Some possibilities for venues for weddings on a budget....

1.     Your Church or Place of Worship: Having your ceremony at your church is always a good option for a meaningful location. This will also help your budget- since churches aren’t in it to make money, most offer their sanctuaries for free to members, or for a small suggested donation. Just remember to pay your pastor, priest, or rabbi a small fee for performing the ceremony, if accepted.

2.     Explore Local Parks- Local parks can be a beautiful option for both outside and inside wedding ceremonies and receptions. For a low rental fee, parks can be just as beautiful of a setting as any private garden, and many have wedding-worthy pavilions or buildings that you could transform into a spectacular reception venue. With rental prices typically only a few hundred dollars, this is a perfect option for a wedding on a budget: no food and beverage minimum or expensive catering companies forced upon you, low rental fees, and you still get that oh so important location, location, location.

3.     Consider Community Centers. Um- have you checked out your local community center lately? Some of these are pretty darn gorgeous and could put some pricey hotel ballrooms to shame. These community centers can take the form of a historic building, bright new social hall or a garden clubhouse complete with patio. If you are resident of the area in which it is located, you can rent out these centers for supercheap, and definitely much less than traditional wedding venues. (Tip: Most community centers offer hardcore discounts for residents of the area—if you aren’t a resident, ask a friend or family member that is to rent the community center in their name so you can still take advantage of this hefty discount.) This way you get your choice of catering options, plus some sort of catering facility and restrooms that you may not have with a park. Need another reason? Many community centers include other extras at no cost- such as the use of tables and chairs, sound systems, and a/v equipment, so you don’t have to worry about the additional costs of renting these from an outside company!

4.     Wineries can also be an affordable venue possibility. With beautiful grounds and buildings, a winery is like a garden, a mansion and an outdoor venue all rolled up in one. Since event hosting is a secondary business for wineries, many offer quite reasonable ground rental fees, although you may have to plan around the winery’s tasting hours. Another thing we love? Good prices and wholesale discounts on wine for the reception!

5.     Don’t count out Hotel Ballrooms. Traditional ballroom receptions in hotels, conference centers, golf clubs, country clubs, etc. can still be done on a budget. As in all venue shopping, make sure to look at many options and compare their prices and packages. Most full-service venues such as these have a food and beverage minimum or a room rental fee, but typically not both. If a venue is trying to charge you both, see if you can negotiate one or the other, depending on what works best for your budget (if you were already going to meet the f&b minimum, go for that, if not, see if you can just pay the room rental fee but not be held to a high food and beverage minimum). The budget-friendly aspect of hotel ballrooms, etc is that they include all the basics- you don’t have to rent tables, chairs, linens (unless you want something other than house linens), china, etc. They also come with some sort of event manager to take care of the logistics during the day of your event, and often many extras, such as centerpiece details that some hotels offer for free. Make sure to look at more strategies to consider the cost of the entire event by looking in our general tips and food and drink sections.

6.     Want to get married on the beach? Perfect- because that location is basically free! If your dream has always been to get married with your toes in the sand, opt for a public beach. Getting married on any public beach is free, although some areas may require you to get a permit for a small fee. Still, it beats those rental fees of many venues! Keep in mind that public beaches are, by definition, open to the public, so choose a secluded stretch of sand past the boardwalk and busy sections or on a local beach undiscovered by the hoards of tourist. Having most guests stand (so they can experience their toes in the sand too!) will save you on rentals, and who needs elaborate decorations when the ocean is behind you?? All this = beautiful ceremony venue for next to nothing.

7.     Take advantage of alumni perks and have your ceremony or reception at the college or university where you, your fiancé, or a family member went to school. Most colleges have ballrooms, chapels, meeting rooms, reception space, or an alumni house in which to hold events, and offer special rates to alums of the school. Besides being budget-friendly, this option allows you to get married in a place that is meaningful to you or your fiancé.

8.     Support the non-profit sector. Many museums, art galleries, nature centers and parks have rental space available to the public with rental fees at a fraction of the cost of a for-profit event venue. These organizations often have beautiful indoor and outdoor settings and offer truly unique atmospheres for your wedding, but be prepared to encounter a few limitations: many non-profits, museums and art galleries in particular, have food, beverage, or decoration restrictions to protect their collections. Still- the unique atmosphere and the low budget more than make up for that. Plus you get to feel good for supporting a non-profit.

9.     Home is where the Heart is! So what about a backyard wedding? Soooooooooooooooooo beautiful. There is nothing like being able to transform that house that has special meaning in your lives into a magical setting for your big day. AND this can most certainly be cost effective- the trick is to use the existing beauty of your home or the natural beauty of the backyard and make minor improvements and renovations. So yes, have your dad and uncle build that pergola, but nix putting in the pool! (Just remember to consider bathrooms!)

10.     Wish you or a relative had a wedding-worthy house or backyard? Rent one! This is such a fabulous option, we can barely contain our enthusiasm. Renting that house of your wedding dreams at the beach, in the mountains, or in your favorite town can be a great way to get that perfect venue within your budget. Sites like Homeaway and Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO) offer a feast of wedding site eye candy for the venue shopping bride and groom. Many of these fabulous options can be rented for one or two nights during the off-season or a week in the peak season. But before you let that weekly rate scare you, consider your options: see if the owner would be willing to rent you a partial week or see if any relatives want to split the cost of the rental with you and spend the rest of the week at the house as their vacation. Or maybe this could be a honeymoon spot for the two of you?? Plus, the rental could be the perfect location for you and your family or bridal party to spend the night before the wedding, saving you and your girls on hotel costs! (You will have to treat the logistics just like any other home wedding- bringing in all catering, tents, etc, but good deals can be had on all! Note- make sure to ask the owners if they allow weddings at their property before booking. Most will be fine with it, even if they do require a higher refundable safety deposit. Plus who knows? Maybe they’ll throw in a free bottle of wine or a special gift to the newlyweds! Gotta love that ;) (AND even the most spectacular properties often rent less for one or two nights than the rental fee for a few hours at a hotel. Even better? Your reception can be however long you want it to be- no one will be kicking you out at the end of the night!