Wedding Tips Make Your Own

Question: Money saving wedding tips?

(Posted by: String of pearls on 2009-03-01 10:58:52)

We are only having about 50 of our closest family and friends but we need to keep to a tight budget, has anyone got any fab tips they can share with me?

Posted by: Annabella on 2009-03-01, 11:06:06

You can do it in the backyard, have friends & family cook, decorate, bake the cake, etc. Kind of need more details. Your budget could be anything & I don't know where you're thinking of having this shindig.

Posted by: Cindy on 2009-03-01, 11:06:36

Just cut back. Don't do favors, no fresh flowers. Don't have a band, maybe use your ipod.

Posted by: Keep My Soldier Safe on 2009-03-01, 11:13:31

My sister has been actively planning her August wedding, and like you her wedding will be closest friends and family and budget is tight. Some things that have really helped her in planning and staying in budget range are the following... -Do you have any friends/ family members that have "talents " you could use? I.E. someone who could bartend for you, a musician, a singer, a photographer, a crafty person to help with table decorations, a graphic designer? Finding someone could really cut down on costs. -Anyone you know have a big/ beautiful backyard you could use? Why not have the ceremony and reception there-it would cut down on costs of decorating with flowers and etc. -Make some of your own decorations-enlist the help of mom, sisters, cousins, friends, etc. -Make your own invitations... -Having a wedding on off-season months helps as well. October through April -Keep the wedding dress simple... don go overboard with a train and jewels and tiara and etc (my sister went all out-she ended up changing her mind too lol) -for the guys why not do really nice business like suits instead of tuxes(my sister is doing this as well) -cut your own cake!!! -Fancy food is expensive to be honest, why not stick with classic dishes that everyone knows and likes

Posted by: travelgirlbjw28 on 2009-03-01, 11:26:12

I got married October 2008, and my wedding was 50 of our family/ close friends. And let me tell you, our budget was super super paper thin. Here's what we did to cut costs: 1)The church where we got married was my home church-gave it to us for free 2)We made our own invitations...not with a kit though, but all the scrapbooking supplies 3)I decorated it myself. Because it was in fall, I used a lot of the dollar store fall decor, and it was gorgeous 4)Prgorams-I went to a Christian book store, and bought them...and printed them myself 5)My wedding dress cost only $250.00, and it was beautiful! and brand new! 6)for music, I found a dj in my home town, that charged 300.00 7)church music....a week before the wedidng our pianist backed out. Luckily we found another in my home town, who charged only 65.00 and whas phenom. 8)Food, it was provided by my parents. Their cost was about $250.00 We had a cold plate supper. People served themselves 9)Our wedding cake was $50.00 10)We're saving up for our honeymoon 11)My photographer was my cousins husband with a nice camera, and who was able to do a decent job Those are just a few examples of how I cut costs. Our wedding costed us about 800.00 give or take. There are always ways to cut corners and still make it beautiful. Good luck! And best wishes!

Posted by: melds28 on 2009-03-01, 11:36:45

Prioritize what is important. If you want a fabulous dress, you may need to scimp on the cake. I don't want fake flowers. Our ceremony will be outside, so I don't need flowers for that, but I'm just going to go to Whole Foods a month before the wedding to warn them that I'll be storming through soon and buying a whole bunch of their flowers. It's so much cheaper than a florist! For vases, I'm buying silver mint julep cups in bulk ($50 for 36). I think I will have a florist make my bouquet and bouts, though. That'll cost a couple hundred bucks. Consider a used dress. There are lots of websites that sell them (weddingbee classifieds, for example). Or consider selling your dress after you wear it. I did buy a Gocco on ebay that I'll use to make invitations/ thank you cards/ etc. After, I'm going to resell it on ebay. They're a hot commodity! Put on an ad on craigslist under "gigs " for photographers. I got so many replies and found a wonderful photographer in my price range. I wasn't going to have one at all, but my FMIL insisted, and she's right. A good photographer is necessary. Call around and be nice! Tell people what your budget is up front. I got a great deal at my reception-place because the lady liked me. She's doing a buffet-style dinner for me, too.

Posted by: Liam's Mommy on 2009-03-01, 12:33:47

Call a local college and ask for the culinary arts director, ask him/ her to contact three to four of his best students and to have them call you. that is how my wedding is to be catered. we are also making our own wedding invites. and because it is such a small wedding, I learned how to make mini cakes. they are adorable and about the size of cupcakes. they taste (better) than normal wedding cake. I am also making my dress, but unless you are good at sewing then I dont suggest that. Jason's grandmother has a timeshare on the beach and has agreed to loan it to us for our big day. there are lots of ways to cut costs, you just have to look hard.

