I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!! Okay so I'm getting married in the year 2008....But I want a small wedding no more

Question

than 75 people maybe less if possible but we only have 4 to 5,000 for the wedding{But that doesn't count my dress and the rings that we bought that's from diff. money we saved}...I want it to be small but romantic, cheap but looks like it cost me an arm and a leg....Does anyone have an tricks or ideas how I can cut corners without cutting quality...I want it to be perfect like a fairy tale....PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

If you find a caterer that has it's own banquet hall, they usually give you great rate if you use both services. I live in PA and I found such a caterer and he threw in all these "extras" for free since I agreed to use his banquet hall as well (it's beautiful and is already in my colors so I don't need to do much decorating). My budget is $6000 and the food, hall, linens, china and table centerpieces, even balloons are costing me only $3400 (27.95 per person). I too bought my dress out of different money and I went to a bridal show and signed up for a tux rental place where my fiance's tux is free and his groomsmen are $65 each (entire outfit from head to toe, including shoes). Another trick is to get friends and family who have specialties to help you by providing their craft as their gift. My fiance has 9 brothers and between them and his best friend we are getting the following services for free or just cost of materials: Limo service (150 entire night), DJ (free), Printing of Invitations (free, pay for paper), Photographer (free, pay for film). So it can be done, you just have to find creative ways to cut back. Savings doesn't have to mean "cheap-looking". Congrats and good luck.

Answer 2

Congratulations!!!!!!

Weddings can be a really expensive proposition. The average wedding nowadays costs about $15000 - $20000 and that too without too many frills. But even in this day and age it is possible to have an inexpensive wedding without it being any less special or unique than most other weddings.

You just have to figure out how to manage that.

Well, here are some tips that will help you to save money on the more expensive aspects of a wedding, thus helping you to have an inexpensive wedding.

Reception: This constitutes a major cost of most weddings. Here’s how you can have an inexpensive reception:

Keep the guest list small. Invite only your closest family and friends and not people that you haven’t met in years.
Try to have the reception at home or in someone else’s home or maybe even a restaurant. You will save a lot of money on expensive halls and clubs.
Reduce the number of courses of the meal. Try and cater it yourself to further reduce costs.
Do not have a full bar; serve only beer and wine.
Photographer: Photography can considerably add to the cost of weddings.

Hire a photographer only for the actual ceremony and have some of your family members or a friend do the photography for the rest of the event.
Shop around and see if you can get an inexpensive photographer.
Wedding Invitations: Invitations and other type of wedding stationery are hidden costs that can make a wedding expensive.

Make your own invitations. These will turn out a whole lot cheaper and will also look very personalized.
Try and make your own place cards and thank-you notes as well. This can go a long way in reducing wedding expenses.
The Wedding Gown: This is by far a considerable cost to most weddings.

You are going to wear your wedding dress just once. So rent a dress instead of buying an expensive one, or you could even get a second hand wedding dress for a lot cheaper than a new one. Remember, it too will probably have been worn just once as well.
Have your wedding gown stitched by a family member if it is possible.
A great way to save money on a wedding gown is to wear your mother’s or your grandmother’s wedding gown if it is still in a good condition. You could even start a unique wedding tradition of your own!
Don’t buy expensive flowers but try to pick them from your garden or a friend’s garden.

Have unique hand-made wedding favors and centerpieces.

Get a friend or relative to bake you a nice wedding cake.

All these steps can be taken to have an inexpensive wedding. With just a little bit of effort and a lot of imagination, you can have the wedding of your dreams; and an inexpensive one at that.

Good luck
Congratulations again...hope you guys have a happy life together.

Answer 3

A huge red flag went off when I read the line "I want it to be perfect like a fairy tale." You probably realize this already, but hopefully seeing it again will add emphasis to it: There is no such thing as a perfect fairy-tale wedding. Unless you have tens (or hundreds!) of thousands of dollars, you'll never get everything you want. And even then, you'd probably end up hiring a wedding planner so it wouldn't truly be YOUR wedding.

