My fiance and I are planning to get hitched at the end of next year and I was wondering if I could get some pointers on how to keep our wedding as cheap as possible, seeing as at this time, both my fiance and I are very strapped for cash, as we are both jobless. We are hoping to keep the wedding to $2,000-3,000, including wedding, reception, photography, honeymoon, etc. you know, the whole kit and caboodle.
Look like the usual plea? Well, here's the kicker, we're both 17, turning 18 before December. Her parents, though poor, are willing to help pay for whatever they can, thing is, I'm not sure if my family will be on board with the whole idea, so quite possibly we are looking at even less than the hoped for budget. Also, church, Justice Of the Peace, and backyard weddings are no go's, as she's dead set against them. Outdoors will also not work, seeing as in winter it's about 20 or so degrees at high noon here.
With that said I'd like to know every trick in the book for having a good wedding with a budget that is even more thrifty than most requests on here. Thanks so much for your help.
We are in the process of planning a May wedding and we are on a tight budget as well.. We're doing it all for less than $2000. Here's some tips that we have found helpful.
1. For a venue, you might try renting a community center... they are relatively very inexpensive, you can spruce them up to look beautiful.. and can have both the ceremony and reception in the same place.
2. Do most of the flowers yourself.. shop Hobby Lobby and Michael frequently.. we just got a lot of our flowers for 1/2 off.
3. If you have to rent your chairs, rent the type that will allow you to use them at the reception as well. Friends can move them and set em up while you are doing pictures.
4. We're doing the food at the reception ourselves.. mostly appetizers. To drink, water, sweet tea and lemonades.
5. We did hire a photographer.. but, we didn't book them for the entire reception.. just the highlights. It actually saved us quite a bit of cash. We're putting a couple of disposable cameras on each of the reception tables. The guests will get the better candid shots that the photographer wouldn't think twice about.
6. And here's a tip that a friend gave me that worked great at her wedding.. Call your local flower shops and ask for the flowers that they are throwing away/won't use/etc. A lot of times, they will give them away for free and you will be surprised at how beautiful they are... she got so many, she used them for decoration and for people to throw when her and the groom left in lieu of bird seed/bubbles.
7. If you want a few items customized, go to annesbridalbargains.com You can get 100 napkins for like $18 with your names and wedding date.. a great keepsake.
8. Depending on the number invitations you need, get the kind at walmart that you can print yourself. They are usually $25 for 50 invitations with envelops and response cards. You can always personalize them more by using a hole punch and tying a piece of ribbon on them.
9. For wedding attire.. I shopped the bridal shops until I found the dress I wanted then I went online and purchased it. My $700 + tax dress, I got for $480. My maids are in simple gowns.. about $100 each.. and we split the cost by us each paying half.. the groomsmen are in khaki carpenter pants and dress shirts.
I was a major budget bride and we did our wedding for $4,500 (back in 2007). There are lots of ways to save without giving up the big stuff.
Ceremony site: Since you mentioned a church or backyard wedding was out, why not look for a historic building, park, or landmark? Or, consider using your reception location as your ceremony location (will save guests the horror of getting lost too). We were married in a church, but had our reception at the local Elks Lodge. It was very hands-on, but worth it!
Flowers: I've photographed budget weddings where the bride or her family put together the flower arrangements using grocery store flowers. Or consider having the bridesmaids and mothers carry a rose (or flower that works with your theme). Or some brides choose to use artificial flowers to keep them for longevity.
Photos: I had lots of family offer to do my pictures, but think about if saving the money is really worth having photos that aren't done with a pro's eye. I found a photographer who fit within my budget (this was when film was still huge) and it prevented the catastrophe of if a family member's camera malfunctioned. There are lots of ways to save with a pro... consider having her shoot just the ceremony and group shots, or forgo proofs in lieu of a digital disk. The amount of time you hire your pro for is a significant cost.
