I'm trying tο рƖοt a wedding bυt аm realizing tһаt іt іѕ way more expensive tһаח i realized. Dοеѕ anyone һаνе аחу tips οח saving ѕοmе $ wһіƖе preparation a nice wedding? Thanks!!!
Tags: wedding thanks
I'm trying tο рƖοt a wedding bυt аm realizing tһаt іt іѕ way more expensive tһаח i realized. Dοеѕ anyone һаνе аחу tips οח saving ѕοmе $ wһіƖе preparation a nice wedding? Thanks!!!
Tags: wedding thanks
There is a fantastic book out there called Marriage Bargins. It has tons of money saving tips and areas to watch out for. It even lets you know where you can negotiate the prices of items and services (a touch I didn't know you could do). Most libraries carry them but I got mine from Barnes and Noble. Congrats!
Don't cater.. Make it a pot luck. Have everybody bring a touch…That alone will save lots of money
Make your own favors. Have your family cater the food if possible. Rent things like aisle runners, tablecloths, an arch if you want one, those are much cheaper to rent than to buy them.
dont splurge on party favors. use table centerpieces as favors (aka using break-apart vases that each guest could take home). instead of going with the ''buffet'' for dinner (which will end up costing more beacuse each dish needs to be specially cooked, have its own server, etc etc) order one or two dishes (usually chicken and beef) to supply to everyone. this will also increase the amount of money saved. Congrats on your nuptials!
Networking, when I got married I was on a budget. I questioned all of my friends and family for help. A lot of my friends were able to get me connected with people who were in the wedding catering and consulting businesses who could really get better prices on things than I could just by going in places myself. Another thing is to make a budget and stick to it. It may seem hard, but in the end, you'll be pleased with the consequences.
I am a wedding planner.. As from my own experience I did things on my own like putting my flowers together and making your own personal touch. Research alot of places before sticking with one. i hope this helps
A wedding can cost as much or as small as you want. The more guests you have the more it will be–but really it could be rather inexpensive. It all depends on what you envision. Even if anything can be achieved on a budget.
DO as much yourself as you can. For example, a cake. If you have a friend that can make a cake, question her if she would do that for your wedding. Buy a cake stands yourself and buy a cake to fit–much of the cost comes in stacking the cake. Buy a smaller cake and use a sheet cake for the majority of your guests. Many brides do that and sheet cakes are a excellent deal cheaper. Consider using someone new to the affair. My cake baker made lots of desserts but was just starting in the wedding cake affair. Also the cake costs extra for multiple flavors, fillings, fondant icing and edible flowers. No one really notices these things. You can use regular icing and it will be just as smooth–and real (or silk) flowers instead of edible ones.
We prearranged the flowers ourselves. I ordered from the florist at Sams Club. I used glads. Try alternative a multi-bloom flower or a flower with huge blooms so that you can use a lot less flowers. The flowers came in and we placed 6 stems in a vase as centerpieces ourselves. No need to pay a florist a ton of money to do an arrangement. I had a friend float 1 hydrangea per table in a bowl of water and it was gorgeous. Also you can just order a dozen roses for any of the bouts you need. Just cut the stem and place it in the lapel. Men don't like the grass and babys breath preparations.
No alcohol. Alcohol is a huge expense.
Don't bother with favors. Favors usually get left behind b/c guests don't really want them and brides spend several hundred on them. If you do want favors, consider a touch small. A bag of M&Ms in your wedding colors, a lil bit of tulle wrapped around 2 Hershey hugs and 2 kisses. "hugs and kisses from the new Mr and Mrs". That is a lot cheaper.
Negotiate! Many caterers charge far more for beverages but if you negotiate they will allow you to bring your own. I bought water and made tea–sweet and unsweet–for my wedding. For the caterer to have 3 beverages it would have been several hundred. I spent about $100 on sugar, tea bags, and a couple suitcases of bottled water. They often charge a cake cutting fee as well. You can easily negotiate that out.
Look for invites online. I saved a lot at http://www.invitationsbydawn.com and http://www.annswedding.com than every marriage show I looked for.
