27 Outdoor Wedding Ideas on a Budget
If you’re getting ready to tie the knot and want to exchange your vows in the great outdoors under the sun (or moon), read on. These top 27 outdoor wedding ideas can help you get hitched on a budget — and in style!
27 outdoor wedding ideas on a budget:
- State & national park venues
- Look to your own backyard
- Skip the golf course
- Buy wholesale flowers
- Embrace DIY design
- Keep your invitations digital
- Consider the slow season
- Avoid chain-store markups (here’s how)
- Make the food yourself
- Save on entertainment with music apps
- Keep it simple
- Set up self-serve food and drink
- Build your own wedding arch
- Find the right rentals
- Have fun lawn games
- Invest in Polaroids, not photobooths
- Keep it small
- Have a friend take wedding photos
- Look to a pal to officiate
- Cava or Prosecco instead of Champagne
- Skip the limo
- Think bonfires and moonlight
- Something borrowed, something blue
- Design and decorate yourself
- Have a Plan B in case of inclement weather
- Handwrite everything
- Track your wedding budget
Want to know more? Read on! 👇
Inspiring outdoor wedding ideas on a budget
Want to have a gorgeous wedding? Make your DIY outdoor wedding dreams come true with these budget-friendly ideas for wedding venues, decor, bouquets, centerpieces, and more for your big day.
1. State & national park venues
State and national parks can provide an unbelievably scenic backdrop for your ceremony and wedding reception. Take a look to see what’s nearby (or determine how far you’d like to travel) and inquire with the park about events — you’ll need to get a special permit. While it won’t be free, it will be much cheaper than a private venue, and it’s a surefire way to a beautiful wedding.
2. Look to your own backyard
If you or a friend have a spacious backyard, consider hosting your wedding in that space. Few things feel as homey as, well, home! This could be a great opportunity to have an intimate ceremony and form wonderful memories. There are tons of backyard wedding ideas — find what suits you!
3. Skip the golf course
The golf course and country club vibe can feel inauthentic to people who aren’t golfers or members. Not to mention they’re very expensive — especially if you have a big guest list. By skipping these traditional, legacy venues, you can save a ton.
4. Buy wholesale flowers
Have time to spare and a keen eye? You might want to buy flowers wholesale and make the arrangements yourself (along with the help of some friends). When you buy in bulk, you can go straight to the source — missing the florist markup. You can also collect wildflowers if they’re in season.
5. Embrace DIY
A DIY ethos is more than just gratifying — it can save you a ton. Once you have your venue settled, start thinking about design and see what you can do yourself. Mason jars, string lights — you name it. You can tailor your wedding theme to your personality, build it yourself, and skip the fees associated with wedding planners.
6. Keep your wedding invitations digital
Let’s be real — how many Save the Date postcards have you misplaced over the years? Consider keeping things digital and sending out invites via email (or text). This will cut down on print shop costs, postage fees, and, ultimately, minimize the amount of paper in the landfill.
7. Consider the slow season
Saying “I do” in the off-season can be the key to a budget-friendly wedding. While it isn’t exactly practical (or safe) to have an outdoor wedding during January in a northern locale, like Montana or Vermont, the South enjoys milder winters and early springs that can be perfect.
8. Avoid chain-store markups (here’s how)
When looking for candles, greenery, draping, and any other outdoor wedding decor, consider sourcing your materials from independent local retailers, or online vendors from sites like Etsy. Say goodbye to big-box retailers — and their markups!
9. Make the food yourself
If you have any culinary background, you might consider leveraging those skills to cook the food yourself. Be realistic — it’s going to be tough to feed a 200-person wedding, but if your gathering is smaller, you can definitely handle it. Think about dishes that can be held in crock pots or slow cookers, and don’t forget a vegetarian option!
10. Save on entertainment with music apps
Paying a DJ (or a 12-piece band!) can be expensive. If you have a music-streaming app like Spotify, Tidal, or Apple Music, you can keep it low-budget by curating your own reception playlist. PA systems can be rented for fairly cheap, or you can use a Bluetooth speaker from around the house — especially if it’s a small gathering.
11. Keep it simple
The key to an outdoor, budget-friendly wedding day? Keep it simple! It’s easy to get carried away with grand displays when perusing Pinterest or Instagram for decor ideas, but you can still have a wedding ceremony and reception that exude elegance and taste without breaking the bank.
12. Set up self-serve food and drink
Paying bartenders and servers is costly. To stick to your low-budget wedding plan, think about setting up self-serve food and drink. You can set out disposable hot holding stations via chafing dishes and Sterno, and keep the drinks confined to coolers and a DIY bar.
