After 19 Yrs, I Am Getting Married. How Do I Keep My Wedding Expenses Down?

I did not read all the responses, but I would think you could have a simple wedding and reception. I have been to several weddings where they had only cake and things to drink at the reception. The reception was not a huge shindig, just a simple congratulatory type thing.

One thing I will say, I tried to save money by doing everything myself (not the food, but everything else pretty much.....rented a space, tables, table cloths, set it up all myself etc). In the end, it did not save me much money and I was stressed beyond belief. In hindsight, it wasn't worth it. If you do a simple reception it might not be that big of a problem, but if you want to do the whole dinner and dancing thing, I feel that it is worth it to pay the little bit extra to have the "in house" people take care of it for you, if there is an option like this that you have.

I got married in Vegas, as I am cheap, and a Star Trek fan. (we got married on the bridge of the enterprise). A friend of mine did a cute wedding where her theme was "fall" and they made cute pumpkin centerpieces. There is no reason for favors, although a cousin did little bags of m&ms in their wedding colors, which was cute.

I made my own wedding dress, which definately cut the cost down, but if you dont mind a used wedding dress, I've seen a lot of people selling theirs on Craig's list. I think this is a great idea, since people generally spend a ton of money on a wedding dress they only wear once.

i was in a wedding for a friend who made cute necklaces and earrings for the bridesmaids as their present, which was very nice.

The main thing is for you to be happy. Dont buy into all that bridezilla, spend a ton on the wedding and go into debt business. Set out how much you want to spend and dont go over. Good luck!

To keep my expenses down, we were married in Vegas and whoever wanted to come, came. Then afterwards, we ate at Maggiano's. I say go to Las Vegas. Believe me, it does not lessen the feelings of happiness.

Reception-saving tips (i am a certified wedding planner): you don't have to have a sit-down meal! you can do a cocktail reception instead with just appetizers, cocktails and cake, if you'd like. However, if you choose this route, make sure you note that "Cocktail Reception to follow" or similar verbiage so that your guests are aware that it won't be a full meal. Plus, you can get away with using paper/plastic plates and utensils this way. For food safety purposes (and to avoid anyone labeling tacky), i would not recemmond making you own food food.

The cake is another big expense and you can trim that in a couple ways: 1.)if you know someone who can make it for you or 2.) i've seen lots of people with more untraditional "cakes" made from cupcakes put together really beautifully. if done right, this can look really neat.

Have a talented friend serve as photographer and/or videographer. Digital cameras can do amazing things!

For your dress, seriously, David's Bridal has some VERY lovely and economical options.

That's all i can think of with a squirmy baby on my lap, but if i think of more, i'll post again.

God's Blessings to both of you for finding each other and making you life together!!!

You have some wonderful responses already! I too planned our entire wedding on a very small budget that we paid for out of pocket. We did our entire wedding on less than $2000 and I managed to do it in 6 months. Definitely enlist good friends and family members to help, as well as use any connections you may have!!! One of our biggest expenses was the reception hall. We rented the local American Legion for $200. My husband is a Vet so that helped w/ that cost (cheaper for members... so if you know someone willing to "rent" it for you thats a plus.) Since they did not have any Legion events going on they were kind enough to allow us in to decorate the night before...no extra charge. (Its amazing what/where a little talking with the right person will get you) Our decor was simple... white table cloths that we got at a party store on sale, we used paper/plastic plates, forks, etc. Centerpieces were a tall slender tube vase w/ a single lily surrounded by small votive candles that we purchased in bulk from Michaels (using coupons!) I then used our printer to make little, clear labels for the candles that had my husband & I's name and our wedding date... these doubled as favors! We had our ceremony at a beautiful park in the area, which didn't cost us anything. As far as food went, we did have a full dinner, BUT it was some of our home-cooked favorites. My mom, aunt & cousin did all of the cooking. As far as dresses, I purchased mine & my daughters (our 18mo old flower girl) from a website that I happened to run across. I got both dresses, the crinolin & her basket for under $300. You might want to check it out. www.bridalstoreonline.com they also are listed under www.romanticgowns.com now. (I had fallen in love w/ a dress at a high priced, local bridal store. I definitely couldn't afford it & the salesgirl knew I loved it... knowing she could have lost her job if anyone else would have heard, she gave me the designer name & I started searching for it.... found it on this site, the exact dress for $850 less!!)
The main thing to remember is this day is about YOU & your hubby-to-be. Enjoy it and don't let "proper traditions" stand in your way :)

We had a very beautiful "budget wedding." My gown was actually a bridesmaid gown with a train (much cheaper) which could be ordered in white. Our wedding party was small (just best man and matron of honor) which cut down on bouquet/buttoneer expenses. For decoration we used English Ivy ripped from the side of my house and flowers potted in terra cotta pots which we painted. We kept our invite list small (75 close friends and family of which about 45 showed). I hired two friends on the cusp of the list to "cater." I pre-ordered sandwiches from Panera and a local bagel shop (lox) and had my "caterers" cut everything in quarters. We rounded that out with pre-cut veggie trays from the grocery store, fresh fruit (strawberries, pre-cut pineapple), store-bought frozen mini-quiches, and fancy crackers and cheese. I left all the pick-up and prep to my caterers. We also pre-bought a bunch of wine and a pony keg. We bought some cheap on sale white table cloths and clear plastic plates from party city. For center pieces I had one yellow tulip in a small glass vase (less then 50 cents each) and a silver-looking ($5) 5X7 frame with wedding or wedding era photos of my parents, husbands divorced parents with their current spouses, and all of our grandparents. The "welcome" table had a fresh bouquet of grocery store flowers. We bought CDs or downloaded itunes versions of songs we liked and compiled our playlist onto 2 CDs, used our own stereo but rented speakers. We had my matron's husband just start and change the CD when appropriate. For our cake we had the University bakery do a beautiful 2 tier cake (had the entire top tier left over) and it cost only $75. My hubby wanted Cheesecake for his groom's cake so we just bought 3 good store ones. Everyone complimented us on our beautiful day and I think it was. Maybe you'll find some cost-saving ideas for yourself within our experience!

