Good websites for a cheap casual wedding

Question

I am tryin to spend the least amount of money on my wedding because my parents have already done a ton for us so far. So are there any good websites for cheap flowers or anything wedding related...also i need to put together a rough guest list is there a good website that will help me do that...i guess i could always do pen and paper but i would prefer online

Answer 1

theknot.com is good, but here are some tips from experience.  I'm not sure what budget you're looking at, but we ended up having a REALLY nice wedding for 80 people for $12K from start to finish (dress, flowers, tuxes, food, everything except the honeymoon - oh and the photographer my in-laws paid for).

I contacted local venues and asked if they had any dates that they would be willing to discount. I told them I could do it in 3 months. They were willing to discount a Friday night sit down dinner (around here, buffets are actually more expensive!) for a date that they didn't ahve booked (but you could do a Sunday brunch too!). Most would rather sell it at a lower cost than not at all and honestly, in 4 months (that's how much time we had) they probably wouldn't have gotten another wedding booked on that date because most people plan far in advance.

We lucked out in that the place we went had a on-site florist and gave certain things for free, but here are some options if you have to make your own centerpieces. Get a glass bowl at a craft store like AC Moore, put some colored stones in the bottom and float a few candles and flowers in it. This is BEAUTIFUL and adds to the romantic atmosphere (and is pretty cheap!). I also found you can order flowers online at costco.com, bjswholesale.com, etc(but I didn't use them, so not sure of the quality). They're basic sets, but you could use them. Or, go to a local florist and tell them you're on a tight budgtet and see what they can do. I'd suggest focusing on getting what you really want and pictured in your bouquet and the rest of the flowers is where you cut back. Your bouquet will be in all of the pictures and what you see and remember most. Make it what you really want. I also cut way back on flowers at the ceremony site. I only had a draped fabric and a few flowers in the corners of the fabric at the site. That was it. I figured we weren't there all that long and wanted to spend the money elsewhere. It looked great and really, we weren't there long, so I'm REALLY glad I didn't spend more on it! I skipped the favors. I foudn anything I liked was kinda pricey and people don't use them anyhow. You could just have nothing, or just make a small donation to a charity and ask if they have any cards to put on the tables at the reception. I made a donation to the ASPCA (we're animal lovers, so it was really appropriate) and they sent cards to put at the table free of charge (plus it's tax deductible!). Our guests LOVED it and all commented they'd never seen that before and it was a great way to not waste the money. You can use this "last minute deal" schpeel with your DJ and photographer too. Honestly though, after we spent WAY too much on our photographer, we ended up hating our pictures! If I had it to do again, I would buy a decent digital camera (like $300-$400) and ask someone I trust to just snap as many photos as they can. Or, ask all of your guests to bring their cameras because you're not getting a photographer. Most would love to help out and I bet you'd get way better (and more!) pictures. I really wish I had done this - I can't stress it enough! Oh, I made my invites myself. It wasn't the most important thing to me, so I saved money there and they came otu awesome (I got comments of how nice they were). I got boxes of invites at WalMart and printed them on my laser printer. I dressed it up by printing a Monogram at the top and then getting a jolee's flower sticker (nicer than it sounds, check them out) from AC Moore and put them between the monogram I printed and the wording of the invite. This also allowed me to make them all a little different! I got 5 different colored flowers.

Lastly, if you have a specific place in mind that you really want to go to, I say try it. If they offer you a discount because it's last minute or whatever, you could possibly afford it (I did and was SO thrilled because I really thought we couldn't ever have it there). Most places are also willing to offer up ways you could cut the budget. Don't worry about chair covers (no one notices that anyhow!), Keep your linens simple if they're offered cheaper, things like that.

Oh, as if I haven't babbled enough! We did a tab bar that we set at what we could afford ($1,000) and had the plan that after that, the bar would charge if someone wanted alcohol. It ended up being enough, but keep in mind that 1/2 of our guests didn't drink. But it's MUCH cheaper than an open bar (which is OUTRAGEOUS!).

Congrats and have fun! After all is said and done, you'll be so impressed with everything you've done!!!!!

Answer 2

theknot.com

Awesome site and can help you with any budget!

Answer 3

This webpage has a TON of awesome advice on how to budget a wedding and still have it be fabulous along with suggestions for various websites:

http://community.theknot.com/cs/ks/user/...

Answer 4

Hi.  Well, there are websites probably....but why do you need a website?

And....why do you need a website for your guest list?  Just start typing in names of family.

Aunt Sally & Uncle Fred

I guess I don't see how a website will help you with your own guest list.  

Anyway....there are lots of cheap ideas:

~ Have a small guest list

~ Have a small wedding party (a maid of honor and best man only).  This saves on purchasing gifts for the attendants and also on the rehearsal dinner.

~ Have the wedding and reception in the same location (a park, garden, church, someone's house or backyard.)

~ Look around!  Everything from your gown to the photographer can come in less than the average if you are willing to look around and go "outside the box."

~ Buy a gown "off the rack."

~ Buy flowers from a grocery store that also has a floral department.  They will be much cheaper than a regular florsit and they are trained designers!

~ The same for your cake.....go to a grocery store with a bakery.  Do you live by a Walmart, Publix, Costco?  They have great cakes!

~ The reception is the biggest portion of any wedding budget, so that is the area to save.  How?  Have a morning wedding and a brunch reception.  Have an early afternoon wedding (2 p.m.) and have a recpetion with appetizers and desserts.  Much, much cheaper.  

~ Don't waste your money on favors, table cameras, limos.