I need money saving wedding ideas?

Question

Anything that could save me money would help alot! I'm on a tight budget and I need some ideas. Maybe some do it yourself favors, centerpieces, pretty much anything!

Answer 1

Despite the fact that people are on average spending a ridiculous $20k for a wedding doesn't mean that you have to spend that much to have a nice wedding. My husband and I were on a budget when we were planning ours. I think all told we spend around $2k-$3k for our wedding with a reception for 85 people and it was a fun and nice reception that we still get compliments on. Check out the message boards on some the wedding sites. I got some great ideas from the Weddingchannel.com message boards. I got a lot of great ideas off of there. Read other peoples ideas. If you have a question, feel free to post it. Someone probably has ideas that will help you. There are some great ideas listed above as well. Wished I had known about Yahoo! answers when I started planning. It is really all in the planning. If you are willing to do some advanced planning, a little homework and a little manual labor, you can easily save yourself thousands. You also have to decide what is important to you to have and what can you live without. Here are a few of the things we did to save money.

1) Photographers can be expensive, but on the other hand, this is your special day so you don't want just anyone walking around taking snapshots. What I did was put an ad on craigslist looking for a photography student or an advanced amature looking to build a wedding portfolio. I received a ton of emails, but one stood out to me. She offered to do everything for a very low fee. She sent us samples then also offered to meet up with us to do engagement photos just so we could test her out. We ended up loving what she did for us and went with her. She did my bridals and was with us for a good portion of the wedding day. If you drop me an email, I can send you a link to her site where our photos our located just you can get an idea of the kind of quality you can find if you just do your homework. As for video, I have a friend who does videography. She was nice of enough to do it for us as a wedding gift.

2) We had a restaurant cater our wedding instead of an actual caterer. Catering is not the lifeblood of most restaurants, so they tend to be a little less expensive than someone who does nothing but catering. We had a middle eastern themed reception so we went with one of our favorite Mediteranean places to cater for us. I think it ended up costing us about $10 a head. As for our cakes, it wasn't important to me to have some 5 tiered cake with flowers and ribbons and such. I'm not a big fan of the way most wedding cakes taste because of the fondent and I didn't see spending hundreds of dollars for a cake where everyone got tiny little slivers. I wanted cakes that tasted great, were pretty and allowed people to have decent sized slices. Hello Costco. We bought two cakes - one white with a creamcheese filling and a chocolate with a chocolate rasberry filling. Both had a pretty latticework heart design and each fed about 45 people. It worked out perfectly.

3)We provided all the alcohol. Stick with beer and wine - its a lot less expensive than going with a full bar and you are less likely to end up with people getting totally smashed at yoru reception. Since wine keeps, we bought a few cases ahead of time. A few weeks prior to the wedding we started stocking up on various types of beer and sodas and bottled water. To keep things orderly, we hired a bartender to deal with the drinks. There were two of them and I think it ended up being around $200 for the both of them (including tip) and they helped clean up afterward. Our reception lasted for about 4 hours. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a lot and it saved us a lot of headaches.

4) I bought all of the flowers for my bridesmaids boquets and my groomsmen's boutineers from Costco - I think all in all I spent about $75 on all the flowers. I called the floral manager about a week ahead fo time and let her know how many dozen of each type of rose I would need. She set them aside for me and I picked them up the day before the wedding. If you have friends who are handy with flowers, then by all means do not be shy about asking for help. I made all of the boutineers the morning of the wedding. I made one of my bridesmaids bouquets. Because I was running a little behind schedule, I asked a friend of mine who is very artistic and good with arranging flowers and the like to help me finish up the other three. They turned out beautifully.

5) Be creative about reception location. I ened up having mine at a studio where I take bellydance classes. It has a stage for shows. Some of my friends who are dancers danced at the reception. It went with the whole Middle Eastern theme and everyone enjoyed it! I have been a student there for a long time and they are like another family to me, so I got a really good deal on using the space. Keep your options open. Decide on a theme for you reception and see what you can find in your locale that does or can, with a little work, be made to fit with it. Easy decorations that look elegant are candles and tulle (try draping it from the ceiling with white twinkle lites wrapped up in it - its a nice effect and very inexpensive). We did that and kept the overhead lights low and it made for a more intimate atmosphere. For the centerpieces of our tables, we put floating candles in little fishbowls of colored water - each bowl had shiny glass stones in the bottom of them. It looked great and added to the mystique of the reception. If you have plenty of time before your wedding (I had a year to plan) keep your eyes open for little items that you think may work in with your theme. Ebay is great. Places like pier one and tuesday morning as well as stores like Walmart and Target have great bargins. Watch for sales at Michaels and Hobby Lobby on their wedding stuff. If you can spread expenses out over time, it helps a lot.

