Wedding Tips Make Your Own

Question: Anyone know of any nice cheap wedding tips and ideas ?

(Posted by: BabyCakes<3 on 2008-09-17 17:56:49)

such as favors.... center peices ... decor etc.... please thanks !!!! 2010!!!!

Posted by: l g17 on 2008-09-17, 17:59:55

Is 2010 your wedding year? if so, i think you have some time. but other wise just google cheap favors, cheap piece, cheap....and you'll find a ton of sites! good luck and congrats!

Posted by: Suz123 on 2008-09-17, 18:05:07

Budget ideas here: community.theknot.com/ cs/ ks/ user/ page.aspx?username= BudgetBridesBio &MsdVisit= 1

Posted by: IM GETTING MARRIED! on 2008-09-17, 18:15:23

Well I can tell you something that is NOT a cheap wedding tip...doing it yourself! There are so many things that I tried to do myself, from favors to cake to flowers, you name it! I ended up spending more on materials and supplies than if I had just bought the things! Not to mention the time, frustration, and stress!

Posted by: Bridal Muffin - 11/21/09 on 2008-09-17, 18:17:58

Have you booked your date? There are great deals to be had if you book in the off season or on an off day like Friday or Sunday. When I was researching wedding venues we got quotes for up to 40-50% per person for catering and places even offered to waive room booking fees (up to $1500) for booking January to March (if you live in a snowy climate). We saved $40 per person by getting a winter package price for the off season. That saved us over $4000 on our catering/ reception place, which is usually the biggest expense. We also got similar quotes for Friday or Sunday wedding bookings up to 40% off and no room rental fee). So you could do all the little things (make your own invites, cheaper favours, making your own flower arrangements/ bouquets, etc) those are all great ways to save a few hundred dollars on each item. But booking for the off season/ day can save you THOUSANDS of dollars upfront, and you don't have to do anything except pick the date. I am totally glad my fiance and I both wanted a wintery/ snowy wedding! Here are some great sites for inexpensive favours ($0.99 each!) and make your own invites too: favorwarehouse.com/ lcipaper.com/ wilton.com/ store/ site/ department.cfm?id= 0A0205A8-802D-F658-0E9DBA63E3AB0936 Good Luck!

Posted by: Ragdoll on 2008-09-17, 18:18:47

Alot of people don't think about this , but , you can use arrangements from your ceremony at the reception!! -use in season flowers , with more foliage or "filler " (babies breath , wax flower) -Candles make wonderful and cheap centerpieces -Avoid major holidays , big floral holidays and large local events don't be afraid to bargain/ heckle over prices -Sit down dinners usually cost more than buffet or cocktail -Ask around for previously owned wedding items in good condition from family members and friends -have a simple cake made , and use real flowers which are cheaper than gum paste flowers -to get more layers in a cake for less money , have the baker make fake layers -thrift stores , antique stores , consignment shops , the Internet are your best bet for inexpensive items. -tho it may sound more expensive , get a wedding planner, even if all she does is direct the big day , or provide a wedding "blueprint " - do not hire a calligrapher , use contemporary stationary that can use a printed (but still stylized) font -book locations / vendors EARLY!!! -when choosing foods , select local , in season items hope these help , there are SOOO many ways to cut cost , these are just the main things I can think of

Posted by: Moni Mon on 2008-09-17, 19:13:30

Buy bubbles plain and buy toule (fabric) and curling ribbon and decorate them yourself saves about 50.00 depending on how many you need. Favors with plastic spoons, put two or three hershry kisses on it and wrap toule (fabric) in the wedding color around it to hold them on and tie it with curling ribbon and affix little lables that say your ames on it. Cheap and creative