Posted by: ~*~Christina~*~ on 2009-03-01, 12:40:53

- Try to save money on your dress. Either look for sales, or consider ordering online. Also the groom can wear just a suit instead of a tux (It still looks very nice and sometimes is less expensive AND he can buy his own instead of rent) -Have the ceremony and reception at someones house. Or if you want a it a bit nicer, try looking at local parks. You can usually rent them for the whole day for under $100, and then you just need to get a liquor license if your going to serve alcohol. -Speaking of booze! Decide if you want it or not. Not having it will save you Mucho money...but if your like me...my family would be disappointed with out it. Just get what you know most will drink, (Beer Keg, or a few select wines). and if someone doesn't like what you have...they can drink soda. lol - Look on craigslist, yard sales etc for wedding decorations. Usually after the wedding people are just looking to unload everything so they don't have to store it. Meaning they spent $200 but will likely sell to you for $50, plus they will be already made! Or the other option is to make your own, and opt for fake flowers instead of real (they last longer anyway) - Don't be afraid to ask questions. I got my hair cut recently, and decided to ask the girl at the salon if she would be willing to hair at my wedding. She is much less expensive than someone who advertises that they "do weddings ", but she went to beauty school too! And does a lovely job. - Don't forget about high school kids. lol You can always ask family if you can hire there friends to serve food, set up and clean etc. Good luck! Best advice...Don't stop looking. Unless you found the PERFECT place, keep asking around. You might end up with a list of 20 places, florists, hair stylists etc...but at least you've done your homework and you can choose wisely. Good luck!

Posted by: Chrissy T on 2009-03-01, 13:03:33

+ For catering, you may be able to get most of your food for free if you set up an agreement. You can put your caterer's logo on your invitation and place cards. This also works for cakes!!! .. Just remember, this may be hard to do, so you must be persistent + Getting married during the week is cheaper on locations and with some caterers/ florists + Smaller towns have cheaper florists/ caterers than large cities. + Creating your own wedding decor...it's easier than it sounds.. dollar store vases filled with water, petals and floating candles... floral arrangements... go to a craft store and get those foam rings...you can place silk flowers/ leaves in them, then place a candle in the center. + Buy a bolt of tulle in the color of your wedding and make your own bows for chairs aisles. + decor you aisle in cheap solid color fabric and place bunches of silk petals at edges so no one sees the edge od fabric + djs/ bands can get expensive. you can have family create "mix tapes " + Balloons...in the color of your wedding. Buy them in bulk and get them cheap + secondhand dresses are not always how they sound! :) + Bouquets can be created but silk flowers with longer leaves around the outside. place floral tape around them, then secure with ribbon + Create a signature drink to serve at your wedding[in the color of your wedding] instead of an open bar + You can rent folding chairs and tables...if they look cheap, just remember, you can always "dress them up " with fabric and tulle.

Posted by: Tricia T on 2009-03-01, 13:10:22

Keep the fluff to a minimum. Focus on the core items such as attire, venues, flowers, photography, food/ cake, etc. Lose the ice sculpture and horse drawn carriage.

Posted by: Corey A on 2009-03-01, 19:05:20

1) Get married on an "off " day and month. Getting married on a Sunday in February (like President's Day weekend) or in March would probably save you tons. Our venue offers wedding packages for half off from January-March. 2) Use "do it yourself " invitations from Target, Michaels, or Wal Mart. You can get DIY programs, save the dates, etc. Do them on your own computer and save tons of money. 3) Buy your wedding dress from craigslist or ebay. You can get new ones on there, but you can get GREAT deals on used ones. I bought a used Maggie Sottero gown and got it for $140. It was originally $1200. :) 4) Hire a professional florist for the bouquets and boutinierres, but do the centerpieces yourself. You can get flowers in bulk from Costco or Sam's Club and do a very very simple centerpiece. There are tons of great ideas on theknot.com and Martha Stewart Weddings. Here are some relatively inexpensive centerpieces that you could do yourself. img.photobucket.com/ albums/ v629/ Hasbrown42/ SquareCenterpiece.jpg img.photobucket.com/ albums/ v629/ Hasbrown42/ Centerpiece.jpg img.photobucket.com/ albums/ v629/ Hasbrown42/ CenterpieceIdeaV.jpg img.photobucket.com/ albums/ v629/ Hasbrown42/ Hurricanes.jpg 5) Consider having your wedding at 3:00 so that people aren't expecting dinner. That way you can serve heavy appetizers. If you need to serve a meal - buffet is going to be cheaper than a plated dinner (ours if $24.95/ person for the most expensive buffet option, but the cheapest plated dinner is $34.95/ person). 6) Consider hiring an art student with an eye for photography as your wedding photographer. 7) Use an IPOD connected to a speaker system rather than a DJ. 8) Have a close friend get certified to be the officiant at your wedding! They can do it online and it would be special for the two of you and save you some $$! Alright - hope that helps! :)

Posted by: Cheryl on 2009-03-01, 19:14:23

**Sunday wedding locations tend to be cheaper. **Have a cocktail hour instead of full meal. Or if you do have a full meal, we found BBQ to be very inexpensive. **Find a dress that does not require petticoats or lots of special undergarments. **Have bridesmaids carry a single flower instead of full bouquet. **Wildflowers are inexpensive. **Elminate liquor and just serve beer/ wine. (Also helps keep that unruly groomsman limited...) **Use plasticware instead of china.

Posted by: dchalk1968 on 2009-03-02, 08:22:19

Despite what others may tell you, do not cut out the wedding favors. These items are not only a thank you gift for your guests, they are keepsakes that can help to remind them of the happiness shared with the couple on their special day. That being said, you don't have to spend a fortune on favors. You can find several really nice items to give as wedding favors for less than $1 each at e-weddingfavors.com/ catalog/ Under_1_00-26-1.html