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Personal Planning a Budget-Friendly October Wedding: Tips and Tricks for a Dream Ceremony

In summary, my boyfriend asked me to marry him on Thursday and we went ring shopping on Friday. I got a gorgeous ring and there is so much to do in a short amount of time. I am doing a lot of stuff myself, but I am going to hire a caterer. I love the idea of the single white rose and I am looking to get married in October. My biggest splurges were the flowers and the cake.
chefheidi2003
Gold Member
2,943
My boyfriend asked me to marry him on Thursday. He is not comfortable picking things out..so we went ring shopping on Friday and I got a gorgeous ring. Anyway, there is so much to do in a short amount of time. I am doing a lot of stuff myself..I think that my "big splurge" will be to get a caterer..but I am going my own cake..we will do mostly cupcakes..but after Spring Launch and seeing the HWC items..I want to have at least a small cake so that I have a reason to have the HWC cake server on the cake table. I love that thing..it is so cute. I am looking to get married in October..so that is why there is so much to do in a short time. I am going dress shopping next weekend. I WILL NOT BE A BRIDEZILLA.

I have a huge family..so that is making the invite list hard to do..once I invite my family and his..there is not much room for friends..HOWEVER..one of the good things about having a big family is I have a lot of people willing to help with things. My cousin did her whole wedding for less than $5000..and that is my goal..she also did her own flowers..so I have already asked her to help me. I am a pretty simple girl. I want Wildflowers or Gerber Daisies..but I want 1 white rose in the middle of my bouquet to represent my dad who passed away 10 years ago. I am not a huge fan of roses..but he LOVED them..so I feel that that is fitting..and that will be the only white flower anywhere.

One of the reason that I am posting all of this is because I was hoping for great ideas on cost cutting measures so I can still have the wedding of my dreams..but keep it on a small budget.

I am not hiring a photographer for the reception..my sister is a photographer..so she will get pics of the important dances at the reception..but I will need to hire someone for the wedding..because I want her to be able to enjoy the wedding.

With it being October..I would just like potted mums at the front of the church.
 
Congratulations!!!
 
Congratulations! Enjoy the planning of the festivities
 
Yay! Congrats! My mom is still paying off my first wedding. And it wasn't that big at all. My second wedding was about $600 and I won it all back putting a $20 in a slot machine... we eloped in Vegas.

I LOVE the idea of the single white rose. It's a beautiful way to remember your dad.

If I come up with any budget friendly ideas I will post, but you sound like you are on the right track!
 
Ohhh - Congratulations! My anniversary is October 16th! Great time to get married! :):love:

We did our wedding for around $5000 too - BUT - I had no rental fees for a building or church, because I was on staff at my church at the time, so was able to use the Church, and the facilities for free.

I have a friend who is a Chef/Caterer, so he did the wedding for me as a gift - I just paid for the cost of the food. It was amazing. He did such a beautiful job! We had a Morning Wedding with a Champagne Brunch reception, and he did quiche, and breads & pastries, and fruits. Because of a request from my hubby, I did make meatballs myself, with the help of a couple friends. I do these sausage apple meatballs in an apple cider/maple glaze. I made 1200 of them before the wedding - froze them, and then he reheated them and did the glaze for them.

We used Candy Corn mixed with peanuts with the punch bowl before the brunch, and for the centerpieces, we had little baskets filled with an arrangement of leaves & pine cones. Everything was very Fallish and Festive looking.

My biggest splurges were probably the flowers and the cake. I found this florist who did the most amazing, unique creations from flowers...and I used some that had to be special ordered - yes, I think the flowers were my biggest splurge!

My photographer - again a friend who did it for me for a very low price. That was a huge help! He also did video for us.

We had about 200 attend.
 
Congratulations! This will be a most fun year for you with many memories and laughter! Enjoy every minute and make sure you slow down enough to enjoy it all! Great time to start a journal of daily thoughts, activities, ideas....you will forget it all later on down the road!

Love CK
 
Congratulations!!
 
