Where in the world do I start...I can't believe my eyes...plz read more..I need as much advice as possible.

Question

My Fiance and I have finally agreed to get married next spring either in April or May...so for fun I've registered on www.theknot.com and added my guestlist and so forth. Well, I search on google for photographers and wedding venues and I can NOT believe my eyes how expensive everything is. Yes, my dad is most likely going to pay for it but I couldn't imagine saying to him "Dad, I found a photographer and her STARTING rate is $2,000!!!"...Is this realy going to be that expensive? I live in Northern Virginia and the searches I have done shows up so expensive. I was thinking I'll find a wedding photographer for a starting rate of $100 to $500...not $2,000! And don't even get me started on the prices for the venues. This is supposed to be my special day so the only extravagent things I want is my dress (which I've already found) and the venue. On the knot.com is shows 3 dollar signs ($$$) - whatever that is. Plz help with any and all opinions...

Answer 1

it's as expensive as you make it or want it to be.
i found a lady to do my invites on ebay. $92 w shipping for 100 invites, envelopes, address labels, rsvp post cards, thank you scrolls, reception cards and registry cards
i'm doing silk flowers instead of real. look at afloral.com
i found my cake at shop rite, i'm getting one to serve 50 and the rest of the guests are getting sheet cakes from bjs. nobody knows where it came from bcse it's cut up in the back/kitchen area.
we are having our reception at the local fire house that my fiance belongs to. it's only $275, more for non members but still under $500
look at craigslist for photographers or post you are looking for one. see if someone will give you a cut rate if they add your pics to their portfolio- of if they will give you a disk of pics to print your own instead of having them print them
that's one of the most expensive things i have seen too

i don't care much for the knot site myself. it caters to ppl willing to put out major bucks. but that's me.

oh try joining your local freecycle group on yahoo for free things.
you can tons of goodies for free... wedding rose petals, decorations etc...
and keep an eye on craigslist too.

i am waiting for a few prices to come back for things but my budget for 140 guests for my wedding is just under 3k. thankfully i am saving a ton bcse my fiances family is catering it.

oh look on ebay for favors and things too! i found 200 organza bags for $20. i'm putting chocolate hearts and kisses in them (shop for them day after valentines day and easter for great savings)

Answer 2

OK!

First DON'T PANIC! It's going to be ok.

You need to decide what you can comfortably afford. This means setting a budget and sticking to it. You don't want to start married life in debt.

You live in Northern VA huh? Yeah, it's going to be expensive up there. It's near D.C. (I live in hampton roads).

You and your finacee need to sit down and discuss a guest list. This will just about determine the type of venue your going to need. Here are some ideas to ponder? Is your family more casual/laid back or more formal/elegant?

Do you want your wedding to be casual, semi-formal or formal?

Photographer: I went to the local junior college where we were married,and I hired a photography student. We paid the person $50.00 for two hours. This included prints and some of the negatives. We also had the person sign a contract. The pictures turned out so well that he got a job with one of California's top newspapers as a photo journalist. Our wedding pictures were some of the photos that got him the job.

$$$=LOTS OF MONEY!

I hope this helped. Good Luck.

Answer 3

Weddings are insanely expensive. And getting more so all the time. The prices you stated sound like the "going rates" to me. My friend is a wedding photographer and she gets about $2500 for the average wedding.

You can save $$ on the venue by having your wedding on the beach, or at a park, or at someones home. You do not need to serve a complete meal, hors d'oeuvres would be plenty. Cakes are really expensive, too. Some brides are saving $$ with their wedding cakes by buying an small, elegant one and keeping it out for "show" and for cutting the cake with your hubby, then wheeling it back into the kitchen where sheet cakes are then cut into pieces and served to the guests (who have no idea they are not eating the pretty one they've been looking at all day).
Most venues will not allow the bridal party to hire an outside caterer, nor bring in a meal themselves. You can save by not having food. A wine and cheese bar is an inexpensive way to go here.

I hope I've helped you.

