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I can't help you as far as local suggestions, but I've noticed in my own search for venues and vendors that a lot of places have deals and discounts for weddings booked for the remainder of this year - they're all trying to fill up the empty spaces on their calendars for the rest of 2011, particularly in the less popular months at the end of the year. So I think you may be able to find some deals like that if you scout around.
I'm not familiar with the area, but there has been quite a few money saving tips on here.
First question, do you have any friends with skills? Baking skills, photography skills, gardening/florist, sewing skills, etc etc.
It doesn't get cheaper than free so consider what friends you have that may be willing to lend their expertise as their present to you! Do you have a large group of people who can get together and do the food for your reception? I'm thinking like....20 crazy Italian mothers all running around the kitchen making food. lol
@Tunacupcakes: haha well i dont have any italians in my family, although at times like this i wish i did! ;) but my fiances grandmother is making our cake, his mother is doing hair & makeup and i do have a friend who is a photographer and willing to do pictures for pretty cheap! as far as decorations & such go.. im pretty thrifty and can usually find deals on things like that, and i plan to handmake alot of my own decorations.
the venue & food issue are the most expensive parts of our wedding.
Hmmmm, is your area warm enough for an outdoor event in October? If so you may want to look into any parks in the area or see if someone you know has available property/backyard. That could take care of the venue.
As far as catering, i would google search extensively, do your own appetizers if possible and provide your own alcohol (if you have any). Someone who knows your area though should chime in with recommendations! :)
Do buffet instead of sit down because it usually cheaper. Also, I'm not sure what type of wedding you're envisioning, but an afternoon dessert and punch is usually cheaper. That or a brunch/breakfast type. Full on diners can be spendy.
We ended up having the local bar and grill cater our wedding. It came to $13 a person for buffet. I would check some of them out. I would check friends and family and see how many of them have tents and canopy's. That would be great for shabby chic.
Totally doable! Just set your priorities and remain realistic with your budget. I also have a 3000 budget but am just coming in at a little over 2600! That INCLUDED my wedding ring and FH ring! I was going to do a post about how I did it after my wedding next weekend, but will PM you some info now. Hope it will help :)
@futuresmarowsky: Not sure it's exactly within your $10 per person budget, but ours was, *relatively* speaking, close, for this area: $20 per person. Linda at Simple Touches Catering, on Maryland's Eastern shore and she'll travel. Just fyi...
Thank you everyone for all of your suggestions!! I am defanitly making note of them & looking into everything!! please keep the ideas coming, this is SO much help :)
Well for the catering you should really think about getting catering from one of your local grocery stores. I have had grocery store catering that was actually better than the 4 star hotel food served at the wedding. You should ask all the grocery stores in your area for their catering menu because most grocery stores that have catering usually have nicer stuff than the fried chicken and potato salad that you see at the deli. Although fried chicken and potato salad and other comfort food could go very well with a shabby chic wedding.
For where to have the wedding you should look into some parks and gardens(gardens are prettier if there are any in your area) that have a gazebo.
If you want to save on cake you can also get one from the grocery store and some grocery stores have just as good and better cakes than bakerys but with a smaller price tag. You can also ask them to make a small (say enough for 50 people) pretty layered cake for show and cutting and then have another sheet cake for serving. This saves money because sheet cakse are cheaper than wedding cakes because they don't require decorating and wedding cakes cost more the larger they get.
The best way to save on photography is to get a photography student to do your pics for you. Most professional photographers don't actually have a degree in photography anyway. They are just people who bought camara equiptment and started a business. A photograpphy student would probably do your wedding for just a very little cash and a good recomendation letter.
For your dress you can order some amazing custom made dresses for really cheap but since you are on such a tight budget you need to be really sure about the seller you are buying from because you won't be able to afford to get another one if the first doesn't work out. If you want some recomendations let me know.