Ebay! I did so many things on ebay - flowers, tiara, garter, thank you cards, envelope seals, cake topper and more. If you know your "theme" then search that with the word wedding. I did the interlocking hearts so I searched heart wedding and it gives you a ton of ideas. Or if you have a particular color (silver heart wedding).

If you have a Hobby Lobby or Michaels close by watch out for their sales. I bought our invites, wedding programs, cake server and more there when it was all 50% off.

Watch for after season sales (bought a few things after Valentine's day that worked for our wedding).

Buy your dress off the rack!! Really it does help! My dress is sitting in a box in my closet and I don't know what I'll ever do with it again. Saving money there helps in the long run.

I made my own "cake" card box with round paper mache boxes from Hobby Lobby.

Flower girl dresses were bought from Dillards during Easter! They had the perfect colors for our girls.

Go to wedding shows around your area to get ideas. You don't have to use those vendors (I never did) but got some good ideas. And sign up for drawings! A gal last week said she went to one and signed up and won $1000! She bought her bridesmaid's dresses with it.

Craigslist for centerpieces that other people are getting rid of and more.

Bought my shoes from Payless for $19 and didn't wear hose or any of those stupid bras and petticoats they try to get you to buy at the bridal salons.

My hair was done by a friend of the family for a great price. The other gals did their own hair the day of (some brides pay for this, no way!).

I did have a jewelry party to get my jewelry and jewelry for the bridesmaids and mothers for FREE. This was a great idea! Watch for sales at Things Remembered for other wedding gifts.

Flower girl baskets were on clearance at Michael's after Christmas.

Gee, what else!! I am full of ideas so if you have any questions just send me a message. I've thrown around the idea of being a wedding/party planner since I know how to get the great deals and love putting things together!
 
ChefBeckyD said:
Ohhh - Congratulations! My anniversary is October 16th! Great time to get married! :):love:

We did our wedding for around $5000 too - BUT - I had no rental fees for a building or church, because I was on staff at my church at the time, so was able to use the Church, and the facilities for free.

I have a friend who is a Chef/Caterer, so he did the wedding for me as a gift - I just paid for the cost of the food. It was amazing. He did such a beautiful job! We had a Morning Wedding with a Champagne Brunch reception, and he did quiche, and breads & pastries, and fruits. Because of a request from my hubby, I did make meatballs myself, with the help of a couple friends. I do these sausage apple meatballs in an apple cider/maple glaze. I made 1200 of them before the wedding - froze them, and then he reheated them and did the glaze for them.

We used Candy Corn mixed with peanuts with the punch bowl before the brunch, and for the centerpieces, we had little baskets filled with an arrangement of leaves & pine cones. Everything was very Fallish and Festive looking.

My biggest splurges were probably the flowers and the cake. I found this florist who did the most amazing, unique creations from flowers...and I used some that had to be special ordered - yes, I think the flowers were my biggest splurge!

My photographer - again a friend who did it for me for a very low price. That was a huge help! He also did video for us.

We had about 200 attend.

Oh yah look for "off" times during the day or weekend to save money on food. You don't have to serve a whole meal if you have a 6 or 7 p.m. wedding but can serve appetizers and cake. Or just do a small brunch or even just a cake reception if you really want to. Also these off times are sometimes cheaper at venues.
 
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  • #10
Becky..you reminded me of something with your post..our centerpieces are going to be edible..we are going to do

Cheeseballs - using PC oil dipping seasoning
Crackers
Cubed Cheese
And MAYBE Hershey kisses.

We are not doing favors..if I did they would just be either Hershey Kisses or M&Ms..but I would rather save the time and just scatter some Hershey Kisses on the tables.
 
  • #11
chefheidi2003 said:
Becky..you reminded me of something with your post..our centerpieces are going to be edible..we are going to do

Cheeseballs - using PC oil dipping seasoning
Crackers
Cubed Cheese
And MAYBE Hershey kisses.

