How do i plan a very small wedding but still make it my dream wedding ?

Question

We have almost no money to make this wedding happen but we are trying to get it done under $1000. I want it to still be classy and pretty but i need some help with music for the ceremony and things like flowers...CHEAP also anyone have any ideas about how the ceremony should go...there is only about 10 people so there will be no isle to walk down...help i'm totally unsure what to do.

Answer 1

You HAVE to walk down an aisle.
I just performed a private ceremony for a couple & I had the bride walk to the place where the groom & I stood. The groom was goo-goo eyed. (this was neither's first marriage)
Don't take that away from your fiance or you, either.

If you are willing to do most of the leg-work, you can pull off a rather nice wedding. And if you ask for the help of friends & family, that will be even better.

You need to start with what you & your fiance absolutely HAVE to have to make this your 'dream come true'.
What about the dress, attendants, if any? And what do you want to do for the reception? The reception is always the most costly. Find ways to cut costs here.

Music, you can get a friend to play violin, guitar or even a flute, to walk in to. Or you can create your own CD to both process & recess to.

Look around for flowers at Michaels &/or Hobby Lobby. Michael's is running all kinds of sales currently on their spring silks. A handful taped together & tied with ribbon will be all you need for a bouquet.

Depending on how much time you have, wait until Michael's wedding arch is on sale again (was last week) They run their $30 lighted arch for $20. That with about 16 yds of tulle (sale at Joann's- 2yds/$1) and you have a beautiful focal point for your ceremony.

To find an officiant type into Yahoo your city, state & wedding officiant (no 's' on the end) You will have a few to choose from, usually on the 2nd page. The larger bridal sites seem to get top billing. If you do go to the bridal sites, please visit the site of someone you think you might like. Those bridal sites make vendors & officiants pay for your contact info so you may not hear back from someone you'd hoped.

If you're any where near Cincinnati, give me a shout.

Answer 2

First of all... Congrats! It's not everyday that you get married. (but for some celebs it is. lol)

Ok, so you have $1,000. The first question I would ask is do you have a dress? If not, you can get some beautiful dresses at like Macy's or JcPenny's for cheap. You don't neccessarily need a real wedding dress. And then you can get a veil at a bridal store or make one yourself.

What I did for my ceremony was had a cd playing while my bridesmaids and I walked down. I am guessing that there is no sound booth or anything, but you can have a cd player play it (i recommend classical music like Cannon in D by Pachabel) and have a friend push play as you come down and fade it out when you get to your groom.

If you live near by a Costco, they have beautiful flowers for pretty cheap. Not the ones with a whole bunch of different kinds, but just roses or tulips. Simple is always elegant. You can hold a few roses or whatever your fave flower is and have them tied with ribbon or tule. My bridesmaids held 3 white calla lillies tied with a ribbon and it looked beautiful. So there is an option.

Same with decorations. Simple is the best, especially when you have a tight budget. You can buy fake rose petals and have them already placed down where you will walk if you don't have a flower girl. Maybe line your walk way with small voltive candles in little glass vases.

For the ceremony.... how mine went was this: walked down the isle, daddy gave me away, pastor gave a welcome and read a few passages, did our vows, my brother played a song he wrote while we did our first communion, kissed, and ran out of the church. It doesn't have to be anything real extravagent. I think our ceremony was like 15-20 mins.

I am full of ideas, so if you want some more hit me up. :)
Good Luck! I hope this helped!

Answer 3

Alot of people don't have thousands of dollars to spend on a wedding, especially when Mama and Daddy isn't footing the bill, so don't feel bad about not having alot of money to spend on it! First and foremost, remember this is a celebration of two people's love for each other not some celebrity event, simple can be attained with little money and still be classy.
Music can be downloaded off the internet for free and burnt onto cd's to be played on someone's cd player, all you need is someone to work the system for you. I know because I've just recently downloaded myself.
You can do your own flowers very simply by going to Walmart or a local grocery store the morning of the wedding and purchasing a bouquet of the flowers you like and tying them together with ribbon and carrying them as an arm bouquet. You can also purchase some matching flowers, floral wire and tape and make your own boutineer for the groom. It's up to you whether you want to go any further with anymore flowers.
Decorations can be as simple as a 20 dollar arch purchased from Michael's or Hobby Lobby and decorated with some tulle(97 cents a yard at Walmart) and bows and maybe some white lights(like Christmas lights you already have). Table decorations for the reception can be as simple as jar lids spray painted a wedding color with a dollar pillar candle inside with some ivy surrounding it that you've cut from someone's yard that you know. Maybe buy some confetti and sprinkle around the table.
The person marrying you can tell you the layout of the ceremony and the order of things concerning that.
Good luck on a beautiful and realistically priced wedding!!