Favors: Oriental Trader is AWESOME for favors. We bought pencils (I'm a writer too) with our names and wedding date on them for $20 for 200 pencils. We also made bookmarks with our wedding date and a saying on them. Cost was maybe 20 cents each.
Transportation: Should you have your reception where your ceremony is, no transportation needed!
Attire: One of the unique things I noticed lately is that for the guys attire, a solid color button up with a tie (all the same) is an affordable option. Some grooms also purchase a suit (think of the re-wear capacity). For brides, see if you have a discount or second-hand bridal shop available where you can get a next-to-new (or new) dress for really cheap. Bangor, ME has two shops where you can get a new dress that's been discontinued for under $100. Ebay may also be an option. And brides, let your girls get a dress that they can wear again. I know one bride who chose a color scheme and let her girls buy their own dress within that scheme. We all know what happens to bridesmaid's dresses when the wedding's done. I made my own veil using a kit and my mom did my alterations because she's a great seamstress.
Invites and programs: Desktop publishing has come a long way. DIY kits are available at most department stores. But please, spell check before you send out the invites. You can also provide postcards as reply cards. It saves you significant postage.
Food: If you're getting married in the morning, consider a tea or light brunch for guests to enjoy. Potluck is another way to help ease the burden (but please don't REQUIRE that to come to the wedding, people bring food. That's like saying you expect your guests to prepare a dish and here's what it's going to be.
Cake: We saved big bucks by not going with a commercial bake shop, but a smaller independent baker and honestly, it's the best decision we made. His cakes are delicious. We also saved by making our own cake topper.
There are lots more ways to save, but those were our biggies. Best of luck on your wedding and your life together.
For your Thank You cards. Make a sign that says THANK YOU big enough for both of you to hold. Holding the sign take a picture of you in your wedding attire, so when you send out your cards family and friends not only get a thank you, they get a picture of the both of you. And you have something to use at your 50th Anniversary!
I did a wedding for a friend in Dec. I hung snow flakes from the ceiling, purchased from dollar Tree. Lights and tulle. Tulle is like duck tape for weddings, It fills up empty space and looks elegant. Candles and christmas lights are wonderful too. Also you could put out glass bowls with christmas ornaments. I also spray painted tree branches white and put in small waste basket covered with gold wrapping paper and ribbons and added christmas lights. Very elegant. Pine cones painted also work well. Borrow, Borrow, Borrow anything from everybody. Ask friend and family to make their special dishes for the reception. Make your own flowers, its not hard at all. My daughter is getting married in August. We are putting tall cyclinder vases with roses covered in water with floating candles on top. with several small candles around and flower petals. Buy something each time you get paid. Don't have a large guest list. You could also take Glass canning jars and cover with tissue paper and tie with a ribbon then add your flowers or paint tree branches.
Well you can save a lot of money, if you both get jobs, move out of your parent's houses & live together saving up funds for 5 years before doing the wedding.
Since that probably won't happen. You should talk to your girlfriend about it being selfish for her to set so many limitations and boundaries when her parents have to foot the bill. Going to the courthouse & having a JP with just the parents & then a big reception for friends & family is a great alternative. I would be proud of saving my parents as much money as possible, especially if I was living off of them.
As you're both unemployed with little to no financial prospects ... you really should forgo the honeymoon. If you don't have the funds, skip it. My fiance & me were going to just stay home FROM WORK for a week & get a couples massage & unplug the phone at OUR apartment, but we ended up getting lots of checks at the wedding so planned something budgetable the day after spontaneously. My parents didn't have a honeymoon when they married because they were too poor, & they've been together 33 years.
Tell your girlfriend that the most important ceremony is the 25 year renewal ceremony & she can go all out then. Because then you'll have proven you have what it takes to last & that your love isn't just an irresponsible, adolescent, Britney Spears fantasy.