Posted by: Bride-To-Be ~*~ 10/24/09 on 2008-09-17, 20:50:12

Well the main thing is to do what you can yourself... invites, flowers, favors, decorations, etc... those little things can add mucho dollars when you have someone else do it! I have a budget myself of $5000-5500 and I'm having about 125-150 guests. The biggest expense is the meal/ bar bill, which is usually about half of your budget. Having a buffet might be a little cheaper than having dinner per plate, I think mine's gonna be about $10-12 per guest for dinner. As for the bar bill... I'm going to pay for soda, get a keg (or perhaps a half keg? I'm not certain yet lol) of beer and if anyone wants mixed drinks they will have to pay for them. (Some people may think it's tacky, but I am actually putting on the invites -- in small print at the bottom -- that a cash bar will be available all night, so they come prepared, cuz I know a lot of people won't bring money with them if they think *everything* is complimentary.) Mixed drinks are what really hikes up your bar bill! You can get a lot of ideas just watching those bridal shows on TV. I've also gotten a lot of ideas just reading people's questions and answers on HERE. My cake... I actually was lucky enough to come across a girl on Myspace that lives in my town that does beautiful cakes out of her home for relatively inexpensive. BUT you must watch that, only cuz a lot of reception sites require a licensed baker or to use their own on-site baker, plus there might be a cutting fee which can range from $1-5 per slice (or even more!!! Make sure you read the fine print before you commit!) :) Also don't look past going to Walmart's bakery or your local grocery store's bakery... I've seen some great cakes come out of those places too, and you would have never known it!! Or check craigslist, too... I am making my own flowers. I actually hit Hobby Lobby when they were having a 50% off sale on all of their flowers, so I got $100 worth of flowers for $50! You and your bridesmaids could have a flower making party (or a favor making party as well!) As for my favors, I'm doing a couple different things. Of course I'm having bubbles! I got plain bubble bottles at Dollar Tree for $1/ dozen (CHEAP!) and I actually found a girl on ebay that prints up labels for very cheap! this is a link to the seller stores.ebay.com/ Beautiful-Favors-Fast_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm As for my other favors, I saw a cute one on a website for sale that was called a spoonful of kisses, and it's a plastic spoon with a few hershey kisses, wrapped in tulle and on the tag it says "A spoonful of kisses from the Mr. and Mrs. " with our names and wedding date. I also am having programs which I am printing myself. Also printing up myself are the invites! I didn't need paper that was real fancy so I went to Office Max and got some fall themed paper (cuz I'm having a fall wedding) and some envelopes and some postcards for the reply/ save the date cards. (I'm only sending save the date cards to people that live out of the area that will have to make travel arrangements) Cuz I couldn't see spending a fortune on invites that most people keep until the wedding and throw away! I found a photographer on Craigslist that is costing me $350 for the ENTIRE wedding day and they (it's 2 sisters, actually) do BEAUTIFUL work... The only reason why they charge so little is cuz they are just starting out their business so they are looking to build their reputation so they are offering their services dirt cheap to do so! And as I said, they do beautiful work, they have a sampling of their work on a website, and have a portfolio for me to see in person should I choose to (I haven't yet)... So check around! Also, here are some websites that I am using to curb my costs: bridalonlinestore.com/ <---AWESOME dresses at a fraction of the cost of traditional bridal shops, excellent customer service and the dresses are JUST beautiful, and are guaranteed for satisfaction!!! They also have bridesmaid dresses as well and other accessories (veils, headbands, hair clips, gloves, guest books, etc.... you get the idea!) :) orientaltrading.com/ <---sign up to receive their wedding ideas book in the mail (it's free!) and there is awesome ideas in it and on the website for favors, decor, etc. I'm having a fall wedding and I'm getting leaves to scatter on the tables from here (those are under the fall section rather than the wedding section though) everything is relatively cheap and if you order over a certain dollar amt you get free shipping. This is also a good site for relatively inexpensive bridal party gifts, as well! tullesource.com/ This is awesome for inexpensive tulle and they have such a wide variety of colors. My wedding colors are apricot and sage and they actually have my colors in tulle, which is great cuz I need tulle for one of my favors and for my centerpieces. confetti.com/ another great one for confetti (hence the name lol) and other decor. very reasonable prices! michaels.com/ yeah... awesome wedding stuff for not too much! I love going to Michael's! (Hobby Lobby and Dollar Tree are my friends too!) :) There ya go, that should get you started!!! :) Good luck!!!

