Tight budgets....

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ariane on March 19, 2009 at 11:54pm

I need ideas for saving money too!!

We have been looking into friends and family members contributing to our wedding as "gifts" their services, such as His grandparents have a flower shop and we are asking them to donate (or cut costs) for our flowers. They are also going to help us out with Tux rentals.
We are also looking into friends and relatives possibly doing photos and music for a lowered cost...but we shall see.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brittany B. on March 20, 2009 at 12:07am

Hey, It is always great to get some help. We are actually wanting to go on a honeymoon....no matter how small..it doesnt have to be in the bahamas or anything...just somewhere we can be together...so we have asked our guests to contribute to our honeymoon...there are sites if they dont want to get you cash that they can purchase you things for your honeymoon...Also..if you live near a college..I would maybe see if a student who is needing pics for graduation or portfolio would like to do your photos..maybe for free or a small cost...since after all you would be helping them out too....just make sure you get samples from them...Good LUck! Wish you well on your day!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Leonard Britt on March 29, 2009 at 10:13pm

1) have the reception at the church or same location as the wedding but just have hors d'oeuvres instead of a formal meal
2) if you want a formal reception at a separate location, choose a banquet hall where at least you will have one pricetag which represents a large portion of the expenses; if you try separately contracting out each individual service it will cost more and you will go nuts trying to select photographers, florists, limo services, caterers, etc.
3) on the honeymoon don't have dinner at the hotel restaurants; breakfast is ok but dinner can run $100 at a resort hotel
4) as with any major purchase you need to comparison shop but don't overdo it; you will need to reserve banquet facilities well in advance as dates fill quickly; if you have your heart set on a particular date as we did (our three year anniversary) and you visit too many places over a period of several weeks, the place you like the most or which offers the best combo of location, service and price may be taken; all the other couples are looking for the best deal as well!
5) we know of one couple that had the wedding at the church but had no reception and spent the money saved on the honeymoon
6) make sure the photography portion of a banquet hall package includes an ample number of photos for both families, friends and an album for the couple; photos over and above the standard will cost extra - in our case $7 each and the photographer maintains the rights to your wedding photos so you cannot make copies! perhaps some photographers may not insist on copyright but I understand this is standard practice; of course friends can supplement the photographer's photos but this is one area to not get cheap
7) choose a honeymoon location somewhere you have never been but not too far from home; we live in Florida so it was a little easier but we visited the Florida Keys and Naples instead of some distant location
8) have a friend or family member do the invitations (take them out for dinner and give them a small gift of thanks) rather than having them done professionally; don't do them yourself because you have too many other details to arrange and invitations do take time to prepare (I started and quickly realized this is going to take too long)

Best of luck

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Amy Qualley on April 7, 2009 at 12:39am

Try to make it to any and every bridal extravaganza, show, or open house that you can. One, you can win prizes and discounts off services, and two, vendors and reception halls usually lower their prices if you book them at a show.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Joanne Cademartori on April 13, 2009 at 10:06pm

There is a great book called Bridal Bargains. Definitely read that book. It helps so much.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michelle on April 16, 2009 at 8:01pm

For my wedding I am going to have my aunt and uncle cater my wedding. I think this will also be a fun way for the guest to pick what kind of food that they want to eat. Plus they can also have as much as they want. If you know some one who has a catering business ask them to do your wedding.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tami Gutierrez on April 17, 2009 at 12:15pm

Ways I've saved or plan to save money planning my wedding ... Go with SILK flowers and not real ones.. they're so much cheaper and you can save your flowers forever that way. Also make your own invitations - you'll save a bundle!! I bought a color printer and the program for my computer - paid $350.00 for all that and plan to make my own invites which is about $1000.00 less than what I would have paid a printer to do it for me. There is a website called americanbridal.com - they have tons of discounted wedding accessories and favors - I got a lot of really nice favors and ideas for my reception through their website. And one more thing I've found is that ebay and craig's list have all kinds of brand new wedding dresses, custom made for about $200-500.00 which is again about $1000.00 less than what you'll pay in a bridal shop!!!

Happy Wedding Planning!!!!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Carla on May 22, 2009 at 3:18pm

You can find wholesale flowers at www.FiftyFlowers.com but you can also check out Walmart and find a bouquet of 6 roses for $3.99.

If you are looking for more tips though on planning a breath-taking wedding on a small budget, you should definitely check-out www.BronzeBudgetBride.com, click link to go there!