We are not doing favors..if I did they would just be either Hershey Kisses or M&Ms..but I would rather save the time and just scatter some Hershey Kisses on the tables.

All we did for favors was Hershey kisses in small little paper boxes I made. Which took a while but were made while I was sitting there watching tv.

I also didn't say congrats!!

My old boss' wife actually kept all the packaging some of their wedding decorations came in and returned them when the wedding was over :eek:
 
  • #12
Congrats!! I'm from PA, just south of pittsburgh, & we did our whole wedding (rehearsal & wedding gifts included) for less than $3000! We did all of the catering, made the flower arrangements & bouquets, & used my families cabin for the ceremony & reception. I got my gown at davids bridal. We gave the girls beach bags, personalized necklaces from theknot.com (when they went on sale), paid for their hair, & little flowers to go in it, & we gave them a photo frame too. The guys got humidors (from theknot too) & cigars.
 
  • #13
congratulations! The best to you and your fiance!!!
 
  • #14
For the parents we did personalized frames. Our best man got a nice watch & our made of honor got a diamond bracelet & earrings on sale at J.B Robinson. My uncle married us & we gave him gift cards for dinner. The ring bearer & flower girl got fun kids things like games. We also gave them a photo frame too so they could remember what a special part they played in our wedding.For rehearsal dinner, our best man's dad made roasted chickens. We also had corn on the cob & fresh cut fries. Since everyone came in from out of town, we invited them to rehearsal dinner & ended up feeding 50+ people. For the reception we did garbage can turkey, macaroni salad, hot dogs (on a hot dog roller we rented from a party rental), hamburgers (my dads friend grilled), pasta salad, green beans, parsley potatoes, & rigatoni, bread & butter. Some of our friends made cookies & my cousin made us cupcakes. We did do a small cake to cut that my aunt made for free. We also had a sundae bar (in-laws have an ice cream machine), buffalo chicken dip, cool dips, chips, & pretzels. For drinks, we rented servers & made iced tea, lemonade, & kool-aid. We also had a draft wagon (beer wagon- we rented) a slushy machine (we rented) that served virgin margartias & daiquires but kept the alcohol beside it for adults to add. We fed 250 people & had a lot left over. We bought all the food at Sams. We also did a breakfast buffet the next morning & invited everyone to join us. We fed approx. 50 people. We did scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, cereal, muffins, & juices.Some other things we had were corn hole to play, horseshoes, & yard games for the kids.
At night we did a camp fire & a slideshow with pictures from when we dated until then. We cut a lot of costs because we used the resources we had. We were pretty much just aiming to have a good time & not go all crazy over expenses & fancy things because thats not who we are. I'd love to help point you in a few directions with resources you might find useful as well as people to use for services. They are good & cheap. You can add me on facebook too & see the pix. Just PM me & I'll send you may contact info.
 
  • #16
One big tip on your dress is to watch out how much alterations will need to be done. If you have a dress that has a lot of lace at the bottom and needs to be hemmed, that can cost you an arm and a leg! Then again any hem will cost you, see what you can find that will work with a heel you can wear and see if you can skip that part all together. Doesn't work well for us short girls (not sure how tall you are) but my niece saved $160 from having to have the hem on her dress done.
 
  • #17
Congratulations!!! :D
 
  • #18
Since your wedding is in October you can use pumpkins, flowers, colored leaves for decorations - and they should be very inexpensive at farmers markets, etc at that time! ONe of my best friends got married on October 16th, and I guarantee they spent less than $5K, for a BEAUTIFUL wedding!
 
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  • #19
wadesgirl said:
One big tip on your dress is to watch out how much alterations will need to be done. If you have a dress that has a lot of lace at the bottom and needs to be hemmed, that can cost you an arm and a leg! Then again any hem will cost you, see what you can find that will work with a heel you can wear and see if you can skip that part all together. Doesn't work well for us short girls (not sure how tall you are) but my niece saved $160 from having to have the hem on her dress done.

I am 5'7" so that helps with dresses like this..LOL. Also if it is just a simple dress not a ton of layers my bff's mom can do it for me.
 