Hubby and I spent less than $2000.- on our whole wedding AND week long honeymoon...

My younger sisters spent $3000.- on each of theirs...

Yes, making your own food will cut down on $$$. Not having alcohol will also cut down A HUGE cost.

Plan your wedding so it starts around 1 or 2. Then you miss the "lunch" and are done by supper... No need for an extravagent meal. My sil catered in sandwiches and salad... Or you can get the salad (potato, mac, etc ) bulk and just assign a teen to fill and refill...

Meatballs in crockpots would be a hot option...

Have the "reception" at a park with a pavillion and do a barbque... Assign someone to be grillmaster...

There are lots of ideas out there that are not tacky! Dollar store stuff is ok... But keep your eyes open! Clearence stuff at the different major craft stores is usually higher quality and can be really cheap! Think out side the box! If you want to do a "unity" candle... Instead of spending the big bucks, make your own... hot glue guns, gems, ribbon, etc Those special holders are a racket... Just buy some nice candle holders from Walmart... 99.9 Percent of people never notice all those "little" things that add up fast.

Check out yard sales... My sister got glassware for the bridal party for .25 a glass...

Figure out what your "theme" is and have fun finding things that work with it!

NOTE: By making all your own food you will have to keep the day AND night before the wedding free to cook. Unless you can "assign" specific people to cook for you... Make sure to have people assigned for set up, clean up and tear down!

Congratulations on your engagement! My hubby and I paid for our own wedding when were were still in college (23 years old). My mom made my dress and the cake was a gift from my grandma. Besides that, our total budget was under $2500! We got married right after Thanksgiving, so since our families were travelling to us for the wedding, we hosted a "traditional" thanksgiving meal for the reception! We only had about 30 guests (family and very close friends), so it was very small and personal. I bought flowers at WalMart (red & white roses) and put together my own bouquets and boutineers. We even rented our best man's tux and bought matching outfits for our 3 sisters (bridesmaids). Two of my close friends played our music (one on the piano, other on flute) and we had a local judge (justice of the peace) perform the ceremony. I made the invitations with paper from Michaels and a stamp that had the Corinthians I scripture ("Love is patient..."). It definitely looked homemade, but I did get a lot of compliments on the "personal touch." We didn't do favors, but did have disposable cameras. My mom and family friend did our photos & video and they turned out great. Like you, the most important to me were the man and the location. Fortunately, my man went along with whatever I chose, and we even got our rings at Walmart (his for $50, mine for $20)!! Talk about cheap!
So, just be creative and KNOW your budget! Know what's important to you and don't let anyone make you feel like you have to have this or that or whatever. Whatever you do, I'm sure it will turn out beautiful and you will only remember the best parts!

A wedding is just one day... the marriage is (hopefully!!) for the rest of your lives. Who cares about etiquitte and what you're supposed to/expected to do??? Do whatever feels right to you. You don't have to invite people you don't really want to invite. You can use paper products for sure. I don't know anyone from IL and how things work there, but I have been to weddings the "south" (GA, SC) where it was all home cooked food made by family members and church friends and it was so awesome. Pick a few things that are important to you that you can splurge on and do the rest on a tight budget. No one will care, and the ones who do aren't worth worrying about!

My friend got remarried to her husband (a couple years after they divorced--they eloped the first time) and they had a private ceremony at a local Gardens'. Then they had the reception in their backyard. They made all the food! It was probably the best wedding I've ever been to! It was so comfortable and easy going. They rented a bunch of tables and chairs and had a large yard with trees for shade. They had beer, pop, and water for drinks. For the sandwhiches they bought shredded pork in bulk from Sams Club. Then they had some fruit and salads, chips, etc. You could just get sheet cakes from Sams to save a ton of money too!

So, yes I think it would be fine to do the food yourselves. You could always have the reception at a local park.......

Definitely get the decor and paper products from the dollar store if that's where they are cheapest! That stuff just gets thrown away at the end of the day anyway!

As for favors. You could do something as simple as wrapping a couple Hershey Kisses in tulle and tie it with a ribbon of your wedding color. People appreciate the gesture. Mints and nuts on the table are a cheap way to have a little snack available too.

I bought my dress off the rack. It was an $800 dress and I paid $175. I loved it!

Go on craigslist to find decorations, dress, and other items you need. Many people try to resell their items to get a little money back. My brother got some great deals for his wedding there.

Susana, there is no right way. And now in the 21st century there are years of different kinds of traditional ways. I urge you to do what ever you can afford that you want to do and instead of stressing about doing the wedding the right way focus on doing whatever is fun for you. Even while you're planning do the sort of planning that is fun. Focus on pleasing yourself and your finance and having fun.

I've been to all sorts of weddings over the years and the most fun ones were ones during which the bride and groom were relaxed and confident. My own wedding was not fun. I forgot my priorities.

Making your own food is good. For me what is even more fun is a potluck with paper plates and napkins. My brother had his reception this way. No party favors. Dollar store paper products are fine. In fact some are the same as those found in "regular" stores.

I suggest that you turn over the reception to a friend or friends that you trust. Give them a budget and continue to consult with them but let them do the research and pull the whole thing together. Let go of some idea of perfection and focus on enjoying what happens. I've been that person a couple of times for friends. My work was my gift to them.

When is the wedding? I also suggest you let go of the idea of fitting into that dream dress. Do that dream dress in the size you are now unless the wedding a several months to a year away. My daughter found her dream dress at a bridal store's sale. She did look for several weeks and then found this dress. It was nearly a replica of the dress she'd drawn a couple of years earlier. It fit the size she was at that time.

