Getting Married On A really Small Budget?

Question

My Fiance And I are having a baby in July and we want to get married before the baby comes. Right Now he is the only one that works and we dont have a lot of money, Is there anybody that can give us ideas on a really really cheap wedding.

Answer 1

The cheapest way is to go to the JP, but I'm assuming (since you're asking this question) that you're more like me in actually wanting a wedding. When I got pg w/my daughter, I wanted to be married too when the baby arrived. We got married in one of the shelter houses at the park. My mom purchased a large sheet cake and my "mother-in-law" made our bouquets and bought us a unity candle. I bought my dress at a cosignment shop and we just verbally invited those we wanted to attend.

Some other suggestions:
1. Print your own wedding invitations
2. Use your own church or a church your mom or grandparents belong to - most won't charge thier members anything.
3. Find someone who's good with flowers to do the bouquets.
4. Decorate your own candle.
5. Use a sheet cake instead of a wedding cake. If you want a traditional wedding cake - go small and use a sheet cake for the rest.
6. Go to places like the Dollar Tree and Sams Club for your plates, forks, etc.

Answer 2

Take a look at this article I wrote recently, it might help you...

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/154422/how_to_save_money_on_your_wedding_and.html

Also, a wedding doesn't have to be huge and elaborate. I've found that the weddings I've been to were more beautiful with simple elegant decorations. My bridesmaids, (I had three) simply carried one single peach colored rose instead of a bouquet. My bouquet was 12 peach roses. And a friend of my mom's did all the flowers as a wedding gift to us! So that saved a lot of money. Think on small scales, and search the internet for great simple ideas. Walmart did my cake, and it was beautiful, plus my mom in law works at walmart so she got a discount on it! There are always ways to save omney, without your wedding looking cheap. You can do this.

Happy Wedding Day!

P.S.~I wanted to add, for photopraphy, we bought disposable cameras and put them on the reception tables. We put a little note on the tables saying something like:

"We want to see the reception from your point of view! Please take some pictures for us so we can remember everything! If you'd like copies of the pictures just let us know when you return the camera to the mistress of ceremonies, Mrs. Smith."

We had a real photographer a friend of the family, take the wedding party photos, but the guest pics from the disposable cameras were just the best! And, you don't have to get them all developed at once, you can do a couple each time you go to walmart and pay for it over time!

Answer 3

How about at the registry office and then a close family gathering at the house afterwards. You could even hire a cheap marque & ask a relative to do buffet or BBQ. It would be much more personal and less stressful, especially if you are expecting a baba!
Family will like to be asked to help, it would make them feel important.
Also, try not to overdo the flowers, go for bows instead or candles. Much cheaper and you can give them away as presents too!
As for your dress, you can get cheaper wedding/maternity dresses in sales or even on ebay!!
You could even ask that all the wedding presents be things that you'll need for the baby! This will save you a lot of money!
Good luck in whatever you decide and best wishes for the baby! x x x

Answer 4

My husband and I got married in October 2006 and had around 100 guests. Our wedding was pretty humble but it was also quite nice. For center pieces, we bought $1 vases at the dollar store then bought around 7 boquets of 2 dozen roses (priced at less then $20 per 2 doz) and split them up into each vase. Total cost for 14 center pieces was around $165. They were really stunning. For favors, I bought victorian style scissors from Michaels, a spool of thin ribbon in our wedding color and hard (almost cardboard) paper. In microsoft word, I made my own bookmarks. I found famous quotes about love etc. and added pictures. Then cut them with the crimper scissors and added a ribbon. Total cost was $15.00 for 200 favors! They are crafty and personalized. We also made all our decorations bought from the dollar store. They carry a wide variety of balloons and streamers and some even specialize in wedding supplies. We got our wedding cake from Safeway for $150. It was able to feed 150 people and 3 tiers. They will also do your colors if you send them a swatch. Our photographer was a family friend with a digital camera. He took over 300 pictures during the event which we were able to upload in our computer and edit for red eye, do some cropping and make some in black and white. Only thing we paid for was $30 to have them printed. We also rented a community hall which was formally a school gym for our meal. It was way less then an actual hall and we could bring in our own bartenders and liquor. Don't be afraid to look into places like museums and other unique set-ups. You might be surprized what you can find. Shop around for caterers. Just because they are the most expensive doesnt mean they are the best. We found a caterer that was fairly new to the business and it was excellent! They did it for way cheaper and as they are trying to build a good rep. they put in extra effort. There are a lot of ways to cut costs and still have a really nice wedding. Just keep an open mind and be creative!

Answer 5

A wedding does not have to cost a lot to be nice. If you do not want to go to the Justice of the Peace, do something in a park or back yard. You just need to send out simple invites (you can make) invite close friends and family. You don't have to have anything except you, your mate, and someone that can legally do the ceremony. I have a lot of ideas and have helped with lots of weddings......e-mail if you want!

A few tips:
~friend take pictures
~a friend or family bake a cake
~Simple flowers from a florist (carnations and daisys are pretty and cheap)
~use a public place so you do not have to pay rent
~use a CD for music (no cost if you have a CD player)

Answer 6

ok...I think that its super great that you want to get married before the birth of your child! congratulations on being a responsible parent. now...you can have a lovely wedding for a decent price. talk to your pastor, priest, and see if he is willing to do a back yard wedding. wedding apparel isnt required. it can be as casual as you like. make a vegetable tray and finger sandwiches for a small reception afterwards. and remember. Just because you cant afford a fancy wedding, doesnt mean that you dont love each other. a wedding is only for a day. a good marriage can last forever!

Answer 7

Go to the court and get married then have a small party at your house. As long as your family and friends are there thats all that matters!

You could also rent a country club room. Or go to a restaurant and have a party with food catered and all.

Congrats on the baby and the wedding!

Answer 8

Check your library or invest in Miss Manners books.

As she points out, you can have lovely and special weddings and receptions without big bucks.

Have it at your or someone's home.

Don't have the reception at a meal time, and offer munchies and sippies, instead of a meal.

You don't need to buy a "Hollywood wedding" dress, just wear a nice dress (ditto for "dressing" your bridesmaids -- there's no reason everyone has to match, in fact, it's silly).

In Miss Manners books, look for Informal Wedding -- or try searching the net. Her column is at Washington post's web site.

It's doable, and can be just as classy and proper as the expensive ones.

Oh, and writing a letter of invitation to each guest is perfectly proper -- you needn't have "invitations" made, or even make them yourself.

In short, weddings are about making a family, not about spending a fortune.

So have a lovely wedding, and an even lovelier marriage.

Answer 9

Just do a JOP ceremony. You can have a small reception at your house for the immediate family with some cake and punch. You could have a bakery make you a small wedding cake. It is not about the big-to-do wedding but the fact that you are getting married and will maintain a strong marriage for your children.

Good luck!

Answer 10

Well I am sure you stil want a nice wedding. So if you throw a bridal shower you can get some money and items you need. You can also do a banquet style reception where some of you close friends and family can bring dishes to pass. And some times places like Good will will donate you a dress. (Just for some ideas)