I get asked often how to keep costs for weddings down, and if a wedding can be done under $25,000 anymore. Of course it can!! A wedding is the union of two families by marriage and a celebration. It doesn’t have to be a blowout, 5 course meal with a production company ready to submit to luxury magazines. You can do what this couple did: spent $6,000 on a tent at the family home, served up fish tacos and had a blast with 200 of their guests. And they did a beautiful job. Take some tips from The Wedding Chicks:

Everything about this beautiful backyard wedding is simply elegant. From the delicate neutral and refined chambray ensembles worn by the groom and his men to the dreamy breezeway entrance to the backyard reception. You are going to adore the sweet and lovely polished bouquets and the dainty DIY table centerpieces.

You are especially going to swoon over the dreamy photographs captured by Nashville,Tennessee film photographer Ryan Bernal. Are you already swooning over the bridesmaid dresses above? Most of all this entire stylish affair was put together for 200 guests for less than $6,000. Read on to hear tid bits from the bride and of course see more from Ryan in the full wedding gallery.

How fabulous is Andrew and Hannah’s entrance sign? You could easily recreate this personalized rustic sign buy stenciling on burlap and framing it. We guesstimate the entire project, including the easel would run you about $45 depending on the price of your frame.

A stencil kit at Joann’s ($6.49) + magic stencil cream ($3.49)  and we would estimate you would need a yard of  burlap ($3). For the frame you could thrift a used frame and use gold spray paint ($6.46) for a similar effect and place it on an easel ($19). The paper flowers you see on the sign were also used on the cupcake tower below and you can easily make these yourself. Here is a you tube video with instructions and it seems to be fairly easy.

Andrew and Hannah were able to save a huge amount on having their wedding at their family’s home. We are certainly aware that all of you do not have huge backyard, but we recommend sharing with family and friends that you are interested in having a backyard wedding. Sometimes just spreading the word will do the trick. One of Hannah’s main tips is to ask for whatever you might need and if that happens to be a backyard, it doesn’t hurt to ask.

From the Bride:

If i can give any advice – its to not be afraid to ask for help. A lot of help! I had so many people involved down to the smalllest details and it relieved so much of the pressure from myself and it also involved everyone! I had people in Indianna collecting vintage plates from thrift stores for me while one of my friends in Georgia addressed the invitations…I utilized everyone!

We also love the mason jars that had a piece of raffia wrapped around it with a cute blank label to ensure ownership of the cup for the evening. The table decor was mismatched bottles and vases with loose flowers placed on a burlap table runner. Click here for a great tip, from another bride on how to acquire free bottles for your floral arrangements.

Simple is key…the simplicity of everything made it all the more lovely. I wanted people to feel as if they were at a backyard picnic, but with the feel and elegence of a wedding…and I think I was able to do just that.

Another great way to save money is having a taco bar, as opposed to a traditional fancy wedding menu. To jazz up the taco bar you could add gourmet items like duck confit and pickled red cabbage like Andrew and Hannah did. Having a limited bar will also reduce your budget. You could simply offer one type of wine or beer or a signature wedding cocktail.

 A fantastic way to cut cost is to use Free Printables. If you did not know your can download a thumbprint tree guest book and vintage bicycle guest book for free over at our free wedding printables page.

Our Free Thumbprint Wedding Guest Books measures 11″ X 14″  and can be personalized with your names and wedding date. You can use  smear-resistant dye ink.It is currently on sale at Joanne’s Fabric for $9.59.

Another money saver was the cupcake tower made by friends. Using the same book paper roses from the entrance sign along with burlap for a cohesive yet stylish look.

Featured on: The Wedding Chicks / Photographer: Ryan Bernal / Caterer: Rivermont Pizza / Dress Designer: BCBG / Flowers: Lynchburg Wholesale Floral Corporation – arranged by Bridesmaids  / Groom’s Attire: Chambray tops / Shoe Designer: jcrew

Venue: Family home | Veil or Hair Accessories: The flowers in the bride’s hair were made from scraps of her wedding dress to match the gown | Jewelry: Vintage jewelry from my grandmothers | Coordinator: Friends and Family – A special thanks to Brooke Jones | Cake: Home-made cupcakes – Rachel Brewer | Makeup: Bridesmaid – Brittany Roth | Cinematography: Bethany Ufema