Thank you guys for your advice, after thinking about it I decided it was a not so great idea, so now i'm looking for advice for a decent yet inexpensive wedding. Please give advice if your experienced and happily married. No negative comments please...thanks
2007-06-30 12:14:49 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
COUPONS! COUPONS FOR MICHEALS AND JOANN ARE A LIFE SAVER! *bows to the mighty coupon* you say hello my neighbor friend, may i have your coupon, hello my church friend, mind if i use that. soon you have many coupons! :) so you have saved 40-50 percent on some items already!
next it is important to decide a date and a theme so you can keep an eye peeled for DEALS! like we had a chocolate fountain for our wedding. after easter, we bought 50 of those small chocolate bunnies at 50 cents a piece SCORE! after christmas, my mother got one of those arc thing things that were meant as christmas decoration on sale for 75 percent off SCORE BIG! It is all at getting things when they think the season is pass. prime time to do this is right after valentines day, all that lovely heart stuff.
next is the art of borrowing. hello friend, i know you got married last year, could i please borrow your candle holder. hello co-worker, you know all that tule you used at your wedding last summer, do you have any left? :) people often do not need this stuff and could be thrown away. JUMP FAST AT SUCH TIMES! This is a race my dear and you need to win!
then comes imagination. there are items that are specifically made to do something. then there are items if you look closer, could make a GREAT REPLACEMENT! :O take all those christmas color sconces, spray paint them white, and GASP you have those things that go on the ends of the aisle! FLAWLESS VICTORY! So know what you want, then see if you can find an object half the price but can be the same thing!
TO THE YARD SALES! after weddings, some mommas turn around and sell all the items they used :O like the oh so cute little box stackable that went to decorate the room?! WHO CAN BEAT 2 DOLLARS?! Get up at the crack of dawn and search baby search!
time to get the huge cart and traffic the store that is SAMS (or BJS, something similar). Look at all those lovely napkins, 300 for 4 dollars, i think i will take some. 50 clear dessert plates, only 5 bucks?! It was like this store was made for brides! PLUS THE FOOD! depending on your freezer and menu, you can get a lot of items :O in huge quantities!!!!! THANK YOU MIGHTY STORE!
hopefully this has been a useful guide on how to save money...or maybe you just got a good laugh :) either way it made you happy.
2007-06-30 18:47:11 · answer #1 · answered by Christina V 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Determine how much you are willing to spend, then go with the necessities first: the location of the wedding, the cost of the minister officiating, etc. Certain venues charge more if you have your wedding on a particular day of the week (usually Saturday), and even more during the normal wedding season (April, May, June). To bring down the cost of food for the bridal party and guests, opt for light refreshments during the reception rather than a full meal. And for your honeymoon (if money is tight) go for a weekend away and save the Hawaii honeymoon for an anniversary trip later on.
Oh, and for the wedding dress, you can try two places. You can purchase a prom gown at a discounted price, or you can get a David's Bridal $99 gown (they're always on sale!). But it all depends on how much you are willing to spend.
I hope what I said helps. Good luck with your wedding!
2007-06-30 13:48:30 · answer #2 · answered by butterfly84 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everyone I know, including myself, who did not spend a lot of money on a wedding had it at a park or at someone's home. If you keep the wedding small you can save a lot of money and have friends and family help with getting the food together and setting up decorations. I had a friend who had her wedding in a castle in North Carolina on the beach. No fees were involved to have the wedding there. No one wore suits or tuxes or expensive outfits. The only cost involved was the food and the pastor. I got married in a park in WV, with pretty much the same deal. And I am going to a wedding next weekend at my MIL's house - this one is running around $500 - the cheapest one I have seen yet. There are a lot of avenues to have an inexpensive wedding - just be creative and don't be afraid to look at second hand shops for dresses or whatever you want for your wedding.
2007-06-30 12:24:00 · answer #3 · answered by Jas 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
there are a lot of ways to save money and have a great wedding.make your own invitations also shop for wedding supplies on eBay or any other classified internet place like yahoo classifieds.cook the food yourself and have friends and family help.let people donate their talents as wedding gifts like your wedding cake.have the wedding at a park or a nice home your or a friend or family members.keep your guest list smaller by only inviting close family and friends,its not necessary to invite every person you have ever met.keep it simple you don't need lobster or steaks.great food can be a BBQ type thing with salads and fresh fruit and chips and dip.everyone likes burgers,hot dogs and bratwurst.you don't need a band or DJ a good friend can operate stereo equipment and if you want alchol just maybe a keg or 2 of beer.decorate the hall yourselves with the help of your attendants after your rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.you can order pizza and drinks and eat it at the hall and then decorate .after the wedding and reception everyone pitches in and cleans up.congratulations and good luck!
2007-06-30 12:34:12 · answer #4 · answered by dixie58 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A few tips:
Instead of paying a lot of money to reserve a venue for the ceremony - choose a non-commercial site to have the ceremony such as a state park, a spot by a local lake, or on the beach. And if the setting is beautiful enough - you can save a ton on having to decorate the venue yourself! This will also save on booze because you can bring your own and buy in bulk from discount stores instead of having a business serve drinks and your family & friends having to buy their own drinks.
Look for used wedding gown businesses such as usedweddingdresses.com.
Instead of a live band or dj that would require payment - make cd's of your favorite love songs and have someone (maybe a teen family member who would consider $10 or $20 a lot of money) to manually change out the cd's when they come to and end.
