Bride on a tight budget.

Question

How would you suggest on what to spend the most money on, i mean it's a lot of money for only one day, and for sure there are ways to cut on some of the costs, and spend it on something for the new home or so.

Please, any advice!!!

Answer 1

What's most important to you? For my wedding (less than $10-12K), we're spending the majority of the money on the reception/hall decorations. For you, you might want this big, fairytale, expensive wedding gown. Figure out what's most important to YOU and work your budget around it.

Answer 2

had my dream wedding and we spent around 2500. Here are some ideas to help cut corners. We had about a 100 guest show up, maybe 125, don't know the exact count. We anticipated around 200.

We cut lots of corners but it was beautiful.

Family member took our pictures.

Family friend baked both cakes for the cost of the ingredients. (Only the bottom tier of a 3 tier cake was eaten, and all but 1/4 of the grooms cake was left)

A lady at our church did our center pieces and decorations, she already had the stuff from a previous wedding and they happened to be in our colors.

We didn't serve a sit down meal, instead, we served cake, punch, grapes, cheese, dinner mints, peanuts, chocolate covered strawberries, and ice water for guests who didn't like punch. Ask around and borrow serving dishes/punch bowls.

The church let us borrow the table clothes for the tables.

We used the church greenery as a back drop.

I made the boutineers for the groom, my dad, his dad, best man, and my ring bearer.

I got mine and the maid of honor bouquets at micheals for 12.99 each, they were hand tied flowers.

I got all the party supplies from sam's and oriental trading.

Flower girl basket and pillow, I found them on clearance for 1/.2 price at the craft stores.

We printer our own invitations on my printer, I picked the invites up for 1/2 price at the craft store.

I used the craft store coupons (40percent) off the purchase a kit that included the guest book, pen, cake server, and flutes for toasting.

We had the guest blow the bubbles at us and that doubled as our favors, i personalized them and hand tied ribbon in our wedding colors.

I splurged on my dress and veil, but nothing over the top. Just ask about the cost of alterations before you purchase the dress, this is one thing I wish I did. My dress was detailed and the alterations were more expensive than I thought they were going to be.

Get your friends to play the ceremony music for you, or use Cd or Ipod.

Flowers for the centerpieces and the courages if you don't have time to make them, use the grocery store florist. They are cheaper and the flowers are just as pretty as the high priced florists.

Answer 3

1. Buy from wholesale stores. You can find online wholesalers or in the phonebook.

2. I remember watching the news about people who get their weddings sponsored by the vendors and they save thousands! You can find local vendors and online companies who can help you do it.

3. On church decorations, try to find out if there is a ceremony before or after yours. You can try to get together with their planner and see if they are willing to split costs with you. (Make sure that you would be able to agree on the same decorations too)

4. Subscribe to different newsletters and websites. A lot of them have deals with many vendors and pass on discounts to their members

5. We saved a lot of money by doing a lot of stuff by ourselves. But I also made sure to recruit lots of help. Sometimes "do it yourself projects" can be a little more difficult than expected.

6. Shop at sample sales for wedding dresses. They don't happen often but when they do they're amazing. Be sure to arrive early!

7. Look for wedding contests! Like this one:-) http://nuptia.ca/profile/registers.html

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Our main focus was photography and venue, and we compromised, and DIYed the rest. Preserving the beauty, elegance, and budget =]

Answer 5

Don't skimp on your Photographer. Hire a professional to take your pictures, so you know that they will turn out.

Also, the thing that people usually remember most about a wedding is the food.

Skip the favors, people just throw them away/eat them anyway. They are just not needed.

There are many places online that sell pre-owned wedding dresses for not alot of money. Or you can always go to a place like Davids Bridal for your dress.

Go to a craft store like Michaels (or even Walmart) for you invites. They have kits you can take home and print using your own home printer.

Centerpieces don't have to be elaborate. Just put a few candles on the table (you can get candles on ebay for cheap)

Answer 6

I'm in a similar position as you and this is what we're doing:

1. no registry.... this way we'll just get cash (we'll buy what we need later instead of get expensive things from stores that have registries)....most stuff are cheaper at outlets!!!

2. no rsvp cards, the invitation will ask to call or go online to rsvp (great savings!) ... we're making our own inviations. check out vistaprint.com and look at their invites... they usually give away alot of stuff for free and you can choose linen finish and then decorate the cards with ribbons yourself to make it extra nice! Check out orientaltrading.com for blank cards :)

3. asking for service as presents from close friends and family instead of gifts, (ie photography, videography, cakes,...). Always check with local wedding show websites and local craigslist websites for service providers... some of the ones there are too hard to find in google, etc. and are usually better priced! Ask around on craigslist and your local theknot.com website for referrals.

4. flowers: i'm doing it myself with my bridesmaids. Check with Costco, they sell 25 roses for $16!!! You have to order two weeks in advance and they have a great range of colors.

5. makeup: I called around alot and finally called a makeup college and asked for their graduates. I'm getting a free consultation and then will be able to discuss prices with the grads which should be much cheaper!

6. hair: i got a clip on ponytail hair extension that was only $40 and is amazing!!!!!!! all you have to do is style the front and clip that on the back and voila! you look like a queen!!!!!

