Hey, so you’re planning a wedding! And, you’re thinking about Vegas! (Or, you live here!) Vegas is a super fun place to get married. There are so many options, which can be overwhelming, but also fun. I have a whole post about Las Vegas Wedding tips you can read to help you out. But, for this post, I thought I’d go over some ideas and ways I focused to get my Vegas wedding accomplished for $5,000. So, take a look and see if any of this helps you budget your Vegas wedding!
Since I’m talking about the wedding day, I didn’t include the cost of the phototgraphs that we purchased after, since we used our gifted money for that. I also didn’t include the dinner the night before the wedding (my “bachelorette” party) because my dear friend picked up the whole tab! (Thanks Maggie!)
Breakdown of What I Spent
Wedding Package: $1,305
Venue, Photography, Décor, Favor, Flowers, Officiant, Coordinator, Wedding License Limo, Pianist for Ceremony $950 base package + $125 extra florals + $200 extra décor + $30 favors
Wedding Day Tips: $90
Pianist – $20, Officiant – $20, Wedding Coordinator – $50
Wedding License: $70
Reception Dinner: $1,300
Buca di Beppo, Dinner for 14, (2) appetizers, (2) salads, (2) pastas, (2) entrees, (2) desserts, (2) drink tickets per person (alcoholic) and unlimited soft drinks, semi-private room, gratuity – $1200 + $100 extra tip
Wedding Favors: $106
Bags – $55, Keychains – $43, Deck of Cards (in wedding package above), Thank you card – $4.25 + $3 to print
Cake: $207
Freed’s Bakery – $189, Cake Topper – Etsy – $18.66
Dress: $998
David’s Bridal – Vera Wang Sleeveless $450 (on sale) + veil, belt, alterations
Makeup : $186
Charlotte Tillbury eyeshadow palette, lipstick and lip liner, Estee Lauder foundation, Anastasia Brow pencil, lip mask
Hair & Nails: $340
Blow out and style for me, my mom and sister – $300, Nails – $40
Shoes: $49
Anthropologie BHLDN (on clearance)
Underwear: $180
Underwear, Strapless Bra, Spanx
Gifts: $158
Bridesmaids Gift – Tank Top, Wine Glass – $18, Mom’s Necklace – $140
Grand total: $4,989
Las Vegas Wedding Venue
I chose the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort. They have a ton of package options and a bunch of venue locations available. I chose to use the chapel because it was modern and beautiful and inside. (I’m not an outdoors person, although their outdoor venue locations are gorgeous). I loved the décor options, they were simple and modern. The wedding coordinator takes care of everything. You can choose songs for the pianist to play as you enter and leave. It’s a great package overall.
One fun surprise event was that a limo to the Marriage license bureau was included. Having been in a limo once in my life, it was a pretty cool experience. And, not driving downtown and parking was a huge bonus. It made the process so stress free! Overall, it was an amazing experience.
Las Vegas Wedding Food
Buca di Beppo was a huge hit. Everyone loved the food and it was so cost effective. The amount of food we got for the price was the best value I saw anywhere. And the food was delicious. We had a great server and they did an amazing job making the dinner really easy. He even cut the cake for us! (Which most places will charge you for).
Las Vegas Wedding Cake
Freed’s Bakery cake was the best decision ever. The cake was so good, they have tons of options for decorations, flavors and they even deliver. I got this super cute cake topper on Etsy from Kato Baking Supplies. Which, I found out from the return address, that they are local to Vegas! Super cool to support a small business from nearby!
Wedding Favor
I put together my Las Vegas wedding favor with a few different items. There’s a whole post on it here. I also had these cards printed. They were purchased as template from Willow Lane Paperie on Etsy. I just fell in love with the message and the sentiment. Since we asked people to travel to our wedding, I thought it would be a nice little touch to hand out a thank you to all our guests. I had the wedding coordinator hand them out when everyone was seating.
Dress, Shoes & Undergarments
My dress was from David’s Bridal. There was no doubt in my mind that David’s Bridal was the place I was going to get my dress. Being on a budget, that was the best place to stay within my price range. They have so many styles and sizes. It was super easy to find something I loved. (Actually the first dress I tried on – I ended up going back to it). Plus, the service there was amazing!
The shoes I wore were so pretty and colorful. They were a deep red. I really wanted colorful shoes for some reason. And I had purchased the shoes before I got my dress. They were from BHLDN by Anthropologie. Since I stalk their sales, I got these on clearance for $50. Part of the reason I chose my dress was so that you could see my shoes!
Good underwear is important. I was fighting my mother on this, and per usual, she was right. It made such a difference in my comfort. Buying a good bra and comfortable spanx type undergarments made me feel confident, but comfortable!
Makeup, Nails, Hair
I did my own makeup. So it started with YouTube videos to fill in the blanks. Lol. I did purchase some new items to help fill in the gaps from my own makeup collection. I got a new foundation, Estee Lauder (I’ve worn it before, but didn’t have any). For the eyeshadow and lip, I did a Charlotte Tilbury set. It’s the Pillow Talk eyeshadow palette and Red Carpet Red lipstick. I also got some brow pencil from Anastasia. I used my own primer from Smashbox, Shape Tape concealer from Tarte and setting spray from MAC.
Nails I got done at a local shop. They’re just my nails with some white gel polish and a red heart outline painted on each ring finger. I don’t do well with acrylics, so I can’t go there!
Hair I also got done by a local lady. I go to her to get my hair cut and she came and did a blow out for myself, my mom and my sister. She also styled my hair. She wayyyyy undercharges, so my mom just paid her more than she asked for anyway.
Wrap Up
When it comes to budgeting, the important thing is that you decided upfront what is important to you. My mom paid for my wedding, so I wanted to set a budget and stick to it. She was actually less concerned than I was, but I do love a challenge too. I decided the things that were important to me were the food, the ceremony venue (vibe) and the dress/makeup. So, that is where I spent most of the budget. It’s different for everyone! You may love flowers and want to spend a good chunk of money there. The important thing is to decide what makes you happy and focus your energy on there.
I also think, if you have the time, start to stalk the companies you love. Sign up for their emails, check their sales and buy things when you see them. Not only does that help you to spread out your spending, but you can save money along the way!
When it comes down to it, you have your own budget and your own favorite things. Weddings are supposed to be fun and joyous. If you are able to find some helpful tips for your Vegas wedding here, I hope they help you plan your dream day! If you have any more questions, feel free to drop them below in the comments! Have a great wedding day!!
