How can I plan a wedding for under $2000?

Question

My fiance and I are about to lose hope of ever getting married. Everything costs SO much money! We don't have a lot of resources considering most of all of our family and friends live out of state, across the country. We'd really like to plan a fall wedding and live in the Altanta, GA area. Money is tight and right now it's looking as though it could take years to save up enough to get married or the alternative of having to start our marriage in debt with a loan. We're paying for this all alone, our families cannot afford to help us any. Please, if you have any suggestions or tips, we'd really appreciate it! We're each going to have six attendants, which due to the number of siblings and extremely close friends we have is non-negotiable.

Going in front of a judge is our last resort, and we even have the marriage liscense on the refrigerator ready for it. We would just like to have our friends and families there. I don't want to look back on it years later and regret not having a somewhat traditional wedding.

Answer 1

can you say bbq?

Answer 2

It's very easy to get legally married by submitting a marriage application to a justice of the peace and signing the papers. It doesn't cost much at all, and you will be married.

If you want a big lavish ceremony, it is going to be expensive. Weddings are a lucrative business and nobody is about to lower their prices on traditional cakes, gowns, etc.

If you want a religious wedding without spending a lot of money, you'll have to break from tradition. It is possible to have an outdoor wedding. Talk to a priest, rabbi, minister, or whoever performs marriages in your religion. You can buy a dress that is not a traditional "wedding dress" but is still suitable, and do the same for your attendants. You can hold the wedding on a friend or family member's property for free, and it can be very beautiful to be outside on the grass in the sunlight. I've seen people do this and been much more impressed than I ever would have been with a traditional wedding in a stuffy church.

Answer 3

You have several alternatives.

Since most of your family is out of state, then you can elope instead. You can get a fancy wedding for $2000 Las Vegas and under.. You can rent your dress, his tux, have a fresh flower bouquet, have professional wedding pictures and a professional video of your wedding on a beautifully decorated chapel. There are packages that include all of this plus champage, flute glasses and cake cutters. You can double it up as a honey moon too. Since you are not expecing a lot of people, you can just invite a few that can affor going to Las Vegas with you. You only need one witness to be with you.

If you really want to get married in Atlanta, then you can skip the church and ger married at the Justice of the Peace. You can rent his tux and you can buy your dress of the rack or online for about $300 or less. I've hear many women saying that ebay have beautiful and unexpensive dresses. Try catching off-season wedding sales to get a great deal on your dress.

Youc an try for a community hall, church reception hall, VWF hall for your reception. Or you can have it at some friend farm or house. You can also have it outdoors in a community park or garden. All you have to do is to ask permision in the county hall and there are no fees associated with this.

Skip the limo and let some friend drive you. Skip the fresh flowers and use sild flowers intead, Print your own invitations. Have a brunch or cocktail hour wedding instead of a dinner reception. This will save you a lot of money since you will be seving hors d'ouvres instead of a full meal.

Skip the alcohol. Serve light refreshments only. Toast with sprakling grape juice instead. Youc an also have a cash bar, and break even or even make a profit.

Skip the party favours or make them your self. Tulle bags with candy will suffice if you must give them, but no one even remembers the favours. You can save money by skiping them.

Go to the oriental tradding website to get some unexpensive decorations.

Skip the DJ and let one of your wanna be DJ cousins/friend take care of the music. Burn a CD with your favorite songs and let it play in the background.

Enroll the help of your family and friends. Know anybody that is crafty? Do you know a photography student or amateur photographer?

Buy your caker ate a supermarket or local bakery. Walmart have decent looking cakes for a fraction of what you would pay for a professional wedding cake.

Be creative. You don;t have to do a fromal wedding. They are boring and too comecialized. Find alternatives: a bbq themed wedding, a pot luck wedding, a themed wedding that can accomodate your particular hobbies. Use your resources and imagination.

Good luck

Answer 4

Have you arranged for a church already? What is that expense? I thought you had to get the license within 30 days of the ceremony, so why did you get that so early (or maybe our states have different policies)?

I have hundreds of ways to cut costs. I'm planning a wedding for 200 people on $4500. you can email me at rswedding2007@yahoo if you want.

You can eliminate the engagement and wedding rings, eliminate the big-deal dresses and let attendants wear whatever they want (or just tell them all what color you want and they go shopping with the color in mind), just have the men wear business suits. You do not need flowers, or each woman can carry one blossom each with a piece of lacey ribbon on it.

The reception can be very simple, like just cookies and lemonade in a friend's backyard or the church's hall. It does not have to be a meal if you have it at a non-meal time of day. (What you DON'T want to do is have a cash bar or have the guests have to pay for anything at your wedding, because that is RUDE. Other than that, whatever you can afford to provide is fine-- there is no shame in having a simple wedding reception.)

You can hand-write the invitations, that is actually more personal than having them printed. you can get thank you notes from teh goodwill, usually-- many stationery stores donate the things that they can't sell or that are out of season.

Just make sure you get someone reliable and talented to take photos, though. My parents had to have a very low budget wedding but their photos turned out so crappy-- that is the only thing they regret. They've been married 35 years.

I will be happy to help more if you contact me.

you are talking about it being "traditional"-- it is actually MORE traditional to do a wedding the way I've described above than it it is have an expensive celebrity-style Dinner Dance of the Century-- that would NOT be traditional!

Answer 5

First, you can have something simple right now, and then have a larger wedding five or even 10 years from now. My friends were married at the courthouse, and on thier 15th anniversary, they had their huge wedding. It was beautiful.

However, here's my thoughts on how to have your wedding for that amount of money:

1-Dress - david's bridal usually has sales for gowns @ $99 or you can even look into bridesmaids gowns that you can use for a wedding gown - sort of a fancy look or different. Try places like JC Penny or Sears, and Macy's who all have bridal departments.

2- In lieu of bridesmaids holding bouquets, they can hold one rose or hold nothing - totally up to you. Just make sure you have a bouquet.

3- See about renting a hall for around $300, and try a local caterer. If not, how about asking family to chip in and cook and have an outdoor reception. Or, do something simple like finger foods and a cake.

4- ceremony locations - you can get married at city hall, and ANYONE can perform a ceremony after that. You can have a family member or trusted friend conduct the ceremony at a park,
or any other place you don't have to pay for.

5- when I got married, we asked the groomsmen just to wear a black suit with a red tie to match the dresses. It was that easy.

6- If worse comes to worse - get married in Las Vegas! My ceremony package was extremely reasonable and included so much. Some of the chapels on the strip can put the wedding online! If you have to push back your wedding six months to save up some more money, try that? Or wait until after income tax time, and use some of that money!

Answer 6

The only way I can answer your question is by telling you how I got married.

I couldn't skip on my dress 'cause I always wanted a pretty wedding dress for the most special day in my life and trust me, it is, it's not just a saying.

I went into the local bridal shop when they had a sale on and it didn't take me long to find my dream gown. It just fit and cost me (I'm going to rougly estimate) £200.

We booked a registry office wedding which cost £30 each = £60 (the registry office looked very much like a church inside and wasn't tacky at all).

I didn't have a vale, it's rather out-dated but had a flower tiarra instead (which I picked up in a charity shop - you'd have to look around for something you like though). This cost about £9.

I asked for make-up advice and did my own (quite well considering the photos - the key is to use quite a bit 'cause you will look very pale on video).

I had my hair done - It cost me £10 to have my hair curled.

My dad walked me down the short but still there "passage" to the front.

We had a friend record it all and my mom played a song from cd on a portable player.

As regards the photos - I asked all my guests to lend me their negatives (which I had both developed and put onto cd) or put their photos on cd and hand it over. That cost me about £5.

Oh, shoes didn't matter that much 'cause if your dress is long enough, you can't see shoes but I'm sure a pair 'just for the day' would be fine (like mine cost something stupid like £3).

My mom and I went to the market, she bought about 4 roses, blue lint (that was the main colour for my wedding: blue and white) and some type of grassy stuff and just tied it together in the most beautiful bunch! That cost what, £1.50?

I bought a tiny little handbag from the thrift store for £3.

For the 'after party' we booked a section of the pub, had their buffet and wine for 17 people and that cost £250. Any other drinks they wanted, they had to pay for themselves.

This was just over 2 years ago and I can assure you, it was absolutely perfect. It WAS the most special day in my life as it should've been and just because I didn't spend £10,000 doesn't mean it wasn't beautiful, special and generally wonderful.

The £ to $ is just over two so roughly, my amazing wedding cost about $1084. Obviously you know where to shop in the USA or where to look and would have to do your own investigating but the one thing I can tell you: don't give up hope, it can be done and, there's no need to spend a fortune on having a wonderful wedding and certainly, don't start married life with debt, it can wreck it.

Good luck and when you get married, have a wonderful day!

Answer 7

List the things you need to spend money on and set a dollar limit on each category (dress, flowers, etc.). That will help you set priorities. Keep it small - more guests equals higher costs.

Some cost-cutting tips:

Forego the wedding dress for a nice dress that can be worn on other occasions.

Have a friend play DJ for the reception.

Have a friend act as photographer. Perhaps go to a pro's studio and have a nice portrait done. Buy the negatives so you can have more or bigger prints made when you have more money.

Use a PC to make your own invitations.

Serve appetizers and soft drinks at reception.

Keep in mind that the marriage is the thing, not the wedding.

Get plates, napkins, etc. from Sam's Club or similar.

Answer 8

1) Wedding Ceremony Where will it be held, how much will it cost, who will take care of what, yes assign someone to take care of this part. Your task is to make sure everything is organized. Home weddings tend to be more expensive becaue of the decorations, the seating arragements and all so I would recommend a church or chappel. Browse the net for some lovely chappels around your area, a high price tag doesn't always guarantee a good wedding. Some of the most beautiful wedding venues are the most overlooked ones.