If you wait to buy a dress you may not be able to find one that you like as well as one you find before you lose the weight. Also, it's been my experience watching friends that when they lose weight for a specific occasion that they quickly gain it back. If you've been working on losing weight for health's sake and will continue to work on being healthy that is another thing.

Please relax, focus on this soul mate and building a beautiful relationship, and let go of wanting a perfect wedding. Your relationship is the most important part of a wedding. Getting married with your friends there to share this wonderful day is what is important. Your friends do not expect perfection. They expect evidence of your love for each other and for them. Enjoy this time of planning.

Hi well I have to say I can't speak from experience because my husband and I had a justice of the peace "wedding" but we knew we couldn't afford a proper wedding. We had a 3 month old daughter at the time so expenses were tight. I just want to say speaking from my best friend's experience, try to stay within your means because they will be married 3 yrs. this November and are still paying on their wedding and it wasn't even that extravagant. Make this day about you and your husband to be and as long as you're satisfied with the results then don't worry about what other people think. Good luck and I wish you all the success in your new marriage.

In the old days, meaning till about the mid '60's most people got married and then had a small reception of cake, punch and coffee..Very cozy and all of the photos I have ever seen, everybody looked happy..

I do special events and the first thing I ask brides is "what is the most important part of your wedding?" Most brides go on and on about their dress, the flowers the reception.. Then I remind them the most important part is that they get to marry the love of their life and be surrounded by their loved ones.. the rest is icing on the wedding cake..

Make a list of your top 3 things. Sounds like the Chapel was one on your list so what else do you want to be exactly as you want? How many guests are you inviting?

Do you have an organized friend who will be in charge of the reception. Ask them to be there to organize the reception. Pay them an agreed amount. Here in Austin the Parks and Recreation will let you reserve their park facilities for very little money. Do you have a singer or friend family member who can set up music through their computer? This can have speakers attached for the reception. Liqueur can be expensive so if you want liqueur keep it simple, with white and red wine

You can make your own invitations. Hire a friend that is a good photographer.. just let them know the shots you would like to make sure they have..

At one wedding we did, the family made all of the food. 3 different people baked 3 different cakes and we hired college kids to serve and clean up.
Paper plates are fine , but you can also rent. Only the bride and groom had flowers and we placed fresh flowers on the cakes.

Do NOT stress about any of this. Just let the day happen and enjoy. People are not there to be impressed by the "stuff" they are there to support you.

Honestly, these days, I think that people have forgone "traditional" weddings in favor of saving money, or, more importantly, making their wedding day completely their own.

First, get your dress under control - decide your budget and start hunting. Look in the paper and craigslist as well. People buy gowns and never use them and eventually sell them at a fraction of the cost. I purchased a wedding gown at Nordstroms, on sale, for $79 - plus they dry cleaned it before I picked it up (like 100 people must of tried it on before me, yuck) at no charge. I know you want to lose weight, but I honestly wouldn't worried about it - your partner loves you the way you are :)

Second, decide what is the very most important thing to you about the wedding. Pictures, food, etc. It sounds like it was your venue, and that is going to be where the largest part of your budget should go then. For the other items (photographer, invitiations, etc), check around with your family and see if anyone has any talent that can be put to use. My uncle is a photographer and I was able to do my own invitations. A friend of my mom's made cakes, which helped too.

Third, I agree that timing can be everything. Doing a wedding at a non-traditional time could allow you to do just cake and champagne. Another idea would be to do a "backyard reception" after the wedding and make it sort of potluck. Have your closest friends/family contribute an item and get the "staple" food like chicken from a nearby deli or restaurant. BYOB will cut down on alot of $$ or you can do beer and set ups - still alot cheaper than liquor.

Finally, I wouldn't "dime store" your wedding to death. Sometimes plain and simple is better than lots and lots of dollar store goodies. Oh yeah - I would skip the whole "memoribila" item - you know like matchbooks with the wedding date and bride and grooms name and that kind of stuff. No one wants or needs it - your friends and family just want you to be happy, not broke :)

Good luck!

Hi Susana,
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!
My husband and I got married 5 years ago and paid for our own wedding/reception, although we did get a bit of help from our families. Our total budget was around $5,000.
My advice is to stick to your budget and don't get caught up in the wedding industry notion that your wedding has to be an incredibly expensive and elaborate affair. The best weddings I have ever been to have been backyard bbq-type events that were low-cost, but great fun.
You don't have to do party favors if you don't want, and go ahead and make your own food. Don't stress about "doing it right," do what is right for you and your husband-to-be. Get creative, have fun, and don't forget that the important thing is your marriage, the wedding is just one day.

What I did for our wedding is:
I held it in the afternoon... and had a "high-tea" sort of timing to it... thus I did not have to serve/cater for a meal-time, ie: dinner or lunch. It keeps costs down that way.
Just finger foods with tea. We did not serve alcohol (this increases costs).
The "reception" was right after the wedding, at the same site.

Then I got my wedding dress on sale, from a wedding shop, off the rack.
My Husband rented his Tux.
My wedding bouquet... was done by a friend's boss, who was a florist.

For the caterer, I told them plainly and honestly, that I had a budget... and was not a high-end spender... and if they could work with me on it. They did. They were fantastic about it all. They provided a great assortment of foods for a "high-tea" and a great menu which they customized for my budget. It looked fancy and tasted good, but did not cost a lot. And different teas of course. It was a great buffet... and very nicely done. And they even had a guy in a tuxedo serve the guests.

I did not have party favors. Its not necessary.

The caterer provided the paper products/cups for eating.

For our Pastor... he does not charge for his services... but we gave him a check for a good amount.

For a "photographer"... we had our friend do it, and the video. And we paid him what we could. And it turned out well. In addition to that, my sister also took photos, so we had a good assortment to choose from.

We had a small wedding... just very close friends and immediate family.

Our wedding rings... were matching bands. I am not none who likes huge diamonds or fancy rings. So that also keeps costs down, and my Hubby was glad I am not a jewelry maniac.