Answer 4

There are MANY ways to have a nice wedding on a tight budget.
First, take a deep breath. Now, what do you already have done and what dont you have done? Email me and I will help you step by step. Here are some suggestions for now though:

Shop around, be thrifty.
*Look for an officiant who will do it for little to no cost (generally you can find one if you look hard enough).
*Get married in your house or backyard (or a park, check with parks and rec or the city hall in your area for prices).
*Wear a nice white dress or pantsuit (doesnt need to be a wedding dress... tack "wedding" onto anything and it triples the price!)
*Have your fiance' dress in a nice suit (tux not necessary). *Get flowers from your local grocer (or your own or a friend's yard if possible) and hand tie them with ribbon or go with silk if you prefer.
*You can get rings in silver for about $25 for the pair (upgrade to gold later when you can afford it) or go with no rings at all.
*Depending on where you live the license will cost anywhere from $15 (in NE) to $65 (the highest I have personally seen)
*For the reception, use the same location and host a BBQ or have a potluck and have everyone bring a dish instead of a gift, or have a "sub sandwich from a local deli sliced into small servings (very inexpensive)
*Bake and decorate your own cake (use boxed mix if you like) or make Cupcakes
*Play your own music from a CD or MP3 player (or skip music if you like)
*Print your own invites or ask someone artsy you know to do them for you
*Have a friend or family member take a few pictures for you or go to Wal-mart and get your shots taken together in your wedding clothes... you will want some sort of photo for your album
*For a honeymoon, think creative... turn off your phone, lock your door, get some nice candles, and turn your home into a retreat. Or if you are "outdoorsy" go camping and forget to tell everyone where. Think of things you havent done or seen in your area and become a tourist in your own city! Its amazing what you can miss in your own area.


For a how to on the ceremony:
Have the guests form a circle around you instead of "walking the aisle" if you prefer it. The officiant will greet everyone and thenak them for attending. The they will probably say something about marriage and the meaning of it. Then you exchange rings and kiss. You are pronounced husband and wife. (This is a VERY quick and simple run-through)

Answer 5

Reading some of the answers and scratching my head... dj's for 10 people? Arches? eek!

For this small a wedding you have so many options.... for one thing no aisle sounds great! It's rather silly to have everyone stare at your back! Why not do it in a circle? A circle of love :)

This is a great size group for a house wedding too! Doesn't take much to decorate a home.. especially if you have a Costco nearby! They do wedding flowers very inexpensively.. and you could buy a few dozen roses and put them in vases you already have.. and tada!

And you could either have the meal catered and stay in the home... or take everyone to a nice restaurant. Lots of them have private rooms. Ten people wouldn't bankrupt you for dinner :)

Keep your dress simple as well... cathedral trains or ball gowns would be out of place in a small wedding.. and that will keep costs down too.

I think you'll be able to pull off a lovely wedding on that budget... good luck to you :)

Answer 6

For the ceremony you could have it in someones backyard and just rent like an arch, hire justice of the peace to marry you. It all depends on how many people you have in the wedding, if its only a couple..then real flowers are not that expensive..maybe 200 dollars for 2 or 3 bouquets and then the boutineers. otherwise you could do fake flowers. Music you could just use a boom box or ipod. otherwise you could just look around for the best deals on dj's. mine is only charging 300 dollars for the night. you dont necesarilly need an aisle if you did your wedding ceremony. just use flower petals

Answer 7

first of all, congratulations on your upcoming wedding. now my suggestions

yes you can have a dream wedding! at the lowest cost! do you know anyone in your family or friends who's a baker? they can make the cake for you. what to serve? great aur deovres and little pastries do excellent for small gatherings...again, someone you know can contribute those too. decorations? nowadays balloons make great decorations...choose white balloons along with your theme color balloons. you can also make your own bouquet(real or artificial flowers, both look great)
create your own aisle to walk down, if the wedding is at your home the entrance will do. music can be downloaded as well and played in a cd player, how about a friend or relative who can sing or play an instrument for the ceremony its excellent.
wear a simple white dress like a cocktail dress or even a skirt suit (one friend of mine wore a nice white pantsuit at her house wedding!) sparkling fashion accessories, white shoes and a little wreath or tiara will do. your groom can wear his favorite dress suit with a nice tie. as to drinks, a great punch, wine, and softdrinks are excellent....and don't forget the champagne!

believe me, with 10 people invited, your wedding will stand out and be alot of fun! more time to share with them and have a great celebration.
for my wedding (second and also on a budget) I plan to have a simple cocktail gathering with our family.

again, congratulations and what counts is that you enjoy your special day!

Answer 8

Contact me through answers if you'd like. I did my wedding for under $1500 or so. I've got a lot of ideas; too many here to write out!

Answer 9

get ppl to pitch in! Have someone take your photos, make your own cake, or have some one buy one for you as your gift. Thats how we did it! Granted ours wasn't under $1000 and the numbers kept blowing out (but the parent that kept inviting paid for them so that wasn't up to us) but I reckon we did it under Australian $5000. Have everyone pitch in!

Answer 10

if you cant afford a wedding you arent ready for marriage