I am going to get married with my bf in the summer, we don't have a lot of money to spend on the wedding?

Question

What are some ways we can have a nice simple wedding with the major costs??

Answer 1

get a vegas marriage, if youre really cheap

Answer 2

Try to find a park or some similar type of setting where they let you have weddings. Either make your invites or have them made but don't get real formal with them. Ask a few friends to take the pictures, you don't need a professional. Don't use disposable cameras because the guests either take terrible pictures or they take the camera. If they do leave it, you have the expense of the developing and they won't be very good. Either get a caterer that works from home and do a buffet or see if some of your friends want to bbq and do a picnic type reception. Beer and wine are quite acceptable. Don't know where you live but Davids' Bridal has great dresses for a lot less money than some salons. Keep your bridesmaids to a minimum and have them pay for their dress. Be sure to pick something that is not expensive and that they can wear again. Check with your local party product store and see if they have a recommendation for someone that makes wedding cakes from their home. We did this and the cake was only $175 for 275 guests. Don't have favors, people throw them away anyway. If you keep it simple but remember the details like color coordination, etc. you can really have a lovely memorable day at a low cost. The important thing is that you love each other, you will be with family and friends, and that you have fun. Congratulations.

Answer 3

Congratulations, I wish you all the best!

Invite close friends and family only. If you are members of a local church they will often not charge for the chapel and only the fees for the minister which are reduced due to membership. Go for nice and classy not over the top. Simple flowers can be more beautiful than something over the top. There are some great books on making decorations. For the reception don't do dinner. There is nothing wrong with cake and punch. These dinners have gotten out of hand. To me I would much rather have more family and friends to celebrate with than provide a full dinner. If you do want to provide a meal consider a buffet or perhaps a late lunch.

Places for receptions are cheaper on Friday Evening than on Saturday. Some churches will let you rent their halls for next to nothing if you are members.

Vegas has some inexpensive wedding packages as well. There are some beautiful locations instead of the cheesy elvis type locations. They have packages for every budget. The Venitian has basic packages.

The most important thing is what comes after the wedding, the wedding is just one day the marriage should last a lifetime. Too many couples today are interested in making the day the focus. My sister in law had a huge wedding and 3 years later they are still paying the debt for it. That causes un needed stress on a marriage right off the bat. I would rather save for a downpayment on a house. Which is exactly what my husband and I did.

We had a nice classic simply beautiful wedding not a huge bill. And have been married 17 years. I think it also made it easier on our wedding day there wasn't any huge drama! I would rather have a few simple roses than dozens of exoctic flowers, but that is me.

IMy biggest advice is don't scrimp on the photographer. Get a nice photographer check out their work ask for references and then actually call them. If they are a company check them with the Better Business burea. Sometimes you can find good photographers who are very artistic and do weddings as a way to supplement thier income. They view their photos as art and take the time to get them right. Don't pay the total amount up front. Quite recently a friend of ours picked someone she didn't know and paid him up front and was stuck with no photos. While another friend went with someone who takes photos for flyers and ads for clubs the photos were amazing.

You could also try and find some designers who are looking to get started in the wedding dress business. Check with fashion design schools or ask to put up a flyer if there is a school in your area. You could end up with a very beautiful dress, if you wanted to do this with your bridesmaids instead of taking a chance with your dress it would be nice. Just make sure you approve the designs beforehand.

The men can rent their tuxes that is the duty of the attendants if they all rent from the same place then often the grooms rental is free. Some places even rent designer gowns for brides. You can end up with a dress worth thousands at a fraction of the cost.