You got tons of ideas but what about checking with the local goodwill industries for the hall. I got married in one in Florida and they included all the decorations, seating, candles and linen. They gave us choices of roast beef or chicken sit down sinners, with the room for 4 hours for about 20.00 per person, so if its a small wedding say 50 or under your looking at 1000.00 which leaves you 2000.00 for clothing, a good camera and tripod, and cake.
We dressed our whole wedding party with dresses found on sale in Dillard's and suit pants and shirts and ties to match. Make your own cake if needed you can also get a nice sheet cake from sams or coscos for 25.00. Be frugal just keep you eye out for sales for clothing and gifts for attendants and have fun. Love each other its more about that than anything else anyway.
For candleholders and snack dishes: Take a 2 liter pop bottle and cut around where the indented seam is. There is one below the label and one above. Decorate the bottom part with lace and ribbon, using hot glue to keep in place, for candy dishes. The top part with the spout is perfect for holding long tapered candles. Decorate around the neck with matching ribbon and lace. We did this for our wedding and they were elegant. Great way to recycle too.
We were married in my parents home. The only ones invited were parents, grandparents, and siblings along with their families, other than the ones in the wedding. We kept the wedding party to the matron of honor and the best man. The cake was $50, the preacher got $20, the flowers were $50 and my sister took the pictures. I wore a nice Sunday dress as did the Matron of honor and Sunday suits for the men. The only other cost was gas money and a motel room for a couple of nights. Simple but beautiful!
I also have a small budget. I am getting married in may and found a nockoff designer dress on ebay It is worth more than I paid it was beautiful. I found a local park near our home and paid less than $100 for the reservation.
It is going to be an outside wedding outside means no limits to the guest you choose. I found a lot of decorations very inexpensive on www.wrapwithus.com they are cheaper than you local walmart or Target. Decorations for the reception always look in the clearance isle for candles and holders.
Vases are cheap if you can find a store going out of business the dollar tree where everything is 1 dollar has a website very cheap. DJ use an Ipod, food have family members cook and bring something. flowers I am going to grow them otherwise you can look on www.fiftyflowers.com they are very inexpensive. hope this helps
We had an inexpensive wedding but as a tip I'll tell you my biggest regret. We invited too many people. The more people you have, the larger the space needed, the more food, chairs, etc. I wanted to have our wedding at a lovely historical home but due to pressure from family, our guest list grew and we ended up having to use a (more expensive and not as pretty) VFW hall. Before you do ANYTHING else, figure out who you really, really want to have there to share your day. Once you have a real number of guests, you can choose where to have the ceremony. I've attended weddings and receptions at VFW halls, senior citizen's centers, historical homes, the art museum. Also, our city parks have lodges you can rent - some are quite pretty.
The two things we did right were food and flowers. We had a regular cake made by a friend and decorated with white icing and fresh flowers and sheet cakes decorated the same way. We also served cookies (my mom had everyone we know baking them) and veggie and cheese trays. Drink choices were homemade punch, water or iced tea. All our flowers were fresh. I found a store that would sell to us wholesale roses. The day before the wedding, we got together and made up bouquets and boutonnieres. Again, limit the number of flowers. I had a large bouquet, my bridesmaids had slightly smaller ones, mothers had a single rose. We used roses because they are fairly sturdy and easy to come by. The boutonnieres held up well. We had two vases of roses - one on our food table and one on the table with our guest book.
Hi. I was going to suggest that you get on your local freecycle. You may be able to get a wedding gown and alot of the decorations off there....I have seen all of this offered on it before. My ex and I got married at the court house, by a judge. It was very inexpensive. Of course, you can only have a few people with you then. But everyone else could join you for the reception. There have already been alot of good suggestions from people on places to hold it. It is good you have a year. You can watch the party stores, craft stores, etc, for clearance items to use. Also, white christmas lights work wonderfully to make the room look nice! I helped a few friends with decorations and favors. For example, I took some small votice candle holders, hot glued silk rose petals around the outside of them, and they are very pretty and elegant on the tables, with the candle going. Feel free to email me for pictures of a few items i made inexpensivly...dellajo55@gmail.com.