My total wedding costs... were $1,000 total for everything I mentioned above.
we paid cash for it all. Me/Hubby did not believe in going into debt, just for a wedding. Fancy or not, it is the moment that counts. Not "impressing" everyone. My wedding, was as I dreamed about... it was very special. Even though it was cost efficient.
Everyone was impressed... and complimented us on our wedding.

We held our wedding at a private park where my parents lived. No cost to us.

Just some ideas. All the best and congratulations,
S.

If I were to have a wedding, not a JOP visit like we did, I would do a BBQ. You can "hire" some teen relatives to do the grilling and keep it simple with just burgers and ribs or chicken. Home made potato salad, chips, salsa, corn on the cob.
At least, that's what I would do.

A wedding to me is a celebration of the joining of two families along with their friends. So if the wedding is for you both & your families & dear friends, why stress over money. they know you. they are not expecting you to drop thousands on this one day or in some cases a few hours. They just want to have fun & celebrate your day with you. Make it memorable, fun, romantic, & go with the flow. take the dough you have & spend it on the honeymoon! Anyone who is close to you & really means something will not mind this in the least! Some of the best weddings I've been too were small family affairs. I have been to some really fancy & expensive weddings and I feel it really takes away from the whole meaning of the day. The waste of money just seems to say to me, look at how shallow we can be. Just make sure guests are comfortable & provide a good atmosphere, beverages of some kind, light snacks, & clean facility. that is all you need & who could ask for anything more! Congrats on your big day!

Hi Susana, I have seen all types of budgets. I have seen hors devours, BBQ, make your own bean burrito, the whole nine yards. There are some great things you can do yourself, if you are creative and you have the time. Remember time goes quick! If you are planning to do things on your own, I hope you have about a year to prepare, or a lot of helping hands. I suggest, if you are having a small meal, you say that in the invite..."Please join us for hors devours and cake in celebration of our special day". That just lets your guests know not to expect a full meal and they should have some sort of dinner or sandwich before they attend. If you cook your own food, which I often do for my parties, you have to prepare food that it is possible a day before the reception and then the other food will have to be cooked about 5:00 a.m., so that you have time for yourself to prepare for the day. I usually start about 5 a.m. I am sure the neighbors wonder what is wrong with me and why I cook at such odd times. Have fun!!!!

SInce you already have a ton of answers I'll keep this brief. Three years ago my husband and I got married at a log cabin with only my son and another couple present. The following summer we had a wedding/first anniversary celebration at our home. We had a pig roast, cooked beef, and a ton of side dishes. (some catered, most prepared by myself and a few close friends and family members) My mother-in-law did all the desserts. (we skipped the traditional wedding cake) Everyone RAVED about the food and desserts
and I seriously doubt that anyone cared that we didn't have party favors. We had a friend operate the stereo system and hired a couple teenagers to help with set-up and clean up so we didn't have to worry about any of that. Despite the rain and very cool temps it was the perfect way to celebrate and we didn't break the bank doing it! Congratulations!

I LOVE all the responses you've been getting! It is so refreshing to see a post about a budget wedding. If you follow everyone's advice, you are going to have so much fun on your big day, and your guests will be gushing about it for years to come. I love the idea of a potluck wedding reception at a park or in someone's back yard, and I would be thrilled to be invited to a wedding like that. I would never consider that to be tacky, and I think paper plates and napkins are perfectly fine.

My husband and I got married at the courthouse before his deployment, and then we had a destination "wedding" a few months later. I think we spent less than $4,000 for the dinner (35 people), hotel, plane tickets, dress/shoes/jewelry, pictures/albums, and cake. It was so nice to start our marriage without a wedding bill hangover. Congratulations on your engagement, and have a great wedding!

Our wedding was outdoors - in the gardens at school where we met...and our reception was with appetizers. It was also low budget...there were 65 people...I agree with the posts about having buffet at your house - this is how we have handled all our high school graduations...or barbecue...I agree you don't have to have "party favors".

For inexpensive party favors, here is what I have done in the past. I made up scrolls with different quotes on them that talked about love and thanked the guests for coming. You can help get quotes online or just write your own thoughts / letter to your guests. I printed 4 of them on a piece of paper (I used tranparent paper) and then cut them with scissors with a cut pattern on them. Then around the edges I lightly rubbed it colored chalk. Finally, I rolled them up and tied a ribbon around it. The biggest expense with this project is the paper.

I host fundraiser annually and the first year we had a buffett dinner for all of the guests and the second year we order just appetizers. Believe it or not, it was cheaper to order the buffet dinner and there was much more food.

Remeber, this is your day - do it the way you want. Best of luck and Congratulations!

C.

S.,

I have been to weddings where the bride's family made all the food and it was a wonderful buffet dinner. I have also seen appetizers and soft drinks & punch and everyone at the reception danced all night. I have also seen cake and punch only receptions (much shorter, usually immediately following the wedding and at the church).
Your wedding guests will be there to support you, not get a free meal, so do the best you can and be proud of it.
Also, wedding favors are NOT required and I really doubt most people keep them after the wedding. If they do keep them, most of them get put away and forgotten about. If you are worried about your budget, I would forget the favors.

You can have a beautiful wedding on a budget. One of our favorite weddings with really good food was at a VFW where the bride's family/friends cooked pulled pork and corn on the cob. It was the best food and it was very informal so I think it helped everyone relax and have a great time. I think when wedding are too formal the guests don't get to relax as well.

The only important thing about a wedding is that the two people getting married are happy! So, whatever you choose is perfect.

Well, I don't know too much about having a traditional wedding. I am about to get married, just have to fit it into my schedule and budget. We used tax return money to buy our wedding rings, kept the budget at no more than 800 per ring. So we bought them a few months ago and have them ready. The marriage license is another 100, and as for a dress, I plan on paying no more than I have to since I am already 7 months along with baby. I plan on going to JCpenney , davids bridal 99 dollar gowns, or something else cheap enough yet wedding appropriate. None of our families are here so we are having just the two of us, the pastor of our church, and one witness to attend the wedding ceremony. No reception, dinners, bridesmaids, groomsmen, nothing. We are happy with this, and if I were you and money is an issue, I'd just go simple. The important thing is you are marrying the love of your life, and that should make the day far beyond perfect in itself.

