I'm planning a wedding on a small budget does anybody have money saving suggestions?

Question

We want to have it outside and in the summer.

Answer 1

Know your resources for everything. Favors...look into making your own...fudge, cookies, brownies, candies....you can get boxes to decorate or of your wedding color at Michael's or any craft store.
Centerpieces...also, look into making them as well...candles with flowers placed around them....anything you want really.
For the food...you may ask someone (ie...the best man...fathers) to be the grill man and have a BBQ since it will be outside in the summer.
I am getting my dress and cake as gifts. Maybe you know someone who can help you with these things or...hit the sales. David's Bridal is always having sales.
You could also have your family or friends help you with making the favors should you chose to go that route.
Things you will probably not want to cut short: photographer...He takes care of all of the memories you will have! You may ask around for a photographer student. They will be willing to do it for the experience and will not charge as much.
Flowers can be expensive...It really depends on what kind though.
Hope this helped a little!
Good luck and happy planning!

Answer 2

Well, you can have someone make your wedding dress, if you know anyone that's talented that way, or you can rent them at certain boutiques.
You can have your ceremony in a large backyard; Rent chairs, an arch, a runner, candelabra, etc (most of these things you can get from your florist).
Contact a local culinary arts school and see if they would be interested in catering your event, they normally will for a nominal fee, and they even supply the servers! Beauty schools are always holding an open 'client night', you could go and speak with the instructor and see if she would recommend any students to do your parties hair and makeup.
Put an ad in the local college newspaper, or on campus, for a photographer, DJ, and any other talent you might want. You'll be surprised how much money you can save by having things scaled down some ... and giving students a time to shine and make a great impression ~ most times they will give you more of themselves than you even ask for!

Congratulations and Good Luck! Remember, the wedding is only a day ... what matters is how things continue every day after-wards :)

Answer 3

You've started out on the right track by acknowledging that you have a small budget. The two of you need to decide what is important to you and set limits. Is it important to you to have a big white dress or something small that can be worn for more that that one splendid day? Decide what you both want for the "dress" code of the day...suits/ties, shirts/jackets, tuxedos, etc. Silk flowers do save money. My bouquet was real and the other arrangements were silks. I honored my immediate family and his with one single rose corsage or boutonniere, and saved a lot of money. The site is important too. Another joint decision, with many places around that will let you rent a small room for a "by the hour" cost. Take your time, do you research after you two decide what you want and you can easily afford a nice wedding.

Answer 4

its refreshing to know there is someone out there who realizes they dont need maid of honor, bridesmaids, junior bridesmaids, flower girls, candle-lighters and ring bearer.
you could plan a small intimate wedding with a maid of honor and best man.
invite only family and close friends.
have a backyard garden party for your reception.
you don't need to have a big meal. do an evening wedding with desserts and sparkling wines. or an early afternoon wedding with sandwiches and non-alcoholic beverages.
tape your own music, rent tables and chairs if you don't have enough.
your bouquets could be simple bouquets of seasonal flowers, not necessarily roses.
about the only thing i would consider paying a professional for is the photographer. but you can economize on that as well. have him at the church doing the formal shots, and a couple of you both outside the church. then at the reception, put a disposable camera on each table and ask guests to take candid shots throughout the evening, collect the cameras when its over and take them in to be developed.
its nice to hear someone isn't going crazy with huge wedding plans.
it isn't the wedding that counts, its the love the two of you have for each other. wishing you a wonderful marriage and many happy years together.
good luck with it all.

Answer 5

Have the wedding at a state park. Most will have a popular site for weddings, usually for no fee or nominal fee. You'll save money on the venue and flowers (you wont need them if its a pretty location)

Make your reception buffet-style. Its cheaper than serving plated dinner. Don't serve alcohol (except for the toast).

Get a family friend to be the photographer (make sure they have experience bc you want the pictures to turn out nicely)

Check out weddingchannel.com

Answer 6

Start off consider serving food that's not expensive to prepare or cook it yourself. Maybe consider having a limited amount of alcohol and serve juice or non alcoholic cocktails to save money on drinks. I would consider doing some research or locating a magazine called Budget living and see if they have suggestions on weddings. Maybe do some research online for sites that can offer you some tips on cutting costs while having a nice wedding.

Answer 7

check out E-BAY its a great way to save money and you can find almost everything you will need for the wedding and reception also if you do the food your self you will save a lot of money if thats not possible and its an outside wedding then great fire up the BBQ grill and have your friends and family bring a dish to pass or go to GFS FOODMARKET and buy your food in bulk and prepare a simple menu such as cold cuts cheeses buns fruits chips and dip etc your wedding does not have to cost a fortune.good luck and god bless you.

Answer 8

When i was married we didn't have any money and i had no job so everything we got we made sure that we got the best deal and as far as location any location can be perfect all you need is some nice decorations we used some white tents we rented for 120 and we put christmas lights on it and it was beutiful plus I went to a mexican bakery and they made me the best three layer cake for 150 people for 85 dollars. The best advice would be to make a list of what you need and want then get on the phone and make sure you get the best price.

Answer 9

My wife and I had our wedding in her sisters beautiful backyard. The funeral parlor happily loaned us chairs. We had a photographer friend take the pictures and give us the negatives to do with what we pleased. We got a regular cake. We rented a pavilion for the reception and had our friends play music on our stereo. My dad made chicken barbecue (can't get cheaper than chicken.) The biggest expense was the minister, but if you go to a liberal church regularly you can get out of that too. We are much better off nowadays, but we still clip coupons every Sunday morning LOL

Answer 10

My sister had also planned to have a wedding in the summer,outside,on a small budget.all that im saying is that on her wedding day it rained(of course)even tho it was mid-june and it ended up costing much more than she expected.So make sure u hav a backup plan incase it rains and dont expect it the wedding to be in your ideal budget unless a miracle happens.