Our wedding ran us about $2000 for everything. We had a friend make the video as a gift to us (make sure you tell the person what all you want on it because ours quit taping before the toast). We had another friend play the piano for her gift to us and we used a cd player during the wedding for the songs that we wanted sung. The church we used is my home church so it was free along with the dining hall. We fixed the food for our reception ourselves: cheeseball and crackers, chocolate covered pretzels, veggie tray, etc. The cake was made by woman who makes cakes at her home, it was only $100 for a three layer cake. Some grocery stores sell wedding cakes for around the same amount. As far as decorations, my sisters carried brandy glasses with marbles in it with a candle lit and a ribbon tied around the stem. Those were their presents from me. We went to Wal-Mart and bought the fish bowls that were like $1 that are way to small for any fish to be in and put candles in them and put them in the windows. The pews had a ribbon and some silk carnations tied to them. For the mothers and grandmothers we took white carnations and dipped the edges in teal paint because teal was my color and tied a ribbon around the stems. We bought lace and bagged our own bird seed to use instead of rice. My veil was made by a friend for $15. We only bought the proofs from the photographer with the plan to get more pictures later. Silk bouquets are cheaper than live flowers. I have seen weddings in a church at Christmas time with the trees lit and flowers all around and they are beautiful and the decorations are free. If you are planning to go on a honeymoon to someplace warm, you could always get married on the beach. That would save money and combine the two. Talk with your families and friends to see what you can borrow and see if they can give you gifts of things that can help you with the wedding (like doing a video, music, pictures, baking, etc). Good luck.
Your location requirements definitely limit you. I'd look into borrowing a friend's home, or if this isn't possible, check into how much it would be to rent a historic home (which is what we did for $250 for both ceremony and reception -- they let us use the kitchen for free!). Another option might be a conference room at a hotel -- set up half the room as the wedding, and the other half as the reception area, and work WITH the hotel color scheme. For example, if they have burgundy carpet, try to coordinate instead of clash. Ask if your rental site has any decorations you may borrow, too. Some spots keep seasonal centerpieces that they change out throughout the year.
If your fiancee can't borrow a gown, hit the after-prom and after-homecoming sales in search of a white formal dress for the wedding gown (the styles are very similar!). My dress came from eBay for $56, but this option is only good if you know someone who can do alterations inexpensively (even a simple hem can really add up). Craft stores have very simple, low-cost veils premade, or you could sew one up in about 5 minutes with tulle fabric and a plastic comb (my mom made mine, for $3.71).
Goodwill is another good spot to look for not only dresses, but also candle holders, baskets for flower girl, small pillows for ring bearer, vases for decoration, etc. Another spot to check is Dollar Tree, which is where I bought all my silk wedding flowers and arranged them into bouquets myself to save $. Dollar Tree also has ring bearer pillows, guest books, fancy plastic trays for serving reception food, petals, items for making favors, colored glass marbles and candles for centerpieces, and decorations for wedding day and reception, too.
Our wedding cakes were a gift and I decorated them with silk flowers to match my bouquets. However, before these cakes were offered to us for free, my plan was to make a few dozen cupcakes and arrange them in a "cupcake tower" for a less costly alternative. You can bake the cupcakes in plain white paper liners and then put them (liner and all) into a more decorative liner to add color. Our reception hors d'oevres came from Sam's Club frozen and were basically heat and eat.
Per your original post - "Also, church, Justice Of the Peace, and backyard weddings are no go's, as she's dead set against them."
You're really limiting yourselves here - your church can help a lot with saving money, and I'm not sure what you're considering with these options eliminated. Get family and friends together and have things be handmade as opposed to purchased/catered. And postpone the honeymoon 'til you're better set financially!