For centerpieces, favors and flowers those could all be DIY since you are doing shabby chic. Invitations can be printed off your computer just get some better paper. If you are worried about tables and chairs you could do picknick tables or you could get folding chairs and spray paint them white. And then get folding tables group them together to make bigger tables(bigger tables less centerpieces) and make some tables clothes to go over them.
I bought my paper from www.paperandmore.com. The total came to $34 for supplies (minus postage) for 75 invites.
I, too, am not sure about your area, but we had a budget wedding ($6000) and here are some things I saved on. I think the thing to keep in mind is that you're NOT going to have a style-me-pretty wedding on a shoestring budget...BUT your guests don't care about SMP. They care about you and the love you two share.
We got married in a county park, they have shelters that you can rent for very reasonable prices, and are not really ugly. My cost for venue was $550 total.
I was lucky to borrow tableclothes from my husband's cousin who was just married last year, but I've heard of people using white paper or butchers paper on tables....provide crayons or markers which gives guests added entertainment.
We catered our own dinner....We had a taco bar with beef or carnitas, fresh salsas, queso, layer dip, crudite, and a fruit tray. The total was about $600 for 100 people, though I over-bought and could easily have fed 150. We provided our own beverages. We bought a keg and made a vodka-spiked lemonade or alcohol. We had iced tea and various sodas and water for those who don't drink alcohol. Total was probably around $200-250 for beverages. I also overbought on soda and water.
My biggest expense was our photographer, but I know there are lots of options out there to save money on that, I'll defer to others who have experience.
I wanted to pay for our bridal party's outfits, so we went simple. My husband wore a suit he already owned. The GM wore slacks I bought at Kohls, BOGO, a white shirt that they provided, and ties which I found at Sam's club for $7 each. My mom, bless her awesome heart, sewed the BM dresses for me.
I went to garage sales as soon as I was engaged and starting purchasing vases for the centerpieces. We used various shaped milkglass stem vases and I bought the flowers from Sams.com. I used only baby's breath (though had intended to use some hydrangea, but due to a mix-up on their part, that never came.) It is cheap, but eveybody commented how lovely and light it was.
We had an ipod dance. My husband is pretty good at throwing music together, so that was his job, and he did a great job. Luckily my FIL owns some nice audio equipment so we didn't have to rent speakers or anything.
Our cake was gifted to us, as was the hairstyling....but I know people save by getting sheet cake or grocery store cakes.
We DIY our makeup.
You should reach out to Dimitri's, they have great food, I'm not sure if they cater but we had a few christmas parties there for about 70 people under $500.00 including limited booze.
I've been to a wedding reception in Mathews 1600, in the basement. I know the woman who's wedding that was got cupcakes, instead of cake, from Sam's club that were amazing. I have no idea the cost, but it's fairly big and has a dance floor, and this was a budget reception.
There's also a few bars in historic Ellicot city that may work out. Overhills Mansion is another spot you could check out.
There are a ton of parks in catonsville, a friend of mine has a family reunion at one, they bring their own food/drink and music. They have bathroom facilities.
Like pp said .. you may luck out on places trying to fill up their venues.
I would also suggest a friday of a sunday instead of a saturday, we got 50% off the venue for booking sunday instead of saturday.
Smokehouse grill near annapolis has a package for $10 a person, we are considering going with them for our wedding :) Its so fun that we have the same theme in the same area lol we can share suggestions!
@futuresmarowsky: How many people are you planning on inviting? I'd recommend looking into local restaurants ...
Also, as an FYI, DIY can get expensive, be prudent.
I wish I was familiar with your area so I could be more helpful. We're having our wedding at the FI's church and having the reception at my church. Since we're both members we don't have to pay any fees that outsiders would have to pay. With the reception, we're using our church's tables and chairs, as well as tablecloths. My church as recently purchased centerpiece items very similiar to what we want to use. After talking to the decorating ladies, we're going to be using those as well. All we need for that are the table runners and candles that we want to use. That has saved us sooooo much money to begin with too. We're looking at possibly $100 for the rest of the centerpiece wants.
