Cheap Wedding Ideas.?

Question

My boyfriend and I don't want to spend alot of money for a wedding. Any ideas? I live in Western Mass.

Answer 1

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

Cake Accessories- you can register for the cake topper and knives and hope to get them for your bridal shower, or use your parents or grandparents and they will have added meaning!

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 2

Cupcakes are cheaper than a wedding "cake" and you can have a few flavours. You can rent a tiered cake displayer for them.

Tell your wedding salon person you are on a budget. They will direct you away from the $5000 dollar dresses into an area and style more appropriate.

Narrow your guest list. You dont HAVE to invite cousins or business associates. Close family is who is important to you.

An outside wedding. Get a JP to marry you. The JPs here were hundreds of dollars cheaper than ministers, esp if you got married in a church. Have an alcove of some kind you can duck under in case of rain...but outside is the best decoration. :)

Ebay it all the way. Tulle saved me $350 buying on ebay rather than craft stores etc. Favours are cheaper on there too.

Pick a time of year that there isnt a wedding every weekend. June is nice, but awful for getting deals. Late summer before fall gets cold is better.

Rather than a fancy reception in a hall where you have to get a liquor license or buy alcohol and decorate more; have a nice supper. You can pay for the people's meals, and if you decide in advance between a few choices the restaurant may give you a deal. Some have private patios too. or check at the local university/college campus for rooms for rent with their cafeterias doing the cooking.

Make your own invitations. There are $10 CDs at Walmart to make your own, or use Publisher. I just used a lake scene stationary and printed it out fancy.

Good luck and remember to keep site of why you are getting married in all the planning. :)

Answer 3

It all depends on how many people you want to attend. I always suggest that look at having a weekday wedding, the price will be about 1/2. Also for a photographer, look at a local college to see if they have a photography department. Student photographers do a wonderful job and put their heart and soul into the pictures. Other hints:
Use the photographer for the pre-ceremony, ceremony but no the reception.
Use wild flowers instead of roses.
Have the attendants dresses bought from a department store.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Yes, I agree with doing as much for yourself as you can.
And think about these ideas.

Do you mind renting your wedding dress or buying from a classifieds section of a newspaper?

You could have your wedding at somebody's house if it is big enough.

The reception is the biggest money drainer IMHO. Try to trim the guest list and cut down or cut out the alcohol. Go for a simple menu.

I had my wedding and reception at the same building. I just split the tables down the middle and ran a aislerunner in between.

Try these sites too.
http://www.cheap-chic-weddings.com and
http://www.weddingsaffordable.com

Answer 5

I live in Michigan and there are plenty of public parks that don't charge. check into some in your area. Ask aunts or other relitives to help prepare the food. go to the high school and check out a couple of kids from the band that would preform at the reception at a reduced fee, it will be practice for them, or look into the choir for the wedding (how pretty would it be to have a choir singing as you walk down the aisle) offer a donation to the school for anyone who would be willing to do this. I had bought 3 yards of white material and some fabric pens and had everyone sign it instead of a guest book, My Mom made it into a quilt for my first anniversary. try to purchase flowers at a discount, or go into an area that has alot of wild yet beautiful flowers like tiger lillies and grab a bunch. as for favors, print up a bunch of qoutes about weddings, cut them into strips with one qoute on each,have your wedding infor on the opposite side and tie a ribbon around it.hope th at helps, good luck and congrats

Answer 6

I'm getting married in Eastern Mass in Jan 2008. In my research for this wedding (I live in San Diego) I have found that having an early wedding (noon-ish) and having a brunch is much cheaper than a night wedding and serving dinner. You don't have to serve a meal you could have veggie platters and fruit plates with cake and having everyone taste with what they are drinking already (ie soda, juice...). Also winter weddings and weddings on Friday and Sundays are also cheap ways to have a wonderful wedding.

Answer 7

I would suggest you do a lot of research...I got married about 10 months ago...and I wanted to go as cheap as I could but I also wanted it to be nice...I bought some shotglass favors at www.discountmugs.com for less than $1 each. Call a couple of local florists to compare rates and they may even be able to refer you to other cheap wedding suppliers. That is how I found linens for $4 a piece. If you're really want to save money I suggest you do a lot of local research...
Congratulations!!!

Answer 8

Find an officiant that will come to your location & have an informal wedding. Have it at a house, garden, bed & breakfast, winery, museum, park, farm, hotel, only to name a few. Depending on what you chose, you won't need much in the line of decorations. You can always use the venue where you plan to have your reception. Many are doing this now & saving quite a bit. And they are b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l weddings.

Answer 9

Many, many ideas. You didn't say what time of year you are getting married, but if you rent a public park pavillion, you can decorate and have a very inexpensive wedding / reception. As far as dress, remember Filenes and the annual sale? And then of course for the reception itself, make it a finger food reception and you'll save a ton!

Answer 10

If you know someone with a huge backyard, you could do your entire wedding there.

It looks better than a cheap hall or enclosed area. You could always explain to your friends that you really want an outdoor wedding.