You have a year, so that's good. Set your must haves now and start shopping sales and using things like those 40% off coupons at the craft stores. Do you have a friend or relative who's home you admire? They may be willing to let you use their home as a setting for the ceremony/reception. If you are getting married in December, they will already have their home decorated for the holidays. Offer to provide some potted poinsettias (they come in all colors and you can add glitter or those spiral twigs that you can find decorated in the craft stores), greenery, lights(borrowed) Tulle always looks beautiful and comes in a variety of colors or whatever other special decorations you'd like.
Ask a friend or relative to officiate the ceremony. Check with your town to see what the rules are as to who has to perform the ceremony. If you aren't religious, you can ask anyone to coordinate the ceremony.
Keep food simple. Hearty soups with fresh homemade breads and salad make a great winter meal. Lemonade iced tea or punch is less expensive than soda.
Don't be afraid to ask. Borrow serving dishes, decorations, tables and chairs, etc. Just be sure to mark the person's name on the donation or keep a master list so that everything can be returned Promptly.
Invest in a decent digital camera. Have fun with your pictures and many online photo developers offer free prints when you sign up with them. You can use their websites to enhance the pictures before printing(croping, removing red eyes, adding borders and captions) You can even get your photos printed in a book.
Shop after holiday sales for deals on party goods and stock up. Doing a little bit over time is a lot easier on the budget than trying to do it all at once. Be flexible, creative, and have fun!
I'm sure it goes without saying that if you plan on getting married, you both need to find work asap and make sure you talk together about your expectations for your future life. Do you plan to go to college? Where will you live? Who will be doing the bulk of the housework, how will you handle money, etc.? Do you want kids? Be sure this is what you want long term before you make a serious commitment. Sorry, the Mom in me just jumped out. Good Luck !
Many churches do not charge usage fees if you are a member, or sometimes only discounted fees, cleaning or director fees.
Many regions of the country have community centers that can be rented for receptions, here in Georgia for only $50.
Look for a discounted wedding gown in resale shops, JC Penneys outlet, Craiglist, or borrow from a relative or friend. Many veils and headpieces can be purchased at craft stores-and they have discounted coupons @ 40% off!
Print your own invitations on a laser or inkjet printer-they really can be lovely.
Decorate the altar using greenery rather than many candles and stands. Simplicity is often much prettier.
Do you know someone who has taken cake decorating classes? Many people will make your cake as a gift, or for the cost of ingredients just for the practice.
If the wedding is very small and intimate, ask family and friends to bring covered dishes (with preassigned food groups) for the reception. Ask a friend (not a close family member) to coordinate both the list of foods and the heating of same at the reception. It will result in a covered dish supper and give everyone more time to relax and enjoy!
Lastly, resign yourself to the facts that you can't have everything, and something-big or small-will go wrong. But remember, at the end of the day, you will be happily married!
We had an inexpensive wedding. Invite ONLY close family and friends. We rented a hall from and VFW. Firehalls are fairly inexpensive as well. Sometimes the church where you get married lets you use the hall for a donation. We got the wedding catered with a buffet. No sit down dinner. Go to a private caterer or a local restaurant. You do not have to serve booze. My sister-in-law made the cake. Have a friend take pictures and another video tape. I was lucky my brother was a DJ and that was his gift to us, but you can make up mixed tapes and just play that. You can have the best man or other friend announce the entrance, dances, garter, bouquet etc. Good Luck
You can check out my previous post "Unique Wedding dress from a Vintage Pantsuit" for one idea. I'm sure that sounds weird, but it was really cheap and turned out great.
Anyway, what I didn't mention with that was we did an incredibly cheap wedding, also. A family friend who was fairly good with cakes gave us the cake as a present. I went to her house and helped make an extra cake for backup (just in case we had invited a starving hoard of cake fiends!), and we did the food like this: Potluck. Ok, seriously, if you are having a gathering of close friends, why not treat it like a gathering? Most folks are happy to bring a food item. My dad did the photos. Myself and my mother in law to be bought bulk flowers, some floral tape and a few pins and made all the corsages, boutineers (sp?) and the bouquets ourselves. Much cheaper, and you can grab a few stems of fake flowers at the dollar store to practice on so you know what you're doing when the day rolls around. It ain't rocket science!
