Budget-Friendly Tips for Planning a Micro Wedding in California
Let’s be honest, planning a wedding in California can be very expensive! But choosing a micro wedding allows you to have an intimate and meaningful celebration, without the hefty price tag of a traditional wedding. At Marigold Micro Weddings, we specialize in creating beautiful, stress-free, and personalized weddings while helping couples maximize their budget.
If you have aligned values of planning a budget conscious micro wedding in California, here are our tips to help save money while still having the wedding of your dreams!
Choose a Non-Traditional Venue
Instead of booking a large, high-demand wedding venue, consider unique and more affordable locations such as:
Local parks or botanical gardens
VRBOs or private homes
Small boutique hotels or bed & breakfasts
Art galleries or historic buildings
California has many beautiful locations that offer stunning backdrops, from beaches to vineyards, that do not come with the sticker prices of traditional venues. Marigold Micro Weddings prides itself on building relationships with venues that offer beautiful, intimate spaces that are more reasonably priced for our couples.
2. Keep Your Guest List Small & Intentional
This will always be the biggest perk of a micro wedding: fewer guests, mean lower costs! This includes lower costs on food, furniture rentals, decor, florals, stationary. Scaling your guest list to 20-50 of your closest family and friends, scales down a traditional budget significantly! We love significant cost savings, without the compromise of an intimate and meaningful experience.
3. Book an All-Inclusive Micro Wedding Package
Hiring multiple wedding day vendors can very quickly add up within your budget. Instead, opt for an all-inclusive micro wedding package (like the ones we offer at Marigold Micro Weddings!) Bundling services like planning, floral, rentals, desserts, and bar services lowers your cost than booking them separately.
By working with a micro wedding planner that provides in-house services, you eliminate extra fees and simplify the entire process! Why not take advantage of a budget-friendly service that also eliminates your wedding planning stress!
4. Choose an Off-Peak Wedding Date
California weddings tend to be most expensive during peak wedding season, which is typically from May - October. Luckily, California winters are a lot more mild compared to other states. If you are flexible with your wedding date, this really is an advantage! Additionally, venue rates may change based on weekend and weekday dates. To save a little more on a venue consider:
A weekday or Sunday wedding
A late fall or winter wedding
A morning or brunch wedding instead of an evening event
These considerations not only lead to significant savings on venue costs, but also vendor pricing!
5. Prioritize What Matters Most
Rather than spreading your budget thin amongst a lot of vendors and decor items, focus on what matters most to you as a couple. Do you care more about stunning florals than having a photobooth? Do you desire that dream photographer over having a three-tier cake? Allocate your budget where it matters most to you and scale back on the areas that aren’t as important to you.
6. Work with a Micro Wedding Planner to Maximize Savings
While hiring a wedding planner might seem like an added cost, it actually helps save money in the long run! Overall a planner has connections with vendors, can assist with budget conversions, and help avoid costly mistakes.
At Marigold Micro Weddings, we not only achieve that but with our Marigold Package we offer an inclusive service that includes vendors couples would not have outsourced. Not having to a la carte your rentals, bar service, floral arrangements, desserts provide our couples significant cost savings! Our package is truly designed for our couples to maximize every aspect of their wedding, especially their budget!
Final Thoughts: You Can Have a Beautiful Wedding on a Budget!
A micro wedding doesn’t mean sacrificing quality of beauty. It’s about intentionality and focusing on what truly matters. By making smart decisions, being creative with your budget, and working with the right team, you can have a stunning and memorable wedding without breaking the bank!
If you’re ready to make budget conscious decisions for your wedding, we’d love to connect with you and see how Marigold Micro Weddings can be your perfect fit!