  • #20
chefheidi2003 said:
I am 5'7" so that helps with dresses like this..LOL. Also if it is just a simple dress not a ton of layers my bff's mom can do it for me.

Then you should probably have a good time finding a dress that may not need a hem! I'm short but my lace layers stopped below the bottom of the dress so it was only the material that needed hemmed.
 
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  • #21
I have a friend in my cluster who got married in October..and just went with the fall theme so she told me that I can go through her decorations and use whatever I want.
 
  • #22
I never knew what happiness was until I got married.

But then, it was too late.
 
  • #23
chefheidi2003 said:
I have a friend in my cluster who got married in October..and just went with the fall theme so she told me that I can go through her decorations and use whatever I want.

Yah! Always a good thing to do!
 
  • #24
Congratulations!!
 
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  • #25
Also..I am going to wear my bff's veil. Someone said about flower girls wearing Easter Dresses..it was funny I was showing my bff on the computer what I had in mind for our flower girl..she said..you won't buy her dress there..you will get it on clearance after Easter..I said oh trust me I know..I just want to show you the style that I like. I want my girls in a deep red..but I think I am going to get pink for our flower girl.
 
  • #26
Congrats! A couple of ideas. You can easily make boutenierres ( I am sure I spelled that wrong)- I did for my wedding, and I made the bouquets. You can then use the cupcakes as the centerpieces for all the tables. Get pretty (but you can find cheap) cupcake holders and have them out. And then have a little cake for you to cut with the heel cake cutter. I also highly recommend the knot wedding website. When I was on there, people were always selling stuff cheap (ie the cupcake holders) and we had a monogram made for free to use throughout the wedding. My biggest piece of advice is to PLAN-and stick to it. Because once you start doing this and changing that-you are wasting money! Good luck!
 
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  • #27
I will have to check out the knot..someone else posted about that site. My cousins also just told me that there is a store that has really inexpensive invitations..so I am going to go check that out. I had already planned on printing my own. My cousin sent me her spreadsheets..that shows how much she spent on what..as well as how many flowers she used for each thing..which will be great..she had beautiful flowers..her and her sister did all of them..and have said that they will do mine. She found this place that sometimes does a deal of buying a $50 GC for $25..and you can use 2..so I will probably be buying them if we decide to buy the flowers there. Is a little out of my way..but worth it..and my cousin works near it..so she would probably helping me out.
 
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  • #28
barbjans said:
Congrats! A couple of ideas. You can easily make boutenierres ( I am sure I spelled that wrong)- I did for my wedding, and I made the bouquets. You can then use the cupcakes as the centerpieces for all the tables. Get pretty (but you can find cheap) cupcake holders and have them out. And then have a little cake for you to cut with the heel cake cutter. I also highly recommend the knot wedding website. When I was on there, people were always selling stuff cheap (ie the cupcake holders) and we had a monogram made for free to use throughout the wedding. My biggest piece of advice is to PLAN-and stick to it. Because once you start doing this and changing that-you are wasting money! Good luck!

I do love the idea of the cupcakes in the middle of the table..but I have had my heart set on my appetizers being on the tables..so I am going to stick with that. Then people can have them while they are waiting for us to get done with pics.
 
  • #29
My husband and I paid for most of our wedding ourselves. We did alot of cost cutting measures! A friend of mine gave me great advice: pick what is important to you, whether it be the actual ceremoney or the party and put your money more into that! For us, it was the reception.

We did not get a limo: We owned a white 4 door car and my maid of honor had a white mini van that we used as our wedding cars. Saved a ton of money!

We did not buy flowers for the church, we used what the church had provided in their alter. No aisle runner either. Also, we did not use centerpieces for our reception...our hall had oil lamps on each table and we decided to just use those.

Borrow, borrow borrow! My best friend had gotten married a few months before I did and I borrowed her veil.

No wedding video, we did have a photographer, didn't know anyone to take good pics that we trusted, and we discovered that a videographer was JUST AS MUCH as a photographer, so that was an area we had to cut.