Answer 4

Almost every newspaper, depending on the size of the area it reaches, host a bridal show. So do a search for "bridal shows in........" The host of the show will definantly have a web page and on that page you will be able to view all the vendors and possibly their websits. Also...the web is great but make sure you actually go to the bridal shows. There you can register with local venues and be intered into drawing. Down in Texas some of the vendors actually will give you a discount if you say you saw them at the show.

I can understand that the only extravagent thing you want to pay for is your wedding gown and if you can make that happen way to go. However, you can typically assume to spend about 15-20% of your budget on your reception venue. Again thought go to the bridal show and register, register, register. Bridal shows hold a wealth of knowledge. They bring all the vendors in a certain area together making it easier on you, so you can eliminate places, without actually having to go visit them.

Check out PWG.com....they act like an online bridal show :-) Happy Hunting and congrats!!

Answer 5

Weddings can be extremely expensive but they don't have to be ... You can have a beautiful wedding on any budget it just takes a lot of work and creativity. I don't suggest skimmping on your photagrapher but in your case you may want to find someone locally who is just starting out and willing to take some work at a reduced price (make sure you see a sample of their work ). If your ceremony is held in a church you can minimize decor cost because churches are usually beautiful and cozy anyway , Or if you have to have decor in the church use it at your reception site as well , you can hand make your boquets with flowers from your local grocery store or Price Club and your reception can be held at a local park, rec center, highschool caferteria (if they have a nice one , my old highschool has a nice cafeteria) or in the halls of local civic groups and lodges . Like I said you have to think hard and be creative but you can do it !! Congratulations I hope I've given you some help and remeber to enjoy your wedding for its purpose which is bringing you and your fiance together as one.

Answer 6

Why not look for someplace like this in your area?
http://www.serenitysedge.com/weddingsrevised11-06.htm
or this?
http://www.norrishouse.com/Leesburg_Virginia_Weddings.htm

1. Keep your guest list small.
2. As for photography, why not contact a local university? Ask if a talented student will take your pics at a reasonable price, just to get the experience.
3. Same for musicians. Seek talented music students.
4. Venues? Your regular place of worship? Many churches have halls one can use for the reception. How about a park? A family member's home or yard? Many bed and breakfast inns offer reasonably priced packages for small weddings.
5. DIY. Do it yourself. You and/or talented friends and family members do as much as you can.
6. I've seen invitations at Dawn for as low as $42 per hundred.
http://www.invitationsbydawn.com/
7. Silk bouquets here: http://www.thebridesbouquet.com/?gclid=CJ-z642dw48CFShsGgodC0TEJA

Check out the budget brides bio here:
http://community.theknot.com/cs/ks/user/page.aspx?username=BudgetBridesBio

And good luck to you.

Answer 7

Yes, unfortunately everything is ridiculously expensive. The trick is to shop around and negotiate. We had planned on spending $6,000 and ended up closer to $10,000. We managed to get our D.J. to throw in an extra hour for free. The photographer added a few extra pictures as well. Keep looking around and ask friends what they paid for their vendors. Good Luck and keep shopping!

Answer 8

daaaang, ok well i havent gotten married yet, but i know that prices are crazy when it comes to weddings! my friend just got married and she actually had one of her really good friends take the pictures...and OMG were they freakin amazing. shes not even a photographer...well she is on the side kinda, but she actually didnt even charge her for them and theres seriously like well over 1000 pics of the wedding. she also did alot of em on photoshop or somthing and she was able to make some pics black and white and have the boquet in color and stuff like that..omg they were amazing. if you know someone that likes to photograph ask them if you can look at their work and ask if theyre interested. it never hurts to just ask. plus that if they do say yes then, your savin a whole lot of money!!!

Answer 9

you can easily spend 15-20,000 dollars at your wedding (for a party of 100 or less) .....photographers and food is what will set you back the biggest amount of money - However, you may def. shop around for photographers that start out less (possibly $1,000 packages - but def. not lower than that for good quality pix)

Answer 10

try calling a local university art department. You can try and find a photography student who would be willing to take your photos for the experience and a small sum. --most students have a portfolio you can review--plus get a recommendation from a professor in the art dept.---remember many of your guest will be taking photos as well....ask them to send you any great shots they get.