Instead of a catering service - conjure up all the women in your family to help you in preparing a menu.
Look for do-it-yourself invitation kits that can be done at home with a computer & printer rather than ordering pre-made invitations.
Just a few ideas - hope that helps.
2007-06-30 12:27:19 · answer #5 · answered by VetTech1016 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Ha ha oh I've been their! and yes I'm happily married. #1 help-full tip: stop worrying about or trying to impress everyone else. This is your wedding, and all that matters is that you come out of it happily married to the man you love. That said:
Dress: I got a gorgeous gown shipped from china, costing a total of about $150. E-Bay
or you could hit up outlet stores, watch for sales, (I know David's Bridal always has sales w/ gowns as little as 99 dollars)
ceremony: I don't know if you have a church you want to get married in, but if not try a public garden, like a botanical garden, I reserved the sunken gardens in my town for $100 plus a $50 refundable deposit
reception: kinda depends on guest list size, for large crowd, can mom (or someone else) cook, you can find some really cheep places to rent if you get creative- or their is always well-off aunt Sue's large back yard? If your going to have a small crowd try just making reservations at a restaurant. I made reservations at the restaurant inside the Marriott hotel, no cover charge, all I had to do is pay for the food and drink. Their even decorated with candles and set up my cake for free.
speaking of cake- if your not to picky- I got a lovely cake from the bakery at walmart- $50.
Overall, have fun hon, and do your research!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Congrates (e-mail me for more ideas I got tons)
2007-06-30 12:36:01 · answer #6 · answered by JWilridge 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
WOW - so many great anwsers for you to think about .
this one is re your gown/outfit.
think outside the square as to what you choose to wear. your outfit does not have to be the ""traditional type"" wedding dress. If you look at frocks that are classed as evening/formal wear you will still find something that can be magical for your wedding without the cost.
Whatever you decide to wear should reflect your personality .
You could even choose to wear a nice pants suit or style of dress that you can continue to use after the ceremony .
after all your ***wedding dress** is so called as that is what you have chosen to be married in. maybe you have a friend who has an outfit you particularly llike that you could even borrow & personalise it with your own choice of flowers / accessories. Another option to a bouquet is a small handbag with a single bloom attached to it, or even a wrist corsage.
I make wedding outfits & have made many different ones over the 30+ years that I have been doing so.
As well as white gowns I have made gold ; pale pink; ivory/cream; green outfits. They have been ankle length; some with trains; some short ; cocktail length.
One that i still remember was a patchwork handkerchief hem skirt with a camisole top. the patchwork was from different fine white fabrics & also had lavender ribbon through it . This couple had their ceremony on a sea-plane as they flew to their island honeymoon destination. They had 6 people there ( themselves ; 2 witnesses; pilot & celebrant)
When I married we had just our immediate families ( parents; siblings & partners ) at a ceremony in the court house followed by a picnic lunch in the botanical gardens.
my daughter got married on a beach with about 50 people & booked a restaurant for their reception. They asked guests to pay for their own meals rather than give them gifts.
Remember it is YOUR DAY ( as in you & your finace) so have a day that reflects your personalities regardless of what anyone else's opinions are.
CONGRATULATIONS
2007-06-30 13:36:31 · answer #7 · answered by fairypelican 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My husband and I thought long and hard about this.It may not be your cup of tea, but we got married by a local judge in our local superior courthouse with our parents and a handful of friends present. It was so totally romantic and it only cost us our marriage license, my dress, flowers and we got a town car so we wouldn't have to deal with parking. I ordered the top layer of a wedding cake from a local bakery so we could cut something. We took photos on the steps of the courthouse, which is an historic building so they are really nice. We had our honeymoon on the shore and sent our families to lunch at a really nice restaurant while we hit the road. After we got married, we went home, cut the cake topper, enjoyed each other's company and hit the road. We have not regretted it for a second that we didn't have this HUGE thing with everyone involved. Our combined 9 siblings weren't even invited. We told people we loved them but crowds were not our thing. I have a wedding picture of me walking through the courthouse metal detector with my flowers. Funny. We have friends that say they wish they did what we did. It helped that I knew the judge personally from my work, but you can hire a justice of the peace.
2007-06-30 12:28:06 · answer #8 · answered by -- 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Instead of having the wedding at one place and the reception at another (two things to pay for), have it all at the same place. You're a tree hugger, rent a pavilion area at a park and have it outside, maybe set up a big white tent to provide extra shade/shelter. Don't invite every relative you have. Just keep it small and intimate. Instead of hiring a professional photographer, buy a bunch of disposable cameras and hand them out to your guests during the reception. They'll probably be better at capturing memories anyway, since they know the people they're photographing. Grill out and build a cupcake tower to save on food and cake costs.
2007-06-30 12:29:07 · answer #9 · answered by TR 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have the wedding in a park or some where outside . Either make your own dress or get a pretty dress at a cheaper price try www.Roamans .com they have beautiful dresses around 100.00 Have aafternoon wedding and just serve cake and punch for only your immediate family. I got remaried 13 years ago and spent about 300.00 for entire thing I made my dress husband wore his best suit and friend made a heart shaped cake for family and very close friends . We got married on Valentines Day
2007-06-30 14:45:37 · answer #10 · answered by norma 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