The place we went for our flowers also gave discounts for their cake services and invites so we just went with them for everything. You can go to Office Max and get your own to print off if you want and it should cut costs on that.

Pick up bridal magazines and they should give great ideas for "personal" touches. One thing that we did after I read it in a magazine is we got our parents wedding picture and bought nice frames from Michaels and displayed those by our wedding cake. If both of your parents are together, that would be a nice touch. It was a nice tribute to both of our parents.

Most of all, have fun and CONGRATS! :sing:
 
  • #30
First, Congratulations!!!

Second, I have to say I LOVE this thread. I love seeing people say - Oh, my entire wedding cost less than $5000, $3000, etc. It lets me know I'm not crazy! I've been married for 16 years and got married straight out of high school. I didn't care much at all how the actual wedding looked, we just wanted to get married. A friend did my pictures as a gift - they aren't professional but I don't really mind. How often do I look at them? The same friends mom and grandma made my dress as the gift and made the cake as a gift from my friend. We just paid for the fabric and stuff for the dress. We didn't do huge flowers, we did an open church wedding so there were no invitations and we met at our church while we were in High School so we weren't charged for the building and the pastor refused to take our money. I worked at a state park in the area and so did my mom - we also got married in October so it was off season - the park let us use the restaurant for the reception for no charge. And the ladies from the church did the food for the reception. It wasn't a sit down dinner and there was no band or anything because we actually didn't have dancing. I loved my wedding but it was well under $2000.

My sister in law is getting married in July. She called my in laws and asked them what her wedding budget was (which I personally thought she shouldn't expect them to pay for her wedding because she's 28 and has been on her own for years!) and when they told her $5000 she told them they needed to rething that because it wasn't going to be anywhere near enough! She picked a $1200 photographer and basically is letting him plan most of the wedding. After that I seperated myself from the wedding planning because I thought she was going way overboard and I have no idea what is going on now. In fact, with my husband in Iraq, I rarely hear from any of them so I have no idea what goes on with anything. My SIL was in the hospital last week and I found out from my mom today because she heard at church. I know nothing - I think I'm better off that way!

Just remember - what it sounds like you've already figured out - simple is beautiful!!!!
 
  • #31
Oh, and check vista print for invites - you never know what kind of specials they may have going on.
 
  • #32
chefsteph07 said:
<snip for brevity> We did not get a limo: We owned a white 4 door car and my maid of honor had a white mini van that we used as our wedding cars. <snip>

Oh, the memories! I used my Model A's in both my weddings, along with a few others. The first time, I rode in Sonja's rumble seat with What's-Her-Name. That wasn't an option for The Kat Lady and we rode in the back seat of a 1930 Fordor. Sonja was in that wedding too, she carried the ring bearer and flower girl (The Kat Lady's twin niece/nephew) in the rumble seat.

I'm going to have to dig up some pics. Here's Sonja at Union Station in Kansas City.

the_kitchen_guy-albums-bucket-picture1727-sonja-union-station-kansas-city.jpg
 
  • #33
pcsharon1 said:
First, Congratulations!!!

Second, I have to say I LOVE this thread. I love seeing people say - Oh, my entire wedding cost less than $5000, $3000, etc. It lets me know I'm not crazy! I've been married for 16 years and got married straight out of high school. I didn't care much at all how the actual wedding looked, we just wanted to get married. A friend did my pictures as a gift - they aren't professional but I don't really mind. How often do I look at them? The same friends mom and grandma made my dress as the gift and made the cake as a gift from my friend. We just paid for the fabric and stuff for the dress. We didn't do huge flowers, we did an open church wedding so there were no invitations and we met at our church while we were in High School so we weren't charged for the building and the pastor refused to take our money. I worked at a state park in the area and so did my mom - we also got married in October so it was off season - the park let us use the restaurant for the reception for no charge. And the ladies from the church did the food for the reception. It wasn't a sit down dinner and there was no band or anything because we actually didn't have dancing. I loved my wedding but it was well under $2000.

