Wedding help?

Question

Anyone have any budgeting advice for a cheaper wedding????? Other than eloping please!! Thanks

It's probably about 100 - 120 people... and it will be in Maryland

Answer 1

Budgeting is hard but not unreachable!! You just have to be creative about it. Just make a list of the things you must have and cannot do without and go from there.

Research online and find the best deals- which there are so many! Dont go with the first company you meet and ask for price matching.

- Make sure that your caterer gives you children pricing for children. They eat less so you shouldnt be paying adult prices for them. Get that agreement in writing. Also see can you get a plate discount if you have more than a certain number of guests. Lots of places will give you a 1-2 discount if you have over 100 guests.

- get all costs incurred with your choice of location written down- to the exact penny. Some places charge you a fee to feed their workers if they are working at that time (scary huh!??) Look for ways to cut those costs such as cutting your own cake instead of having them do it

- Make your own decorations. Go to your local craft store and get supplies that you can use to create what you want. For instance, for my centerpieces I am making a vase with glow lights in them and magic ice (pour water on the ice and it expands to a jelly like substance and will hold the gel sticks in place) and then i am topping off with a tea light. Total cost for 10 tables will be roughly 50 bucks.

-favors- dont give anything with your name on it. Just make some treats and put them in cute little bags. Try using these bags: http://www.uline.com/browse_listing_5507... and put some cookies in them. Add a cute little ribbon to the top (once again glue gun and ribbon under 2 bucks to do all of them!) Most people toss the favors away unless it is something you can use. So if you had your heart set out on embellished wine openers, and you give it to a beer drinker, you just wasted 20 bucks...lol.

Flowers: use silk. this site will price match and give you a discount if they arent the cheapest! http://www.wpetals.com/

More decorations: Use http://orientaltrading.com to get some cool things

-Limit your guest list. Just think that if you eat at 12 bucks per plate and each plate has 3 drinks, you can save over 100 bucks by taking 4-5 people off your list.

- you dont really need all the extra stuff like the chocolate fountain, fireworks, doves, etc. You can make your own bubbles by buying the bottles yourself and filling them with regular dish soap and water. takes some time, but you save oodles!

- cake- get a fake cake. the top layer is the only real one, and the bottom layers are just foam decorated to look like a cake. No one will know the difference as the cake is whisked away right after you cut it. Have two sheet cakes made up by the local grocery store and use that to share with your guests.

Invites: use http://www.sealandsend.net they will send you samples of colors and styles before you actually order and you will save money by not needing all the extra envelopes and whatnot.

Open Bar?- My suggestion is no unless you want to pay for 100 people at 3 drinks at 4 buck each get drunk on your dime. My suggestion is to have it open for cocktail hour (my suggestion is to have a keg, some wine and pop). and then make it a cash bar during dinner and the first 1 1/2 hours of your dance. Reopen it later in the night after the guests who arent really there to enjoy your day with you leave. Or you can keep it all cash bar and only pay for your closer family like parents and siblings and bridal pparty. your choice.

these are just a few. Good luck and happy savings!

Answer 2

1) Skip the attendants - let your good friends wear what they want and perhaps do a reading during the ceremony.

2) Skip things like placecards and favors. Both are really unnecessary.

3) Print your own invitations

4) Have the reception at a non-wedding type place. A small restaurant or inn may have a lovely spot and won't charge you the "site" fee, which can be thousands!

5) Have your dress made. Good seamstresses can copy virtually any dress, it will fit you perfectly and cost hundreds, or thousands less.

6) Skip the elaborate flowers/decorations. Potted plants can make really cute centerpieces. If you're getting married in the summer, plant cute pots with 2 or 3 blooming flowers about a week before the wedding. A friend of mine got married at Christmas at a hotel, so everything was already decorated for the holidays.

6) Don't host liquor - just beer & wine

7) Have a small fancy cake made, and an additional sheet cake that is in the kitchen and cut to serve guests. This saves a ton, and the guests get the same cake. Alternatively, have someone make the cake for you. I saw a very pretty homemade cake that was decorated with white chocolate shavings and fresh flowers tucked into the base. Very classy and no one would know it was home made.

8) Skip the DJ and load an iPod with your favorite songs.

9) Have an mid-day/afternoon wedding and serve heavy appetizers instead of a full meal.

Answer 3

There are a few establishments who include such pricey items as your wedding cake, flowers and last but not least, the food. I used the Knot.com and will recommend this site for anyone on any budget. I searched reception venues on the cheaper side and found a beautiful hall that fit my price range and included almost everything with the exception of the ceremony site and my bouquet. Otherwise my fiancee and I are making our own invitations with the help of Michael's craft store which offers patters and "how-to's". I've also found that David's Bridal has affordable inviations with 20% off your total price at checkout. I found my dress at a sample sale in New York City but unless you're a New Yorker I would stray from the hectic scene of a sample sale. But if you know your size and the designer of your dreams, check out ebay.com. You can find a brand-new with tags dress with the possibility of returning it. What else is there!? Good Luck!

Answer 4

Have limited people stand with you, meaning maybe two people per side.
Have them buy dresses at a store instead of ordering them
Find someplace you can have the ceremony, like a family or friends home/yard.
Ask family (if you have a large or close family) to bring a dish to pass or just do appetizers not a full meal.
Ask around for someone that can bake the cake, why spend all that money when you can buy mixes and frosting yourself.
Always ask friends/co-workers/relatives if they know anyone that can do things instead of hiring someone. You may have a family or friend that can make your invitations on a computer or that knows someone that an arrange flowers for you. Don't go crazy, yes it's your special day but don't enter the marriage in debt because of it!

