Helping My Future Sister In Law Plan Her Wedding?

Question

She is one of the nicest, kindest people you would ever meet, however her taste is questionable. IAnd she is extremly cheap. I have just started event planning and offered my services to someone else for free as long as I could take photos for my portfolio. She asked me to help her plan hers, and I agreed. I know, I know it is a questionable decision. I need some ideas that will help me make this wedding worth putting my name on, that doesn't break her budget and that will work well in a white rented tent. For example, a good place to buy budget linens, alternative ideas to flowers for centerpieces (no candles), creative ways to use lighting.

Thanks!

Answer 1

orientaltrading.com has great deals and use willowtreelane.com pick their valu-package invites save big to spent on something else you need

Answer 2

For flowers, you can buy inexpensive silk flowers and either or both of you make the bouquets and centerpieces from those. Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, and Michael's all sell silk flowers, and you can occasionally get a nice deal. Don't forget eBay!

If you can find a deal on wedding cake toppers, maybe make the centerpieces to have the toppers surrounded by the silk flowers. Or maybe use live plants for the centerpieces rather than cut flowers. You can put some nice fabric and faux pearls around the pots and they will look lovely.

For inexpensive linens, I'd suggest either a restaurant supply house or eBay (you'd be amazed what you can get on eBay!). Or you can just buy some nice fabric and hem the edges. Hemming is a quick and easy job.

I'm assuming she already has her gown, or already has an idea of where to get her gown. For food, I strongly suggest doing your own rather than catering. You can do as well as a caterer for a lot less.

You can order a lovely cake from the grocery stores (Kroger, Publix) that will look like an expensive catered cake for about 1/4 the price. Also, if you hit a few places like JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby with their coupons, you can get some wonderful accessories for a great price. I got a pen and silk holder with matching guest book for about 1/5 of what it was elsewhere. If that doesn't sound like a plan, you can also take a cheap guest book binder and recover it with nice fabric. It will look expensive with the good fabric covering it.

Basically, if you pick up a couple bolts of nice satin, silk flowers, and some faux pearls, you can do almost everything with it and it will look fantastic.

Oh, and as a BTW, I would strongly suggest she splurge on the photographer. The photos are her memories, everything else will fade in time.

Answer 3

There is an old saying: Quality, Price, Time. Pick two of the three. Keep this in mind.

There are a thousand ways to make a wedding fit a budget - the biggest is of course, fewer guests.

But you can make your own veil, limit the wedding favors, making the flowers do double-duty, hiring a great DJ as opposed to a mediocre band etc.

OK. Get a good wedding planning guide from one of the major booksellers. Use that as a guide to outline the expenses for this wedding. It's impossible to say how much things cost online - no idea where you live. Once you have this outline, you can start to look for ways to limit your spending - without compromising on quality. There may be some things that can go bye the wayside - monogrammed guest book and pen, for example - or using glass stemware as opposed to imported crystal. But she may wish to keep the $5000 dress she fell in love with when she first saw it in the catalog.

The idea is to have a place to start - use the outline.

For example, let's pick 4 things:

Dress, Cake, Reception menu, Invitations

Dress: rent a dress, buy it on sale, wear an heirloom, buy used.

Cake: buy from less expensive baker (like a chain store), have a friend make it, use alternative like cookies or cupcakes

Menu: Go for cocktail fare instead of the sit down menu, choose a less elaborate menu, have a cash bar or limit alcohol to pitchers of good Mimosas

Invitations: Get stock invitations from a stationery store, create your own using a computer, Offset printing instead of engraved. Use a cheaper "linen" type paper as opposed to 100% rag

The key is, to have a realistic sense of what things she wants in her wedding, how much they realistically cost (cheapskates are known for underestimating these things) and what she will and will not compromise on.

Answer 4

I'm getting married in August and spent the majority of my budget on the beautiful reception location. The rest..I made up for in dollar store items. There are tons of discount favor websites where you can find cheap frames for favors, candles/holders for decorations etc. just google "wedding favors" many of them have the same products but shop around becuse the prices can be very different. Here are just a few..
favoroutlet.com
favorwarehouse.com
dollartreedirect.com
wrapwithus.com

I chose dollar store candle holders (they look like wine glasses and come in tall medium and short) in an arrangement as centerpieces with candles in my colors. you could also fill them 1/2 way with water (clear or food colored) and a flower.

A friend just had her wedding at a historic venue (no candles allowed). She took those short fishbowl looking vases with the wavy mouth and made an adorable centerpiece. she first created a bundle of flowers that sat on the top (fake roses in her case), found battery operated tealights with a red flame for inside and lined the inside of the vase with thin strips of black construction paper. the result was great! They looked wonderful, didn't require water so they were made 6 months ahead of time, and gave that candle feeling without a real flame!

I also did dollar store flowers for my wedding...9 boquets, 14 butoniers, 2 decorative vases plus extra flowers for my cake & pergola swag for $120 tops. I got them at the Dollar Tree, some of their silk flowers look cheap, some look great and you get a bundle of like 6 buds for $1. I looked online & in magazines for an idea of the colors/style I wanted & recreated them with dollar store flowers, my maid of honor arranged the boquets then we wrapped the stems in brown silk ribbon and did a copper ribbon bow at the top of the stem... I love them!

Spend the most money on what counts...the food & the venue. no one will remember if the flowers were fresh but they will remember how good the food was & the overall atmosphere of the wedding. Cut corners where you can, all it takes is a little creativity!

Answer 5

First of all, don't buy linens, rent them. Centerpieces: how about a vase with handmade chocolate suckers to double as favors? As far as lighting goes, you can buy custom shades over spotlights with the couple's name, or hearts, flowers, etc. to throw that picture onto the wall.

Answer 6

i comprehend precisely what you mean and it sucks. Im getting married Aug.2d. My quickly to be sister n regulation has taken alot of my recommendations and used them for hers and he or she doesnt actually have a date set yet!! She has bought a gown that seems very almost same to mine, she choose for my colorations to be her colorations, even her engagment ring is very almost same. The lastest is she even appeared on the region the place i'm having my wedding ceremony so she will do hers there. So what I even have completed, is stopped all wedding ceremony verbal substitute from my faince's kin. in the event that they ask approximately "what do i think of im gonna do" supply them an thought you're no longer likely to apply. I dont even talk approximately my wedding ceremony to destiny mom n regulation anymore. you have a suited to be dissatisfied as I did yet, you cant decrease your standards for them, dont substitute something merely clarify on your fiance which you somewhat want each little thing to be a suprise to all people and which you need for him to no longer say something to everyone. If he has an analogous opinion, my what a suprise she could have if she attends your wedding ceremony. i'm hoping this helps and that i want you the better of success with the quickly to be sister n regulation. in case you opt for some recommendations or something on what I even have completed already to brush aside the sister n regulation permit me comprehend i will assist.

Answer 7

Try Brides.com and The Knot.com They have ideas to fit every budget and a community of brides to answer your questions.

Answer 8

If you are close to a Sam's Club or a Costco you will have trouble beating their prices. We bought all our linens at Sam's and it was cheaper than renting them. I had already made arrangements for someone to purchase them from me and now she rents them out for special occasions.

Answer 9

just look on line for wholesale party supplies

Answer 10

get a copy of Bridal Bargains. you can find it on amazon.com