14 Tips for Weddings on a Budget

Budgets are a must when it comes to wedding planning. At Spruce Mountain, we keep this at the forefront of our minds. We are here to help our couples achieve the wedding of their dreams while simultaneously respecting a couple’s budget. We have taken significant steps to make sure that our venue is accessible for most price points. Here are 14 of our top tips to ensure you stay on budget and still have your ideal wedding.

1. Select an Off-Season Day/Date

Nothing says Colorado like a perfect winter wedding. Did you know that having your wedding during the off-season is a great way to save? The average cost of a Colorado wedding venue is $11,000, but venues often offer lower prices during the off-season.

At Spruce Mountain, we offer discounted rates for weddings between November and March. The weather is one of the most spectacular things about having a winter wedding at our place. Spruce Mountain is located in Larkspur, Colorado, which receives an average of 247 days of sunshine per year. With all of this sunshine, an outdoor winter wedding is a possibility. In the event of inclement weather, our venue can accommodate an indoor wedding seamlessly.

We have options If you don’t prefer a winter wedding but want to save money. Hosting your big day from Monday to Thursday is cheaper because travel and accommodation rates are more affordable. Another benefit of picking an off-season date or a date during the week is that vendors offer discounted packages during these times. With discounts from Spruce Mountain, flights, hotels and vendors, imagine how much money you could save by picking an off-season date or weekday.

2. Choose the Right Caterer for Your Budget

One massive benefit of having your wedding at Spruce Mountain is having eleven different caterers to choose from. Most venues lock you into one caterer, preventing you from shopping around and searching for the best deal. Spruce Mountain lets you choose the best caterer for your budget and desired food style.

Photo Credit: Sarah Roshan Photography

We highly suggest a buffet style rather than plated meals for guests to try different entrees. A BBQ would be ideal if you prefer a more casual wedding — we are a cattle ranch, after all! Lastly, if you want to keep your food budget low, we suggest having your wedding earlier in the day. This allows you to host a breakfast or brunch, allowing you to get creative with your menu. You can also include a coffee or tea bar.

3. Save Money on Rentals

For casual meal settings, you can swap out china for high-grade plastic. Ask your caterer for a few options. Another way to save money is by purchasing your own linens and then reselling them. You can buy linens from thrift shops or your favorite local stores and get back most of what you spent when you resell them.

Used wedding items and even your wedding dress can easily be sold via eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or thrift shops. There are many consignment websites where you can list your items for sale and recoup some money you spent on your big day.

While shopping for wedding needs, remember that it’s okay to splurge a bit on some things. Another thing to consider when purchasing items is what you will reuse after your wedding day. Which purchases are one-time use versus multi-use? For instance, your wedding shoes may realistically be used again. In such cases, you may invest more in items you can use in the future.

4. Hire a DJ Instead of a Band

Find a DJ you love rather than hiring a band to play at your wedding. Selecting a DJ is a great way to ensure your favorite songs are played throughout the night. A great DJ will also help get your guests up and out of their seats and dancing. If you like, you can also let your guests request songs.

Photo Credit : From the Hip Photo

5. Use Spruce Mountain’s Vendor Recommendations

We are here to help you! We love seeing our couples’ wedding dreams come to life. We have helped plan numerous weddings at our venue, so we know which vendors are most familiar with Spruce Mountain, qualified and within your budget. Let us know what vendors you are looking for and your budget, and leave the rest to us! We will ensure we find the perfect match for you, so let us take the stress off your plate.

6. Save Money on Your Bar

At Spruce Mountain, we always look for ways to make our venue more cost-effective for our clients. This is why Spruce Mountain has elected not to have a liquor license. Peak Beverage manages all of our bars at Spruce Mountain. We want our clients to have the most inexpensive option for purchasing and serving alcohol.

This is why we love Peak Beverage. Venues with liquor licenses generally markup the costs of their alcohol two to three times compared to what Peak Beverage charges. Here is an example to help illustrate how much you will save on your bar at Spruce Mountain: A venue that has a liquor license will charge you roughly $3,860.00 plus a 20% service charge and 4% tax for a full bar for 150 guests for five hours. Their full bar would include four wines, one sparkling wine, two domestic beers, three craft beers, six spirits, mixers, garnishes, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Glassware and staffing require an additional $3,140.00.

Photo Credit: From the Hip

At Spruce Mountain, the same five-hour full bar for 150 guests will cost you $4,688.00 (plus a 15% service fee, taxes built-in). This price includes a complimentary champagne toast, glassware and staffing. If you choose to have your wedding at Spruce Mountain, your savings on the bar cost alone could be $2,312.00! That is an incredible savings! You are not only saving money by choosing our venue, but you are also gaining more wine and beer options and customization options.

7. Make your Own Flower Arrangements 

Flowers are a massive cost at a wedding, but you can save a ton of money if you make your own flower arrangements. Head over to Pinterest and find a style of arrangement you love, then head to a store like Costco and buy flowers. You will be surprised by the labor cost of making a floral arrangement!

Sticking to in-season blooms could make the cost less expensive. A good idea may be to ask your wedding planner or a florist which flower swaps will work best for your wedding day.

