Seating Chart in 7 Steps (Without Drama)

9 min read

Chapter 03

Planning Checklists

See all planning checklists

Which wedding vendors to book first: a blank wall calendar with blush and blue dot stickers and an ivory contract folder with a pen on a linen table

Planning Checklists

Which Wedding Vendors to Book First: The Order, Lead Times and What Can Wait

9 min read

DIY wedding planner binder open on a rustic table with colored tab dividers, a rose gold pen and a vase of dusty blue flowers

Planning Checklists

DIY Wedding Planner Binder: 10 Sections to Include

8 min read

18 month wedding planning timeline: an open monthly planner on a pale oak desk with tea, a pencil and dusty blue flowers

Planning Checklists

18 Month Wedding Planning Timeline: What to Do and When

9 min read

Questions to ask wedding venue tour: a garden ceremony space with wooden chairs facing a white pergola arch with flowers and a valley view

Planning Checklists

Questions to Ask Wedding Venues: 50 to Copy, Money First

10 min read

Chapter 04

Invitations, Vows & Speeches

See all invitations, vows & speeches

Dress code wedding invitation wording: an ivory invitation and details card with ribbon swatches in blush, dusty blue and sage on a linen table, text blank

Invitations, Vows & Speeches

Dress Code Wording for Wedding Invitations: 10 Codes Explained

8 min read

Wedding speech order: a handheld microphone, two champagne flutes tied with dusty blue ribbon and blank index cards on an ivory head table

Invitations, Vows & Speeches

Wedding Speech Order: Who Speaks, When and for How Long

8 min read

Wedding invitation ideas on a budget: ivory invitation cards, kraft envelopes and a sage ribbon flat lay with blush stems

Invitations, Vows & Speeches

Wedding Invitation Ideas on a Budget: 15 Ways to Spend Less

10 min read

Wedding invitation templates compared: four blank invitation styles laid side by side on linen, from a home-printed card to a letterpress sample, with envelopes and stamps

Invitations, Vows & Speeches

Wedding Invitation Templates vs Printer vs Stationer: Costs per 100

8 min read

Free printable

Get the free Wedding Budget Starter

Type your total and guest count, and the sheet splits your budget by category and shows your cost per guest. Plus a short email each month with what to do next, based on your wedding date.

Fresh pages

New in the planner

Invitations, Vows & Speeches

Dress Code Wording for Wedding Invitations: 10 Codes Explained

8 min read

Wedding welcome sign ideas: a tall blank ivory welcome sign on a wooden floor easel at a garden ceremony entrance with white flowers at its base

Decor on a Budget

Wedding Welcome Sign Ideas: Sizes, Costs and 25 Wordings

9 min read

Invitations, Vows & Speeches

Wedding Speech Order: Who Speaks, When and for How Long

8 min read

Simple wedding centerpieces: three glass bud vases with blush roses and eucalyptus beside two ivory pillar candles on a white-clothed round table

Decor on a Budget

12 Simple Wedding Centerpieces, Priced for 10 Tables

9 min read

Cheap bridesmaid proposal ideas: a blush envelope tied with dusty blue ribbon, a small kraft gift box and a white ranunculus stem on a linen cloth

Showers & Bachelorettes

12 Cheap Bridesmaid Proposal Ideas Under $20 Each

8 min read

Micro wedding ideas: one long wooden table set for twelve with white plates, candles and small flower vases in a rented house dining room, French doors open to a garden, no people

Small, Backyard & Courthouse Weddings

Micro Wedding Ideas: 18 Ideas for 30 Guests or Fewer

11 min read