Get down to the basics. Take out a sheet of paper and write down all the things you want to have in your wedding. Then do a bit of research (Google can help, or call local businesses in the Yellow Pages) and check prices on the various aspects of your wedding. Then just start compromising--cross things off the list that don't really matter all that much until you're within your budget.

One bit of solid advice though--don't skimp on hiring a good photographer. 40 years from now when you're both 50lbs heavier, wrinkly, and have foggy memories, your wedding photos are all you'll have to remember the event by; make sure you get good ones.

Answer 4

Go to i.party and buy a lited arch it only cost about $30-40 bucks. its nice and romantic. You can use it to get married under it. You can place it in a hall or park anywhere you wish to get married.You buy the flowers and decorations you want to put on it. You put it together yourself and its easy. If you want to save money on your wedding you'll have to do some of the work yourself. Rent a hall that fits enough of peole you wish to invite. Buy yourself a simple wedding dress nothing too estravegant. Every bride looks the bomb on their wedding + they look beautiful no matter what type of dress they wair. Have your husband rent the tuxedo instead of buying it. Grooms doesnt nesesarally have to buy a tuxedo for 1 day and then to statch in the closet. I always recommend brides to keep their dress. Have a friend or family member videotape & throw photos of your wedding. Go to the dollar store and buy the desire color utensils, tablecloths, some of the decorations-like balloons cups, napkins etc. Make your own lovely bouquet. With these helpful tips you should be okay. If you want to spend money on additional stuff its all up to you. Buy your rings and they dont have to cost a fortune. A ring is something that symbolizes your love and if you're not a material person you should be fine with a nice $1000 bridal set.This is what I pretty much did for my wedding and it was lovely, it worked out just how I planned it to work out. Hope it helps. Good Luck !

Answer 5

So know what you mean! I'm getting married in Aug 08 and planning to spend under 7000 (but that includes dress rings etc). and the amount of people is 115. Here's what we got planned so far:

Making own invitations with the help of a craftey friend (materials are brought from a warehouse that supply stationary)

It's on a Monday in Winter

Getting Married at a park 30 min from home - catching a council run ferry (it's nicer then what it sounds) to get to park with bridesmaides. The park is where we will take our photo's.

After the cermony we will be serving tea/coffee/juice and the cake at the park while we take the photo's (so the photographer can get a nice pic of us cutting the cake and so our guest aren't twirling their thumbs between cermony and reception)

My wedding dress is going to be a dress that i can wear again - like formal events races but still will be white

The flowers will be from the flower markets. They do pacakges for weddings and the florists in the city would get their flowers from there so i'm getting the same thing in the end.

Not too sure on reception, but a friend told me not to say it's for a wedding and ask if i can bring in table settings. I can make my own table settings etc for much cheaper and end up with the same thing as the restruant. We might be doing this thing were (since we have everything) we get the guest to pay for their own meal and not bring in a present.

make a budget, stick to it, add every cent that you spent and pay in cash so you know what and how much you are spending

Not putting up a tab on the bar because it influences people to drink more than usual (because it's free) but still have the option for them to drink.

Hope at least one thing would give you an idea to extend on andy way congratulations and good luck!!!

Answer 6

There are lots of things you can do - depends on how conventional you want to be. You could to a high tea in the afternoon instead of a sit down dinner which would save money. If you are already living together and don't really need things for your home, you could have people pay for their own meal- I have been to a wedding like this and I didn't mind paying one little bit - beats giving an unwanted or unneeded toaster. Or have a gourmet picnic if you live in a good climate . Shop around for your cake, and make it your dessert instead of doubling up. I had a cocktail party reception with canapes and it was really nice and there was more than enough food ( i had been worried about this because I have a lot of big eating country types in my family).
If you know of anyone who can sew well they might be able to make your dress. my sister made my pure silk bridal gown and it ended up costing me about $450, full skirt, train, the works, or if there is an heirloom gown in your family you could make use of it. Have your brides maid buy everything for themselves, but be fair - let them chose something that they like and will wear again - it doesn't even have to be the same colour, and don't get too hung up on things that people wont see or notice like shoes. Learn to do your own hair and makeup, or get it done by some trainee hair dressers and makeup artists, they will appreciate the experience and you can have a trial to make sure they do a good job.