Obviously, the one factor that will most influence how expensive your wedding will be is the size of your guest list. Keep the wedding small, and that will help a lot.

Catering is by far the most expensive portion of a wedding. If you don't want to serve dinner, have the wedding at a time when dinner wouldn't be expected, like late morning or early afternoon. Then you'd be able to get away with just having appetizers and dessert. Not serving alcohol would also cut expenses.

See if the chapel will give you a break on the rental if you do it at a non-traditional time for a wedding (like a Friday?). Saturdays would be most expensive.

I made my own invitations using my computer and blank cards from Michael's. I also had a friend make my wedding cake. Favors can be as expensive or not as you want them to be. Some people just do chocolates - you can wrap them yourself in cellophane or tulle and some ribbon. I bought my dress at David's Bridal while they were having their $99 sale. I used my mom's veil.

The one thing that I did splurge on was the photographer. I figured that, after the day was done, the one thing (other than the husband - heh) that I would have to remember the day would be the pictures. But if that's not important to you, you could always see if a friend would take pictures for you.

Good luck, and I hope you have the day that you want.

We had a dessert & coffee reception. Ceremony at 8pm... reception to follow, gave our guests enough time to eat beforehand. Ditto no alchohol. (Easy for us, half the guest list was in AA). Our biggest (and most worthwhile, IMHO) expenses were the photographer & the dress. I remember very little of my wedding... but the pictures are GORGEOUS.

On the dress... DON'T wait. Dresses can be altered, but they don't appear out of thin air. I was still losing baby weight (we got married 2 years after kiddo was born... he was our ring bearer :), so my dress was actually altered 6 times. I was actually trying NOT to lose any more weight by the end, merely to stop the need for alterations.

Anyhow.. we had 80 people, and pulled it off for about 3k.

You can buy a lot of wedding supplies at AC Moore, Michaels and even walmart now. Including a veil!! (if you are going to wear one). A plain one was $15 last time I looked, or they sold them decorated for $40. If you sign up for their email list, you will get a printable coupon every week (that you can print out mulitple times... one for each person going to the store with you!)... so you coudl really get a decorated veil for $24!!! They also have really pretty headpieces... no need for some crazy expensive thing from a bridal store.

You could have a luncheon or a brunch... and no liquor, if you want to keep costs down... that's what my brother-in-law did. Don't do a cash bar, my cousin did that and it was tacky.

Do you have any local wineries near you? We have one near us and they were surprisingly affordable, and included an open wine bar. if we had it there, we could have provided other alcohol if we wanted, but it wouldn't have been necessary. They also included a 750 mL personallized wine bottle as a favor... since we didn't have the wedding there, we bought those as our favors for a really good price.
You can also look for venues that let you supply your own alcohol.

i don't suggest printing your own invitations though... i've seen people do that and it doesn't come out very well. There are websites that will do it for you professionally for low prices.

For your dress... you can check consignment shops, craigslist, and thrift stores... even a rental company. You never know what you may find!

I don't know if you've seen this site, but offbeatbride.com features a ton of budget wedding, some more traditional than others. Might help you pick and chose some ideas. Congratulations!

Congratulations!! Making your own food is fabulous and no need for party favors. You can do the food ahead of time. Pans of zite and sauce, trays of meetballs and suace and a salad, cake and coffee! DONE! Heavy duty paper plates and plastic forks and knife and spoons, paper coffee cups is just fine! buy in bulk makes it all cheaper. Also the most fun we have had at a wedding was a cookout! No money for a photographer......throw away cameras at the tables are so fun! Good luck and have a ball!!

First off, it is YOUR wedding so you can do it the way YOU want to! When I married my wonderful husband almost 9 yrs ago (on 5/26) we got married outdoors in the shelter of a local park that we loved. We also had a small budget and are not fancy people, so we did things very simply. My best friend made my 3 bridesmaid dresses (including her own); I made the flower girl and junior bridesmaid dress. For food, we had many people volunteer to help. My dad roasted a hog on his roaster, some friends fried 2 turkeys and grilled 2. Everyone was invited to wear jeans (since it was western themed and outdoors) and bring a dish to pass. We used paper plates/napkins/silverwear, etc. In spite of the cold temperatures and pouring rain, people are still (almost 9 yrs later) talking about what a fun, relaxed, beautiful wedding we had and how much they all enjoyed it. I think that if you are doing what you want to celebrate your love, then whatever you choose to do will be wonderful. CONGRATULATIONS, and good luck to you! - J.

hi im getting married to and i have came across so very good websites for wedding decor ect one is www.orientaltrading.com that is a good one. and for a really cheap wedding dress www.houseofbrides.com i saw a dress in the magazine original price 1200 there 553 bucks you cant beat that.

Where is your reception going to be? I think appetizers are OK. Dinner is a regional thing. East coast and Chicago are sit-down dinner - whereas many other parts of the country is appetizers. In the South, it's just desserts!

Favors are not necessary. Especially, once you go cheap, they just get thrown away. For inexpensive ones, candles are a great idea as they will get used, but I would just forgo it altogether.

