please help not sure if i need a wedding planner or not or if ishould do it my self its just going to be a church wedding with family and friends but wont it to be nice
2007-12-27 05:07:22 · 16 answers · asked by Marie21 2 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
Hi and congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding!
You DON'T need a wedding planner. That is what all of us here are for! And, with $2,000....you can't afford one. Just keep asking questions on this site.
Here is what you need to do....and do very soon!! (like tomorrow!)
~ Do you have the church booked already?
That is the first place to start. Get a date, call the church and get it booked.
~ Now what about a reception? Does the church have a fellowship hall? I hope so!
You CAN have a wedding with a $2,000 budget....but you are going to have to be VERY, VERY thrifty. Does that include your dress and his tux also? It can be done...but, again, you will have to look around and go "outside the box" with things.
~ So...book the church
~ Have a reception AT THE CHURCH. Probably with your budget you will only be able to have a dessert reception. This can be very, very nice though. Serve a variety of desserts: cake, brownies and a variety of bars (lemon bars, cheesecake bars, raspberry bars), pies?, have some fruit (as some people don't like sweets), maybe some cheeses and crackers, punch, coffee, soda, water. That's it! Make sure you indicate this on the invitation, though...such as:
"Dessert reception to follow the ceremony in the church fellowship hall."
~ Your dress: It is really too late to order something as most take about 12 weeks to come in. Look at ones on here:
http://www.target.com/b/ref=sc_fe_l_1_16033001/601-8566321-9544920?ie=UTF8&node=347006011
OR:
http://www4.jcpenney.com/jcp/x4.aspx?catid=51649&deptid=50434&cmAMS_T=X3&cmAMS_C=C5&CmCatId=50434|50453
OR....go to Ebay. Type in "vintage bridal gown"....some of these are SO pretty and go for only $20! They can be updated by removing the sleeves.
OR....go to a thrift store or second hand store.
~ Have only 2 attendants (a maid of honor and a best man) and maybe a flower girl if you want. This will save on gifts that you need to buy for the attendants and will cut down on your cost of a rehearsal dinner.
~ Cake: Get a small one from a grocery store bakery and then serve a variety of other desserts.
~ Have an early afternoon wedding (say 2 p.m.) with the reception immediately following. This way you can have the dessert reception because people will not be expecting a meal at that time of the day.
~ Flowers: Get flowers from Walmart and make you own bouquets. It's easy. Check online how to do it. You can get a dozen roses for $10 at Walmart, Costco or Sam's Club.
~ Invitations: Buy "boxed sets" of invitations at stores like Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, or Target. You get 50 in a box for $25-$30.
~ Keep your guest list to about 75 people....
~ Hopefully the church will have tables, chairs, linens, plates, cups, etc. that you can use. Otherwise you will need to purchase or rent these items.
~ Photography: I don't think your budget allows for this. Have friends and family do the photography.
~ Make out a spreadsheet of everything you need and what you can spend. Search, search, search for bargains! You can find LOTS of things at dollar stores, discount stores, thrift stores, etc.
I hope I have given you a few ideas! Good luck and get your plans started SOON (like tomorrow!)
2007-12-27 12:05:00 · answer #1 · answered by iloveweddings 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You need to start planning now! I have been planning for a little over a year now, and have found that some of the vendors I wanted were already booked a year or more in advance.
Cost wise, I would highly recommend that you choose a Friday or Sunday wedding. I am having a Friday wedding - cutting the cost by more than half for the reception. ASK - all vendors if they offer a discount for a Friday wedding - mostly all will (except some photographers).
Another way to keep costs at bay....have your reception at the church. Look online for good deals on decoration, favors, etc. Check out ebay, favoroutlet.com, or oriental trading.
Get your dress at David's ($99 sale), clearance racks, Craigslist, or look at a thrift store (you'd be surprised).
Hair & Makeup...do it yourself, but if you are like me and don't do makeup that often....go to the makeup counter at a major department store and they will do your makeup...all you have to do is buy one item (lipgloss or powder). go early for a test run....don't hesitate to tell them about it....they love it!
If you are using the colors pink or red....hit the stores the day after Valentine's day! I hit walmart and got all my artificial rose petals for $.88 a box! (they sell for $4-8 per small box anywhere else).
If you want a really fancy cake....look into buying a 'fake' cake... and serve your guests a sheet cake. I got what would have been a $600 cake for under $150! No joke!
Don't fall for those photographers with the fancy photo albums...go to shutterfly.com and do it your self for $20! I just helped my friend do hers and it looks better than the one they wanted to charge her $2000 for! Just ask for photo services and the pictures on a disk....then go get what you need from Walmart or any other store....or your own personal printer.