13. Build your own wedding arch
There are few pieces of decor more iconic to a wedding than an arch. If you’re crafty and have tools at home, you and your partner might consider building your very own wedding arch together. Take a look on Pinterest for inspiration (or snap photos at other weddings you might attend), and implement your own themes and wedding colors.
14. Find the right rentals
If you can get through the wedding planning without having to rent anything, well done. But for most people, it’s just not realistic. To stay cost-efficient and have your wedding on a budget, rent only the necessities. Make a checklist for things you can’t provide – these might be tables, linens, a dance floor, tents, and attire. Find the best prices and do your research!
15. Have fun lawn games
If you’re having an outdoor wedding, don’t forget the lawn games! No matter the age of the attendants, having fun lawn games can keep the mood light — and also result in hilarity if your guests imbibe. Cornhole, Jenga, Kan-Jam, and even this giant guestbook word-search can provide tons of fun for your guests.
16. Invest in Polaroids, not photobooths
We love wedding photos, but photo booths are unwieldy, require power, and cost you upwards of $150/hour. Instead, think about purchasing (or borrowing) a few Polaroid or Fuji film cameras. These nostalgic pictures can provide your guests with wonderful keepsakes from your backyard wedding, and you can even put together a photo board with all your guests’ pictures!
17. Keep it small
Big weddings cost money — there’s no way around it. To save more money, think about downsizing wherever you can. This can include your wedding party, guest list, menu, wedding cake, and so on. By keeping it small, you put yourself in a position to do more with your money, giving you the best bang for your buck.
18. Have a friend take wedding photos
Have a friend who’s a photographer? Think about hiring them for your wedding photos. Not only is it usually a pleasant experience to work with friends, but they might even contribute their work to you as a wedding gift!
19. Look to a pal to officiate
Did you know hiring an officiant can cost $200 to $450 on average? Remember, this might not include an extra fee for rehearsal attendance! If you have a trusted friend with good oratory skills, think about turning to them to officiate your wedding. Ordination may or may not be necessary depending on your location.
20. Cava or Prosecco instead of Champagne
We automatically associate Champagne with toasts and weddings, but authentic French bubbly is crazy expensive – especially if you’re opting for Veuve Clicquot or Dom Perignon. Instead, opt for Cava, Champagne’s funky Spanish cousin. You can save by serving Prosecco, as well. Unless you have any sommeliers in attendance, your guests may not know the difference!
21. Skip the limo
This seems like a no-brainer, but limousine rentals are pretty darn expensive. If you’re in a park (or your own backyard), a limo is probably unnecessary — and difficult terrain to navigate! Having your ceremony and wedding reception in one place keeps it simple and easy, saving you on rental costs.
22. Think bonfires and moonlight
If you’re planning a rustic wedding, you’ll definitely want to set up fire pits around your venue. Cozy bonfires can provide a great ambiance, and s’mores stations will be an absolute hit for kids and adults alike! Also, consider scheduling your wedding toward a full moon in order to maximize on natural light.
23. Something borrowed, something blue
As the old adage says, “something old, something new; something borrowed, something blue” — let’s focus on borrowed! Borrow whatever you can to cut down on expenses, which can be especially meaningful if family or friends can offer up sentimental pieces of decor or attire and accessories.
24. Design and decorate yourself
When it comes time to put the venue together, save some money by designing and decorating it yourself. Wedding centerpieces can be made ahead of time, but table assembly, place card layout, wedding favor bags, and wedding flower placement can all be done with the help of a few friends.
25. Have a Plan B in case of inclement weather
Nobody wants to think of rain on their special day, but it’s always good to have a Plan B for those fall wedding cold snaps or summer wedding storms. Avoid cocktail hour in a downpour by having an alternate, indoor location on standby — you’ll need to monitor the weather and make the call leading up the day of your wedding.
26. Handwrite everything
Want to save on place cards, thank you notes, and invitations? Write them by hand! If you don’t happen to have any friends or family with calligraphy skills, that’s okay. A rustic, handwritten note always has its charm. Consider heading to a craft store like Michaels, buying cardstock and a few broad-edge calligraphy pens, and seeing how it turns out — you may surprise yourself!
27. Track your wedding budget
It might seem like a no-brainer, but the best way to stick to your wedding budget is by planning it out ahead of time and tracking it as you go. The more you save, the more you can pool into that honeymoon fund!
You can opt for the old-school spreadsheet and calculator method, or use an app like Quicken Simplifi — it can track your expenses, categorize them automatically, create savings goals, track your investments, and so much more.
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