Planning a wedding/reception/honeymoon in 9 months cheaply with as much class as possible. Suggestions?

Question

Any advice on how to have a shabby chic affair greatly appreciated

Answer 1

For your dress, check out Dreams by Renee http://www.dreamsbyreneebridal.com They have some absolutely gorgeous dresses PLUS they can make custom dresses based on drawings and/or pictures at reasonable prices! Just to let you know, the prices listed on their site is suggested retail and since I am an authorized rep, I can offer discounts on all of their dresses.

For your invitations, I'm a rep for Regency Thermographics if you're interested. http://AphroditesCreations.regency.ac

Also, I have an associate that is also a travel agent. She has a TON of specials right now!. If you are interested, give me your contact info and I will pass it on to her for you.

Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Find a hall that doesn't have a liquor license. It's much cheaper to bring in your own, typically they mark up liquor 100%. Also, to really save money, only serve beer and wine and soft drinks. A buffet is usually cheaper than a sit down dinner and it's nicer. Everyone can pick what they want to eat instead of getting whatever shows up on the plate. I usually starve at sit down dinners, because they're usually something I won't eat.

Don't let the florist talk you into $50 centerpieces. Not necessary, there are lots of centerpieces that can be done for less than $10. Go to your local arts and crafts store, buy a glass bowl, fill part way with water and float some blooms in the water. Much less than a typical florist arrangement. If the bowl is shallow enough you can also put a pillar candle in it. Check out the neat centerpieces they did on Design on a Dime wedding, link below.l

Don't buy a four figure wedding gown. I have seen a $5000 gown up close and personal and I'm here to tell you, it doesn't look that much better than a $500 gown from Davids. You can't tell the difference at all in the pictures or on the video.

Don't rent limos or any other kind of transport, they're a very expensive, waste of money. I went to my wedding in my dad's pickup (it looked nice, not a beater). We left the church in my mom's car, she has a nice Cadillac.

I will say that you should spend as much as you can on a photographer. This is the only part of your wedding that is permanent. Go with the best person you can afford.

Don't buy really expensive invitations, no one but you and maybe your mom, will keep them. I ordered mine from one of the companies that advertises in the wedding magazines. Send away for all those catalogs and order from one that you like.

Order a small tiered wedding cake to cut, instead of a cake that will serve everyone, and have sheet cakes in the back that the caterer can serve to guests. Also, a good place to get a cake that's not too expensive is a grocery store with a good bakery.

Skip favors all together or go with something simple and inexpensive. Wrap up some Hershey kisses in tulle and your good to go.

I hope this was helpful, have a good wedding. Another course of action you might want to consider is a destination wedding on a cruise or at an all inclusive resort. You get your wedding and honeymoon all in one, plus you can invite whoever you want but you don't have to pay for a reception because it's all inclusive. Friends of ours did this in December, it was fun and about 40 people were there. We got a 4 day vacation and a great wedding on a beautiful island. I don't remember how much it cost us, but it wasn't bad, since we got a vacation out of it. Not everyone will come if you do this, but I'll bet the people who would complain the most (parents and siblings) will come. Good luck

Answer 3

Just got married, and spent a lot... but could have spent much more.

1. rent the wedding dress. My wife did this and got a great dress for a steal... and we stuck it in a bag and returned it the next week.

2. if you have time to plan it yourself, don't hire a coordinator on commission (they typically mark up EVERYTHING YOU SPEND by 20% or so). Hire one for the day-of so you don't have to think or be responsible for problems that day. Best money you'll spend.

3. Negotiate with your photographer that you want the high-res files of your photos right away... not a year later. Instead of paying $10 or more per print from the photographer, you can put the files on, say, Shutterfly, and get them for pennies. Not all photographers will do this, and most will charge you for the privilege ($500 or more, above their shooting fee), but it will save you and your family a LOT of money.

4. Get married during the week. How about mid-week during the holidays? Wedding vendors plan on being busy Saturday and Sunday. If they have a chance to make money during the week, they can charge less without losing money. This applies to EVERY vendor (band/DJ, photographer, caterer, venue, etc.)

5. Don't order invitations and thank-you cards from one of those giant albums/stationery stores. There are lots of other options. A) Do it yourself. B) Find a small biz or person who does custom invites (such as the woman who did ours at www.concreteabstract.com). C) If you MUST order formal ones, you'll find discounters online. Search for the company you want (Crane's, for instance, or Checkerboard) in Google and lots of discounters will pop up. You'll need to go to those awful stationery stores to pick things out... just make lots of notes and place the order through a discounter. They tend to be 10-20% less than retail, because they can afford a lower mark-up because of their zero-overhead.

6. Skip wedding favors. No one really cares about them.

Good luck, and I hope this helps!

By the way, I have a business producing DVD photo montages for weddings and other special events. http://www.bigmomentfilms.com -- check us out!

Answer 4

1. Prioritize the three most important elements of your wedding so that you know where you want to put your money. We chose photography, food, and service but everyone's is different.

2. All of the wedding books and planners agree that the easiest way to save money on a wedding is DON'T have it on a Saturday night. The cheapest option is a dessert and punch reception. The next best is a Sunday breakfast or brunch. Don't have your wedding in the late spring or summer. The book "Bridal Bargains" (featured on Oprah) has a list of most-popular wedding months by region. Off-season means savings.

3. Yes, guest count can be important, but not as important as some people think. Things like photography, venue rental, dj etc. are base costs that stay the same no matter how many people you invite. Guest count becomes most important when you're dealing with the cost of food, alcohol, and service.