Good luck, research well, relax and have a wonderful day.

Answer 7

My small, romantic wedding cost less than $5,000. How?
The ceremony was in my Grandmother's backyard (outdoors wedding).
My male family members built my Wedding Gazebo.
All other ceremony decorations were done by my family.
A friend of the family let us borrow chairs.
I found a dress, shoes, jewelry, etc for around $500-600 (David's Bridal).
Groom/Groomsman's tuxedos were rented.
Bridesmaids bought their own dresses/shoes.
Ceremony preformed by my Uncle who is a Preacher.
I had my bouquet made by a hobby shop for $20.
I made all corsages, boutonnieres, and bridesmaid's bouquets.
A friend (beautician) did my hair and make-up for free.
Rented a reception hall for $300.
My family cooked/prepared all buffet reception food.
The cake cost $150.
All reception decorating was done by my family.
I bought 100 invitations w/envelopes (online) for $150.

A lot of decorations and things came from Hobby Lobby, which is a hobby shop.

If you can get your family and friends to help you out, you will save a lot of money.

EDIT: My wedding went off exactly how I planned. It was perfect. Nothing went wrong. It was "perfect like a fairy tale". My family took good care of everything.

Also, the photographer was the most expensive part of my wedding. $800 but well worth every penny. Beautiful pictures!

Answer 8

Congrats to you! I met my future husband who I will be married to in less than 7 weeks from now. we have been together for 6 months. we do not want a big wedding, so we are having a small ceremony in the park with just some close friends and family members. We are then taking a honey moon, for a long weekend... staying in a log cabin. I bought my wedding dress for 99.00 dollars and did my own invitations. I am making my own flowers, and my own headpiece. If you want rice for throwing or bubbles for blowing, you can make the bubbles out of dish soap and buy the plastic containers online at oriental trading.com. Have your bridesmaids use artificial flowers and the men wear artifical boutineers, that you can make cheap, and you and future hubby can have real flowers done by a florist.
Have your reception at a park or conservation club. We are having our wedding reception 3 weeks after our marriage, so everyone else can come celebrate with us, that we didnt' invited to our wedding at a local beach under the shelter house and I have a friend who does Dj'ing and Karaoke who is giving me a deal. I have a friend who is making my wedding cake, for free, she is awesome at doing those. and I am making all the food for the reception. We are cooking out!

If you want anymore suggestions let me know. If you are renting tents and chairs, that is very expensive that is why I am doing mine at the beach. you have tables already and shelter incase it rains. but if you need tables and chairs find a place that you can have your wedding and a place to do your recpetion.. like a church. it is all provided at no xtra cost.

Answer 9

Do alot of the more expensive stuff yourself if you are creative. You can go to Michael's or AC Moore and buy invitation stock (the rectangular shaped cards with matching envelopes) for maybe $20-$25 for a box of 50 and print them out on your computer. You can also go to those stores and get the stuff to make your own favors and they have the little frames that you can use for the table numbers and the guest's names.

There are plenty of candy stores around that sell the different colored M&Ms and you can coordinate your wedding colors to use them in favors. If you feel up to it you can also do your own flowers and centerpieces or you can order it through the craft store (it is artificial flowers, but I am sure that you can find very real looking pretty flowers that still make a wedding and reception classy). The craft stores also carry Tiaras and material for veils.

Good luck and have a wonderful wedding.

Answer 10

For starters, get over the fairy tale idea. It will never happen unless you have endless funds. Now focus on what is important. A fancy cake or a good photographer? Find a cheap place to get a cake (grocery stores normally have good cake for cheap if you are willing to decorate it yourself) Find a place to cut you a deal on the reception. Have it on a Friday with no alcohol (try a lemonade bar instead) Use cheap in season flowers instead of something exotic, or use just a few exotic flowers and use roses for fillers. There is a ton of things you can do if you just look around and do your homework.