If at all possible, a Friday wedding is much cheaper than a Saturday one. If you get married in a church, you can have it much cheaper by using the churches fellowship hall instead of renting a seperate reception hall. It is also much much cheaper to have a punch and cake only reception than hiring a caterer. You could also have a cheaper food at your reception–if it is a people wedding, you could have a BBQ which would only be $100-200 for food.
You can spend as much or as small on your wedding dress. A friend of mine had hers made on ebay–she ordered from China. She sent every measurement and it fit perfectly and looked gorgeous. You could look up graduation dresses, spiritual union dresses, or quinceanera dresses–all are usually white and could be a wedding gown as well for much cheaper than the word "wedding" makes anything.
Plot in advance. Each week I got a coupon in the paper from Michaels. As I knew we would buy a lot from there, and they were just one per item, a cut it out and questioned neighbors to cut out theirs. That way I got 20-40% off every single thing I bought. That saved a ton!
Figure out your budget first and start from there. EZ Wedding Planner http://www.ezweddingplanner.com and the checklists in the back of Modern Bride were brilliant hints in how much of your budget should go to what.
Hope these suggestions help. Just start with your budget. Then work out the guest list. Until you have an thought of how many people, you can't negotiate for anything else. And you don't want to pay for a reception hall that is twice as much room as you need. Nor start negotiations with a caterer for 200 people when you'll only have 100.
Excellent luck! and feel free to write me. Congratulations.
Keep your guest list to accurate family and accurate friends. Supply a light meal, instead of a heavy one. If you are choosing to have alcohol, set a limit on how many drinks per person, or bring your own rather then having it catered. Rent out a community focal top type place for the reception. Some places have package wedding deals, which sometimes can be a cost saver. Excellent luck! Just remember to stick to your budget and not to let people talk you into more than you want!
Maybe get married on a friday or sunday. Also have a cash bar. Excellent Luck
Weddings
My daughter and my wonderful son-in-law had a GREAT thought and the best wedding I have ever seen.
They chose the wedding preparation was to be shared.
- I got to organise and pay for flowers
- his Mum did the cake
- my daughter chose and paid the dress
- a friend did vehicles etc
My son-in law organized but did NOT pay for the reception
He also did and paid for the honey-moon
(at home with cleaners, flowers, gourmet food delivered daily so they could just relax)
Then they sent an invitation to their friends.
It said a touch to the effect.
They wanted NO presents (you only get lots of toasters)
Their friends PRESENT to the couple was paying for their food.
My son-in-law organized a nice restaurant. Booked the whole place. The restaurant made 4 menus -
one chicken; a vegetarian, an Italian one & one seafood.
All same price.
Friends then came chose as in any restaurant and PAID for themselves.
ADVANTAGES
- Cost was spread around
- Friends did not have to eat what bride chose
-friends paid not for gift but for some-thing for them-selves.
-A excellent time was had by all
Those who could not attend did send presents
So do NOT IMPOSE YOUR wishes on your guests.
Let them choose for them-selves
Please your family by paying NOTHING; NO DOLLARS; ZERO for the reception
You can have a nice wedding w/o spending alot of $$$$$ if you cut out alot of the frills (sit down dinner ,huge and elaborate cake, live band ,etc. ) better yet, ELOPE! and place the $$$ you saved by not having the wedding to make a down payment on a house ,save yourselves the stress of preparation,etc. Get the the picture!!!!!!
well, there are plenty of websites, but I suggest some of the same things, make your own favors, dont have a huge reception, you dont have to invite EVERYONE that you ever knew in your life.
Look at the "dollar" stores for vases, mirrors for tables, candle holders, bowls, those sorts of things. Shop the internet for favors, napkins, even invites. Try doing some of the things yourself (like the flowers) Question around the families to see if anyone knows someone for the photography(very expensive!!), and cake.
bring in house caters, small local hotels that offer catering, do it yourself flowers, and decorting.
bla bla bla make this make that yourself, have your friend do this have your friends do that, except you have friends who are creative enough to do things for a small price or free then you cant have a cheap wedding, the best advice is shop around untill you have exhausted every shop and found the best price
Reckon do I really need this when going over things, make things yourself, it depends on how many people you want there, huge is more $ while few is less $ (duh)
Hi
You're a few tips to save money on wedding preparation.
