Any suggestions or ideas to help plan a wedding on a very limited budget?

Question

I'm trying to help give my sister the very special wedding she has always dreamed of, but our budget is very very limited. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas, know of any websites, or advice to help me make this the best day of my sister's life, without us having to go take out a loan at the bank. We are looking for ideas right now, have not decided on details yet, although it is set for June 25, 2007 and is going to be held outside at the river. please help.........

Answer 1

as to the reception, dont know if you are planning it outside at the river or at your home or another location, but you can make the wedding cake and prepare the food,,,,,, even walmart has cake decorating items if you dont have a Wilson store in your area,,,,,, for food, use various appetizers,,, for my wedding we used regular cake mix,,, and made the icing, and just built up layer after layer,,,,, for invitations, you can make your own,,,, either on the computer, or have one copied at the copy store,,,,,,,,,, put most of the money into the wedding dress and the veil,,,,,, if she is going to have bridesmaids/maid of honor, have her pick a color, or color range, then they can purchase dresses in that color, something they could use in the future and that fits their personality,,,, go to a paint section of a store, and pick up those color sample cards in the shade she wants,,,, grab alot of them , lol, then you can use that to match the dresses, any flowers etc
ask close friends or family members to donate/give a service,, instead of /as their gift,,,, such as making food, organizing the reception, providing pictures/video,,,, flower arrangement etc

Answer 2

What have you planned so far? Here are some suggestions:

Burn CDs if you are having music, cheaper than a DJ or band.
Have someone you know take pictures, or advertise for a photographer at a local college; photography students are always looking for money and another line on their resume.
Do the flowers yourself: go artificial because it is so much cheaper and you can keep it around.
Check theknot.com for some cheap favor ideas.
David's Bridal is a wonderful place to get lower priced wedding dresses. Otherwise check consignment stores in the area.

I've been through my own wedding on a tight budget and helped out others in the same situation. If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me. Good luck!

Answer 3

Just remember that it doesn't have to be a "traditional wedding" with all the flowers, dresses, and cakes. You can still do those things, but you don't need 5 bridesmaids or thousands of flowers. Have family make food and do a buffet. Make assorted desserts instead of a wedding cake. Do fake flowers instead of real flowers on the tables. Find a friend or family member that could take photos or video. There are lots or corners that can be cut. Yes it should look nice, but you don't have to spend a lot to have a nice wedding. Most importantly though - it's not about how it looks or how big the cake is - it's about the couple getting married and in five years the price of a dj won't matter.

Answer 4

Have a friend or yourselves make the wedding cake, you can get the supplies at a craft store and you can't tell the difference. Have a friend who's interested in photography take the pictures, have family make the food and have a buffet style set up. Crafty aunt or grandmother can make the flowers, artificial is cheaper and you can save them without paying a florist to preserve. The dress of her dreams may be hiding at a local consignment shop. That's where my sister found her's for 40 dollars, keep things simple yet elegant. I did all these things and still came out spending about $4,000.00 for everything. Which isn't bad but I'm not sure what your money situation is. Good luck and I know that it will be beautiful and your sister will love it.

Answer 5

I have to agree with everyone on here so far. My husband and I had a very limited budget, but we ended up getting it all done for $2000, which included our dinner and wedding cake. We had a friend of ours videotape the wedding for us, and we handed out disposable cameras instead of hiring a photographer. The dresses for the bridesmaids can actually be found at a consignment store, or at Goodwill. Those dresses dont have to be brand new, or the same style. It still makes a beautiful picture if they are around the same color but different. Craft stores have all the makings for your own bouquets, and places like Dollar General have really pretty fake flowers to put in them. All they need are cut and arranged. Best of luck to you.

Answer 6

Ohio river?

There's a book by Diane Warner called, How to have a BIG wedding on a SMALL budget. Runs about $15. See if you can get it at Half.com, a budget bookstore or see if your library has it. Has some WonderfuL ideas.

If you go to some of the craft sites & craftstore sites, they usually have good wedding sections.

Answer 7

If you have a close family, ask everyone to bring a dish. That way you can cut out the caterer. If there aren't tables there already, you can rent them for pretty cheap. A good friend with an ipod and speakers can keep the music going as long as you'd like (DJ's cost at least $1000 where I'm from). If you do have to rent a reception hall, shop around! Places that already make food (hotels, restaurants) still cut out the caterer and usually have fair prices.

Answer 8

Having it ouside is a good starter. If you belong to a church or some other organization that has folding chairs, ask to borrow them. You can get everyone in the family to make a dish to pass at the reception, therefore cutting out a caterer that would cost a couple thousand dollars. You can make invitations on the compuer with many web sites offering free templates for doing so. Use fresh picked wild flowers for the bouquets, they look beautiful. Best of luck to you and your sister. Remember, the day is really all about her and the man in her life, not the guests. She should focus on the meaning of the day and sharing it with the people closest to her.

Answer 9

June is going to cost more ..Alot of people get married then ( i did the 24 last year ;) .. ) So just look around.. Right now u should go into store they might be having sales on things link invites and all look at partycity i found stuff there last year befor my wedding marked down i saved alot of money just there.. b/c they add up..Every 1.00 saved can go towareds something eles...look at different flowers that will be in season so use that is alot cheaper, and make a list of things u need and one of what u/she wants for and in the wedding that will help keep your mind on track..Also get a lil note pad and wirte down prices as u go so u can see how much something is and know how much it was at another place,., Looking around and calling around is the true key~!~
where is the wedding tacking place what area?~ All areas have there own pricing ...

e-mail me i have a few things on my pc if u would like to look at them .~ ( i got a book to help me it was grate : ) .. )
[e-mail]

Good luck~

Answer 10

you can buy arches from JoAnn's fabric for under $10. Use that and dress it with ivy and flowers (any dollar store). Use lots of large flowers such as gladiolas which can be planted and rooted in the summer (ABC Catalog for bulbs). They're inexpensive and plentiful. Table clothes with skirts always make things look elegant and you can buy them in plastic for outdoor at any party store. If you rent tables, rounds are more elegant than long ones. I was a party planner, and did many weddings for under $500, yet they looked like thousands were spent. Those are a few ideas...good luck!

Answer 11

Hold the ceremony in the late afternoon and just serve light snacks instead of a meal. Make your own invitations and favors. Buy your wedding dress on sale or make it if you can sew well. The more you do your self the less it costs. If you live in or near a large city get your flowers from a flower market and arrange them your self. Instead of big expensive center pieces plant small pots with lots of colorful flowers. Have your creative friends make your centerpieces and decorations. Try for simple and elegant.