Me and my fiance want to save money to buy a house so i'm trying to cut down on the wedding cost, please help!

Question

what can i make instead of buying? Im planning on making the invataions, but thats all i can come up with? anything you can recomand would be very appreciated?

Answer 1

You can make your programs,invitation and other stationary!

Instead of ordering your unity candles and things from a bridal Store try like a Walmart!

You can make your bridal Party Flowers,make sure to have some ribbon on Hand!

Your veil shop around you problemly find it cheaper then a regular bridal store!

You can pick up a basket and decorated for your flower girls!

Answer 2

The most marvelous book on planning a reasonably priced wedding is Bridal Bargains by Denise & Alan Fields.  It was so amazing and really gives you thousands of ways to save without compromising on quality!  It's reasonably priced or you can borrow older editions from the library.

Answer 3

Here are some things I did (or suggest).

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!). Many 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 ended up going with their florist, but you can order flowers online at costco.com, bjswholesale.com, etc. 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 me cards to put at the table free of charge. 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 4

Well I must say I am right there with you. My FH and I are recently engaged and he just moved to Nevada to be with me from Ohio so we are currently living with my parents (never fun).  So we are in the same boat of trying to save for a house and for a wedding...

If it helps any... my FH & I will be making our invitations, save the date cards, R.S.V.P cards, bouquets (fake flowers from walmart work wonders), ring bearer pillow and basket & guest book... don't know how helpful that will be to you but I have found sites like brides.com, theknot.com and ourweddingday.com  to be rather helpful in finding ideas and figuring out my own makeshift way to make things at a lower cost.

Good luck on your wedding planning and Congrats to you and your FH :)!

Answer 5

you can make....

the programs, any favors you want to give out, centerpieces for the reception, just about anything!

also, I found a florist that charged by the "package" of flowers they ordered, not per flower.

my florist and cake lady took off the tax if paid in cash, you could ask if they are willing to do that.

try appetizer food instead of an entire meal

beer and wine without the liquor  

Answer 6

If you have a friend or family member that loves to bake you can ask them to bake your cake. A crafty friend can do your wedding favors. Save money on flowers by asking your local grocery store to order flowers for you and your bridesmaids can do the centerpieces and maybe even your bouquet. Have a cousin that loves to take pics and is good at it? Ask them to take pics at your reception. Hire a photographer by the hour and only to take your portraits. Cut your wedding list down. Do not have an open bar - have a signature drink instead. Hold your wedding on off peak season, even on a sunday, or early in the day.

Answer 7

Where do you live?  My husband and I take wedding pictures as a hobby.  We have done several weddings through the years, and people like our work.  We are reasonably priced.

Answer 8

Rather than think of what you can make, think of what you can live without or how you can modify a tradition to make it your own.  

You can save quite a bit by careful venue selection.  Some places will include things that others will charge for.  Also, some venues will charge significantly less if you serve lunch rather than dinner.  Consider an earlier start time.  The bonus with this option is that you don't have to spend the entire day waiting  to get married!

Do all tables need centerpieces?  Can you get away with making your/the maids boquets?  Or could each of them carry just one stem?  Or do they even need flowers at all?

Trim back your beverage service.

Have a friend man the music or put together a playlist for your MP3 player.

Can a friend or family member make your dessert (sheet cake, brownies, cupcakes, cookies, etc)?

Just because it's done at every other wedding you've been to, doesn't mean you have to do it at yours.

Answer 9

sorry i dont have an answer but i wanted to see what everyone else says

Congrats on being engaged!

Answer 10

It depends how big your wedding is going to be. I helped a friend make centerpieces.

My own wedding was buffet style in the evening. We only needed one server.  

Answer 11

ur bouquet, boutineers and corsages. flowers from walmart or garden ridge and pins from hobby lobby. ur arch if u have sum1 who welds that could be their present to you. if u know sum1 who sews then ask for help with making dresses including urs and offer to help with this. simplicity has some awesome patterns for bridesmaid and bridal dresses and flower girls. the flower girl basket can be an old easter basket that you decorate with ribbon that match the dresses. get to know sum1 who cooks to make ur cake&rehearsal food, again offer to help as this can be a daunting task.  good luck and if u want ideas email me and i'll post my pics and find my brothers pics 4 ya!

Answer 12

rent a car not a lemo  

Answer 13

I am in the same boat!!!  However we are spending a lot on our honeymoon because you only get ONE of those, and I kinda feel the same about the wedding.  However, I am doing a lot of the things myself as well.  The best thing you can have on your side is time.  It will allow you to find the best deals for vendors and such.  But anyways for my wedding we are making a lot of the things ourselves too. Also being a perfectionist, by making things yourself, you get exactly what you want!!

card box:$30

flowergirl baskets: $3 (we bought cheap baskets, and covered them in satin, ribbon, and little embellishments all bought from walmart)

favors: $2 (ribbon, box, filled with candy, personalized label)

centerpieces: $5 (borrowing glass bowls and mirrors from the hall, will float a rose head in water, and surround with candles)

Candle place cards- $.60- (we got the candle for .20 and holder for .39 at Hobby lobby.  We wrap them with vellum and print on the computer.  this is used to decorate the reception tables AND as a place card.  AND for cheap!!!)

ring bearer pillow- $1.  (same materials as the flower girl baskets)

More ways to save money:  

The knot.com has things on sale in their wedding store from time to time.

Get tuxes at a place where the groom gets his tux free, and those places do free invitations a lot of the time too.  (however you do have to buy the reception  and response cards)

I heard having your wedding on a Friday or Sunday makes it cheaper (that bothers me, but might not bother you)

oriental trading has a lot of cheap wedding items (we bought our cake knife $17, aisle runner $25, wedding goblets $10 for the pair.... all look very nice)