Another suggestion is to go heavy on the greenery. It’s a very inexpensive way to decorate your tables. A stunning way to elevate simple greenery is with flowers and candles. You can purchase highly inexpensive candle holders on Amazon. If you have a crafty friend or two, you can enlist their help in creating your arrangements.

8. Recruit Friends to Help

We also encourage you to let people help when they ask. Usually, couples want to be hands-on for most of their planning. However, don’t forget that your family and friends will likely happily assist you with wedding preparations.

Getting your loved ones to help doesn’t take much. All it takes is a single, genuine message. It can be as simple as sending a message on Facebook Messenger. You might be surprised to see how many friends and family members will be excited to support you.

Before “hiring” your loved ones, ensure they genuinely want to help. Don’t force someone to donate their talents and time if they cannot commit. More importantly, choose people you trust to get the job done right and on schedule.

9. Have a Small Wedding Cake

Instead of having a giant wedding cake (that usually doesn’t get shared with other people), have a small one instead. Then, have multiple flavors of cake slices that your caterers can pass out to your guests. This will allow your guests to enjoy your wedding cake while saving a great deal of money!

Another option we love is having a beautifully decorated dessert table where friends and family can contribute. This is a great way to incorporate some of your favorite family recipes into your wedding.

The next option is to go to a cupcake or sundae shop to DIY your dessert bar. This is a creative way to get your guests up and out of their seats and mingling. Donuts are extremely popular and inexpensive, too — displaying donuts in a creative way will also add decor without spending a ton of money.

10. Choose a Naturally Beautiful Location

The amazing thing about Spruce Mountain is its natural beauty, perfectly manicured gardens and lawns and picturesque surroundings. We take a great deal of care to make our grounds absolutely perfect for all who visit our venue.

Beautiful weddings at Spruce Mountain don’t have to break the bank. Your budget can go a long way if you have flexibility and creativity. Picking a venue like Spruce Mountain, which is naturally beautiful and can accommodate off-season weddings, is a great way to stay on budget. If you haven’t already booked your wedding, we would love to give you a tour and help you plan the wedding of your dreams.

11. Host a Micro-Wedding

As the name suggests, a micro-wedding is a smaller version of a wedding with a guest list not exceeding 50 attendees — usually exclusive to immediate family and close friends. You can think of it as something between a big, traditional celebration and an elopement.

Need help to trim your guest list? Consider following these strategies:

Keep it adults-only: Make your wedding day an adults-only celebration so you can enjoy the start of your union without worrying about children throwing tantrums. If you want kids to celebrate with you, consider hosting pre-wedding festivities, like a casual rehearsal dinner.

Limit plus-ones: Another strategy to keep the guest list down is only allowing people in long-term relationships to bring their partner.

Avoid inviting extended family members: Traditional weddings usually have immediate families, cousins, aunts and other family members they rarely visit. While there’s nothing wrong with inviting your relatives, a micro-wedding only values the core people in your life. In other words, you should only include your immediate family and a few super-close relatives to make your wedding more intimate.

At Spruce Mountain, we can accommodate your micro-wedding needs. Discuss your ideal budget with us and we will create a plan that suits you and your guests’ needs.

12. Consider Buying a Secondhand Dress

Buying your wedding dress from a thrift store can save you money you’d rather spend on other things. You might walk into a shop and find a designer gown for hundreds of dollars only. A tip is to shop around stores in affluent areas. People who love designer items likely won’t travel too far from home to drop off unwanted clothes. Who knows, you might score a gown with the tag still attached.

Consider wearing your mother's dress if you can’t find your dream dress. You can wear it as is or have it altered to your liking. Use the features to construct your desired gown. Not only is this sentimental, but you’ll likely only need to pay for alterations.

13. Borrow Accessories 

Elevate your wedding outfit with accessories. You may have already heard brides should wear or carry “something new, something old, something borrowed and something blue” on their big day for good fortune. Instead of buying expensive jewelry, partake in this tradition.

Traditionally, female relatives and close friends provide these items. However, there are no hard rules here. For instance, “something old” could be your mom’s necklace, “something new” could be your best friend’s brand new bracelet and “something blue” could be your brother’s new blue car — allowing you to skip the pricey limo rental, too!

14. Keep It Simple

One of the best ways to save money is to keep it simple and avoid unnecessary expenses. Make a list of what your top priorities are, and focus your planning and budget on those elements. For example, if you care more about entertainment than decorations, keep the decor minimal so you have more money to put towards the music.

At the end of the day, your wedding should be all about you. Focus more on what’s important to you, rather than what might be more traditional.

Celebrate Your Big Day at Spruce Mountain

Your dream wedding doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. Proper planning allows you to actualize a wonderful celebration without exceeding your budget. Here at Spruce Mountain, you can guarantee we will help you in every step of your wedding planning. Check out our blog, The True Cost of a Colorado Wedding, to help.

Main Blog photo credit: Ali & Garrett

Author bio: Cora Gold is a wedding writer and editor of Revivalist magazine. She aims to inspire couples to achieve the wedding of their dreams. Connect with Cora on LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter.