wedding help!!!!?

Question

i am getting married on may 19,2007..the bad thing is i have never been to a wedding, reception, or anything..i am planning the wedding all myself and i need major help..i am getting married in crawfordsville indiana...i am on a low budget and i need lots and lots of ideas please help thankyou!!

Answer 1

LOL, I am getting married that same day, in Michigan on a low budget! We are making our own food for the wedding. If you have any friends that know how to make bouquets, that would help. His mom is making ours out of silk flowers. Maybe ask a family friend if they could take pics with a digital camera, that way they are cheaper to buy and you aren't paying at least $1,000 for a photographer. Umm, keg beer is a money saver. Try ebay for a dress, or if you know anyone that can sew. HIs mom is also making my bridesmaids dresses for us. You could do smaller wedding cakes on every table, as the centerpiece, then you can still have a small traditional wedding cake, with the top one being your anniversary cake and the bottom one being for the bridal party. Hmmmm, that is all I can think of right now.

Answer 2

Also did it myself. As far as you can, make the things yourself. So that it don't look cheap. Start early, so you have a lot of time before the wedding. Most important dress! Make a list of all the other things you need. Even you've never been to a wedding, you've set a table before? And don't rent things that you're not going to use. If you are not going to give a starter,why get starter plates or cutlery. Make a list of the things you would probably need. Ask for pricelists from various companies. Sometimes just by looking at these you would figure out what you need. Decide on a menu and work out exactly how much food you would need. Cutting out a starter and just having a bread table or biscuits and spreads with a few cheeses, can make your food account a lot cheaper. Search for different venues and make sure what is included in the price, so that there is no hidden costs for using the garden or using glasses or anything.

Also heard of someone who made their reception a picnic. Late afternoon wedding in the garden. People sat on blankets and each had a picnic basket. They only had flowers at the entrance and candles all over the place. In each basket they had various savoury snacks(finger food), Bottle of wine, 2 plates, 2 glasses, serviettes and a thank you card. Just remember to arrange that you have a microphone and speakers for the music outside. This reception is not for the party animal.

Most of the wedding magazines have lists of what you need for your wedding.

First. Book the church, the venue and the dressmaker.

We cut costs by renting my dress, my husband's suit, and not serving a starter. We made our own invites and did not give thank you gifts. And shopping around for the cheapest of everything.

Planning is the best way to do it.

Answer 3

Start looking at magazines, visiting websites and looking at wedding planning books. You can also but a wedding planner, not the person, a book. It can help you keep track of everything. I planned my wedding and I did it on a budget and my planner was very helpful. First you need a guest list, before you make any other decisions you need a guest list and a budget. These two should really play off each other. The more people you invite the more expensive it is going to be. If you do a lot of it your self you can really save some money. I did my own decorating, my own favors, printed my invitations at home, used friends and family to help out with almost everything. Start asking around I bet you can find lots of people to help. My aunt did my alterations, my mom did my flowers (we did silk) another aunt made my cake, friend of a friend for DJ and Photos, friend for hair. Also all the stuff I needed to decorate or whatever, I bought cheap. I watched for sales, used eBay, used coupons. Just get a plan together then start getting what you need. Start now because bargain hunting takes a while. Also check out HGTV.com, they have a new show called weddings on a dime, I've never watched it but I love their design on a dime series and it is hosted by the same people.
Good Luck and Congrats.

Answer 4

Start with condidering what your dream wedding would feel like and look like. Write everything down that you see in your mind. Then, gather photos, you can do this for free online on www.brides.com and www.weddingchannel.com
A clergy person should be able to help you with planning as well. Once you select who will be marrying you, ask them for advice. The good thing is that you have enough time to plan. Don't get stressed out. You can do this. To keep costs down you should consider having a brunch or cocktail reception. A buffet may work also. I know a couple who got a major deal on a place for the reception due to a cancellation. If all else fails, call up some paces to see if they have any last minute spots available with better pricing. Good luck!

Answer 5

Well, don't worry that you haven't been to a wedding before. The day should be something special and memorable to you.

Since you're on a low budget try looking into some do it yourself things that can cut costs. I know a lot of people go and buy bundles of flowers from stores and then make bouquets themselves. If you don't feel comfortable doing that (like I was) then look more toward stores with flower shops and not just at florists. I am paying half what florists quoted me for my flowers by going to a Price Chopper (large supermarket chain). Don't be afraid to go to dollar stores or stores of the like to find different decorations, such as candles for centerpieces or accents for your reception hall. Call around to different places that interest you to have a wedding and get some estimates from them and compare pricing.

Comparing pricing is very important in all aspects of your wedding planning....with photographers and videographers and cateres and all.

Good luck and happy planning!!

Answer 6

Ask all of your married friends what they did.
Call up your local craft stores and ask if they have any classes on doing wedding decorations.
Like many people on here have said, check online for websites on weddings and receptions.
Check with your jeweler... they often hear wedding stories and could recommend catering, music, location, etc.

One way to cut costs on the reception is to only provide the meat, and turn the event into a pitch-in. A May wedding could be beautiful if held outside... so have a shelter house or picnic area set up nearby.

If doing the reception inside, you can do mini-sandwiches, potato chips, and a cake...

The thing is simplicity can be beautiful and elegant... but the effort has to go into it.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Do you have any friends who could help you? Ask them for advice from their experiences. It all depends on the type of wedding you want to have. Do you want to get married at the courthouse? Do you want to be married in church? Do you want to be married at another venue? Think about what you want and go from there. If you're on a low budget, I would probably just go with getting married at the courthouse and having a small reception with family and friends afterwards at a reception hall or facility in your area. I'm sure your family and friends would be willing to help each bring a dish and then you could hire a DJ or someone to play music. Ask a friend to do the wedding pictures. Just conjure up all your resources and see what you have to work with. It's supposed to be a happy time! Try not to stress too much! You have time. Things will work out. I have also heard theknot.com is a good website. You should check it out. Good luck!

Answer 8

I would start with a budget. There are a ton of sites out there (theknot.com probably being the most popular) that offer budget planners. Figure out what is important to you...you should get to spoil yourself just a little on your wedding day!

Also dont be afraid to ask friends and family with special skills if they wouldnt mind lending a hand. For example, my brothers girlfriend's sister went to culinary school, Ive only met her a few times, but she is happy to make my cake (more as a favor to her sisters boyfriend, but Ill take what I can get!)

I just made my hopefully all-inclusive budget, here are the things I included:

Reception Dinner - if you have it at a relatives house or hall, you might be able to have family prepare the meals and save money on the site and food costs.

Reception Alcohol- limit it to beer and wine and see if you can provide the alcohol yourself if you have it at a restaurant or inn.

Rehearsal dinner- try bbq or pot luck

wedding rings

dress, alterations, & accessories- try a consignment shop, or if youre a size 6ish try sample gown sales.

photography- try posting bulletins at local colleges for photography majors and ask to see their portfolios

DJ- I have heard people hooking ipods up to stereo systems, although I dont know how well that would work

Invitations- you can get pretty basic ones from target/walmart/kmart/etc for cheap that arent bad

cake- have a small one for show, and buy sheet cake from a grocery store to serve

wedding party gifts

centerpieces- Im thinking of ordering bulk flowers from sams club or costco, and getting a friend to take care of it to cut costs

transportation- if a family member has a nice car opt for that over the ridiculously priced limo

grooms attire- go for a suit over a tux

Honey Moon- go somewhere close enough to drive to

marriage license- usually around $50

wedding favors- these are optional any way, but if you want to have them donate a small amount to charity and let the guests know that you have made a donation to charity in their names in leiu of a wedding favor (no one has to know how much, and Im sure you local fire dept or animal shelter would appreciate even a $50-100 donation)

postage- for save the dates (optional), invites, rsvp, and thank you (you may be able to cut costs by asking guests to rsvp online)

insurance- YES YOU NEED THIS! if someone gets into an accident after driving home drunk from your wedding guess who they will sue! everyone! the bartender, the restaurant, and you! plus, its good if something unexpected happens, i.e. the electricity goes out at the reception site, etc. its only about $100, see if you can get it through your home owners policy, or look online, Im sure there are sites.

Hope that's helpful and not overwhelming! Good luck and congratulations!

Answer 9

IGNORE all the people who tell you you must have a wedding planner and must do this or that. Don't buy any magazines, if you're on a low budget they'll only make you feel inadequate.
Be with the man you love. Enjoy entertaining your friends. I've been to weddings when every guest brought some food to share. Why not? Maybe find some music and have a dance.
You don't have to spend thousands to have a fantastic wedding day! All the best and congratulations.

Answer 10

Get decorations at your local dollar store (or whatever you may have there), which you can make yourself at a cheap price - this is what my sister and I did for both our weddings. Wedding receptions can be anything from pot luck, to an array of cheap foods such as salads, cold meats, breads, cheese all of which you can get from your local grocer. Tell them it's for your wedding and see if they'll give you a discount, even a small one will help you. For singers, do you know of anyone (friends / family) that can sing? Pictures will be expensive, no matter how hard you try to get out of that one but well worth the money.

Plus, there are millions of websites on weddings, cheap weddings, etc. Go to google.ca and do a general search. You'd be surprised by what you can find there.