Also, just like dim light disguises the signs of wear and tear and general high mileage on us older folks, candlelight is soooooo romantic and the ambiance will help disguise possible budgetary shortcuts. And candles are cheap! (Did I mention that evening weddings are terribly sophisticated?)
When some of the young people from our church were married and money was very tight. They had the usual church wedding, followed by all the friends etc having morning or afternoon tea in the adjacent hall. Some of the ladies from the choir organized the tea, coffee etc in exchange for a donation to the choir. The teas usually consisted of mixed sandwiches, scones, small cream cakes, sausage rolls etc.
The wedding cakes were usually purchased from the local cake shop as a normal cake and then the bridesmaid flowers or some other decoration was added. At the end of the tea, the couple would cut the cake, there would be several speeches and the couple could do the bridal waltz around the hall. The immediate family would then go on to a more expensive restaurant for dinner.
When my cousin was married and money was tight. She bought her dress and the bridesmaids from a hire place that was getting rid of old stock. She had a church wedding, she used a computer program and coloured paper for the invitiations and orders of service.
For the flowers - her mum went down to the local florist and bought several bunches of flowers, put wet paper around the bottoms of the flowers and covered in plastic, she then covered the plastic in a layer of coloured tissue paper and wrapped a large bow around them. They bough 2 mud cakes from the local cake shop and some small supporting pillars from a cake decorating shop.
At the reception, the assembled the 2 tier cake and cut up the fresh flowers to use as decoration. The dinner was held at a local pub, that had a private room but which had folding doors that opened into the main part of the bar where the band played. There was no alcohol - only coke, lemonade and orange squash. Champagne was used for the toasts only. We only had one course, as the appetizers were various plates of cheese etc left on a table for people to help themselves, as the bride and groom had pictures taken with everyone by a family friend.
When they cut the cake - which served as dessert- they opened the doors and we all danced to the band - along with everyone else. My uncle only had to pay half the hiring fee of the band and they did play several favourite pieces of music and the rest was jazz.
They did a house swap with someone for their honeymoon. It turned out a very inexpensive wedding - my uncle is the ultimate money saver.
My husband and I were in the same boat. I found my wedding dress at a shop that was going out of business, and spent $225 for the normally $900 dress, and he threw in the shoes. I've seen wedding dresses at thrift shops as well. Here in Texas, quincenera celebrations are popular, and I've seen racks with multiple dresses hanging there, leftovers from some young girl's dream party. The only problem is that they may not fit your attendants. My mother made my veil (we got lucky and found the exact lace to match my dress!). Our reception was at the local Lion's Club - it wasn't fancy but the people were what we were interested in. We made a tape of the music we wanted ahead of time and it was played over the stereo. A friend of mine donated the groom's cake for our wedding present, another sang at the wedding, and yet another managed the reception for me (that was the best present of all!). The bride's cake was from the local grocery store. The bridesmaid's flowers became centerpieces at the reception. My sister bought a bunch of one-use cameras for her reception and left them out for people to take pictures.
Congratulations, be creative, and think outside the box!
Flowers-- use minimal flowers and only the bride & groom have REAL flowers.
Pictures-- find the person you know that takes the best pictures and ask them to take pictures for you and give them all to you on CD. You decide what to print.
Food--find a few friends that will make some sheetcakes for you (you buy the ingredients). Decorate "cake forms" for your table. Soups and crackers are a big thing to serve here for receptions. No sit-down meal, just a serve yourself table.
Have no line. Just the Bride & Groom!
Make a deal with a pastor to do some work for the church in exchange for using the building and for his services. Be prepared to do the work BEFORE the wedding.