Answer 4

I didnt have much money either...here are some things I did to keep my wedding costs down:
1) have the wedding at a family members house, especially if its in the summer....you can have a back yard wedding reception to cut to cost of a hall
2) get some people together and have them help you make the food for the wedding. my mom made all the food herslef for my wedding and it was great because there was a huge variety
3) get the wedding cake from the grocery store or just a local bakery. I only paid $25 for my cake and it fed all 40 guests with tons left over
4) get the wedding dress from the discount racks at the bridal store. I got my dress for $500 tax and everything marked down from over $1000 and there were some for even less. they are just discontinued styles, but still beautiful
5) burn cd's of the music you want to play so you wont need a dj. then just change the cd's when they're done
6) have a friend or family member do your photos to avoid a photographer. we went for professional photos after the wedding and we still used the ones my brother took instead because they were nicer. photographers are over paid for the job they often do
7) we got married at a little chapel for $250 for the ceremony. it was already decorated for us and we got a program printed up and everything. much cheaper then the cost of a church.
8) we just ordered nice flowers for the wedding party. we picked up a bunch of carnations to decorate because they were sooo cheap and still looked nice arranged on tables
9) we got the decorations at the local dollar store and you honestly couldnt tell
10) we kept the wedding party the a minimum. I had just a MOH and he had just a best man. that way we only have to give gifts to 2 people and didnt have to worry about trying to help them with clothings costs and what not
11) shop around for hair and make-up...I found a place who did my hair, nails and make-up for $50 which was a great deal since hair alone should have been $50

Answer 5

You could plan on a private ceremony with only family and perhaps a few close friends. Possible locations include in your home, the home of a relative or friend, your or someone's yard, or even in a park. You could ask all the men in the wedding to dress in a dark colored suit with same color shirt and same color tie. You could ask the ladies in the wedding party for ideas of casual dresses that would look good together and be useful in the future (then they would not object about buying them) or even make them (if you do this, have one person make the all so they will look alike). Being in the summer, use fresh flowers from your family garden or the garden of a friend. If this is not possible talk to some ladies in the local garden club - I bet they would be proud to share their flowers. Schedule the wedding for 1 to 2 in the afternoon. This way the guists will have eaten lunch and you will only need light finger food snacks for any reception. My wife made all the foods for our daughter's reception and even had a wonderful punch made from ginger ale and pink lemonade. Find music you would like to use on CD and make your own CD of the music in correct order.

Congratulations and good luck on the plans.

Answer 6

I'm also on a tight budget with planning my wedding. I'm doing my whole wedding for under $3000. But over $1600 of that is to rent the cabin for the wedding, reception, and 8-day honeymoon.I'm also having a small wedding (20 people), but I'm sure all this can be applied for even larger savings on a bigger guest list. Here are some things I've learned from searching around a little. First of all, you should set up your priorities. Spend the majority of your budget on what's important to you and your boyfriend. Making your own invitations can save you a ton. I got a kit of beautiful invitations from Michael's on sale...50(including envelopes) for $19.95+the 20% off coupon that comes in the paper every week. Ebay can be your friend. I found my dress on Ebay for $125, brand new. It was normally $700 at David's Bridal. Take the time to search for the best deal. Or you can find pretty gowns that aren't meant to be wedding gowns for around $100 or less. I'm using silk flowers instead of real. Some look SO realistic now. I splurged and spent $40 on my bouquet but since it's silk I can use it as decoration after the wedding. Skip the personalization on most things unless it's really important to you. People aren't going to notice or remember if your candles or napkins had your name on it. If you're having favors, pass by anything that is MEANT to be a WEDDING favor. Those are usually automatically more expensive. For example...We're having shot glasses for our wedding favors. We could've gotten generic personalized shot glasses for around $3 a piece. Instead we found a dish wholesale website and bought 20 heavy-duty shot glasses for a little over a dollar a piece and then found gold foil clear back stickers that said "Today I Marry My Friend" (our theme) and matching gold foil heart stickers that were on sale for 50 cents for a sheet of 25. In the end we paid almost $40 less for our favors. Also, do as much decorating yourself as you can. http://www.save-on-crafts.com/index.html This is a great site for discount supplies. Other than that it comes down to cutting things. Cut your guest list down to only people who you and/or your boyfriend have or would turn to in case of emotional, spiritual, or financial troubles. Trust me, that'll narrow the list down big time. I've also noticed that cutting down the number for people in the bridal party cuts costs. Think about all the money that's spent on flowergirl/ring bearer accessories, flowers for the attendants and bridal party attendant gifts. Just cutting it from say 5 bridesmaids to two would save a bundle. I know this was long, but I hope it helps.