4. When considering your venue, consider the kind of event you want and your guest count. Catering and lighting large events at sites without facilities (private homes, barns, etc.) can get really expensive, really fast. No bathrooms. No generator. So much to worry about. BUT if this is a smaller affair, you can have it pretty much anywhere.

5. Don't bother with favors. They're a total scam by the bridal industry.

6. Don't do it all yourself. Unless this is the kind of thing you thrive on, don't get wrapped up in prepping food and the like. You will be so stressed on the big day and it just isn't worth it.

7. The exception: Alcohol! This is a HUGE expense. And do not inflict a cash bar on your guests. Either do a morning or afternoon event and don't serve alcohol, or deal with the alcohol yourself. The cheapest way is to buy wine and beer in bulk from Costco. You don't need a membership to buy alcohol there. There are also some liquor stores that will let you return any unopened cases.

8. Buy your dress off the rack. Screw David's Bridal and the other big "discounters." Shop the big department stores' web sites. Do searches for dresses in white and cream. I got a GORGEOUS, floor-length Laundry by Shelly Segal dress for only $300. Best of all, if you buy from Nordstrom, you're free to return it. Another possibility is renting a dress, but I'm not sure if there's a good place in Boise.

And finally, don't freak out. Take the time to really think about what is important to you. People here have suggested scrimping on photography. Photography was important to us so we didn't mind spending on it. Think about how you want to feel, how you want your husband to feel, how you want your guests to feel. A small intimate dinner? A big party with dancing til dawn? Approach it as if you were approaching planning any other event. The wedding industry tries to make planning a wedding totally overwhelming and it's easy to get sucked in. Don't. If you keep your head, it's totally manageable.

Two last things:
Be careful about planning near certain holidays if you're planning on lots of flowers: prices spike around Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and Christmas. Catering and venue costs go up and availability goes down around Christmas and New Year's.

And finally, watch out for sites like theknot.com, modern bride, wedding channel etc. Yes, they're great resources but ALWAYS keep in mind that their money comes from their advertisers and the intent of their content-- even their "cost saving tips"-- is to get you to spend money.

Answer 5

Do everything yourself. It is a lot of work, but you save so much money. Make your invitations, programs, menus, favors, bouquets, centerpieces, etc. Get bulk flowers (I found them the cheapest at safeway, but you can find wholesale flowers online). Plan everything, get a lot of help. Ask friends and family to DJ, cater, sew, assemble programs, etc. Don't skimp on the photographer, though, get a pro so you have great pictures of your day, but get the smallest package (you can always order more prints later when you have the money). Have someone make your dress and bridesmaid dresses. Go to all the bridal shows for ideas, but don't fall prey to their marketing, you don't have to spend that much to have a nice wedding. Remember, people are going to notice the details you do include, not the ones you omitted. Register for honeymoon expenses as well as gifts.

Answer 6

First off, and it should be obvious, you'll have to keep your guest list and bridal party small! Make your own flower arrangements from silks that go on sale, throw a pot luck instead of using a caterer, put disposable cameras on the tables and let guests take your pictures and/or have a friend with a good camera take pictures intead of paying $1000 + for a photographer who'll take maybe 8 pictures. Burn cd's instead of getting a dj. You can get a pretty dress for $100-150 if you know where to look or know what designer to look for. Get creative.

Answer 7

Elope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just kidding. I planned my wedding in three weeks!! To cut costs we had a cash bar. I was a bit worried but I did not hear one complaint. We had our reception at a restaurant with banquet facilities which turned out to be cheaper for food. Also go cheaper on your center pieces. For the head table we use a Yankee Candle. The scent was called "Wedding Day". At Wal-Mart in the craft section I bought glass bowls. I filled the bowls with colored sand (The colors of my wedding - burgundy) then I place a Yankee votive candle inside (wedding day scent). When the reception started the candles were lit. No one will remember what your centerpieces look like anyway. The woman who altered my wedding dress also made my garder and decorated my sneakers. Yes, I wore sneakers. With everything going on that day I really did not want my feet to hurt too. Our wedding cake cost $75.00 and was beautiful. A friend of my mother-in-law (who makes cakes) did it. Again I am sure that anyone who attended my wedding does not remember what it looked like. People attend your wedding for you and your future husband. No matter what you do they will just be grateful to be a part of such an important day of your life. Good Luck.

Answer 8

I know how you feel except i had less time!! I got my dress from ebay under $200 and it was gorgeous. try to find a place maybe a relative or friend's pretty home or backyard. My sis-in-law works at a bank and they have an elegant dining hall there and we had our wedding and reception there for free. I made my own bouquet and decorations. My grandmother knew a lady who made wedding cake. It was pretty and delicious for $50. Ask friends and relatives to bring there famous dish that you love to help out with the reception call it "pot luck". also check out ebay, i got a garden arch for $20 total! hope this helps!!!!!!

Answer 9

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Answer 10

have you bought invitations? try www.theamericanwedding.com
Use silk flowers... hobby lobby has amazing silk flowers that look real and are very inexpensive. Keep the bridal party small. Use tulle to decorate... it's cheap and white lights make it look extremely elegant. My friend just got married and she used white tulle, white Christmas lights, white candles, and ferns. It was elangt and so beautiful.
I went to Gatlinburg for my honeymoon. We got a cabin (www.thepreserveresort.com) that was amazing and lived it up.
Good luck and best wishes!