We just got engaged on Sunday(yay for me!) and I am looking to get married 1-2 years from now. What I need help with is how much cash should I save, how long I should save for and what everyone elses opions are from their experiences. My fiance and I have a lot of debt right now so that is whay we are waiting. I want about 100 people at my wedding, and I want to know the best tips you have for me!!!!!
2006-06-27 12:03:07 · 11 answers · asked by azdaizey 2 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
Congrats on engagement!!! A nice wedding for 100, can run from about $8000 to $60,000. Look for wedding dress sales or eBay for bride who changed mind - remember dresses run really small most of time. You can take it in but it is hard to let out. My daughter is a 2 & we bought a 8 to fit bustline & altered. To save money have buffet, sit down meals are pricey. Start looking for place to hold it, reasonably price ones book up a year to 2 yrs in advance. Good luck! It was fun helping with both of my daughters, I did not enjoy paying for them but they were beautiful.
2006-06-27 12:11:34 · answer #1 · answered by Wolfpacker 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Find a wedding planner that has examples of how much you should pay for each item. Sometimes a guide is attached to a bridal magazine. For example, my wedding planner estimated how much the cake, wedding dress, photographer, florist, dj, etc. would cost. Keep in mind that these costs will be on the average. It helps when looking for vendors. You'll be able to gauge if you're quoted a price that's way too expensive. The planner will also guide you on when to do what. My planner suggested ordering my invitations at least three months in advance. Go to your local bookstore. Don't order online because you really can't tell if the planner will be exactly what you need. I bought The Everything Wedding Planner and it was a waste of money. I ended up getting more use out of the planner that was included in one of my bridal magazines.
2006-06-27 19:17:40 · answer #2 · answered by Mimi 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I got engaged on Christmas Morning 2005. I am getting married on April 28, 2007. We got our reception site with in three weeks. In January they were already getting bookings for April 2007 Weddings. I would say start planning an saving right away. It is important to decide what type of wedding you want, how many people you are inviting, and how formal of a wedding you would like to have. Congrats and Good Luck!
2006-06-27 19:10:54 · answer #3 · answered by nygnut2004 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just got married a month ago.....it took me about 9 months to plan, however, I was lucky enough that my parents footed the bill. We spent about $6000, including everything.....but it was in a small town (we had about 100 guests). If you're in a big city, expect to pay much more....plus it depends on the kind of wedding you want and such.
Try figuring out where you want to have the wedding and reception early though...that's one problem I came across when I started planning...every place I wanted was booked! They usually just have you send a deposit to do that, so that might be $100 or so just to hold it and you can probably make payments. Congrats!
2006-06-27 19:57:25 · answer #4 · answered by bluez 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For 100 people, you need to examine several things:
Location
Time of year (affects location)
Time of day (affects food service for the reception)
Fanciness of the wedding ceremony & reception
There are several things you can do:
*Shop for gowns 1-2 seasons out of date, or shop eBay (tons of beautiful dresses for CHEAP).
*Cut your attendants down to the bare minimum (2-3 each side).
*Rent the tuxes.
*Book everything EARLY! Shop around (and I can't stress this enough!!!) for the BEST prices on everything (flowers, cake, gifts, food, decorations, etc). Don't be afraid to haggle a little on certain things (menus, flower substitutions, etc).
*Buy as much as you can ahead of time & learn how to be crafty on your own. Enlist the help of others in this endeavor as well.
*Buy inexpensive wedding bands ($200-$300 each) now & get the "dream" wedding bands for your 1st or 5th anniversary.
*Book your honeymoon someplace close to home. Skip Aruba...think Catalina.
Based on all this (and SO much more), and YOUR ultimate wishes & desires (and how much you'd be willing to compromise to save $$$), and how much help you'll get from family, it will help you to plan for the expense part of it.
2006-06-27 20:09:36 · answer #5 · answered by Brutally Honest 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say start save money as much as you can now. The longer you plan for a wedding, the more money you will save, because you always keep your eyes open on good deals.
2006-06-27 19:37:37 · answer #6 · answered by Mimi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, in order to find out the answers to your questions, you need to first look at the budget that your planning to use for your special day. After you figure that out, then you know how much you need to save, and for how long. If your expecting 100 people at the wedding then start looking for prices at online caterers, florists, djs/bands, and so on. If you need anyother help, please feel free to ask! the_planner_you_want@yahoo.com.
2006-06-27 19:24:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Congrats!!! It took us about a year to plan for our wedding. I dont know where you are from but for 100 people could run up to $25,000.00. If you dont mind waiting pay off your debt and then start planning.
2006-06-27 22:23:53 · answer #8 · answered by Great Gifts 4 Everyone 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
start planning once you know you are going to get married!
a typical wedding usually needs a year to get things all together. the reason you need a year is because you usually need to reserved the church/garden/social hall a year in advance.
2006-06-28 21:57:48 · answer #9 · answered by truckturner 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Give yourself at least a year so you won't have to rush in your planning.
Do some of your shopping online, you can save alot of money that way.
Instead of a tier cake try seperate one layers decorated, it's a lot cheaper.
2006-06-28 02:15:48 · answer #10 · answered by waterfae89 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