As far as food goes, my sister is actually a baker and has offered to do our wedding cake as our gift, totally fine with that! We're going to have a dessert bar with some light fingerfoods mixed in...i.e. chsses dip and crakers, fruit and veggie tray, mini quiche's, meat and cheese tray. All of this can be bought at places like Costco or Sam's Club. My mom and sister are doing most of the food so we're keeping it on the lighter side more for them. :)
Hope that helps! Seems like you've got some great suggestions goin' on here for ya. Good Luck! PM me if you have any other questions or anything in paticular.
Maybe a cocktail reception with just appetizers, desserts, and drinks. You could even just hire out for the bar and provide the appetizers and desserts yourself on buffet style tables. Do you have Costco stores by you? It's a big box type of store and is very inexpensive, but their bulk appetizers, cakes, etc. are very tasty.
Check into St. Anthony's Bridal. From what I've heard about them, if your budget is under a certain point ($3K or so?) they'll let you rent a gown and reception items for free.
We have a much larger budget by comparison ($10,000), but some of the things we are already planning to help save us money:
Bulk flowers from Costco.com - you can get 100 roses for $100, and they have great reviews (that will help with our centerpieces)
Sheet cakes rather than $4 per person bakery cakes! We will probably have a nice, small cake, that we will use for the cutting cerimony and save for the 1st anniversary, but the bulk of our 300 guests will be having sheet cake and I am okay with that!
Save-The-Date postcards from vistaprint... I know you probably wont have STDs but you night be able to do something similar with your invites - you dont need to mail out 10 pieces of paper and 3 envelopes to each attendee - just send them the postcard with a link to your wedding website for details and RSVP phone number/email address etc. And vistaprint usually has offers for 'new' accounts where you can get 100 postcards for the cost of shipping ($10?!)
We are also lucky because we have awesome bakers in the family (I'm thinking extra cookies and bars etc) and a few photographers (havent decided if we would rather go pro) and ties to a local high school club that does catering (like future farmers type thing - they'll do a huge BBQ for us with like steak from their cows etc) which is also helping us a lot...
GOOD LUCK!!
I think BBQ would be a great thing to do for food, especially with your shabby chic theme. There are a TON of great BBQ places near where you live, but its so cheap and easy to do it yourself!
I know a lot of people who self-catered their wedding for a few hundred dollars because they did BBQ. All you need is a crockpot and make some pulled pork and/or chicken (since its cheaper than beef) for a few bucks. Chicken leg quarters and pork butts/shoulders always go on sale for super cheap, especially in the summer, making it really affordable.
Here's a highly rated recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Pulled-Pork/Detail.aspx
The people I know made a few batches each weekend and froze it. Use your relatives' freezers if you need the space. If you don't own a crockpot, they sell them for pennies at any thrift store in America. If you want family help, give everyone the same recipe and ask them to make a batch and freeze it. Then before the wedding you can thaw the meat and have a friend set it out over chaffing dishes (or more crock pots) to heat up. Send another friend to Costco to get some hamburger buns, a few huge cans of baked beans (or make your own), and a few sheet cakes. (I personally LOVE the Costco cheesecake mousse filling!) Maybe someone else can make a big batch of cole slaw a day or two before, and serve with potato chips. You can even serve some bread and butter pickle slices or corn on the cob if you like. Buy some crudite platters and fruit salad but replate it onto nicer platters your or your family members might own (or snag a few at a thrift store) for some color.
Serve it with some cold lemonade (throw in a box of frozen sliced strawberries to look pretty!), get a keg of beer, and put some flowers in mason jars and I think you'd have a great reception for $500.
@Anne9091: I agree on the cocktail style idea. My favorite part of the wedding is always the appetizers anyway!
It can be done. Visit http://www.2000dollarwedding.com
I totally changed everything I thought about weddings.