Answer 5

YUP!! Concentrate on the dress and the photographer b/c they are what last 'forever'. The dress makes the pics and your dress is what 'makes' you!!! DON'T skimp in this area!

Get silk flowers at Garden Ridge (or something similar) and make the arrangements yourself. Find some in a magazine that you like and copy them.

For a cake, get a friend or a person that does not have a business in it make a cake for you. Some school teachers do this on the side. Mine was $125 (fed 400 people) and the grooms cake was the same!

Make your own center pieces!!! Find some in a magazine, etc.

When you book a facility and they quote you a price...know that the price they quote you is NOT final! MOST of them will still 'budge' for you!

Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions! I used to coordinate weddings on the side before I became a mother...

Good Luck and Congrats!

Answer 6

I bought my dress out of the paper and was lucky that it required zero alterations, already had been bustled and came with the crinoline. $350.00 Bought the shoes at Bakers. $30.00

I only had 2 bridesmaids

I bought my wedding cake at Publix, (i.e. a regular grocery store) It was gorgeous and delicious. I spent under $150.00 with the grooms cake.

Flowers I kept simple. Two bouquets for decoration. My bouquet, and 2 small bridesmaids nosegays. A single rose corsage for maid of honor & 2 groomsmen, both moms and dads got a double rose and gramma got a 5 mini rose special one.

We got married on a paddleboat which was my biggest expense but still for 4 hours was only $500.00
There are tons of parks and restaurants/hotels that you can use for free. I know for example here in Chicago people use the Cultural Center downtown which is beautiful~filled with Tiffany, Buckingham Fountain, Millenium Park etc...

Of course you have to have food. But it doesn't have to be all out fancy schmancy to be nice. We had a small buffet, scallops and pork tenderloins, Green beans and potatoes and asparagus. Vegetable/Cheese platter for apps, throw in a few canapes so it looks fancy... A few well chosen items and self service definitely will help your budget.

We did not have a band or dancing. We did have a friend of my husband's play guitar and sing on the way out on the boat. And my husband and I made a tape of songs we loved for the party after the sunset wedding ceremony. We did not have a separate reception. Just the party on the boat coming back to dock.

We did not have an open bar, but an inexpensive cash bar. And we had a champagne toast for everyone immediately after the ceremony.

Having the wedding on the boat limited us to 54 guests so that helped. But mainly it was just keeping it simple.

With the honeymoon to Cozumel we spent all total $3500.00 Cut out the boat rental and it would have been under 3 grand. Cut out the honeymoon and it would have been under 2 grand.

Oh and the ceremony was performed by one of my best friend's mom's who is a justice of the peace. She would have been invited anyway so that helped with the head count on the boat lol. And the photographer was the brother of this same friend so he gave me a great deal.

And many of the people who attended have told me more than once that it is, to this day, the best wedding they've ever attended.

Have I distracted you from some of your stress now. :-)
The main thing is that I kept it simple. I wore my hair in a pony tail. A fancy curled sparkly pony tail, but bottom line a pony tail. I bought my earrings, which i still wear, at the dollar store.

Just keep taking deep breaths and make the most of it.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Pick the one thing that you think would be okay to "splurge" on.

Also, you could rent things instead of buy, like the dresses, tuxes and your dress.

For the reception and decorating, do it yourself. Don't plan a wedding around a "meal time" because then you'll feel obligated to serve a meal. For the brides that have been on tight budgets that I've worked with, I've always suggested getting married around 1 pm, then you serve lite appetizers at the reception. Also, limit the alcohol. Don't have an open bar (those can cause upwards of 1G). Use champagne instead of wine for the toast and let that be the only alcohol at the reception.

I've got all kinds of money saving ideas. If you'd like to know more, let me know!

Answer 8

First of all, think SIMPLE...not every gorgeous romantic wedding costs thousands! I got married in November and we had a beautiful wedding and reception for cheap, well, cheaper anyway.

First, when you start to buy items for the reception like plates, etc etc....no one cares where they come from. We went to a Garden Ridge store here close and the cost was ridiculous for things like "clear" forks, etc. Went down the street to a Dollar Store and they had the same thing. We did not have a wedding planner, caterers, etc. We bought our food at Sam's Club and bought $.99 clear plastic trays at Wal-Mart...anyone can arrange cheese and stuff...

As far as wedding favors, we ordered bubbles to serve a couple
purposes. First, they were really cheap ($2.95 for 24 I think) then when we got them, we got on an address label program (Microsoft Word, Works, etc) and made labels with our names and the date on them in our color. Went to Dollar Tree and got thin ribbon in our colors, a hole punch, and packs of little silver wedding rings...tied it all together and it was great for not much money.

If there are 120 people that you have invited, then scale down the purchases. Get 80 bubbles and give them to ADULTS...you do not want bubbles flying through the ceremony....do programs the same way..give one per family...this small stuff will really cut it down for you, I promise...If you need anything else, let me know!

CONGRATS!!

Answer 9

I want more of a garden type wedding... like at a really nice southern plantation, have the wedding cerimony in the inside mid-day, with the reception outside in the evening when it cools down. I want chinese (or is it japanese?) lantern-esque lighting with yellow roses and accents of orange with the main color being white. only a few people from each side of the family (like 15-25 each). and the food will be set up like an elegant buffet. thats all i got so far, but i think it will be the perfect wedding for me (if my future husband likes it too).

Answer 10

Where in MD are you?? I am a wedding planner from the VA/DC/MD area and I could definitely sit down with you and help. I offer a free consultation and we could go over things like your budget.

If not, then I have some other wedding planner friends in the area who would love to sit down with you and help. It is something a little too involved to go over online. Let me know!!