How do I keep my wedding cheap but elegant?

Question

I am trying to stay on a budget under 6000. everything is so expensive and whats not really adds up fast.

Answer 1

well,creativity & ideas come into play..play with materials which is cheaply available but with your own creations, it can be very elegant & beautiful.

Answer 2

1: Keep the number of people attending small - just your
closest friends. Do not let people tell you who must be
their (except your spouse to be, of course)

2: Make what you can, though recognize you are just
exchanging time for money. If you don't have time before
the wedding to make things, this won't help.

3: Find a place to wed that discourages formality but is
really spiritual. People get married on the tops of cliffs
staring out to sea, etc. In that case, the tux doesn't seem
all that important.

4: Purchase your dress second hand or obtain it from
a mother figure in your life. Note, however, that I
know several people who were disappointed after-the-fact
when they purchased a cheap dress - because it didn't
seem to engage any sentimental value. You are better
off getting something gorgeous and used than cheap and
new.

5: Time your wedding such that your party doesn't fall
during a major meal and just provide snacks. Do not
pay for alchohol.

The real key here is informality. If you love someone,
the expense and formality of your wedding will have no
effect whatsoever on your marriage.

Answer 3

I did my wedding on less than $1000, and it was a nice wedding. We didn't worry about it being elegant or an affair to remember (let's face it- most people DON'T remember your wedding, they remember their own). We had a live band, I did my own flowers (I did 2 years in a florist training school), we didn't have caterers, we did a buffett that several family members pitched in to help make. We got married on a friday, so the hall was cheaper.

You could find a large back yard, and have a nice canopy pitched, and do it that way to save the cost of renting the hall, but then you have to rent tables & chairs, plus the canopy.

I'd say the biggest savers can be done on food (get cheaper selections, and add in the cheaper side dishes, no appetizers), decorations (the guests don't care if you have sterling silver candlesticks, or dollar store class candle sticks), favors (what exactly do most guests do with another silver bell, or a tiny silver picture frame? Toss em in the yard sale or good will bin), and flowers (go extravagent on yours, but cheapen up the maid's bouquets, the alter flowers, etc- carnations are nice, daisies, etc. Get flowers that are in season).

You could go less on the dress, too. Ear mark the ones you like, and wait a month to order. Let the store know which ones you are interested in, but have no quelms in saying, "It's not in my budget, so I want to see if I can find it a bit less expensive first." Don't use the word cheaper. Or, ask if they have any in similiar makes that are less expensive. Personally, I lucked out- big time. I found an ivory empire waisted satin camisole gown with an ivory and silver lace caplet on clearance after Prom. It was NOT a prom dress. It was a nice evening gown. I got it for just shy of $20 after prom, and trust me again- it was NOT a prom dress. It just didn't have 50 tons of bead work on the front, and a train that went 5 feet back. I got so many compliments on it, too.

Our cake was a gift from a friend who is also a baker. Our photography was done by my aunt who is a professional wedding photographer, and my father in law who does it as a hobby. My parents got us a limo as a gift for afterwards. The band was a friends band, and they did the "gig" for $50 plus food & beer. The hall was rented cheaply through a family member who was a member of the "club" the hall belonged to.

All in all, a cheap but nice wedding IS doable. You just have to be willing to go less expensive on some items, and be willing to ask for a lower price, or tell people you are taking bids from lots of places, and going with the least expensive.

Answer 4

We had 110 guests and spent $6,500. Keep your guest list small. Get family and friends to help you with everything. You can make a lot of things that will save you money. Don't go overboard on flowers, find them cheap at a flea market or do something different for centerpieces (like floating candles). And you could even put together your own bouquets for cheaper. For pictures, a good idea that I've seen on here is to take the bridal party to Glamour Shots before the ceremony, it's a lot cheaper. And then just have someone take pics of the ceremony and the reception with a good digital camera. You could also get a friend to videotape it and make that their gift to you. For food, go with a buffet. This will be your most costly thing. Get some quotes from caterers, tell them your budget and they'll tell you what foods they can serve for that price. If it's still out of your price change, get party platters from restaurants. You could do stuff like wings, eggrolls, chicken fingers, ribs, mashed potatoes, salad, or even Italian. They'll supply you with huge servings of whatever food you want. You would still want to hire some servers to clean up and set up the food. You don't want to worry about that on the big day. And if you're serving alcohol, get a bartender. Letting guests serve themselves can cause a big mess. Buy your alcohol and sodas when they're on sale. Get your cake from Publix, they're reasonable and it's good. For wedding favors, check out Ebay. They have the same stuff as other websites, but for less money, usually. Good luck!