7. cakes: though i have a friend who may do it all... I've found a chinese bakery that charges by the pound and also found a little french bakery that can make slab cakes. This is the basic deal: if you say it's your wedding and you want a three tier cake, they'll charge you an arm and a leg. If you say you want three round cakes (give the dimensions that feed your number of guests in total) and then get the stand yourself or rent it or get a cascading stand. Option 2 is to get a small three tier cake the same pattern as above and order one big slab cake on the side. This way you cut the cake for pictures and the servers will be able to cut the slab cake in the back and quickly serve to guests.

7. we won't have music but you can definitely cut the dj out by having your ipod hooked up to good system... personally i don't like the side remarks of djs anyway and you can have a few bridesmaids in charge of this task

8. i ordered my dress online and getting it tailored here... much cheaper!!!! Shop around in boutiques, note down the style, etc and check for them in websites... I've ordered from www.bestbridalprices.com . Will let you know when it comes in :)

9. the wedding will be at a restaurant so setup and all is practically much less, food is great and not much to decorate. We're getting buffet which has a great variety.

10. jewelry for the day, i'm not buying it, it's tradition for us that the inlaws buy the bride a set so i'll be wearing that

11. bridesmaid dresses... they'll coordinate it with me and the budget it very low so everyone can afford their own dresses. Try www.gojane.com or www.shopshop.com

12. wedding favors, no thank you.

13. car rental... so far we're set on renting but if worse comes to worse we won't even!! i'm not in the mood to spend $1000 on a rolls royce for a day!

14. centerpieces: i'm going to setup vases with aquarium pebbles inside and water. right before reception, the bridesmaids will put their bouquets in the vases as centerpieces. two purposes, great savings :)

15. we don't drink or serve alcohol.

16. decorations, etc... check around in stores and craft stores like michaels and definitely check www.orientaltrading.com

As far as saving money, you'd be surprised how much money we all waste everyday. Make a list of your expenses and income and see where you can cut back. Make an automatic savings account and save every month!!!!

Use this file to figure out your budget, change the fields accordingly but first look at everything: http://www.vertex42.com/Links/go.php?url...

I'm sure I'm missing some stuff so I'll add more if I think of more... feel free to email me if I can help in anyway.

One piece of advice: when it comes to photography and videography, don't go cheap... all you'll ever have to remember your wedding are the photos and the dvd...

Also go to your local wedding shows and look for service providers, ideas, etc.

Good luck~~~

Answer 7

Most brides are on a budget, hun. It's just figuring out what's important to you, and then working with it.

For me, the photographer and location were the most important. I chose a hotel for the reception because the sit-down dinner was all-inclusive (food and open bar, and included all the table linens and china). As for the photographer, my theory is that the photos will last a lifetime, and flowers die the next day, so we're not having any flowers except the bouquets and boutonniere. The centerpieces are branches in a vase, with lots of candles for lighting. I also wanted a designer gown without the $4,000 price tag, so I'm having a company called Julius Bridal remake it for me for under $700, including shipping.

However, I think the best way to have an inexpensive wedding is to keep your guest list down. Each additional head means more food and drink, which adds up SO fast. Our guest list will be about 90 people invited, expecting about 70-75 to show up. Also consider having your wedding at an off-peak time (i.e. not April - October). Also consider having a brunch reception, or renting space in a state park and having friends and family help you cook or bring food (pot-luck style).

You don't need to have a fancy wedding if you would rather put money into a new home. My fiance and I live in a major city and already have an apt. we plan on living in for at least three or four years, and we have a car, so other than our registry items, we don't really need anything, so a more elaborate wedding was something we both decided we wanted. However, if you'd rather focus on your home, I would say to keep your budget at no more than $5-$10K (average wedding these days is about $25-$30K).

Hope this helps!

Answer 8

Figure out what the "must-haves" are for you and your FH. Different things are important to different people. My husband and I chose to have an inexpensive and informal wedding (under $1,000) and to spend a bunch of money on a cruise (around 6K). This was what was important to us. It all about what you're willing to give up.

Answer 9

I did my wedding for about $6K and it was magical! There are a lot of great ways to cut costs...especially when it comes to decorations! My wedding was beach themed, so i went to the local beach to get most of the stuff for my center pieces, sand, shells, some seaweed looking stuff...i've also had some friends incorporate cheap odd objects into their decor for instance, she did a bright green and brown and her centerpieces were large clear vases filled with green apples and water...may sound weird but they were super cute and trendy...i would def say to put the most into food for your guests and decor to get the right feel for the reception!

Answer 10

If I could only spend money on one thing, I would go with the food.  People still talk about the food I served at the reception my husband and I had.  In fact, we went with the caterer because we had gone to a wedding that served the exact same thing and we loved it so much we went with them.  Since our reception, I've had 3 people call them to do a tasting along with price quotes and one person has gone with them for their wedding reception.

Dresses can be picked up on-line and at the Salvation Army, Venues can be decorated nicely with a few balloons and potted plants.  DJ's are about the same no matter who you hire.  Anybody can play music.  The cake, it's cake, anybody can fix a Betty Crocker cake and put some icing on it with flowers on top.

Food is a bit harder to do.  

Answer 11

You will probably spend the most money on your dress and flowers.  

Answer 12

Don;t cut money on pictures. I did and it was a HUGE mistake. Pictures are the most importient part. I can't stand any of my pictures that I'm in. also Just as a piece of advice don't let a close friend of relative do your hair. that went to h**l also.  

Answer 13

I put the most money into our reception since that is where all the fun happens.. depending on where you get married ( mine was in a church ) you may not need decorations.