Susana,

The most beautiful wedding I went to was for a friend who got married while she and her husband were in grad school. It was a HUGE wedding. Probably at least 600 guests. The couple both had large families & lots of friends. My friend is Mexican, so there was a lot of help from family in terms of planning & paying for a lot of the wedding; however, costs had to be kept down. The beauty of the wedding had more to do with the ceremony-the vows, the music, the readings, the special touches that reflected who the couple were & the love & commitment to one another & also how much they loved & cared about all their family & friends there to celebrate with them. The hall was not fancy. I think there may have even been picnic tables if not just folding tables. There was a bar & everyone was given one or two drink tickets-which obviously kept costs down. Additional drinks were cash. A woman was hired to cook all the food-which was mexican food-beans, rice, tortillas, etc. Did we eat off paper plates? Were there plastic table cloths? Who the heck knows or cares. It was such a FUN wedding. It was such a romantic wedding. The couple was so happy & in love, the families & friends were happy too. We ate good food, we danced all night.
My advice is to do what you can afford. Do not go broke or into debt. Your ceremony sounds like it is going to be romantic and meaningful. You can definitely go to different dollar stores to get wedding decorations. Dollar Tree and Deals $ have great stuff (you can check online too). For cake-you can do cupcakes, you can get delicious cake at any bakery or Sam's Club or Costco-if you don't do a traditional wedding cake you can really save TONS. It's the icing/decorating that is so pricey. You don't say how many guests. For a small wedding, it is probably less expensive to do plated food rather than stations, buffet or appetizers. At my very large wedding we wanted appetizers before dinner, but couldn't afford them. We were having Italian food & the caterer served pizza cut up into bite size pieces for our appetizers. Our guests loved it. Our alcohol was less expensive b/c our venue allowed us to bring in our own alcohol. We bought it directly from a liquor store. For the food-you don't say what you have in mind-but Mexican food from a local restaurant seems to be affordable. Villa Rosa http://www.villarosapizza.com/ on the southwest side of Chicago has very reasonable packages, delivers almost anywhere, and you can order food for 50 if you are having 75 people & will probably still have leftovers. The food is really good too. We had that at my son's 1st b-day party & cake from Weber's bakery-also reasonable. http://www.webersbakery.com/. I think it's perfectly fine to "think outside the box" for your food. I have heard of weddings that served Giordano's pizza, a friend's sister got married & had her reception in a local school's gymnasium. Food was catered by The Pita Inn (inexpensive middle eastern food). I went to another wedding that was the ceremony & the reception followed in the church hall-it was simply cake, desserts, and some beverages-coffee & non-alcoholic drinks.

For my own wedding here are some other ways I saved money. My flowers were super reasonable from a local florist. I had gerbera daisies on each table with some greenery. I spent exactly $3 per table on flowers & used vases I bought at thrift stores for 25 cents & 50 Cents a piece. Oh-I bought my shoes for the wedding, new on ebay for $12 and had them dyed. I used a hot glue gun to decorate them. We made our own invitations. For response cards we made post cards, so we saved a little money on postage there. You do not have to do favors-but my niece baked homemade cookies for her wedding favors-so you could do something like that. You could just make a donation to a charity (any amount) and announce at the wedding that in lieu of favors, you & your husband donated to such and such charity in honor of your guests.

Oh-and for a wedding dress, save money buy buying off the rack, buying used, or buying a dress that looks fancy but isn't actually a "wedding" dress. You don't mention your size, but my dress was a size 22 & was taken in a bit here and there. I still have it & it needs to be cleaned. I would consider selling it if you are interested. Email me if you like & remember it's your special day. Make the ceremony special, make the reception fun for your guests & provide what food & drink you can. People who love & care about you will understand and not be bothered by paper plates or no party favors, that sort of thing. Good luck & congrats to you!!!!

J.

congrats! I got married in Oct and I googled "cheap weddings" and "inexpensive wedding ideas" and tons of websites came up. I don't think anyone has expectations, if they are your friends and family, they should just be happy for you. There is no "right" way to have a wedding. Do what you can, within your budget and have a wonderful day!

I just wanted to say Congratulations. I used to work as a Family Teacher at Maryville - good luck to you and your husband!

I personally feel like wedding favors are a waste - I usually toss mine from a wedding I attended in the garbage.

I was very selective about where my funds, went, I only had one bridesmaid and she got to use a former bridesmaid dress. I had simple flowers (asked the florist to guide me) Had it at a beautiful venue (patrick Haley Mansion) and eliminated what I felt wasn't important. It is after all your day.

Congratulations!

for favors for our wedding we got plastic champagne glasses. we put little dinner mints and covered that with tulle we tied a ribbon around it and attached plastic wedding rings with a ribbon. they were really pretty and people liked the mints.

I don't think anyone will know where you got you paper products etc from. We paid for our own wedding also. We bought our paper products table coverings etc from Deals which at the time was a dollar store. We made our own center pieces. They were small glass things (that looked llike small fishbowls) which we found at the dollar store and we put those colored glass beads in the bottom which matched out wedding colors. I can't remember all of it, but I think it had a ring around it which had flowers with our wedding colors or something like that. We were lucky to have a family friend who had been a professional photographer at one time, so he did our pictures and just charged us for the film and the developing. We decorated the reception area ourselves. We did enlist the help of family and church member friends though. We strung up balloons in rows across the reception area and things like that. I've seen people do decorating with white christmas lights. I would say if you know what the reception room looks like think about it and see what you can come up with. You would be surprised at what you can find at a dollar store to put together and make it look like it came from somewhere more expensive.
As far as food went.. We made lasagna. It is fairly easy and you can make enough to feed alot of people for not much money, We made huge pans (the big turkey tins you buy around thankgiving time-once again found at the dollar store) ahead of time. We froze them and hen took them out to defrost in time to use. We enlisted the help of a few people to get them baked the day of our wedding. We also got huge can of green beans (like the ones you find at Sams) and bags of salad and bottles of salad dressing. You can also get ingredients for punch fairly easily. I thought dinner turned out well and no one complained or said anything about it being tacky. I think our wedding cost us about $1000. I also got my dress at a consignment shop in town and it only came out to about $100. Just food for thought. I know David's Bridal usually does a $99 sale, but I don't know what all you have to do for that. Also, My husband didn't want a tux so he just wore a black suit. We rented the vests with out wedding colors and he might have had a cumberbun I don't remember. His best men wore black suits with the vests and we found ties ourselves that matched the vests for a fairly good price, which the best men kept after the wedding. As far ad bridesmaids went. I jsut asked if they had any dresses to match our wedding colors. The dresses may not have matched each other but it worked. I realize alot of people may not want to do it that way, but it worked. As far as a bridesmaid gift- I gave them each a little necklace. I found a plain box (at a dollar place) and put the necklace in. Then I decorated the box with photos of us (my bridesmaid and me) from years past and gave it to them to wear the necklace for the wedding. We also had wine glasses ($1 each) etched at a glass etching place with each person in the bridal party's name. Just some thoughts. Just wanted to let you know it can be done on a budget if needed!! Good Luck and Happy Marriage