6) Check little botiques and courture shops for your dress. Don't settle for something simply because it is cheap - its your big day and there is nothing wrong with wanting to wear something that makes you feel like a princess. But by doing a little leg work, shopping around and hitting smaller shops as well as the traditional places like Davids Bridal, especially if you can find any discount bridal stores in your area, you can end up finding gems without spending an arm and a leg. I found my dress in a little discount bridal botique. It cost me around $200 but was beautiful. It had a full skirt with beaded details and came with this wonderful detachable train. I knew it was the one the minute I put it on and she put the veil on my head.

7)Almost forgot the invitations. If you are creative, or know someone who is, think about designing your own and shop around for place to print them - even a local printshop like Kinkos or something along those lines can do a good job. You can even buy blank invites in most craft stores and print them at home - I have seen some that are beautiful. Despite what a lot of the magazines try to tell you, you don't have to get fancy engraved ones which can cost you hundreds of dollars. I designed mine in Adobe InDesign. My brother-in-law owns a print shop so he actually printed and cut our for us as a gift. But if you shop around I am sure you can find local shops that won't charge you an arm and a leg to print them for you on a nice heavy stock. Or, like I said you, you can even print them at home and save yourself that much more. You can even be creative about how you package them if you don't mind doing a little work. I kept mine simple. The bundles (including wedding and reception invitations, RSVP card and maps showing location of the church and studio)were bound together with wide ribbon bands and each included a tag that i printed out on vellum paper that included the guest's name.

I also tried to save my bridesmaids some money by letting them pick out their own dresses. All I did was give them a guideline - little black dress with short sleeves or sleeveless and anywhere from mid-calf to just above the knee in length. This way they could get a dress within their budget and they would have a dress that they could wear again. I tied the looks together by buying simple satin fabric (pink for the bridesmaids and burgandy for the Matron on honor) and making simple retangular wraps for them. My sister-in-law did the hair and make up for everyone. It turned out great and they looked gorgeous.

Congrautlations on your upcoming nuptuials. Just remember above all things that even if things don't play out perfectly (because believe me, there will probably be a few things that go a least a little ary) don't sweat it. Don't get so caught up in planning a perfect day taht you are pulling out your hair when things aren't going right. Relax. Enjoy. At the end of the day what really matters is knowing that you are joined with the man you love and you are beginning your new life together. Good luck, have fun and God bless.

Answer 2

You can have a great wedding without spending too much money. Here are some tips...
#1 Make your own invites. There are lots of tips online, or you can even attend a class on how to make them at your local craft store. You can most likely make them all for under $200.
#2 Order your wedding cake from a local grocery store. They still can make some pretty elaborate things that taste good, but it will cut the cost.
#3 Wedding photography is expensive so consider only having the photographer at the ceremony for the formal pictures. Then at the reception, leave cameras on the tables If you want a photographer their all night, leave an ad at a local college and get a photography student to do it (trust me, they could use the bucks!).
#4 Make your own favors. Candy in little bags would be cheapest.
#5 Instead of having and open bar all night, maybe just have it a few hours, or not at all. I would still try and provide free beer though which will always be your cheapest option.
#6 Get a buffet or family style dinner They always seem to be cheaper than plated dinners. Plus don't invite kids who will add pointless costs (because they hardly eat anything)
#7 Make your own centerpieces. Try fish bowls with floating flowers or candles. Or just fill them with sand and seashells with a longer candle. You can get the bowls at walmart for $2-3.

Overall, if I were you I would spend the most money on good food and a good dj. Everything else you can make yourself. If you are having your wedding in a church, just get some nice pew bows and have two big centerpieces and an isle runner. Remember, less is more :)

Hope these tips help, I can't think of anything else right now, haha, Good luck and congrats!