My sister in law is getting married in July. She called my in laws and asked them what her wedding budget was (which I personally thought she shouldn't expect them to pay for her wedding because she's 28 and has been on her own for years!) and when they told her $5000 she told them they needed to rething that because it wasn't going to be anywhere near enough! She picked a $1200 photographer and basically is letting him plan most of the wedding. After that I seperated myself from the wedding planning because I thought she was going way overboard and I have no idea what is going on now. In fact, with my husband in Iraq, I rarely hear from any of them so I have no idea what goes on with anything. My SIL was in the hospital last week and I found out from my mom today because she heard at church. I know nothing - I think I'm better off that way!

Just remember - what it sounds like you've already figured out - simple is beautiful!!!!
Very very true - all of it!

chefsteph07 said:
My husband and I paid for most of our wedding ourselves. We did alot of cost cutting measures! A friend of mine gave me great advice: pick what is important to you, whether it be the actual ceremoney or the party and put your money more into that! For us, it was the reception.

We did not get a limo: We owned a white 4 door car and my maid of honor had a white mini van that we used as our wedding cars. Saved a ton of money!

We did not buy flowers for the church, we used what the church had provided in their alter. No aisle runner either. Also, we did not use centerpieces for our reception...our hall had oil lamps on each table and we decided to just use those.

Borrow, borrow borrow! My best friend had gotten married a few months before I did and I borrowed her veil.

No wedding video, we did have a photographer, didn't know anyone to take good pics that we trusted, and we discovered that a videographer was JUST AS MUCH as a photographer, so that was an area we had to cut.

The place we went for our flowers also gave discounts for their cake services and invites so we just went with them for everything. You can go to Office Max and get your own to print off if you want and it should cut costs on that.

Pick up bridal magazines and they should give great ideas for "personal" touches. One thing that we did after I read it in a magazine is we got our parents wedding picture and bought nice frames from Michaels and displayed those by our wedding cake. If both of your parents are together, that would be a nice touch. It was a nice tribute to both of our parents.

Most of all, have fun and CONGRATS! :sing:
Very much agree!

We borrowed my in-laws town car for our car and DH's brother-in-law drove us since he was the only wedding party member who was by himself at the wedding. Everybody else drove themselves.
 
  • #34
Congrats on your engagement!! We did our own expenses too! I also helped my cousin plan her wedding two years ago this coming October... what a beautiful time of year that's for sure!! I made her invitations, which I suggest doing to anyone! I LOVE making invitations for any and all occassions, esp. weddings!! One GREAT way to do these for a fall wedding is find a nice foilage picture print it on cardstock. I did 2 invites per 8x10 page, I did it as a watermark and then on top of that I placed a piece of vellum paper with our wording on it. I would be more than willing to mail you a sample of something.... If you were at all interested I would be more than willing to do your invites!! LOL... also center pieces are very simple this time of year as well. Friends of our used a type of branch in the green floral foam with a mixture of moss, mums and a white flower hanging on them, if you would like to send me a private msg I can send you pictures of anything I'm telling you about I know it's hard to visualize. It's very simple to save money and have a VERY elegant wedding/reception. Good luck with all of this!! Oh, if you have a Michaels or AC Moore (any craft store) there is SOOO much you can do! For my cousins gifts we did small bottles of maple syrup and small jar candles with a picture on one side and their wedding information on the opposite. Hope you were able to get some ideas, and to any and all... YES I GREATLY enjoy planning weddings, it's a thing that I find relaxes me, odd right!? Again, good luck to you and your future!!
 
  • #35
The_Kitchen_Guy said:
Oh, the memories! I used my Model A's in both my weddings, along with a few others. The first time, I rode in Sonja's rumble seat with What's-Her-Name. That wasn't an option for The Kat Lady and we rode in the back seat of a 1930 Fordor. Sonja was in that wedding too, she carried the ring bearer and flower girl (The Kat Lady's twin niece/nephew) in the rumble seat.