hi there i got married almost 5 years ago to my high school sweet heart and since we got married right out of high school we did not have much money and my parents could not pay for much so we did a lot of things our selfs. to start we made all our invites. or u can now evern buy then a walmart for cheap. we made all our food because me and my husband are picky eaters but we saved hunderds of dollars doing it ourselfs and it tasted much better. also we did do party favors but we made those too. a cute but easy idea i did for my cousins wedding is u take a plastic spoon put 2 chocolate kisses on it wrap it with laces tie it with sting and attach a little card that says a spoon full of kisses from the new mr and mrs. it is super cute and everyone loved them. i also with help from my mom made all the table center pieces and flower arranments. we also made the bows and things that were at the church. we kept the cost way down and it all looked great. it didnt look cheap at all people thought we spent a lot of money. hope this helps good luck with everything congrates on getting married

I got married in 1998. We were married in Hawaii and it was a dream. We decided that the reception was definitely to honor our families and friends. We delayed having the reception for about five months until we were settled. This worked very well. I am a chef and so I prepared the main dishes for about 70 people. It was semi pot luck because some of our guests were so moved as to wish to contribute. The wine was mid grade. The age range was from 8 months to 80. All had a great time. Marriage is challenging enough with the expenses, merging lifestyles, etc. What we did was simple, fit our personalities and involved a lot of creativity and work. It set the tone of who we have been growing to be. The dollar store is a great place to shop. I use it for events I do now and where do you think the planners shop at? The expense of a wedding does not determine the quality of the union. That happens over time. I have been to plenty over the top affairs in recent years that deteriorated into emotional tragedies because of financial burdens. Most of all, have fun.

hi
plenty of people have made their own food and it probably tasted better. what sort of place are you having the receptionist? is there a kitchen in the facility?
as for cake.... I can tell you this. MOST over order.. don't let the bakery talk you into to too many cake rounds. you really only need two at best, the rest can be a sheetcake (this way, you can have it cut and ready to go) no one will know the difference. by doing a sheet cake for most of the cake servings, you'll save a ton.. also... you don't need a fancy bakery.. a GROCERY store that does wedding cakes, will suffice and most won't know the difference..

as for favors. that is up to you.. nowadays... .you can do so many creative ones without going overboard... if you look online there are many ideas.. having been to MANY weddings.. after a while, you collect a lot of trinkets.. angels, and more angels... magnets... and well, a lot of junk.. :)
and well, most would prefer chocolate or nuts.. sorry to say, but about 1/2 who go to a wedding, in my opinion don't eventually keep favors... if you go online, you can do colorful chocolate coins, maybe with your initials on them...

umm what else.. oh flowers... do you live near a flower mart? where you can buy a bunch for cheaper.. if so.. have friends/family who are good with bouquets do them for you.. example.. colorful GERBER daisies.. they are so cute and you don't need to add greenery with them , they are good on their own.. bunch them together and violia... you have a nice arrangement..

as for your dress.. shop around... many good deals to be had...

best of luck to you

U have alot of respones and I have not read any of them! We had our reception at a private club that my parents got for free since they where members and we decorated on our own the night before! We used some wedding stuff from the dollar store, streamers, wedding bells (big ones,small ones) we got tables clothes at the dollare store and for center pieces we got small glass bowel and put fish rocks in the bottom and put a fish in each one or ur u can do flowers from the dollar store. That is the thing Dollar stores carry everything, even the ballons and the tanks u need to blow then up and u will save money. As far as food, we did our own. Walmarts chicken is awesome. It is really good. Go buy the tin food warmers, they are really cheap and I believe I got mine at Big Lots. The chicken is cheap as well and then just decide what sides u want to go with it! Good Luck and Congrats!!!

At 21 I had a small wedding at a Nature Park near my house. I think it was about $300 for the service. I did spring for a harpist that I found online for around $300. I was able to find a photographer online that worked out of her home, she turned out to be wonderful. She actually started this career at a friend's wedding with a disposable camera! Her price ($900) was better and I knew it would be her taking the photos, the big companies couldn't guarantee who I would have since I had a small wedding (less than 50 guests). My mom enlisted some co workers to help cook the food. The food, decorations, flower girl dresses, shoes, my dress, tuxes, home made invitations, and hair were about $3000, but there was too much food and the decorations weren't all necessary. My mom did almost everything, I just wanted to marry my husband. A cake and desserts would've worked just the same, since we didn't have dancing or anything special...it was more of a luncheon.

If I could do it over...I would do the service for the location, but have the reception at home were everyone is comfortable. I ended up getting a $500 wedding dress, it was pretty. Though what I really wanted was this cute summer dress I saw at JCPenny. I was going for a more relaxed setting, since I really had only $500. My mom thought I deserved better though, so she did everything since it was her money.

What ever you do, it's about the you and your soon to be husband. If the money's not there, don't worry because the love is there. It's a special day for you two, so I hope you don't feel pressure to do something you don't want to do. In the end I'm not happy about the amount of money that was spent for one day, but I'm happy to have my husband and kids.

P.S. I'm very excited for you that you have someone that you know and trust to marry you two. It's more comforting to have someone that you know truly cares.
Best of Luck, God Bless!