@futuresmarowsky: check out this bride's blog http://2000dollarwedding.com/2008/07/from-conception-to-reception.html
She's got TONS of great tips on how to save cash. And it's going to be super difficult to feed 100 people for$1,000... unless you only do cake and punch. If you did an early afternoon weddng, this would be seen as acceptable to most. Good luck!
@milissae: thank you so much for that website:) i'm drewling!
Ronney
also drewling over the 2000 budget wedding website... getting so many ideas...
also try www.dollarstorecrafts.com
i check it like daily for new stuff haha
If you are set on having it outdoors, check state and city parks. Some have pavillions you can rent for cheap. Otherwise, if you wanted a church wedding, most churchs have reception halls, and if you become a member of the church, that drastically reduces the price of the wedding and reception hall. I know my church charges $800 for non-members, but only $250 for members to use the church and hall.
I am having my VR where we originally got married yet... it costs $65.00 for the reservation... ALL DAY, so plenty of time for set up. $30.00 for beer permit (although I think I can have wine too)... and there is a music permit as well, it wont be over $150.00. If you are interested in seeing the venue (then and now even - 20 years ago as opposed to now) you can see.
This time i plan on having much more decoration etc... there are so many new things out than there were 18 years ago, its awesome!
Ronney
Hello fellow Maryland bee.
Here are a few things that I have found
1. Try looking at the website for the Villages of columbia. They have all there listings for Banquet halls listed under each communitee. It depends on the size of your wedding. Mine is under 100 so I can go with Claret hall or Heritage Center. Since you want country chic look at The Other Barn. They allow you to bring you own food or caterer so you can be very flexible in this area.
2 Check out costco for flowers. Check smartyhadaparty.com for linens and other party supplies.
3. Also check the local American Legion Halls or VFW.
4. Ebay is a budget brides best friend. Also recycled bride.
I hope some of this helps.
I have a similar budget and I am having a backyard wedding in a marquee, my guest list is closer to 60 adults, and some children. rather than hiring a marquee I am buying them as it is actually cheaper! I am getting two 9 x 3 metre marquees that can be joined together, they will have poles down the middle but I am not doing sit down dinner so that is fine. The marquee's are $100 aus each to buy and a 8x6 is $350 plus delivery to hire, totally doesnt make sense but anyways.
I have called in favours from everywhere! My brother is a chef so he is doing the food at cost, I just have to pay and extra $50 for his kitchen hand plus $24 per hour for two servers ($12 each) I am giving him about $800 I think, he said give him my budget and he would make as much food as he could. Food is what we are spending the most on I think but it is a long reception and I dont want anyone hungry.
My dress is about $500, I am getting it made by a cheaper dressmaker in Tassie, who has some really good reviews but uses cheaper materials etc to keep costs down.
we are buying a case of wine every 2 weeks and a friend is donating champagne as she gets it at cost through work.
An old family friend is a wedding dj and he is also going to mc, all for $350 which is a bit of a bargain.
Im doing nearly all the decorations by raiding op shops and second hand stores for flowy material for draping and glasswear and nic nacs for centerpieces. i am going to make my own led throwies as well (minus the magnets). and put them all over the place.
Finally EBAY IS MY FRIEND!! hehehe.
good luck!
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Okay so I am in the beginning stages of planning my October 2011 wedding. I know where getting a late start but I am determined to make this work! We have a budget of 4000.00 BUT i am trying to stay as close to or under 3000.00 if possible (we have a one yr old daughter & are buying a house so needless to say, money is tight!)
Our theme is shabby chic country, so there is alot of DIY type things.. my main concerns for this wedding are a catering company that isnt going to cost me more than 1000.00 for 100 people and we want an outdoor wedding but event tents are priced at REDICULOUS prices!
I live in the Catonsville/Baltimore MD area... if anyone has any ideas or knows of any local places please let me know! I need to figure this out asap so I can send people their invitations ahead of time (we have family coming in from out of state!)