wedding for 1000? possible!?

Question

i want to have a very simple, fun wedding... nothing fancy...
but we are on a low budged because we have to get married 6 months earlier than planned.
the wedding will be held in a church, which is free.
the rings are all sad too.
so the only things we would need is dress, suite, and food for the party after right?
i think people will make pictures for us and videotape too.
is it possible?
do you guys have any ideas, sides in the internet for cheap dresses, flowers, deco, invitations, ... whatever we need.
i've never planned a wedding and have no glue where to start.
it's suposed to be next months.

please only serious answers.... this is suposed to be last miinute but fun for everybody.

i think we could have people bring food, like a kind of potluck. what do you guys think?

help really needed

thanks so much

the wedding will be in december this year (=

Answer 1

I had a friend who did a pot luck wedding and it was really enjoyable.

My wedding was last month and we were on a tight budget.

Here is a good flower girl dress website. They're cheap compared to what you find in stores and they deliver fast
( Already in stock!) I got my flower girl dresses for $30

www.pinkprincess.com

Invitations I would make myself. We did and they turned out beautifully.

Also, we bought all of our beverages from Costco because they have a great return policy. We were able to return the wine and beer and soda that was left over at the end of our wedding.

Have a friend be the Dj, and pick your music using an Ipod.


Try and find connections through people you know,

Like we knew our florist so we got a good deal. We also knew the minister and the Dj so we weren't charged much.
We had a friend videotape it as well, so we didnt pay him!



Don't go to Davids Bridal. I think their stuff is overpriced and has bad quality.

Don't wait to long to get your bridal shoes. Alot of places online are out of stock on wedding shoes.

Zappos.com has free overnight shipping and free return shipping for up to a year after you buy the shoes.

Also, DSW Shoe wharehouse has some good deals on bridal shoes.
Target.com also sells bridal shoes, bridesmaid dresses and wedding dresses. I ordered the bridesmaid dresses and liked them, but I found better ones in an outlet mall for $40! BCBG orginally $230 marked down to $40. So I would check out the outlet malls too if you have any around.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head! Good Luck!

Answer 2

Dress:
David's Bridal $99 clearance rack.
Target now has reasonably priced wedding gowns,
www.bridalonlinestore.com Most dresses are under $300
Ebay.
Consigment shops or Thrift Shops also have used wedding gowns.
White prom dresses can be used as a wedding gown too.

Invitations
Go to Walmart, ACMoore's, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, JoAnne or other craft stores, Thay have a wide selecton of DYI wedding stationary that you can print at home on your printer or take to Kinko's to be printed.

Cake
Walmart or any other supermaket have reasonably priced wedding cakes for a fraction of the cost.

Food.
You can have an cake and punch reception, a cocktail reception, dessert reception. Those type of receptions should be made at a non-meal time (i.e. mid-morning, mid-afternoon, late evening) so your guest would eat before hand.
Provide coffee, tea, punch, finger food only.
You can also opt for a pot-luck reception.

Venue
A local park, someone's back yard, a chuech's social's hall are the most budget friendly options. VFW, school cafeteria's and community halls are also budget friendly options.

Guest list
The best way of cutting costs is to trim the guest list. Have a small family wedding with no more than 25-35 people. Larger crowds require a larger budget.

No need to have a bridal party, or a limo, or a DJ. Have a witness, have some else drive you and have an Ipod or laptop play the music.

DYI all that you can. You can make your own bouquet and boutonniers and yoru own decor. Enlist the help of your friends that may have a special talent or are crafty to help you.

Borrow as much as you can, People will be able to lend you their cake cutter, ring pillows, etc.

www.orientaltrading.com has unexpensive decor and wedding items.


Skip programs, favors, unity candles, garter, cake toppers, guess books and other unnecesary items.