We paid 7000 for a beautiful wedding with 90 guests.

- get your flowers at Kroger or someplace similar NOT a floral shop - I got gorgeous flowers from Kroger in my May wedding and I paid 1/4 of what the florists wanted. (We used Gerber daisies)
- We made our own centerpieces - I got really tall vases for half of the table and put gerber daisies in them with rocks from the dollar store on the bottom. Also, on the other half of the tables, I used a large bowl, cut off all but the flower and had it float in the bowl with rocks in the bottom and LED lights. It was GORGEOUS!
- Find a place that includes meals in the rental fee of the reception hall - we had our reception at a restaurant that made a delicious buffet-style meal with salmon, pastas, etc and the price was good. We found that having the event catered to a different location was always more pricey.
- Don't do open bar - do wine and beer only, or guests pay for all alcohol.
- I had a friend (a hairstylist) do my hair as her gift to me. Do your own makeup.
- Order shoes, tiara, etc online (ebay, etc). I skipped on things like a garter, veil, etc. The items were not necessities. We still had a beautiful wedding!
- Skip things like party favors on the tables. So unnecessary. No one ever remembers that stuff!
- Do your research - we interviewed over 5 DJ's just to find the right price. It was well worth our time.
- Cut down your guest list.
- Save the honeymoon for later when you can afford to pay cash!

My Husband and I paid for our own Wedding on a small budget. We were older when we married so we didn't have anyone to pay for the Wedding. We used Foam plates and plastic silverware (the type that comes in gold or silver color.. we had an outdoor wedding (on an old farm (Family owned) , the food was cooked by Family members and people from our church. We did have lots of family and friends help with food, decorations and clean-up. People still talk about that wedding up until today 13 years later.. so it can be done..don't be afraid to ask for help and suggestions..we stuck to a traditional meal baked ham, chicken (for those who didn't eat pork) potato salad, baked mac & cheese green bean caserole rolls....Good Luck!

My aunt and uncle got married in our backyard and we did the following and spent about $2500 total. It was a BLAST and people just want to share in the day- for about 50-60 people.

1. Rented a tent, round tables and chairs- beautiful white tent with large tables and chairs. We decorated the inside of the tent with white Christmas lights (think the barn scene from Hope Floats). Center pieces were white votives. We also rented the table cloths (but none of the other "serving pieces".
2. We did beer/wine and soda in coolers with 'nice' plastic glassware.
3. Food- we had a caterer provide the food, but did not have them stay to serve. We grew-up in the south, so we hired a BBQ restaurant and had them just bring the food. Some of our friends set everything up while the ceremony happened at the church.
4. We used papergoods- heavier clear plastic plates and utensils with simple coordinating napkins for cocktails, dinner and desserts. I would not suggest using the paper goods from the $1 store b/c they tend to be a little flimsy and will not hold food very well.

As for a dress- keep in mind that you can often find a beautiful bridesmaid's dress for significantly less and just order it in white! Ask a friend to borrow a veil, if you want to wear one. I have loaned mine out several times.

Flowers- focus on your bouquet and your maids bouquets. At my wedding, the restaurant used our flowers to decorate the cake table and it added a nice splash of color!

WAIT!!!! Finish some college and experience a bit more of what life has to offer! And maybe save up a bit more money!

First, I didn't read all the responses below, so sorry if I repeat! We had a small wedding with 75 people and spent less than 4000. And yet it was beautiful. :) Those who love you will understand, and even for less money you an have a beautiful day. We did! And sometimes think we could have spent even less. Remember, it's a day, just a day, a special day, yes, but just a day. :) The point is the rest of your life! :)

Check out Martha Stewart's website and sign up for her daily wedding tips via email. I did, because a friend got married last October, and the site sends fabulous ideas for really nice touches... some are on the really expensive side, but many are very reasonable and do-able for those on a budget... and make it LOOK like you spent a lot of money. Get your bridesmaids together for the crafty bits, they'll love helping out. My best friend did an ice cream bar instead of cake (cheaper and fun!) ... another friend celebrated with a "backyard barbecue" after her wedding, very fun! I had a friend carry around a video camera and paid another friend just a few hundred dollars to take candid photos throughout the wedding. We didn't get the "fancy" photographer that many get, but love our photos nonetheless. AND our guests didn't have to wait two hours after the wedding for us to arrive at the reception! :) I think we all feel we have to do all the "traditional" stuff, but I know my husband for one hates all that... make your day "you." Think about what's important to you and what you'll want to have to remember!

Congratulations and blessings!

PS... if you haven't already, read "The Five Love Languages" and "The Love Dare." :)

PPS... Saw this today and thought of you. :) Here's the link to today's blog post, but they have lots of great articles on weddings and costs to check out, too... and lots of marriage advice worth heeding!

http://www.boundlessline.org/2010/04/a-great-reason-to-do...

You could do either a sit down meal or even appetizers. Appetizers are becoming more popular.

One thing that my friend did was make a cardboard wedding cake with a small piece of cake in it. Then she bought a sheet cake to give out to all of the guests. It was a lot cheaper than purchasing a real huge cake that would just go to waste.

As for flowers, decorations, and favors, I made all of mine for my wedding. It saved me a lot of money. I now have a very small business where I make wedding items. I am just starting out so my prices are really reasonable. Please feel free to check out my website: www.myabcspace.com/rondascrafts.

Good luck. It'll be beautiful no matter what you do!

hi.there im so happy for you:) im getting married may15,2010 this will be my second marrige first marrige did not have a wedding and i was very young:( my soon to be hubby is my soulmate:) we r having a church wedding following with the reception at the church....we r cooking as well as the family we r doing briskets potato salad backed beans finger food chips&dip pickles wraped in ham are really good:) cut fruit we r doing r wedding on a budget as well like 500.00 r friend is marrying us and letting us use the church free of charge:)) look on craigslist for ur wedding dress sweet deals on there lottttts of ways to do it.......good luck