Get on "FREECYCLE" for your area and ask for wedding decorations after others are finished. Let them know you will help take down the decorations, if you can.
It is easily possible. Just start thinking outside the box.
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Request: Inexpensive Wedding Tips
Archived on 01/06/2009
If anyone has any ideas for a beautiful, yet low budget wedding please let me know. Also if anybody knows any inexpensive dresses, jewelry, cakes etc it would be more than welcome as I would like my wedding perfect but can't afford designer price tags!
Angela from Manchester, England
Answers:
RE: Inexpensive Wedding Tips
Plant inexpensive, easy-to-grow stem and stalk flowers like irises and day lilies to use at the wedding. Ask close friends and family to plant some as well so your flower bounty will be greater by the wedding date.
Don't forget second-hand stores for great finds. This is especially great for more eclectic weddings where not every piece has to match perfectly. Also, don't forget about your local "dollar" stores. Check the party aisles for some unexpected finds.
Need a cake? Search online for a two-ingredient cake. The simplest requires only a can of cola and a cake mix (total under $1.50 per 2-layer cake). Make numerous cakes or one large multi-layered cake. For decorating, DIY (practice now) or hire an artsy relative or friend to do the fancy icing.
Think outside the box on wedding favors. You can do a wide variety of on-the-cheap side favors and none has to match. Do some sachets, some small packs of stationary, some bubble packs, etc. Most of this you can find at the dollar store. And... tulle everything!
I cater wedding receptions as a hobby and have done about a dozen of them in the past few years (200 guests each). I did my niece's reception recently and she had requested a chocolate fountain... so I did some research. What I found interesting is that some brides are replacing the traditional wedding cake with the chocolate fountain. It's a big hit, and lots of fun. Messy though, clean up is even messier! The fountain idea is not particularly cheap, but less than a professional wedding cake. She had both. The wedding cake (200 guests) was about $400.
The fountain rented for $100. The Belgium chocolate (a must, in my opinion ... high fat content flows easily) was $50 for 10 pounds. $75 for out-of-season strawberries, supplemented with purchased apple slices from Sam's Club (won't turn dark...and they were a big hit), large marshmallows, pretzel sticks, grapes and skewers.
Leave out the strawberries and grapes, use lots of apple slices, possibly (firm) brownies or cake cubes and you can make an impressive display for about $200. Have one (brave) person designated to watch over it all. A hint: Take a bubble level to make sure the fountain is absolutely straight so it flows evenly.
Make it personal. I like the outdoor wedding -- you could even do an evening ceremony with the small twinkle lights for accent. Hire an aspiring cake-baker to make your cake. Or do it yourself! Butter cream frosting is easy to make and very tasty. You can simply use live flowers (roses, etc, check for toxicity if you are unsure) to decorate it.
We got married in a remade "castle" (former Elk's lodge) and had a "traditional" medieval ceremony -- hand fasting, ceremony, roast boar, sword fight -- and saved quite a bit on money. My sister and I made the wedding party attire very inexpensive and fun. I have worn my wedding dress every year when we attend Renaissance festivals. We printed our own invites (as has been suggested) and made our birdseed holders for guests to toss from as we left the building.
As for table decor - use fresh fruit! It can be laid out at random or placed in second-hand baskets. Guests can snack on it and you can take the rest home for healthy snacks later.
(01/31/2007)
By jc42
RE: Inexpensive Wedding Tips
I live in the States, but see if you can get a dress from Chadwicks. I got my dress there with a coupon my mom had in her email for around $100 with shipping. (Beautiful ivory, off the shoulder evening dress with no train.) Also try to make as much of the food as possible or just have cake and punch. Depending on when the wedding is try to look for things in "non-wedding" stores and see if you can find them on sale.
