I need some cheap wedding tips, I need to cut costs drematically. any tips?

Question

I live in toledo, ohio. if any of you can help, please write...better yet, if any of you are florists, or very craftly, please please help!! lol i was supposed to be getting married may 2008, but since i need between $6000 and $7000, i had to push it back 3 more years :(

live in toledo, ohio. if any of you can help, please write...better yet, if any of you are florists, or very craftly, please please help!! lol i was supposed to be getting married may 2008, but since i need between $6000 and $7000, i had to push it back 3 more years :( some terrible unexpected things happened and money is tight now, so i need some options. so far im making my own flower bouquets, i already bought my dress, and the catering is only $1300, now i need help on making things cheaper with everything else. i will really appriciate all answeres and thank you so much

i also have the hall and the dj

Answer 1

Planning for your wedding can be one of the most exciting times of your life, as well as the most stressful! Whether you are planning a large wedding or a very small one, there is no need to go to great expense to celebrate the happiest day of your life. Here are some tips on how to save money while planning your wedding:

Wedding Dress. Every bride searches for the dress of her dreams—which can cost dearly. Instead of buying a new design, one option is to purchase a discontinued dress. These tend to be less expensive and can often be found at smaller dress shops or even consignment shops. Another option is to purchase a used dress. Found in consignment shops or even in the classifieds, this can be a great way to save expense on a dress while still finding the dress of your dreams.
Food. Depending on the style of wedding you wish to have, food can be one of the most expensive parts of the wedding. To save money, consider heavy appetizers or a sandwich-style buffet. Also, opt for a cash bar or even no bar vs. an open bar. This will save you on purchasing alcohol, which is incredibly expensive. Asking your local grocer or a family friend to cater your wedding will help defray the cost of excessive food.
Another incredibly inexpensive option to consider is to serve only cake, nuts, and some beverages for your guests. This will cut down on the cost of food considerably while still enabling all guests to enjoy time together.

Reception Music. To keep the cost of music down, ask for referrals—but a DJ tends to be less expensive than a band. Make sure you obtain at least 3 different quotes to ensure you are paying for the DJ that will make your night special.
Tone down the wedding. Instead of inviting every single person you know, take the time to pare down the list of invitees. Invite only those closest to you, and you will save money on invitations, food, and a variety of other items associated with your wedding.
Invitations. There are many sources from which to purchase invitations, but one of the least expensive ways to purchase invitations is to do them yourself! You can purchase beautiful invitations that you can print yourself and save a small fortune at places such as Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc.
Flowers. Another highly expensive wedding item, you can cut the expense by minimizing the amount of flowers you have in your wedding. If you only have flowers for the bride, the groom, and a few key people in the wedding party, such as the maid/matron of honor and the best man, your cost for flowers will decrease considerably. Consider candles, lace, ribbons, or other less expensive decorations to make your wedding beautiful and memorable.
Location. If you belong to a church, or if your parents or another relative belong to a church, you can likely rent the church free to hold your wedding. Churches often also have a place called “fellowship hall” in which you could have a free place to hold your wedding reception.
If you wish to hold your reception outside of the church, consider renting out your favorite restaurant for the evening. This can also be an inexpensive way to have a great reception outside of the church.

If you choose to have your wedding outside of a church, consider having one outside! If you or someone you know has a beautifully landscaped yard, you could consider having your wedding there. With some beautiful white “Christmas” lights strung through the trees, along with ribbons and bows and other items, your outdoor wedding place can be one of great beauty at little to no expense for the location.

Attendants. The fewer attendants you have standing up for you at your wedding, the less expensive it will be to pay for dresses, tuxes, etc. Also, eliminating the flower girl and the ring bearer will cut the expense of your wedding considerably.
Wedding music. To cut down the cost of paying for a vocalist or musician at your wedding, consider only playing a wedding compilation CD. This can be just as beautiful and will not detract from the beauty of your wedding.
Budget. Before you do anything, set a budget and stick to it. Determine how much money you intend to spend on each item associated with your wedding, and do not go outside your budget. Ultimately, you can determine how to save money on your wedding by setting your budget and following it.

Answer 2

We had an even smaller budget but we had quite a few guests.

- My wife found and repaired a second hand wedding dress and made her own veil and the bridesmaid dresses. If you have a friend who can sew well enough, that may be an option.

- I already had a suit I used for my graduation. Just a dry clean and it was perfect.

- You can ask a friend to take pictures but only if they are a good and reliable photographer with good equipment. You will probably want some good quality pictures to keep for the rest of your life, so this might not be something to skimp on.

- We had a friend make the wedding cake.

- Since we were attending the church, we asked if we could use their hall for free. (We had done a lot of work like music and sunday school at the church so we were well respected there. This may not be an option for you.)