Answer 7

After giving our wedding a lot of thought and trying to cut on costs, my fiancee and I decided to go with a city hall wedding. We've drafted a letter to our close family and friends (who are invited) to let them know our intentions. I'll copy it here:

After giving the issue a lot of thought, we have decided to forgo a traditional wedding for a simpler one that focuses on what’s important to us: spending time with our loved ones.

A wedding is a one day; a marriage is forever. So, we’ve decided to put our energy and resources into the marriage, rather than entirely into the ceremony.

We plan to get married at city hall in the fall of 2007, followed by dinner at a restaurant in Buffalo. We will have a larger party for the extended families in the summer of 2008.

We hope you understand our choice and will join us in celebrating a day that will be just as special to us as it would be with the frills of a traditional wedding.

We will let you know the details about our wedding day as the date draws nearer.
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I bought a black sheath dress from Chadwick's that I'll wear with a peach cardigan and my fiancee is wearing a suit. We're going to make it clear to our guests beforehand that although we're getting married at city hall, the occasion is still one to be celebrated and they should dress appropriately. In total, we are having 14 guests.

Here is the budget I created:

City Hall
Dress$100
Hair$60
Marriage License & Ceremony$65
Dinner $800
Rings$500
His Suit$200
Total$1,725

I hope this helps!

Answer 8

Shop around for a dress on sale, look on ebay or newspaper. Ask people to help you make food party trays for your food instead of hiring a cater, Have the reception at your house or someone you're close with, have some one in the family bring a stereo and have that person or someone else DJ, Rent his suit/tux instead of buying a new one, go to a local church for the ceremony (find out costs if any in advance), make your own table arrangements, go easy on the cake, don't have a bar.

Answer 9

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! Hugs to you both

I just got married in Sept. We had very little money and 1 month to plan as my Grandfather was very sick from cancer. This is what we did...

Family offered to make the food ($0), we said our vows under an ivy strung canopy in my Aunt's garden ($0), my Maid of Honor brought us each a very pretty corsage and boutonniere to wear ($0), I found a great dress in a thrift store ($8), shoes on sale at Wal-Mart ($5), he wore a very nice dress shirt ($15) and slacks($12) both from Wal-Mart, I found an awesome set of rings on E-Bay ($185) and he only wanted a simple gold band ($70), wedding cake was done by friends ($0), Justice of the Peace-price may vary (ours drove 4 hours-$100). I found a sale in an Avon book for bath jel ($2 each), tied pretty ribbons on them and gave them as gifts.

It was the best time we had and it was fun with no stress.

This summer we plan to have a bigger reception/party to invite those who could not make it last fall.

Have fun keeping it simple and have an awesome time!!! Good luck and may God bless you always!

Answer 10

My husband was in the military when we got married and we only had two days to plan. Here is what we did.
1. I went to one of the Asian shops that sell prom dresses and found a beautiful halter top gown on clearance. I paid between 75 and 100 dollars for the dress.
2. We bought temporary rings until we could afford to upgrade later.
3. We got married in the park under a beautiful gazebo.
4. We found someone's uncle's-cousin's-friend who was a minister to marry us.
5. We didn't have time for a honeymoon but we did get a hotel suite and we had a romantic picnic to kind of be our honeymoon until he got back from his tour of duty.

Good Luck

Answer 11

Look around some place are very cheap for a ceremony. If you live in Memphis there is a place you can have a garden wedding for only 400 dollars it's called Memphis Botanic Garden