wedding on a budget?

Question

I am recently engaged and so excited but we are on a very tight budget and I want to ask if anyone has ideas for a nice wedding that is inexpensive I want an outdoor wedding and I have 12 months to plan it. Is it rude to request for the bridesmaids to buy their own gowns? and how do I cater for 40+ people without spending more than $3,000? I was thinking about hiring the gowns but is that really cheap and nasty? Please help.... Aussie woman-22

Answer 1

OK...first of all I don't know what is common in Australia (which I am assuming thats where you are from based on Aussie woman) but I have been in several weddings (in the US) and no one has ever bought my bridesmaid gown. I have always been under the impression that bridesmaids buy their own gowns...so no I don't think its rude to request that. Make your own invitations to the wedding. They (invites) can be one of the most expensive things and you can create some nice ones getting some pretty paper and using your computer printer. For flowers you can do really nice bouquets...just make them simple and make them yourself. Just pick the flowers you like...make a loose bouquet and tie with a simple ribbon. Don't skimp on the photos though. My sister planned her own wedding and was on a really tight budget and the only thing she regrets is not having a professional photographer. But, other than that...we made all the flowers for the guys, the attendants and my sister as well as the church arrangements. She had an outdoor reception...so we catered in a barbeque...it was inexpensive, relaxing and fun. You could do something like that for food without spending a lot of money. Maybe you have some friends who are good cooks who can do the cooking for you that day...a friend who bakes may be able to make your wedding cake. You can buy a nice cake from a bakery for about $100.00. I guess what I am trying to say is that it CAN be done. Candles, balloons and such make cheap but nice decorations for a wedding. If it is outdoors you can lite candles when the sun goes down. It takes creative planning, but you can do it. It is a little more work but in the end you have the satisfaction of knowing you created a really special day. Just type weddings on a budget into a search engine like Yahoo and you will come up with a lot of ideas. Congrats and best of luck to you in your planning! Enlist your bridesmaids to help you out!

Answer 2

Hi Sweetie You can stay in your budget by cutting numbers in the guest list and like a previous comment their there to celebrate your wedding not to eat up your food. Stick to finger food like meatballs , wing dings, salad, bread, store potatoe salad and others so you can place money in other areas now if food is what you want the most than go with that and cut other area like print your own invitation buy your gown off last year clearance at david's or Demetrio's make your flowers from the craft store or use 1 rose for your bridemaids. Lunch time is the best even better during the week at night. Picture can be cut by having a photographer there for the wedding only and have someone take pictures at the recession. Just have a nice digital camara on hand and the best thing is to get help from your family people you can count let their wedding gift be something they can help you with in the wedding . Good Luck and may God Bless the days of your Marriage

Answer 3

I don't think that it's rude to ask the bridesmaids to purchase their gowns. Since your wanting an outdoor wedding why not pick the color of the gowns you'd like for the ladies to wear. Ask them to purchase a sundress/dress in that color. This way each lady can still use this gown afterwards to another event or outting. Next try searching Ebay for little decorations such as wedding decor in lots. As for serving food you could do a barbecue or just serve wedding cake,fruit & cheese with a some sort of drink. Your gown if you don't already have one I suggest you check Ebay on that as well. If not then there are a lot of wholesale outlets online where gowns are priced to sell with free shipping. Your wedding invitations here's another idea for you... you could make them yourself.. it's cheap and you design your own layout. Officemax places like that sell disk to help with this.
Done right this here could only cost you maybe 2000.00 if that. And as for the location of your ceremony you may know someone who has property that would make for an elegant setting. If not ask some of your friends I'll be willing to bet that someone knows of another who'd be willing to allow you to carry out this wonderful ceremony without charge.This is where family & friends can be very useful in helping you. Hiring services can become very costly and more than likely go over the budget you've set. You've got plenty of time to have a fantastic ceremony all in under your budget and no one will never know! Everyone will think you spent mega bucks!

Answer 4

You should be able to easily find catering for under $3000. An average caterer is $30-$50 per person - which comes to about $1200 - $2000 for 40 people. You may want to consider having a indoor location for the reception with a in house caterer. The main reason for that is that it will probably be much cheaper then an outdoor location were you have to pay extra for the cater to travel/set up, chair and table rentals, linen and dish rentals, etc - which are often included with a indoor location. Not to mention that it gives you a rain location for the ceremony should the weather be bad that day.

For the bridesmaids - there is nothing rude about asking the bridesmaids to pay, it's totally normal. I have never been involved in a wedding were the wedding party did not pay for their own attire.

Answer 5

in the us most woman buy their gowns. I think the best is to pick a color scheme and then let everyone where what they want in that color. Find a place that the receptopn won't cost like the beach, a friends' deck etc. Find out who knows what to do what. Many people may have skills which you are not familiar with. As for the food, you can pick a time...say 3 pm, when people won't expect a big sit down meal. You can have a light buffet or a bbq. Lots of flowers make everything look pretty and don't have to cost much. If you start planning now you should be able to do it. Also don't forget the photographer or videographer. Maybe have a friend do it as a wedding gift. Good luck!