I hope that helpes but yes silk flowers is another option but the velvet ones look more real and you can find those at Efavortmart.com at this link. They look like this.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rochellie Gillespie on June 4, 2009 at 8:18pm

I did all the flower arrangements, and decor myself, I bought the souvenirs wholesale, had family and friends take pictures and record which I will later edit to my own liking on my own computer, I got my dress on clearance at David's Bridal it was a perfect fit and my accesories, satin fingerless gloves and fur on EBAY brand new, I found a wonderful place with fabulous food on my budget, I printed my own invitations, took a couple of tries but were gorgeous I bought at Target CLUB WED. Absolutely gorgeous, beige interior uses Edwarian font in Black and velum cover with flowers in silver glitter closed with a bow, exactly what I wanted. WOW. I found the DJ on craigslist and he was amazing and on my budget, and I didn't have the ceremony at church since it was my second wedding, so I paid an officiant $300 for the ceremony exactly as I wanted it! A humble dream come true. Most importantly is my relationship, I am going to spend a lifetime with this person and the foundation we build together is more important than one day. So I did not splurge I thought of our future, and still got what I wanted under budget. Many blessings.

PS: Also you should have your bridal party help you with the decor and making stuff it's fun, brings everyone together and helps put a TOTAL on the event. SWEET!!!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by tasha on June 8, 2009 at 2:58pm

my mom and i have always done arts and crafts and my mother have done flowers and decorations for a couple of weddings so when i told her that i was getting married she said that she wanted to do everything from flowers to making my veil. i tokld her that would be fine with me. now i'm not going to just let her work alone i'm going to help with alot and with me not getting married till 2011 that gives us a lot of time to do stuff and put it aside so when it is time for my wedding we will have everything done. if you are able to do some stuff yourselve do it like for material to decorate go to a cheap fabric store and you'll be able to get all your fabric really cheap and you may even be able to get some ideas from there. i also got this book called the diy bride it's a book that breaks down step by step on how to make everything from silk invites to ring brearer pillows.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kayla Barker on June 29, 2009 at 11:08pm

E-bay or Craigslist is a wonderful place for many purchases. We found a beautiful veil on ebay for $24 and is nearly identical to the one at David's Bridal for $199. If you are creative and crafty, you can purchase bridal tulle at Walmart for about $1 per yard and create your own veil. They sell the combs for the veil there as well in their Bridal Department. Use Swarovsky crystals or pearls as adornments and make it truly unique for as little as $3.

We found my daughter's tiara at a shop in the mall for $35 instead of $178 at our Bridal Store. Our home town has a "dollar store" (although some items are priced up to $20) that has a wedding section, and they carry tiara's for $5, Ring Bearer pillows for $5, Unity Candles for $5-10.

Silk flowers are not always less expensive than real flowers. I was a floral shop manager for 3 years and you can make a beautiful bouquet with 5 Gerbera Daisies or Roses tied with complimentary ribbon for around $20 each.

Cost savings for a wedding cake is one of two options. If you have your heart set on a huge beautiful cake, speak with your cake maker and ask her to use styrofoam for some of the bottom layers, decorating them exactly as the real cake. Otherwise, order a smaller "tier cake" for the ceremonial cake cutting pictures, and have less expensive sheet cakes available in several flavors available.

For petals for the flower girl to drop as she walks down the aisle, be sure to use silk. Real rose petals will stain some carpets. Instead of investing $10-20 on a bag of pre-cut rose petals, find less expensive stems at Walmart or Joann Fabrics and pull the petals apart yourself. You can fill a basket for about $3 - $5.

Don't spend $100 on decorated shoes. You can glue Swarovsky crystals onto strappy sandals, or classic white pumps for glimmer and sparkle. Another thought is, if your mom, grandma, special loved friend is wanting to part with their old wedding gown (or you find one at a second hand store), you may take some of the lace trimming off and glue it to your shoes. You may also use these lace pieces to create a special one of a kind hankie for yourself and/or your mother for your special day.

A ring bearer pillow is very simple to make. It takes about a 1/2 yard of Satin material and some ribbon. Cut your satin into 2 - 10" squares, sewing it together inside out, all but a small space for stuffing it, turn it right side out and fill it with quilt batting. Use more of the lace from your special find as listed above, or just a ribbon bow. Find the exact center of the pillow and sew through from the top to the bottom creating a "tuft". Please do NOT tie the real rings to the pillow. Too many mishaps have happened. You can purchase a whole bag of 20 gold-tone rings at most dollar stores. They work wonderfully and you can use the rest to adorn wine glasses with 2 rings and some ribbon.

I'll post more ideas as I think of them Thanks for reading, and may God Bless each and every one of you and your new marriages. Sue....(mom of bride Kayla)

▶ Reply to This