- Other friends have had an afternoon tea at the church for all those attending, but kept the formal reception small for family and very close friends. Again, these were well respected people who done volunteer work at their churches, so it may or may not be an option for you.

- I don't know if artificial flowers are cheaper, but they have the advantage that they are much easier to maintain, they can be obtained ahead of time, and they can be kept as a memento.

- We asked a friend to bring a stereo and do the music for us. Our best man was the MC at the reception.

- I made my own invitations and service cards (for the hymns etc.). I made them up on the computer, printed the originals and got them duplicated at a copy shop. A lot of friends have done same thing.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Make your own centerpieces. You can do floating candles, a small bouquet, a glass bowl with fish, anything.
DIY invitations. We got coupons, and paid $36 for 100 invitations (we needed more than 50 so we had to buy two-if you have a smaller guest list, you can spend $20 and then the cost of ink).THE RECEPTION-most expensive part of the whole shebang. Cut down your guest list, shop around to find a good price, or have family/friends do all the cooking. Don't serve alcohol, or stick to beer and wine (both cheap). Buy any alcohol or food you are providing at a bulk store, like Sam's Club.
Flowers-next expensive part. You can do any bouquets yourself, or have a florist do them, but stay away from the huge bouquets. There is something to be said for simplicity. Have a hand tied bouquet of sunflowers, lilies, whatever flower is in season, but downsize it, and keep it simple.

Photography: this is tough. Cut down on the amount of time. Only use one for two or three hours instead of the standard 8. Buy the proofs so you can have the rights to preprint them (at a MUCH lower cost).
Have a friend/family member drive you. Or, you can rent a car for the day-still MUCH cheaper than a limo.
Music-DJs tend to be cheaper than bands. If you can get a nice stereo system, hook up an iPod with a wedding playlist up to it, and then have someone you know make any special announcements.
If you do everything yourself, it will take MORE time, but save you TONS of money. Just use your creativity and you can have a gorgeous wedding for a small amount of money.

Answer 4

i had a budget wedding, only cost £1500 so it can be done. We had a friend bake the cake which turned out real good. We didn't bother with the car we just used our own. We hired our outfits instead of bought them, had a buffet for the reception which the room hire was free and the DJ £50. We were really cheeky and asked the hotel if they would supply the first round of drinks and they said yes. Always ask for a discount. We used fake flowers for the bouquette which is good as the wife has then in a nice vase we got as a present. If you already have your own home with most of the stuff you need then instead of gifts for the wedding ask your guests to help pay for the wedding!! If you know a freind who is really good with photos then ask them if not pay for a photographer. You don't really need a honeymoon so that is less money to spend. Only invite close family and a few friends, just tell them you can't afford the big wedding, you could always have a party at your house another day for your freinds to celebrate with you. Don't bother with the favours it is only the grannies that remember them anyway!! A good idea as well is buy a load of disposable cameras and leave them on the tables for the geusts to take pictures with as well and make sure they leave them. At the end of the day the wedding should be about you and your partner as long as you are both happy forget the rest!!

Answer 5

Well, if your still insistent having a big ta-da, like most brides are you can cut costs by: Having your wedding at a local park, backyard, community center, court house (yes, they will let you do a little decorating at the court house). Or you could do a simple ceremony at the court house and have a lavish reception. You could have a buffet dinner instead of a sitdown dinner. You could have a early afternoon wedding and have finger foods instead of dinner. Or if your on a really thrifty budget you can have a pot luck reception (yes, this has been done on a small scale, I've seen it). You could also rent your dress, instead of buying it. You could get your wedding cake from the baker at the local food store, instead of paying 700.00 and up from a wedding cake baker. You could use disposable cameras instead of having formal pictures taken. With this I suggest the Bride and Groom have someone picked out to take "THE" pictures so no moment is missed. Instead of a D.J. or a band do a mix on your ipod, or on a cd and have a friend be a D.J. There's lots of ways to save money on that special day, you just got to think about what your willing to sacrifice! Best Wishes!

Answer 6

Go to charity shops, no one will know.
Ive answered this before...
I have been married twice, the 1st cost me only £1000 in total and was in a church and the reception was a buffet in an old abbey.
The second one, 3 wks ago only cost abot £700!
I bought my dress in a charity shop for £50, my shoes (new) cost only £3 in the charity, tiara also £3. wedding album £4.
An alfred Angelo designer bridesmaid dress £6.
My boys were pages, one wore the suit that my eldest wore to my 1st wedding. I dressed me and my four kids for £170.
We went to a pub and joined in with the regulars and had a buffet from the pub with disco for £120.

You can do so much for cheap or free.
Keep it simple, keep it small.
Ask if anyone else around has been married or bridesmaid.
You will be surprised at how many people will have wedding junk in their garage or attic.