Good luck

Answer 3

This REAL wedding cost $100 (that's one hundred dollars). This Bride and Groom could have had any type of wedding that they wanted but they chose to have something "short and simple." The Bride and Groom rented a gazebo for four hours in a community park on a spring Saturday morning just as the trees and flowers were coming into bloom. The Bride did not wear a gown and the Groom did not wear a tuxedo. There was no Maid of Honor or Best Man. Two of the invited guests were the couple's witnesses. Over one hundred guests watched from the outside of the gazebo as the Bride and Groom stated their vows on the inside of the gazebo. When the fifteen minute ceremony was over the Bride and Groom got in their car and drove away. There was no reception. This wedding cost $100 (a Marriage License and the gazebo rental). So, decide what is important and plan your wedding with those priorities in mind. Answered by: A Certified wedding specialist / A Professional bridal consultant / A Wedding ceremony officiant

Answer 4

Maybe it would be a good idea for you two to go to the courthouse and get married, and then when you save enough money, have a reception. You don't say why the date was moved up, but if you will both still be here when the original wedding was going to be, have your reception then and go to the courthouse to get married in december. Or elope. Also, look into renting a vfw hall or something like that. (much cheaper, and find a budget caterer. ) Scratch things such as flowers, favors, etc. Most people won't even notice, and this will save you some money. If you want candles, try candles4less.com, go to wal mart to get votive holders, Just try to do everything on a budget. Maybe even have a late reception 8pm or so and do desserts and drinks only. Or just do a cocktail reception with appetizers and drinks. If you have the reception in a place that does not do the catering yourself you could buy the appetizers and liquor cheap from B.J's, Sams club, or costco and have a family member help you do the cooking before.

Answer 5

Is that $1000 or 1,000 people?
If $1K - dress, white dress from any department store. Suit jacket & trousers at any department store.

Since the church isn't charging for the facility, do they have a reception hall you can use.

You'll need to buy a cake, and punch and plates, flowers/decorations.... It can be done but you need to make a detailed list and stick to it. For table decorations you can get a little vase and put a couple of silk flowers in it. $2/table.

Don't forget you'll neet to tip your minister probably $100 or so. The church should let you know how much "an average amount" is.

Invitations $3/pkg @ Walmart. love the craft section. For decorations look at the dollar stores - 99 Cents Only and Dollar Tree are both good.

If you want to email me with your details - what you have so far and what you want, and where you're at, I can give you some help.

Answer 6

Hi and congratulations!

First of all, let me say that, YES, I think you can do this for $1,000 (or maybe even less)...it just depends. Here are my ideas:

~ The minister/priest DOES have a fee (unless this is a family friend). CALL the church and speak with him/her to find out their fee. (Figure $75-$100)

~ Then, since you are having it a a church....does the church have a fellowship hall where you can hold your reception? Most churches do. Again, inquire if you don't know. This is usually free if you are a member of that church, or a small donation if you are not.

~ A way to SUBSTANTIALLY save on your reception would be to have an early afternoon wedding with a small reception following. The savings comes from....not having to feed people a meal. What I have suggested to others, and now to you, would be to have a 2:00 wedding with a small reception immediately following. You can serve: finger sandwiches, assorted cheeses and crackers, fruit tray, veggie tray, nuts, cake, punch and coffee. This should be CHEAP depending on how many guests you are having!

~ Have ONLY a maid of honor and best man. Two attendants!
If you want a flower girl and ring bearer, fine, but keep it at that.

~ You can buy an inexpensive dress....but you NEED to look around! Go to thrift stores, second hand stores, and even bridal stores. Many bridal stores have "clearance" racks where they are willing to sell gowns that maybe have been tried on. Check it out! Otherwise, there are so many nice dresses out now that certainly can pass for a wedding gown.

~ Did you say you would be getting married next month? Beautiful! Around Christmas? The church should already be decorated, so you don't really need anything more. If not, get a couple of big poinsettia plants for each side of the altar and leave it at that!

~ Buy (or rent) your groom a tux. These can be rented for about $80!

~ Flowers....get a real simple bouquet for you and your bridesmaid and a boutonniere for your groom and best man. Keep it at that!