Answer 5

I would do the following;

1. Keep it simple. No need to put fresh flowers everywhere. Greenery, bows & simple, but elegant candles go a long way.
2. Don't have a bunch of bridesmaids & groomsmen. Have the matron of honor, and best man.
3. Do you have any family or friends that specialize in anything like photography, D.J.'ing, or cake decorating, etc.? See if they would be willing to do that as a wedding gift to you.
4. Try to get parents & in-laws to do their thing, i.e. rehearsal dinner, etc.
One last thing..you can always check a wedding planner and see what they can come up with on that budget. You might be surprised!

Answer 6

One word - research! I saved a lot of money hand-making favors, tying bows, all that kind of thing. But nothing saved me as much money as sitting at the computer looking for everything.

First, I would say to make a list of the most important things in your wedding. That's a starting point. You make a list of the 5 most important things (for example, dress, food, music, location, etc) and have your fiance do the same. After you've put the lists together, go from the top and just look at every single option you've got.

It sounds so tedious but, sometimes if you google "wedding cake, San Francisco CA" - you'll find this great, really inexpensive person on like the 7th page. You have to wade through a lot of crap to get there though.

And once you find vendors you like, talk them down. They're used to it - ask them straight up "What is going to save me money, no matter how silly it sounds" and they'll be really helpful.

In some ways it's easier just to cut the guest list. I don't know what your guest list is like but mine was mostly family and couldn't be cut down from 300 because family is so important to me and my husband, and we have huge ones. You could also save a bit of money by cutting the meal. Have the wedding mid-afternoon with tea and appetizers/desserts. You'll save quite a bit. I hope that helps!

Answer 7

OMG you can do a lot for that money! Use a wholesale flower online store here: http://www.onlinewholesaleflowers.com/ 67 cents per rose or you can buy wedding packages and have a florist put them together for you for barely anything. Buy your corset (what tucks everything in and is a bra as well) at walmart and it will be half the cost. David's Bridal www.davidsbridal.com has a huge dress sale right now. I bought mine for 350 and it's gorgeous. Or you can try www.bridalonlinestore.com where I almost bought my dress.

Do NOT skimp cost on the cake...everyone will remember your dress and your cake...not your shoes, etc. If you go to www.theknot.com you can find a dj or band in your area or you can post a wanted ad for dj or band at local colleges and pay only a couple hundred or so on that. Priest/minister/etc. can be free and make a small donation to them for their time. Check ebay for extras like cake toppers and also party stores because they have just about anything you will need. Use paper plates, don't use a caterer, just have food ordered and dropped off and then have the utensils and tins picked up afterward or the next day. Have an outdoor wedding. Churches like to charge for usage and ask that the flowers used in the church be left in the church. I can go on and on but if you need help, let me know. I want to kick myself for it, but I spent 135 dollars on a freaking veil. Yes a veil...but it matches my dress perfectly, So remember to not care about personalized napkins and centerpieces and party favors, and focus on flowers, cake, dress.

Good Luck!

Answer 8

I'll tell you how I did it. One made my own invations. Went to Staples and found a package where you could do that. Then found a little wedding shop they won't be as expensive on stuff. A friend took the pictures, watch what I spent on the flowers. Family carter as a gift to us. Family helped with decrations and decrating the hall. A friend's mother made the cake. And friend did the djaying. The most we spent on our wedding was my dress. We had friend's and family that had their special talents that helped out with it.

Answer 9

Go to the library. There are hundreds of books that contain ideas. Once you know what you want, you should be able to pull it together.
If you are handy ( or someone who's willing) you can do the work yourself. Just make sure you allow TIME.

Answer 10

Add classical pieces to it... (music) always sets an elegant mood.

Answer 11

real flowers, hand made dress, cd for music, excellent food and cake, small group, and 3 photgraphres who are friends 2 video and 1 regular shots.