I have bought 3 wedding dresses in total
two cost £50 and the other one, an american designer cost only £25
you can find veils, silk flowers and even sometimes things like confetti etc in charity shops... dont be shy!
Good luck... its the love that counts.. not the money

Answer 7

3 more years, woh!
The best weddings i have been to are where the reception is outside. A buffet for the main meal, and no entree. This is a cheap option. Find a friend or someone who advertises they use there property for weddings, honestly the outdoors is the way to go.
We are saving $1,000 on our reception by using our wedding cake (mudcake) for dessert, we are having a small two tier and getting a large slab made of the same mixture to feed the guests. The reception staff will serve it to each guest with strawberries and cream for free.
There are so many ways to save money.
Just bargain everything down every thing is negotiable, just don't hold back coz if you can get a bargain why not try.
I made my own invites saved $$$$$.
I bargained down centrepieces, they were something different instead of flowers which are sooo expensive i used like grecian style metal wicker baskets they were rusty painted looking and filled them with Purple and green grapes.
and having small votive candles every where.
Place names i used a5 paper and listed the menu on it with thier name up the top and placed into a neatly folded cotton serviette.
I have seen so many photo's from weddings and honestly any camera can take beautiful picures, ask a friend, or go to a photography school and interns alike will love the experience.

Answer 8

Five best tips I can give you:

1. Go with fake flowers over real flowers, they look as nice, and they cost a lot less.

2. Have a family friend take your pictures instead of hiring a pro.

3. Keep your guest list small. The smaller, the better.

4. Go for a buffet style dinner versus a full course meal.

5. Get married on a Friday or a Sunday, rates for churches and reception halls are much less then.

Good luck!

Answer 9

Ways to save money on a wedding. I'm from around the same area and got married last year and managed to spend about 10,000 after honeymoon.

The ceremony site. If you haven't picked one and your wedding isn't in winter you can have the ceremony at a metro park for free as long as it isn't at wildwood! (The people at Sidecut were very friendly make sure you call them at least 3 to 6 months in advance to reserve.)

Flowers. If you look for a sale you can get fake flowers for the arrangements and all the attendants for about $200.

Reception. If you haven't decided yet and know some one with a big yard you can rent a tent and hold the reception outside. You can get a good deal on rentals at http://www.toledorents.com.

Food. If you can find a volunteers to help serve food you can order food at a local restaurant for cheap. I served Fazoli's at my reception. I bought enough for 125 people and it ended up costing me about $500 to have it delivered. People told me it was the best dinner they ever had a wedding.

Music. If you want no cost for music you can bring a computer with a bunch of MP3s and a nice set of speakers and ask a friend or family member to man the computer. I've seen amateurs do better DJing then the people I’ve hired. So buyer beware when it comes to DJs

Photos and videos. Know any Photography students? That my best suggestion. Or ask a family member or friend to take pics who you trust to do a good job. Make a list of Pictures you want to make sure you get everything you hope for.

Hope this helps

Answer 10

I'm sorry you had to push your wedding back. How disappointing!

I'm not from the area, but you could go with a single rose for each bridesmaid, perhaps a few for the maid of honor and for you. Keep the centerpieces at the reception small, perhaps just a pillar candle on a mirrored stand or see what the hall allows or rents.

You don't say how large the bridal party is or how many people are invited. Could you possibly have a smaller guest list?

Good luck!

Answer 11

My best friend went online and found wholesale flower companies to buy roses from. She bought a bunch of dark red roses and white roses for her bouquet and the bridesmaids' bouquets. Then we just made simple bouquets with just the roses and wrapped the stems with ribbon that matched the colors of the dresses. For her bouquet we did all dark red roses (about 2 dozen), white ribbon, and got some rhinestone wire things from a craft store to add into the bouquet. For the bridesmaids we used white roses (I think about 10) with one dark red rose in the middle, and dark red ribbon (to match our dresses). When we wrapped the stems we rubber banded them together first, then wrapped with green floral tape and then wrapped with the colored ribbon. All of the bouquets looked really nice and professionally done and she saved hundreds of dollars. She went ahead and ordered the boutonnieres from a florist because those are harder to make and we didn't have time to make them.

We also made the center pieces for the tables with the dark red roses. We just got some decent sized clear glass vases from Wal-Mart (I think) and put I think a dozen or a dozen and a half in each vase. We had one vase on each table. We also ordered a couple packages of dark red rose petals from the flower wholesalers and sprinkled them on the tables and the cake and food tables. It all looked really nice.

The only tips I can think of with using wholesale flowers is to make sure you know the exact information on the shipping. You need to get the shipping down to the exact day. If you get them to early the flowers will open too much before the wedding. If you get them too late, obviously you won't have any flowers! Also, you have to make sure you cut the rose stems underwater and recut any time that you move them to another container. You also need to keep the flowers cool (possibly refrigerated) prior to the wedding so they don't all open all the way up.

Well that's all I can think of. Hope this helps. Good luck with your wedding!