HELP!!!!...budget ideas

[kari]

HELP!!!!! I am a newly engaged bride and I am totally overwhelmed by this whole planning thing. I guess thet my biggest problem is that I have a budget and not sure how to have a nice wedding but not go over my budget. I think that my budget is an adequate amount but as my mother wuld say "I have champagne taste of beer money"
PLEASE...andy help would be greatly appreciated. :)

[greenolive44]

Hi,
I do NOT have an adequate budget but plenty of time to plan. This is what I've learned:
1. If you can do it yourself, do. You can save so much money this way.
2. Join theknot.com and chat on your local board. You will get a lot of information about everything from how to save money to positive and negative experience with local vendors.
3. Look on ebay for everything from the dress to wedding favors.
4. Buy things as you go along and find good deals. If Michaels is having a sale, buy invitation supplies with any extra money you have lying around. Not only will that be something to get off your mind, but it'll save you a lot of money towards the end.
5. Be willing to have your wedding at a unique time, place, day, or season. A 2:00 ceremony on a Thursday in winter with a desert reception will save you a lot more than a 5:00 ceremony on a Saturday in June with a full sit down dinner.
Good luck!

[Tiffany]

Weekdays are best for the budget. I just rented a place that normally costs $1800 for a Saturday night rental... on Thursday it is $400, I get the linens, china, etc. Have your wedding and reception at the same place. HUGE cost savings because rental does not go up very much if at all and you save on decorations. Some places you can have the wedding in one room and move to another area. If you get married in Dec. almost every place is pre-decorated, churches, etc. with Christmas flowers. Hope you like red in that season! Just ideas. Plus, weekdays EVERYTHING is discounted from photographer to catering. Use Ebay for things like wedding bells, bubbles, veils, etc. When my sister got married I emailed and called everyone I knew who had married for items used in their weddings; I borrowed the champagne glasses, after all when do you use the bridge/groom ones again? Borrowed the fancy crystal cake server, etc. I borrowed center pieces that were lovely! Get creative, I had fifty percent of the tables decorated with one type of center piece and the other fifty% with another since she had more tables then the people I borrowed from. All held floating candles. Dollar Tree is a wonderful place, too. I purchased wine glasses in my sister's color of peach, filled them with copper (looks peach in the glass) glitzy shredded stuff you put in gift bags. We tied the balloons to these with one glass at each end of the table. The guests used the wine glasses as take home gifts for those who stayed to clean up. This gave continuity to all the tables. Plus, cheap at $1.00 each. My sister now has wine glasses that she is not worried about breaking. Also, the guest sign in book was found this way as someone had an extra that I emailed. If girlfriends are going to throw an engagement party don't be afraid to ask for things like the wedding guest book, photo album, wine glasses, unity candle, etc. Then you can use the item in front of everyone! Have fun. Tiffany

HELP!!!!! I am a newly engaged bride and I am totally overwhelmed by this whole planning thing. I guess thet my biggest problem is that I have a budget and not sure how to have a nice wedding but not go over my budget. I think that my budget is an adequate amount but as my mother wuld say "I have champagne taste of beer money"
PLEASE...andy help would be greatly appreciated. :)

[angre69]

AS SOON AS I TOLD MY PARENTS THAT I WAS GETTING MARRIED, THEY PUT ME ON A BUDGET. I FOUND ALL OF MY FLOWERS (SILK) AT THE DOLLAR STORE AND BIG LOTS. MY AUNT IS MAKING ALL OF THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR NOTHING. I FOUND MY WEDDING DRESS ON SALE, MY SHOES I NEEDED A PAIR FOR A WEDDING I WAS IN SO I AM JUST USING THOSE. I HAVE CUT COST WHEN IT COMES TO FAVORS. INSTEAD OF BUYING ALREADY MADE FAVORS, WE ARE MAKING THEM OURSELVES. THE HALL WAS ONLY $400 AND WE ARE GETTING $200 BACK AS LONG AS NOTHING GETS DAMAGED. I FOUND A REALLY GOOD PRINTER THAT MADE MY INVITATIONS, I ONLY PAID $177 FOR 350 INVITATIONS AND 100 PRINTED NAPKINS. THE BIGGEST SAVER OF ALL IS THAT MY FAMILY ALONG WITH MY FIANCE'S FAMILY IS GETTING TOGETHER THE THURSDAY NIGHT AND MAKING ALL THE FOOD AND DECORATING HALL WHICH WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, WE ARE SAVING ABOUT $3000 FOR DOING THE FOOD OURSELVES. HOPE THIS HELPS.