Good luck!
2007-12-27 05:25:22 · answer #2 · answered by Mrs. Connors! 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nobody needs a wedding planner. The most important thing you need to do is set your date with the place you are having your reception and ceremony. Everything else will fall into place. I planned my entire wedding in 3 days. Flowers, photo, etc only take a few hours each on a Saturday or Sunday. Also, if you are planning to buy a dress of the rack, then you're fine - but if you want a gown from a real bridal-y place, you need to order ASAP as they sometimes take up to 3 months to come in. Good luck, and don't go overboard, it will be lovely no matter what!
2007-12-27 05:17:54 · answer #3 · answered by diva2137 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
At first I thought you meant THIS Oct 8th, 2007 - then it would not be enough time. If Oct 2008, You're totally fine! I had to rush plan my wedding for 150 guests in a church and we only had 4 mos. It turned out beautifully because I had a lot of help from family and friends. Delegate different tasks to your bridesmaids (who will be happy to help) and the moms (they love being included) - maybe someone can order napkins, someone can order favors that you've chosen for the reception, and DO hire a planner or a friend who will be your spokesperson if any issues arise so that you don't have to stress about ANYTHING. Let someone else handle any issues that come up. The entire process should be a happy one for you and your fiance! Best Wishes!
2016-05-27 03:22:42 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just buy what you have to, keep it simple, The dress will cost the most. Ask around if anyone can do the flowers with out going to a real florist also someone may be able to make a wedding cake with out charging an arm and a leg. Ask people you know about where to rent TUX'S for cheap, or depending on how fancy you want to be the guy's can wear nice new black jeans and white dress shirts. Make an estimate of what you want for the wedding and then go compare prices and different stores, and have fun!!
2007-12-27 06:13:34 · answer #5 · answered by cherrie022 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Considering a wedding planner will cost 2-3 thousand you don't have the budget. Do everything yourself family will be the only ones to comes unless your plannig to do the catering as well. Average 50-60 people appetizers only function willl cost around 1100 dollars. then you have your dress, the tuxes, and flower arrangements. I think maybe pospone it and save up some more cash unless family is pitching in some money as well. 2000 dollars you will be penny pinching.
Average small wedding will run you 3-5000 dollars. Consider how many people are coming that is a big one then go from there. I personally think spring 2009 and start saving.
Make it special you only do it once if your one of the lucky ones
2007-12-27 05:17:00 · answer #6 · answered by Livinrawguy 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Start planning now. Go as soon as you can and find a dress- you probably won't be able to order one, so you will need one off the rack, so allow time for alterations. You will also need to book your photographer and your church and where you will have the reception.
Congrats
And good for you having a short engagement.
Oh and it is WANT- not WONT- Won't= will not.
Edit**
And it is possible to do your wedding for under $2,000. You don't need any alcohol at your reception and you don't have to feed everyone either. just make it more of an Open house, with cake and punch and you can keep the budget down.
2007-12-27 05:18:59 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
if 2k is your total budget then you cannot afford a planner and better get started...you are most likely going to find that you will be having a do it yourself wedding as rentals and deposits usually cost more than you are willing to spend for the whole thing but you can do it. You will need to look at having a ceramony at the house or park. you could also have the reception(think cake,mints and punch) at the church as well. check with your friends who are interested in photography to do your pictures or video. it's casual but can be a lot of fun. you are definately going to have to be creative and enlist the help of lots of friends and family.
2007-12-27 06:08:28 · answer #8 · answered by mups mom 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well you can do your own wedding invitations, programs and maybe if you're crafty do your own wedding bouquets. Or try to find someone in your family that will help you out without needing to get paid. That would be my suggestions. Search the internet for cheap wedding ideas and see where that gets you.
Good Luck
ps. I just got married in October and I bought almost all my accessories e.i, wedding book, ring pillow, flower basket, etc. off eBay. Just double check to see if things will be cheaper at a discount store or online.
2007-12-27 05:15:19 · answer #9 · answered by angenico5920 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You should go to the JP and invite your parents and just close close friends to witness. Then afterwards have a reception. You dont have to get a really expensive dress. You can go to Davids Bridal or whatever when they have their bridal sale and get one for cheap. At the reception do something small and cute. You can ask people to give you money for your shower to put towards your wedding or towards your honeymoon. The wedding is what you want to make of it and anything is possible if you just put your mind to work. You cold even have the reception at a friends house or parents and just do something small and fun, it doesnt have to be huge! keep it to a minumum which will make it more intimate as well.
2007-12-27 05:53:14 · answer #10 · answered by Janna B. 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