Answer 6

Well am on a budget, I understand that you don't want to ask people to buy their own gowns but I have my people buying their own and by the grace because everyone is close to us they can understand, and they don't have a problem with, if people are asking to b in it then u let them know that they would have to purchase there own items, as a gift to the wedding party u can buy things like their jewelry, but if they don't want to do it in that format then you might have to eliminate the party although u don't want to, and I have been having problems with finding banquets and the money to fund it so when u have a good family and friends involved they actually start to offer to pay certain things that they know will become an issue and they use it has a wedding gift to the both of u. My sister offered to pay for the DJ as a gift and my brother offered to pay for the photographer, and both mothers have agreed to pay for the hall. So what i would say to u at this point what i was told allot, i to not worry about and leave it up to God, u know that your only able to do so much so don't begin to stress yourself, make sure your happy and the fact that you 2 are going to be together for the rest of your lives is joy enough, although i can understand your expectation are what they are, but if you can't, you can't! I have gone through the preparing blues and have already started stressing and mines isn't until Oct 5, 2007 and i have already said that i would just go to City Hall and have a reception. But once I said forget everything God did his job, and took over and did what he is here to do. So Good Luck! l I am also geting married in October of 2007 and I as well

Answer 7

Do a sponsor wedding.
Its when you have a bunch of local businesses sponsor the wedding and pay for most of it. The only problem is you have to put up with their ad's everywhere.
But about the bridesmaids gowns. Only have about three to four bridesmaids.(that will save money) But if you have to ask see if any of them have any simple cocktail or summer dress already in the depths of their closets. Or go to a discount clothing store like Ross or T.J. Max and you just might be able to find something you like.
Now about the catering look around, find something you and the groom want. But most of all look at the bill.
There is also those Disney Weddings. I know that sounds corny
Here is the link.
Prices for Disney's Intimate Weddings start at $3,000. Custom Weddings require a ... Weddings, a "Hollywood Grandeur" Wedding, "Under the Sea Weddings"
http://disney.go.com/vacations/disneyweddings/faqs.html

Answer 8

You can rent a wedding gown and that isn't bad.
No, it's not rude to have bridesmaids pay for their own, it's usually the norm these days.
You can have your family and friends bring a dish to pass or set a menu and precook items two days in advance with family and friends helping out. I had my wedding of 75 catered for under 1000.00 so it's possible to find a cheap catering company that just drops off the food and you have it buffet style.
You can go to a do-it-yourself store and find centerpieces that you can make for the tables yourself.
For gifts on the tables you can make chocolate molds of different shape of items.
For photography you can have disposable camaras layed out on all the tables and have someone take a regular camara for all the special shots. We did all that and our wedding cost less than 3000.00

Answer 9

Hi!

First, I would get the book "Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot." It's humorous and practical, and helps you plan your wedding on less than $5,000 (using its advice, we did it with $600, especially making use of the advice to get friends to help you out a lot).

It is traditional that bridesmaids buy their own gowns, so that shouldn't be a surprise.

The way we handled reception for our 100 guests (we both have large families) was by scheduling the wedding at 2:30 and the reception at 3:15. This isn't a normal meal time, so we can do cake, punch, and nice refreshments instead of a full meal. We recruited friends who love baking to each bake just one batch of something: cookies, fudge, sausage balls, cheese ball with crackers, etc. They absolutely loved getting to help and no one person felt pressured to do a lot.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 10

I can def. help you with this. I'm a wedding planner in training and I stress this to couples I talk to... figure out a budget and stick with it! I know some great ideas for a small budget outside summer wedding. Spring and summer are the 2 busiest seasons for weddings so most places jack up the prices to rent. The best advice I can give on location... is, if you don't want to spend a fortune on location... use a family or friends beautiful, spacious backyard. So that, is one thing on your budget list you wont have to worry about. Now for an outdoor themed wedding you have many options.. One option I love to do for the summertime.. that I love to share with other brides to be is.... a night ceremony. In the summertime the night air is so crisp and clean, and the air has such a wonderful fragrant. Crisp white lights around trees, and thoughout a garden make such a dramatic and whimsical statement. Imagine yourself walking through a garden of lights down the isle. It would most def. be a wedding for all to remember. I love to go with the ocean blue colors or the blue category for night weddings..... but really any color of your choice you can add to it for the perfect pop of color. Now the best way to cater for 40 people on a budget of $3,000.... do not hire anyone. Unless you know them and they can give you a deal. Appetizers you can make in advance! One of the best things to do.. if you will be making food and appetizers yourself, is to have a little get together with either family or close girlfriends and everyone sit around making appetizers. You can all have a few drinks, chat, maybe order in something, and you can get them done without the stress of you doing it all by yourself. Some people make their appetizers a month ahead and freeze them... others make theirs a few days before. Whatever you would like to do. Now for dinner for the reception, get together with someone you know is an amazing cook... the 2 of you look up some fabulous recipes that you could use. Once you know everything you want for the dinner....buy in bulk at places that sell for restaurants or companies. You can get a lot of food for really cheap. By doing it that way you can save a lot of money to put it towards other things. A great gift idea that you could do for your guests that would only cost maybe $12 bucks for al of the 40 people comingl is to take the you and your fiances favorite songs (that you know will be played at the wedding) and burn them onto a CD, and for the cover have it as a picture of the 2 of you and let it have your wedded date and maybe a nice saying. .....It isnt rude to have the brides by their own gowns... but if you do /or before you do.. make sure you only have a few bridesmaids at the wedding .... and talk to the person your buying the gowns from, see if they can make a deal with you if you can maybe rent it from them or that they will buy some of it back after the wedding. For the tables you can buy cheap fabric in bulk and buy dollar ribbon that matches and sew it to the outside to make a great table cloth. And to help with the budget for flowers... decorate the tables with tons of different sized candles on mirrors that you can get for a buck. Use the rest of the money for flowers for you and everyone in the wedding.. and of course the cake. And rent place servings... or go to places that sell great dishs for really cheap. Places like Marshalls sell china for only a few bucks a piece. Have fun... and dont worry yourself over not having enough... because believe me you do. You just have to know how to use the money in its best way possible. I hope I helped! Congrats! and Happy Holidays!