I'm going to have to dig up some pics. Here's Sonja at Union Station in Kansas City.

the_kitchen_guy-albums-bucket-picture1727-sonja-union-station-kansas-city.jpg

YEA!

We used my Hubby's 1970 440 Six Pack Challenger (Plum Crazy Purple!) as our car for driving away.

Before the wedding, my MOH and I went to get our hair and makeup done, and THEN went to Meijers to get more film for our cameras.(this was before digital cameras, people.) We looked amazing - in our ratty button down shirts and old jeans, with full makeup and wedding hair! Then, we drove ourselves to the church in her car.

Then, at the church, DH and I walked in at about the same time, and people were already gathering in the Atrium, so we were out there greeting people and hugging people, etc...until my cousin and his brother both came out and yelled at us to get to our changing rooms and get dressed!

I love that our wedding wasn't about the big ceremonial perfection that make some brides become bridezilla. What I remember - from our rehearsal through our reception - was all of the laughter and fun. We had so much fun!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #36
chefsteph07 said:
My husband and I paid for most of our wedding ourselves. We did alot of cost cutting measures! A friend of mine gave me great advice: pick what is important to you, whether it be the actual ceremoney or the party and put your money more into that! For us, it was the reception. We did not get a limo: We owned a white 4 door car and my maid of honor had a white mini van that we used as our wedding cars. Saved a ton of money!

We did not buy flowers for the church, we used what the church had provided in their alter. No aisle runner either. Also, we did not use centerpieces for our reception...our hall had oil lamps on each table and we decided to just use those.

Borrow, borrow borrow! My best friend had gotten married a few months before I did and I borrowed her veil.

No wedding video, we did have a photographer, didn't know anyone to take good pics that we trusted, and we discovered that a videographer was JUST AS MUCH as a photographer, so that was an area we had to cut.

The place we went for our flowers also gave discounts for their cake services and invites so we just went with them for everything. You can go to Office Max and get your own to print off if you want and it should cut costs on that.

Pick up bridal magazines and they should give great ideas for "personal" touches. One thing that we did after I read it in a magazine is we got our parents wedding picture and bought nice frames from Michaels and displayed those by our wedding cake. If both of your parents are together, that would be a nice touch. It was a nice tribute to both of our parents.

Most of all, have fun and CONGRATS! :sing:

Funny..not sure that I realized that that was what I was doing..but I have been thinking of things to take away from the ceremony..in order to add to the reception. I said something to my mom about doing a mum sale at church which would be used to decorate the front of the church..then people could take them home the next day after church..but my mom said that as long as I don't want more than 15-20 she would buy them then plant them at her house. I told her that I was thinking that 10 would be enough. I think that if I decide that I want more there are a few people that I know like Mums..maybe I could talk to them about buying them..then they can have them to plant at thier home after the wedding.

My cousin told me that I could have her dress..I laughed at her..it would take probably 3 of her dresses to fit around me.

My BFF told me that I could have her dress..but I think that that is something that I want my own. But I am going inexpensive on that. David's Bridal is having thier $99 sale.

I think we might get a video camera from someone in my family and set it up at the front of the church. That way we have some type of video..but I am not spending a lot for that either.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #37
pcsharon1 said:
First, Congratulations!!!

Second, I have to say I LOVE this thread. I love seeing people say - Oh, my entire wedding cost less than $5000, $3000, etc. It lets me know I'm not crazy! I've been married for 16 years and got married straight out of high school. I didn't care much at all how the actual wedding looked, we just wanted to get married. A friend did my pictures as a gift - they aren't professional but I don't really mind. How often do I look at them? The same friends mom and grandma made my dress as the gift and made the cake as a gift from my friend. We just paid for the fabric and stuff for the dress. We didn't do huge flowers, we did an open church wedding so there were no invitations and we met at our church while we were in High School so we weren't charged for the building and the pastor refused to take our money. I worked at a state park in the area and so did my mom - we also got married in October so it was off season - the park let us use the restaurant for the reception for no charge. And the ladies from the church did the food for the reception. It wasn't a sit down dinner and there was no band or anything because we actually didn't have dancing. I loved my wedding but it was well under $2000.