Answer 3

Keep it simple. Prioritize what is really important to you about your ceremony and reception and stick with those elements.
Do not make your own cake. It is very stressful (I do it for a living!) to do while preparing for your wedding.
Make the centerpieces the favors themselves...small clusters of flowers in bud vases (you can buy at the dollar store) and tealight candles.
Look for a wedding dress on sale. Really, I don't know why people spend more than 700 on a wedding dress. Go to a tuxedo shop that gives a free tux to the groom if his groomsmen rent tuxes there.
Have a reception in the afternoon...then you don't have to serve a big heavy meal. Champagne and cake and appetizers.
But, in the end, keep it simple. You do not need personalized anythings to give away, or use at the reception. No one wants miniature bottles of bubbles. You don't need an open bar. You can serve wine and beer and soft drinks.
Shop around for a DJ or band. You'll find good deals if you ask.
Go to a bridal show and ask lots of questions. You may find a lot of discounts.
Tell your florist you are on a budget, and stick to it. A good vendor will keep you on track with your budget, and give you some good options as well.
Also, if you want to rent a hall or venue, pick a day of the week that is less expensive. Usually that is Friday (or any weekday).

Answer 4

heres what you need to know, do it all yourself and youll save a ton of money. Get fake flowers that way you can resale them and or return them and get your money back. Another good idea is look on ebay for wedding accessories. If you know a sewer in the family do like im doing, my mom is hand making my wedding gown from scratch. If not you can get a better deal on a wedding gown from like davids bridal online,aviod the stores because prices are jacked up. I plan on doing my own center peices, some plain white candles, some ribbon - clear glass bowls and a few flowers and wal'la a truely stunning center piece. The best thing i can recommend is take short cuts when you know you can, plan in advance. Dont go to a wedding photographer because they have rights to the photos, get it done by a normal photographer or buy a camera or borrow one to get a family member to take photos. I also recommend buying a bunch of disposiable cameras(perferably wedding but any will do) and lay them on each of your guests tables so they can take lots of photographs. Make sure they leave the camera though so you can develop them, that way its like having a hundred different photographers, you can then choose the ones you like best and make a scrapbook to save for years to come. Favors, bubbles are pretty cheap and dont make to much of a mess. Another favorite would be those silky clear see through bags, fill them with candy close / wrap with a ribbon and maybe a flower and vaddaboomvadobing instant party favor. Most of this stuff can be found online or ebay, i do not recommend buying a wedding gown off ebay though ive read to many horror stories from those. Just get creative and have fun with it. Buy a few things at a time push the wedding off as long as you have to. If nothing else cut out the wedding go to a Justice of the peace and just have a reception, after all thats the main reason people come.

Answer 5

One of the best ways to save money on a wedding is to plan an off season wedding. Usually, depending on where you live, November through March is considered off season so you may be able to rent a venue for much less than during the spring or summer. Cut out booze at the wedding or only offer beer and wine. Use candles, mirrors, leaves, or greenery for your centerpieces rather than flowers. It will save you a lot of money. Make a list of things that are really important to you and things that are not. Remember, pictures will stay with you forever so you want a good photographer, but most people will not remember what your cake tasted like or what centerpieces you had. Good Luck!

Answer 6

When I give these ideas they are actually what I did, my wedding in total was maybe $500.00...keeping that in mind here's what I did.

Dress- I actually borrowed one from my soon to be sister in law, but David's bridal has $99 sales all the time, there's also Ebay (the problem with that is you can't try it on), you can also find a white prom dress, some times they are prettier then fancy dresses.

photos--I had family all taking my pictures, it was neat because they all had different views on how they saw stuff. I've many times suggested to have a friend who has a digital camera that knows how to use it take the photos--this way you can see them right then and there and if you don't quite like it you can do it again. When you go with a pro you kinda have to take what you get, sadly some times they are not all that good. For getting the pictures develpoed A lot of stores now have the machines that all you have to do is put the memory stick in and you can print off what you want. IF you have a community college in your area sometimes the photogrophy classes will hire people out. If you do decide to go with a pro then it's buyer beware..ask to see other's people's photos--not just one wedding ask to see more then one persons's also ask for other clients numbers so you can get references from them..

Flowers- buy silks and make your own, they have many books that show you what to do. Silks are also easier to save.