2) Guests List Something so simple, but yet so overlooked, will you be using a guest book, assign someone to make sure everyone signs the book, and that there is a pen available. You second list is the one you create together with both sides of the family, that is the list of who you will be inviting. Plan this together, you don't want Granny getting mad, because you forget to invite some long time friend of the family. People cost money= more people more money. Thus, always make sure you know how many are going to come or your planning on inviting. Make sure to post out RSVP's

3) Wedding Reception You have to consider if your having a band, a singer or maybe a DJ. How many people are you catering for, you want everything to be just right. Do this one correct, it is the one most overlooked. My mom had her church choir do a small special of elton johns song since she couldn't afford a band and everybody thought i was just splendid.

4) Organize The Venue Yes, make sure you know who will be adding the flowers and decorations. Make it a point that it will be done a day ahead of the ceremony, that way you can make any changes if needed. flowers are really expensive, i learned tht the first time i bought my date some. So browse the net for some great deals. optionally you can buy flowers in bulk and decorate them yourself. its time consuming but it saves a lot.

5) Date Of The Wedding You won't believe how many people fail to plan a date that will fit within the planned schedule for getting organizing their wedding. Plan way ahead, and get invitations and stationary order in advance, that should be the first thing you organize. The wedding date is important as things tend to cost more during certain seasons.

6) Your Dream Wedding Cake Make sure to do this part yourself, go out and find your dream wedding cake maker and go over every detail that you wish this cake to have. Please state the time and date that you would like this cake to be delivered. The cake should be the last thing going to the venue. Or you can make the cake yourself. My mom had her her mom, my granny, bake her wedding cake as she wasn't able to buy one.

7) Please do enjoy your wedding day Try to keep out of each others way, should you not agree with something, please have considerations for each other, your planning the dream wedding of your life. No need, to get mad on your wedding day, money is important but whats more important is to stick together.And if you feel this is just too much for you to organize, the get yourself a wedding planner or a close friend to help you out.I wish you both, a long lasting life together, may you enjoy a wonderfull wedding and an equally amazing and happy life together. :)

Answer 9

A friend of mine got married awhile back and asked me the exact same question.

Make a mixtape or mix CD of your favorite music. You don't need a band or a dj to play...and heck it's just background reception music and/or music you're going to dance to.

Do you really have to rent a tux and/or dress? Wear a nice suit that you already own and a nice Summer/Fall colored dress. Dress casual and comfortably and warm...it is Fall.

Talk to the city resources and see if you can have a small and intimate wedding in one of the local parks for two or three hours for little or no money.

Your food/appetizers can come from your local grocery store or deli. And, since you are not having a lot of attendants, it shouldn't burn a hole in your pocket.

Flowers and other arrangements can be any price - from the low end to high upscale. Choose a nice arrangement, but don't go overboard.

I bet you don't even crack $1000 on this.

By the way, I didn't even go to my friend's wedding, so he could save some money. And, he and his fiance spent less than $2000 on their wedding - he rented a tux, made three mix CDs, had beautiful flowers, good food, and even two wedding rings.

Good luck and congratulations!

Answer 10

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, Italian, just about anything. 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. You could even serve only beer and wine to save more money. Get your cake from Publix, they're reasonable and it's good. For wedding favors, shop around on the internet, then check out Ebay for the same items and compare prices. I found the same exact stuff on there for cheaper than other websites. They also sell wedding invitations which is how I found mine. You could also have the ceremony and reception at someone's house or a park. We did ours at a park overlooking the water, and they had a hall that we rented for the reception. Also, David's bridal has cheap wedding dresses. I got mine at Dillard's, though, but we were having an informal wedding. They have really great prom dresses there that would make great bridesmaid dresses, too. Good luck!

Answer 11

Keep it very small and only small foods. Find someone who belongs to costco. Get your flowers, cake and food there. Then find a good church that you both can join if you don't have one now. Have the reception at the church. They might let you do it for free if they know that you are having a hard time or for a small fee. Lots of times churches will do this because they want you to raise your children to belong to that church. Be honest about your intentions towards them though. If I could have done my wedding over I would have saved the 1,000 dollars on the flowers and bought them at costco and did it myself. A few roses in a small vase at each table will be classy. Votive candles do not cost that much either, put them on a mirror. Find a cheap white dress, you can if you look around Davids bridal has cheap tacky ones! But if you really try you can find a really nice one in a small bridal store. Just ask for the discounted ones.
Start spreading the word out that you want a cheap wedding you will not believe what will happen. I didn't know until after the fact that my neighbor makes wedding cakes only for people that she knows. That could have saved us 400 dollars! My sisters friend was a DJ for 100 dollars! Find a friend that takes good photos and put them in charge!
Anyone you know that lives in a fancy house with a nice back yard? I am sure they would be honored to hold a wedding there. Don't be afraid to ask for discounts either. When I planed my wedding (granted it cost almost 20,000) I did it in 3 months. I had four or five different reception halls competing to get me. All kinds of discounts, free cakes, invitations, percents off etc... Just because they wanted to fill in the date.
Attendents are negotiable! It is your wedding not theirs. Only have one very close person standing. You do not have to have all your friends, cousins etc standing. Just sisters and brothers. Honor your friends in a different way in the program or something.