My sister in law is getting married in July. She called my in laws and asked them what her wedding budget was (which I personally thought she shouldn't expect them to pay for her wedding because she's 28 and has been on her own for years!) and when they told her $5000 she told them they needed to rething that because it wasn't going to be anywhere near enough! She picked a $1200 photographer and basically is letting him plan most of the wedding. After that I seperated myself from the wedding planning because I thought she was going way overboard and I have no idea what is going on now. In fact, with my husband in Iraq, I rarely hear from any of them so I have no idea what goes on with anything. My SIL was in the hospital last week and I found out from my mom today because she heard at church. I know nothing - I think I'm better off that way!

Just remember - what it sounds like you've already figured out - simple is beautiful!!!!

I will be 31 in a week..and I still live with my mom..it is cheap rent and it helps her out as well. I think that she will be helping me to pay for some things..but I am not expecting it..I am planning on paying for everything myself..and if she helps with anything then great.
 
  • #38
We used two ferns my MIL bought for $10 each and put some fake white roses in them at the front of the alter. MIL took them home with her afterwards. Worked out perfect!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #39
My church does alter flowers..I think I am going to just leave them there..unless there are any white flowers in them..then I will just set them behind the wall in the front and put them back up after it is over. The only white flower that I want anywhere is the white rose in my bouquet
 
  • Thread starter
  • #40
Is there any way for us to do the food and not be stressed out the morning of the wedding? Or should I just splurge for a caterer?
 
  • #41
chefheidi2003 said:
Is there any way for us to do the food and not be stressed out the morning of the wedding? Or should I just splurge for a caterer?

If it were me, I'd splurge for a caterer, esp since you are doing your own cake, but if you want family to do the food, take yourself out of it and let them handle it, there are SO MANY minute details that you will be stressing over the food on the day of the wedding is NOT something you need to have looming!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #42
chefsteph07 said:
If it were me, I'd splurge for a caterer, esp since you are doing your own cake, but if you want family to do the food, take yourself out of it and let them handle it, there are SO MANY minute details that you will be stressing over the food on the day of the wedding is NOT something you need to have looming!

That was kind of my thought..I just thought that I would throw it out there..thank you.
 
  • #43
chefsteph07 said:
If it were me, I'd splurge for a caterer, esp since you are doing your own cake, but if you want family to do the food, take yourself out of it and let them handle it, there are SO MANY minute details that you will be stressing over the food on the day of the wedding is NOT something you need to have looming!

Yes and yes!! Either way, don't put too much on yourself for that day!
 
  • #44
How FANTASTIC! Congratulations to you!!!
 
  • #45
Congratulations! We eloped to Vegas for our wedding and then had a reception a year and 1/2 later (found out I was preggos within a month of getting married :eek: so that's why did it so much later!)

But we did the whole thing (trip to Vegas and the reception later) for under $1500.
 
  • #46
That's fabulous! Congrats and Much Blessings sent your way!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #47
crystalscookingnow said:
Congratulations! We eloped to Vegas for our wedding and then had a reception a year and 1/2 later (found out I was preggos within a month of getting married :eek: so that's why did it so much later!)

But we did the whole thing (trip to Vegas and the reception later) for under $1500.

In my family marriages that start in Vegas didn't end well..LOL
 
  • #48
I think your family proves (anecdotally, of course) it's true that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
 
  • #49
chefheidi2003 said:
In my family marriages that start in Vegas didn't end well..LOL

That's funny! We're doing pretty good and both had big church weddings the first time... Guess it just goes to show you it's WHO you marry that counts. Not the wedding or the party after. :D
 
  • #50
It's WHO you marry? :eek: Well, darn, why didn't somebody tell me that 30 years ago?

(I wouldn't have listened, anyway.)
 

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