Hope this helps. (02/02/2007)
By Jessie
RE: Inexpensive Wedding Tips
I have a few friends who actually bought white prom dresses for their wedding gowns. They paid $40-$50 for them and one even had a small train! They wore halos in their hair and looked gorgeous! (02/06/2007)
By lazisuzi
RE: Inexpensive Wedding Tips
Try the local 4H club County extension Office in the gov. section of the phone book. See if there is a floral class. I used them and got great results. Also try the decorating, cooking and servers. Maybe your decorations could win a prize at the county fair. (04/06/2007)
My daughter just got engaged to be married July '07! She's into doing things well, but inexpensively, and (duh) I want to help her on her quest. Any ideas?
KLJohn from Crawford, CO
Answers:
Set a Budget
When my daughter married 5 years ago, we set a budget and did not exceed it. We went to the florist and purchased the flowers that were leftover for the week of the wedding (april) and bought a few calla lilies to accent. My niece arranged all the flowers; we purchased the ribbon from a local dollar store; we made victorian cones filled with the flowers and they were hung with ribbon on the pews - it was very pretty; we also filled small victorian cones made from paper doilies and got leftover rose petals from the florist; filled the cones and the rose petals were thrown at the bride & groom at their exit from the church.
We had a friend who was a caterer and she was told of our budget; for her gift, she supplied all the food for the small reception and arranged it.
Let friends and family know of your plans and your small budget; they will help you! We did it and people offered their help.
We bought a bolt of tulle and used it everywhere; we had english ivy growing in our yard and we used it to decorate the candelabras which the church furnished; the finishing touches on the candles was the tulle (the netting)
Good luck and it can be done - have fun! (12/25/2006)
By WANDAJO
Pick Your Colors Early
She needs to pick out her colors asap. This way you can start shopping for all of the little extras. After holidays you can always find ribbons and lights to decorate with. My brother just used purple lights that were purchased after Halloween at his wedding this last year. Valentine's day and Easter are coming up so pick a color and use your imagination.
Easter grass is wonderful as a decoration along the tables if you get the shiny stuff people won't even know it wasn't purchased at the decorating shop. Use it in glass bowls with a fake flower on top for a centerpiece. Or you can scatter around a pillar candle on a plate. Easter grass comes in almost any color now days. (12/27/2006)
There are some wedding items available through www.orientaltrading.com that are very inexpensive. They have candle votive holders that can be personalized and they don't cost very much. (12/27/2006)
Get the book "How to Have a Big Wedding on a Small Budget". There are lots of ideas of every kind and a planner & organizer companion also. Author-Diane Warner. I got done meats (brisket, this is Texas, potato salad and beans from the grocery store- HEB), bought material on sale all at same time on sale from Hobby Lobby, patterns too. Found an older woman who sewed like a dream. A friend from church did all the floral arrangements. We were married in a Wedding Chapel who provided the cake, music, minister, garter, chairs and so on for a fee. A whole lot cheaper than us doing that part. Candles were ordered at a candle factory. Very nice and fairly inexpensive. I was a student, had 4 children and living on minimal money. Plus, a second marriage for me. Have fun and good luck! (12/28/2006)
By LaRue
Outdoor Wedding
Unless your family is very religious and feel the wedding must be in Church, get married outside in a park or garden. My son and d-in law did this for the their wedding, they were married in her home town in the beautiful Rose Gardens. It was summer, so the roses, other flowers, trees and grass were all the 'flora' they needed. My d-inlaw, made up her own and the bridesmaids bouquets from flowers she purchased, and they looked beautiful. Her dress was a classic white 'off- the rack- and she looked lovely.
They printed out their own blue and gold wedding invitations on the computer. (12/28/2006)
By Ellie.
Photos
We had a very inexpensive wedding. I think the best thing we did was have a friend with a really nice camera do our pictures. We purchased high quality film and took it to Ritz camera for high quality developing. We could choose to have as many copies of as many pictures as we wanted and we still have all the negatives. Now, a high quality digital camera would probably also be a good option. (12/29/2006)