Reception- if there is a group of people that want to give you a "big" gift, see if they will make this their gift to you. ( My sis in law to be gave me my reception as a gift) another way to cut costs is to just have the basics, cake, mints, nuts and punch.

Ceremony/ Reception hall-- find a place where you can do both at the same place, Most times they will give you a discount if you use the place for both.

Hair, makeup---fix your own hair you do it on a daily basis anyway..my niece had hired someone to do it then the person backed out and she ended up being happier with what she'd done then what the lady she'd hired done. Makeup, again you do it on a daily basis.

There is not really a need to serve alochol, or have a DJ..these are nice to have but can also be expensive.

Answer 7

Buy last years wedding dress style. They are so much cheaper and just as beautiful. We made our own favors too. Just got some of that mesh material fabric, cut it into squares and put dinner mints in them, then tied them up with ribbons that were the same colors as our theme. You can print off name tags and such on your own computer. I recently did wedding invitations for some friends. They looked very close to professional. Go to walmart in the craft section where they have all the wedding stuff and they have kits that show you how to make your own. There are some very pretty designs. If your family likes to cook do what we did...we bought the meat and everyone brought a dish to pass. I know it sounds kind of rednecky but it was fun. It made the reception feel very homey and comfortable and warm. Like everyone was family. We had a lot of fun. Congrats and good luck.

Answer 8

I used to be a banquet manager I saw several ideas that might help you.
One I really liked was to take white poster board and cut then up into a vest-shaped rectangle... (basically just a rectangle, about 7" at the top and 6" at the bottom. The height should be about 10". Then at the top center, you poke two holes (large enough to get a black ribbon through it). You put the black ribbon through the holes form the back, and tie it into a bow on the front.
Then you use black cloth napkins... (they should have them at the place you having the reception at... if not you can rent them.)
Fold them into triangles. Set the napkin on the table with the point of the napkin at the bottom. Place the peice of the cardboard in the center. Then fold the points from the top down to the the bottom point. It look like a mini-tuxedo. It might sound complicated the way I have written, by I assure you it's very simple and elegant.
To match that motive with the center piece, here's a real money saver:
Just go to the 99cent store or Party Time, and buy a plastic top hat for each table you have. Place it in the center of the table. Then get a bunch of those pants hangers from the cleaners. You know the kind that has a cardboard tube on the bottom of it. You will need four for each table. Take the cardboard tube and paint them black and then get white labels and put them on the ends of each tube. It looks like a fancy cane. Set two of them on each side of the hat crossed over each other like an"X".
I hope that helps. You can email me with any questions you might have.
Congratulations!

Answer 9

i paid $50 for 100 blank invitations, brought them home and printed my own. i'm not gloting, but i'm pretty darn impressed with them... i could have spent well over $300 for the same things made by someone else.

silk flowers are another money saver. i'm getting married in august and have no plans for real flowers... even a single real boutineer is $15!! ahh!!

ebay is another good place for decorations. i found a lot of stuff on there (like a brand new cake topper for only $10!)

ALSO -- ASK for a discount! My photographer wanted $1500 to come to take pics for the day, give a bridal photo, do hair and makeup, and give photos on a CD with no copyright. We asked if he could do better b/c it was too much and he cut the price in half!!!

Answer 10

Sorry to say this in a tell it like it is way but...my advice...don't get married in the first place. I watched a show on TV Rich Bride Poor Bride...and I find it is ridiculous the amount of money spent on a one day party.

When you look at the high rate of divorce, it is really worth all the trouble? Divorce is financial suicide. In 2007, marriage don't last for life. You may have all the good intentions in the world to stay married but you can't control your partner.

Go simple, you, the man and a religious figure. That's all that is required. Save the money for the honeymoon, furniture, etc...That's my grain of salt.

Answer 11

Instead of a standard cake, have a cup cake wedding cake, with a small cutting one on top. I had this style..a friend made them up for me. The top cake was just a standard store bought fruit cake with icing. We had so many compliments...was a cute idea and cheap too.

Make your own invitations, place cards etc.

Centre pieces, candles are fantastic for ambiance and not to expensive.

I bought some plain bubble blowers then just tied some raffia around the necks (had beach themed wedding) ..you could use silver curling ribbon.

Overall, just keep in mind it is one day....

Enjoy :-)