Posted by: custardgirl on 2008-09-17, 23:40:29

For the dress, I absolutely love David's Bridal and their $99 sales which always seem to be going on. Target also has a new line of wedding gowns for a very reasonable price, I think all of them are under $200. You can always rent one too, my mom's got eaten by mice in our garage anyhow! For the cake, you can search the internet for the basic idea of what you like, then take a picture of it to your local Walmart and they will recreate it for you! It is really awesome, and they do amazing things! A fraction of the price of any other cake. College students can come in really handy too. If you have a cullinary school near by, check out if you could get a senior student or a recent grad to make you your dream cake. They aren't used to getting much money, so they would be cheap and it would give them experience and exposure for their portfolio. Photography majors could also help out. Tons of wedding photographers have never gone to school for photography, but a college kid would know all of the latest tricks of the trade- all of that crazy technology now-a-days! They would be cheap since they need exposure and experience too. You could even request to see samples of their work to make sure you are safe. They would be thrilled for the opportunity. Don't use a familly member or close friend for the photographer though, too many things could screw up that situation! Decorations are easy. Making them yourself would be your cheapest way to go. For tablecloths, you could either rent them from a party supply store or have someone hem some lovely fabric of your choice from a fabric store nearby. Centerpieces? I always love creative candle arrangements, and you could even make those your wedding favors for the guests. Go to walmart, the dollar tree, or a cheap craft store and get some glass dishes to fill with a little water, fill the very bottom with some marbles or glass beads, then get floating candles to light in the center. I've seen square mirrors set underneath the centerpiece and even little christmas lights look really cool to just drape around the whole arrangement. Flower centerpieces are great too. You could get some fresh flowers from a local farmer or from your farmer's/ saturday market, or use fake ones from walmart or the craft store. Get a few of your favorite blooms and set them in a skinny clear vase that is filled with colored water, glass marbles, pebbles, pennies, beans, whatever. Everyone loves candy, you could buy a few bags of m &m's, red hots, dinner mints, anything small, and sprinkle them around the centerpiece or even the whole table for cute, edible decor. I have also seen picture frames with pictures of one or both of the couple. You could use pictures of when you were growing up at different stages at all of the tables, or your engagement pictures, or even pictures from the wedding that were developed before the reception if that is possible. With this idea you can use frames you already have, get cheap matching ones, buy a hodge podge from a second hand store, borrow some from a friend, anything goes! It is a very personal touch to have pictures out, wherever you display them. I don't really know anything about catering, but you can always recruit friends and family to help prepare any food you want present on your big day. If you shop for your food at the store, make sure to check the unit price of each item to get the best deal. Some stores will give you a discount if you talk to the manager ahead of time and are getting a big quantity. Also, ask a manager about any future sales that they could tell you about, sometimes they can't tell you though. Make sure your food won't go bad before the day you need it. My friend had a reception with only cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa, and everyone loved it! Very fun and festive for the winter time. She had friends each bring a few dozen of their favorite recipe, some orange rolls, with nuts, with raisins, with chocolate frosting, with extra cinnamon goo! We made the hot cocoa as it was needed in three big fancy crockpots that were lended to us. It is amazing how creative you can get and how fun it can be when you are forced to stick to a budget. Have fun and remember that it is your day to have what you want, no one else gets to criticize your choices! Don't worry too much what everyone will think or what is expected from you, just stay pleasant and all will go wonderfully. Good luck and congratulations! Best wishes!

Posted by: pookey =) on 2008-09-18, 09:07:27

Make your own invites, look for sales! plan ahead of time and you can save alot!