I want a classy wedding wіtһ 40-100 guests οחƖу. I want tο bе sure tο stay within tһе 00 provided budget (less іf possible, аѕ wе сουƖԁ υѕе tһе extra money toward ουr rings οr honeymoon). I ԁο חοt mind a spring οr summer wedding fοr 2010. Aחу аחԁ all tһουɡһtѕ/suggestions/resources/references/websites аrе really appreciated.
Thanks іח advance!! @(~_~)@
Tags: budget, extra money, honeymoon, summer wedding, thanks in advance
We're having our wedding/reception at my parents large people home, with over 130 acres! Our budget is $2000, and we had around 130 people invited. We're expecting no more than 70 even if.
The key is to take things into your own hands, and do things yourself.
Here's a few thoughts…
Quest around, and see if you have any friends, family members or relatives that have a large enough yard or property to have a backyard wedding! This will eliminate any venue costs. You can rent tents if you need them, as well as seating, tables, etc. You can find things like this very cheap at bulk party supply stores that rent by the day or week.
If a backyard isn't an option, look into renting a pretty local park, or outdoor area. These are usually FAR cheaper than actual wedding venues.
If you're up to doing it yourself, go for a homemade buffet. That's what we're doing. We're making a bunch of cold salads the day before. Having prime rib catered for us by a family friend, and making some baked potatoes and hot veggies the day of.
Alcohol is estimated to be around $400 to $500, and my father is taking care of this. We'll have an assortment of hard liquers, beer, cocktails, wine and all the mixers.
We'll be serving snacks during the reception, which we'll be doing all ourselves. We'll pick up all the supplies from Costco, and make veggie trays, fruit trays, cracker and cheese trays, an assortment of sausages, chips and dip, etc.
As a wedding favor for our guests, we're doing a candy buffet. We're striking up the local Bulk Barn (over 400 different types of candy!), and getting our supply. Estimation for this is $100 to $200.
I bought my designer gown used for a fraction of the price. It's a gorgeous Maggie Sottero ball gown that retails for $1000 and up. I got it for $350! I also bought my daugthers flower girl dress used for only $50.
We're doing the music ourselves! Instead of hiring a PRICY DJ (which could turn out to be a disaster, because with some DJ's you just never know if they're going to turn it into a club-like experiance! *shudder*). We're renting all our own equipment (amp, speakers, mics, etc) for only $100 for the week! We'll hook it up to our pre-mixed wedding iPod with hundreds of songs! We'll have a family member man the iPod during parts of the day when we need certain songs played. Simple peasy!
Our flower is the Tigerlily, and they are in bloom during July when our wedding is. My mother happens to have a garden full of them, so they'll be used for all bouquets (which will be hand made) and all centerpieces (which will also be handmade).
Instead of going to expensive wedding decor stores, try bulk stores or doller stores. We'll be purchasing any candles and holders super cheap from the doller store. I'll doubtless even check out some thrift stores for certain decoration items.
For photography, check out some local students portfolios. You may find someone incredible, and students will always be cheaper than professionals. Sometimes, professionals pretty much suck and are horrible at what they do. Checking out a photog studend is an incredible way to save money. Just MAKE SURE you check their portfolio first. For our wedding, my brother just happens to be an incredible world-traveled professional photographer, and he's doing our wedding as a gift! :o)
Taking things into your own hands is key. We're doing our entire wedding for $2000 or under, and it's still going to be a classy wedding, with dinner, dancing, drinks and FUN!
have a candle light wedding try to find a nice backyard to have it. get candles from the dollar store be creative dont stress ur self out
For location, I would look into local parks, or small-town community centers for the reception.. if you want a church wedding, they're not usually expensive. Buy your wedding dress off the rack if you can, or find a discount dress store (you could always try ebay, but be careful). Try to do as much as possible on your own, instead of hiring professionals - friends doing photography/videography, if you know anyone who bakes for the wedding cake… anything like that. Go to a lot of websites and research any budget wedding tips. They'll help a lot.
Excellent luck
Are you looking for thoughts on the location [church, outside, rental building] or thoughts on how to bring it all together perfectly or both?
As for the location, don't know about your area but some hotels offer banquet rooms for rent, some nice apartments have gorgeous guest houses for rent, also some churches with rent their conveniences even
Use candles on the tables and defintely do your invitations your self. You could even do the catering your self. We have an italian restuarant out here and they do large pans of various dishes for reasonable prices. Maybe look for a touch like that. And just do beer and wine and hire someone you know to do the bartending.
There are loads of ways you can save money while preparation a wedding. Take a look at this website as it has some fantastic thoughts: http://www.weddingideasguide.com/moneysaving.html
I'm not sure what type of locations you have around your area. If outdoors, then maybe a park or a lake. If at home, then certain halls, hotels, churches, etc. offer fantastic wedding packages. You can save on food by doing a buffet and depending on what local flowers are in season, you can incorporate those in your wedding or opt for some well made silk flowers. As for entertainment, hiring a DJ is cheaper than a live band. For decorations, you can make your own centerpieces. Buy items in bulk so that it'll cost you less. For photography, check with local community colleges or universities and contract students to do the photo shoot for a flat rate. For some fantastic thoughts, check out bridal411.blogspot.com
You can look on http://www.zagat.com/ in your area for a nice room to rent to accommodate your party and here are some thoughts to browse
http://viewmorepics.myspace.co.....=434177798
If you do consider and/or have the budget for wedding favors, I suggest checking out, Products With Personality. They have a really excellent selection of wedding favors of all kinds at very affordable prices.
http://www.pwponline.com/
They will even match the price if you end up finding that exact favor elsewhere at a cheaper price. I found that offer so impressive.
Hope this helps and delight in the preparation!