2007-12-28 05:02:03 · 9 answers · asked by trader 15 1 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
Ohh, I have a LONG answer! My wedding was just under $16K and it was fantastic. We had it in Houston last March.
Lets see if I can remember everything...We had it at a Bed & Breakfast so we didn't have to decorate 2 sites. It was outdoors, so we had a small floral bill, just my bouquet, a calla lily for each groomsman, and my BM bouquets. We also paid $60 for the greenery and flowers to be put around the archway. We bought our own cake flowers from Sam's Club the morning of for WAY cheaper than the florist would have done it for. We spent a pretty penny on our photographer because that's important to us, the memories that keep forever! I think it was about $3K for the photographer, and that came with a huge wedding album for us and some additional prints for my parents. The florist was his wife, so we got an additional discount there. I think our final floral bill was $400, but that included a huge $200 bouquet for me plus a free toss away bouquet. DJ was $500, dance floor was under $500, dress was $600, my jewelry was $30 (look for deals! Don't buy at bridal stores!), I used seal & send invitations and people RSVPd by phone so we saved on envelopes and stamps. My mom bought tulle from Hobby Lobby for under $20 which we decorate the aisle with (see pics at link below). My shoes were $45, my veil was $60, my makeup was free because I had it done at Estee Lauder at the mall and you just have to buy 1 or 2 products. We paid $6K for the wedding package at the B&B which included use of the entire house and Bridal Suites, wedding coordinator, bride's cake, coffee, punch, nuts, mints, experienced staff, security officer, parking attendants, tables, chairs, set-up, clean-up and one-hour rehearsal. After a certain number of guests, though, you have to pay an additional cost per head. I think it included 100 guests, and we had 200. So we paid a bit over the $6K price because of the number of guests.
I didn't want a DJ playing my ceremony music, so we got a string quartet to play for 2 hours for either $400 or $500, i can't remember. It was PERFECT for the mood. Very classy. They played after the ceremony during the cocktail hour while we took pictures, then the DJ played Sinatra-style music during dinner. We paid $150 for a professional bartender for the evening. This is a MUST so you're not liable when people leave if they get drunk and have an accident!!! We saved on alcohol by having 2 kegs (dyed green because we had it on St Paddy's day) and we bought wine by the case at Spec's Liquor so we got good deals. Liquor bill was under $1500 i think. Maybe even under 1K. My hair was $100. I can't really think of what else was there, OH we had a kids table with buckets with light-up bracelets, toys, and other fun stuff to keep the kids happy. That was under $100. Oh yeah, and we used big glass vases filled with water and floating candles for center pieces. It was lovely outdoors and the vase kept the wind from blowing the flames out. You can get clear vases at Target on sale, just keep an eye out! Ours were actually provided by the B&B, though.
We didn't do a lot of stuff ourselves because none of my family except my mom lives in Houston with me, none of his family does, and my bridesmaids were scattered all over the U.S.! It was a lot of work as it was, and I had nobody but my fiance and mom to help me. If you have friends to help, of course doing stuff yourself will always be cheaper.
2007-12-28 05:07:01 · answer #1 · answered by Katie G 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Enlist family and friends with talents! My wedding was beautiful, and it cost probably right around 5000, and we had 200 guests. Granted, we did not serve alcohol either. We set the date and had about 15 months to plan and prepare, so we had plenty of time to find the things we wanted. We did the flowers ourselves (my step-mom has a knack for that stuff), we decorated everything ourselves (step-mom again, adn mother in law), my brother-in-law is a chef, so we lucked out there....he prepared everything and we paid the ladies from my church 500 to take care of heating and serving and clean up. For our pictures we went with a small company, just a guy and his wife, so since they're not as commercialized they were cheaper- but the pics were great. DJ we found through word of mouth and same with the cake. Again, to find people who aren't as advertised will often be cheaper and more willing to work with what YOU want. It's really about being realistic and realizing that you can have a beautiful wedding for not a lot of money, but yet still be your "fairy tale". Congrats and good luck!
2007-12-28 05:12:21 · answer #2 · answered by Skiball 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Keep the guest list small, and cut out anything that isn't necessary. You can have an expensive-looking wedding for a small budget if you are willing to do a lot of the work yourself.
2007-12-28 05:06:49 · answer #3 · answered by duritzgirl4 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
it is real easy I am doing mine for only 7,000 and am having it all..
first keep your invites including the party under 200 people 150 is better
look for a hall that does the catering and bar included into the price
make everything you can or now someone who can ( like invites, favors, flowers ect. ) Flowers maid at home can be real and still be cheep
look for cheep dress' ( marysbridal.com has great dress cheep )
keep you party small
ask for family help to see if any one has a karaoke machine
look around for cakes. If you have a sweetheart bakery around they have great cakes at a great price
go to theknot.com they have a budget sheet that helps big time
good luck and congrates
2007-12-28 08:05:57 · answer #4 · answered by crissypeach 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depending upon where you live you will have to decide upon your priorities. I am Central PA and my wedding is going to run $15-$20k for around 175 people.
We are doing alot ourselves - centerpieces, putting together favors, do-it-yourself invites.
If you can find a location that will let you purchase the alcohol and you simply pay for the bartender, you are going to save yourself ALOT of money (I am specifically looking for this sort of venue).
Many venues will offer you candelabra centerpieces so you don't have to buy any! This is also a good cost-saver.
Just decide upon your priorities and take it from there.
2007-12-28 05:07:57 · answer #5 · answered by nova_queen_28 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Very easily. You just need to prioritize. Pick what is most important to you : the food, the flowers, the music, whatever. Spend more on that and less on everything else. Compromise on what you can. Set a budget and stick to it. Try using the budgeter on www.theknot.com, it really helps.
2007-12-28 05:07:00 · answer #6 · answered by Deanrijo 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Use fake flowers...you can add glitter or lights by battery and they still look fablous. Use lots of ribbon and lace. Use ebay to buy items like cake topper and more. Use all the resources online and in magazines.
2007-12-28 05:16:33 · answer #7 · answered by tweety_angel23 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
look in a lot of wedding magazines, they have great ideas for a nice, in expensive wedding, and ask around all your friends/family who had to plan their own weddings, if you can, hire a wedding planner, things go a lot smoother!
Good Luck!
2007-12-28 05:06:34 · answer #8 · answered by soccer*star 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In some areas that is expensive. In others it's average. So yes you can.
2007-12-28 06:38:33 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