1. Plot ahead of time. Time is gold, so they say. So if you are missing time you tend to spend more. This is especially right when you are preparing for a huge event area as the wedding date draws closer, you will find yourself spending more than you are waiting to just to be able to get things accomplished in time.
This can be avoided if you start preparations earlier. The earlier, the better. This gives you more time to prepare and make sure things are all aptly. If you are missing time, you will find yourself overpaying just to have workers rush to complete your needs. Unfortunately, rushed jobs usually are of inferior quality.
2. Do it yourself. While not all things are applicable here, you can still save a lot from doing some of the decorating and preparations yourself. This goes for wedding gifts, decorations, handicrafts, and other stuff that can be done at your own home.
Materials you will need for the wedding traditions can be handcrafted by you and your friends in your spare time. This is why you will also need to plot ahead of time so that they have ample opportunity to do some of the stuff you need for the wedding yourself.
3. Use the help of your friends. Friends are there owing to thick and thin-and during weddings too. If your friends can lend some manpower to help you with your wedding preparations, that would be a huge boost to your efforts to save money.
This is especially right if you have friends who are skilled in some of the areas critical to weddings-areas such as top, catering, and dressmaking. If they are able to give you their help for free, or for a reduced cost, that would constitute a huge savings.
4. Expensive isn't necessarily better. When purchasing materials for your wedding, make sure that you keep in mind that expensive isn't necessarily better. They are generic materials you can buy that are as excellent as or even better than branded ones. So do a small shopping before purchasing your materials. You could very well find some that would do the trick without denting your wallet.
Hope that helps and have a wonderful day!
Take care
Paul
Ebay. I found groundbreaking new collections online (guest book, flower girl basket, ring pillow, etc) Sales. I found the perfect table cloths and matching utinsels on sale at the party store. Doing alot of it yourself. Tulle and ribbon from the craft store. And things like bubbles and votive candles from the dollar store. I am not rich. That is how I am getting owing to mine. And SAVE! If it's a touch I can't buy aptly away or it's not on sale, I work towards it, then go on to the next item. Also my fiancee and I have been preparation much further ahead for that exact reason. We set the date and now buy pieces at a time. So it doesn't feel like such a dent in our pocketbook. There is lots of research you can do online.
Not sure if you've already plotted your wedding or not, but here are a few more really inexpensive tips I have learned after preparation many weddings. For cake, get a cake from a place like costco in your wedding colors to have in the back, then hire a cake decorator to decorate an elaberate cake made of foam (saves hundreds of doallrs), only the part you and your groom will cut should be real. What's amusing is that everyone complimented the cake all night. Second get disposable cameras for the tables on ebay. I got them as cheap as $2.00 a camera. For party favors we made CD's or pencils from Oriental Trader (personalized)and extra bells to the erasers with pins and people used those instead of throwing rice (they rang the jingle bells). For invitations for my brothers wedding we bought vellum paper printed the date info on the outside (went to an invitation website for wording) and then took a picture of them glued to cardstock and placed the vellum on top tied with a ribbon (we really took a picture of small kids in wedding clothes and transposed their faces as family on them. We used silk flowers from a outlet store that looked fantastic and were only $250 to decorate everything. Tons of greetings. Also if you find a photographer or videographer outside of the huge city they are so much cheaper. As far as centerpieces my sister-in-law used her vows and place them on pretty card stock and place fake petals around them. There $15,000 wedding cost them $5,000, no joke.
First, save your change. It really adds up quick to buy the small extras that you will inevitably forget about. Plus, it doesn't hurt as much!
Second, use as many coupons as you can find. If you buy an Entertainment Book in your area, you will find tons of coupons for flowers, dining (reckon rehearsal dinner, marriage shower) and travel. You can also get some fantastic deals just mentioning that you are the bride (especially when travelling).
Most importantly, develop a budget and stick to it! There are many Web sites that will help you in doing so, such as http://www.theknot.com.