[DBRIDEDAS]

Hi ! I'm Getting Married Next August And I'm Trying To Find Ways To Save Like Crazy. One Thing We're Doing To Save Money Is Having The Wedding & Reception Atthe Same Place. My Wedding Gown Is Actually A Bridesmaids Dress & It Is The Most Beautiful And Most Unique Looking Dress I've Ever Seen. Go Online For Reduced Price Wedding Gowns, Try Bridesave.com, They Have Nice Gowns. I'd Like To Do The Food Ourselves And I Plan On Making Our Centerpieces And Favors. Also Try A Weekday Or Sunday Wedding As Opposed To A Saturday Wedding. Good Luck

[1125403]

You can save a lot of money by making your own wedding favors. You can make three tiered wedding cake soaps for pennies per guest! Martha stewart and guidetoweddingplanning.com have tips on this.

If you get married on an off-time you can really negotiate reception location prices. Never accept the first price.

When you find the dress you want, search for a better price, or try to find it as a sample.

The fewer bridesmaids and groomsmen you have, the fewer gifts you'll have to buy.

Invitations...make sure you order the correct amount. If the company has a 100 minimum and you order 130, but later find you needed 20 more you'll probably have to order another 100!

What else...oh yeah....transportation...limos are a pain in the butt. The groomsmen are the only ones who can truly enjoy riding in a limo because they get to watch all the bridesmaids struggle to get in and out! You might find a trolley or bus for less and it will be more comfortable. Or if this isn't important, go in your regular cars.

[erika_le11]

I was recently married in May and my lavish wedding was only possible through lots of bargaining! Bargain everything from the invitations to the favors!
(1) Ask any friends if they have any special talents. I had bridesmaid who made cakes, I had a friend who knew a printer to print out the dinner menu, I had a friend who DJs, I asked a family member and a friend (the two funniest) to emcee for the night and I had a an aunt who makes dresses for a living (all my bridesmaids dresses were custom made by her). The best part is, you can ask them to do these favors in lieu of a wedding gift.
(2) Also look into hole in the wall stores. These stores have lower overhead costs that carry over to a low cost to you! If you know someone with a wholesale license, but all your floral arrangements wholesale and design them yourself or ask a friend to. You can also buy wholesale flowers online without a license.
(3) Try to also cut out "extras" like a wedding program (people throw them away afterwards) or only hand out favors to every other guest as opposed to ordering for all.
(4) What I did with my wedding cake, I had a "fake" one made with real icing and a only one real layer to cut into for pictures. I chose a very expensive designer looking style but of course since it was mostly fake, it cost only 1/4 of the actual cost! However, in the hotel kitchen, they had sheet cake ready in the back (and ready cut). Once the "fake" cake was wheeled to the kitchen to be "cut" and passed out, the sheet cakes were ready to go and guests did not have to wait! As long as the sheet cake is good, who cares!

[nle5]

The hardest thing with a wedding is usually always the budget. Easy ways to stay in the budget are:

1.) Find out if anyone in your family or his has talent that they would like to use. Ex. My fiance's mother crotched my ring bearer pillow, the flower girl basket and my garters, my aunt has said she will be doing the cake as a gift, my mother, sister-in-law, and myself will do all of the flower arrangements. My fiance has an uncle that blows glass and will be making the cake top.

2.) Make your own invitations, save the date cards, etc. All of the supplies can be found at a Michaels craft store and possibly an OfficeMax or Staples.

3.) Use the suggestions of the others and have your wedding and reception on off days. Use the same facility for the wedding and reception. If you have a Saturday wedding then check out your community center to see if they have a gazebo for the wedding and then a huge room for the reception that might have a kitchen. If so see how much it is and then find people that you know that can cook real well -- use them to make your food.

4.) Get disposable ***eras and place them on the reception tables so that you don't have to use a professional photographer for the reception. Just make sure that someone has a list of the special pictures that you want from the reception like: you two entering as a couple, the first dance, the cake cutting, the toast, etc. Then you take the disposable ***eras and have them to develop at a time convienent for yourself. The pictures are yours to keep.

5.) Make a cd with the songs that you want to play at the reception and rent a sound system. Let the cd play all night with the songs that you choose. My brother did this at his reception and it was wonderful. The system had a mic so that we could announce any important times during the reception. This cuts the cost of a dj or live band.

6.) Make decorations and favors as you can throughout the time you are planning so that the cost doesn't hit all at once. Buy the decorations on sale or at the dollar store.

7.) Shop ebay or find someone to make your dress.