~ Don't forget the marriage license. That will be approximately $30-$50 depending on where you live. Call your COUNTY office to find out.

~ Do some elegant centerpieces for tables. Hopefully the church will have some tablecloths you can use. Cover the tables with tablecloths and get a small glass dish, fill it with some glass vase gems or marbles and float a candle in it.
Easy and inexpensive. OR...buy a bud vase at a dollar store and some roses from Walmart or Costco and put a few roses in each and some greens! Easy. Another idea would be to buy some small poinsettia plants.

~ Do you live by a Dollar Store, a Michael's Craft Store, a Walmart, a Target? Go to the dollar store for any napkins, punch cups, etc. Any of the other stores mentioned carry boxed sets of invitations. You get 50 in a box for around $25. Simply bring them home and print them on your computer.

~ Guest list: I would keep it really small. Less than 100 people. 50-75 would be good!

~ Cake: If you live by a Walmart or Costco....or ANY grocery store with a bakery....get one from them!

I do think you can pull this off. Just look around. The first thing to do is to get the date set with the church and find out if there is a fellowship hall you can use. I really DO NOT suggest a potluck. I think it would be better to do as I suggested with finger foods OR.....many people simply serve cake, punch and coffee after. This would even save more!

One more thing....If you are planning this for next month, the invitations should GO OUT NOW!! So you really need to get the date, time, etc. set very soon....this week! You will want to give your guests adequate notice - approx. 4 weeks would be good if it's going to be a small wedding.

Good luck!

Answer 7

What month is the wedding?
Well, you can get a wedding dress at David's Bridal for $99 a few times a year but you would have to check to see when that sale is, otherwise you may have to buy a non-wedding dress off the rack that you feel would be appropriate. If you get married in the church around Christmas or Easter, there are often a lot of flowers there, so you may not need many. You can also order wedding invitation kits that you can print yourself if you know someone that is a little computer savvy. Bottom line, it can be done but you are going to have to make some real sacrifices in regards to "traditional" wedding things.

Answer 8

Dress: Buy a white bridesmaid or prom dress. There are some that look like bridal gowns for a lot less money.

Tux: At a lot of tux rental shops, if you order so many tuxes, then the groom's tux is free.

Invites: Go to Michael's and buy print your own and then spruce them up with colored back grounds, and add ons.

Flowers: use silk and have family/friends help you put them together

The best money saver is get as much help as possible. Get your family and friends involved and you will be surprised how much people are willing to help out, they can help you make your centerpieces, decorations, flower arrangements, food and cake.

Best of luck!

Answer 9

Is the number 1000 suppose to mean for a $1000 budget or for a 1000 people guestlist? Sounds funny I know but nowadays anything goes.

You should offer the Officiant at least $100 which is considered a donation to the church. Your dress can be bought at David's Bridal for $99, tux can be rented for $80,a small bridal bouquet could be $65,flowers could be bought by the bouquet in a grocery store for $10, single vase per flower $1(at Michaels), pull bows and ribbon could be $25, invitations can be made on a home computer for about $40(for paper and kit),potluck would work as long as everyone remembers to bring warming trays or can plug in a crockpot, ballons for decoration $25,have a friend take pictures, and what about seating,tables,linens,glassware,dinnerware,silverware etc.?

Consider a friend to marry you at a local park instead. Have your ceremony and reception at a private residence. Have someone make centerpieces for your tables.......

Not easy to do on a small budget but can be fun.......

Answer 10

One of your biggest expenses will probably be the wedding dress. If you don't mind going nontraditional, just find a really beautiful formal dress (maybe ivory or even any color you really like...I'm getting a nice jewel-toned orange dress for my wedding), which you can probably find on sale during the summer for cheap. I bought a blue prom-like dress which was really beautiful for only 30 dollars one summer (down from $150) But of course, if you're getting married before summer, this may not work.

Also, check ebay and your local craigslist. People are selling used wedding dresses, decorations, even rings for very discounted prices. There are websites to rent stuff on, including the wedding dress. Just google it.