MemberI am planning our entire wedding alone… any tips? things I might forget, or things to help me keep sane? It is going to be a simple wedding and EVERYTHING is DIY I am not using any vendors. I have a tiny budget that i am not getting until about 3 months before the wedding. HELLLLLP! =)
MemberMy best tip is to visit WB constantly. I was on WB the first month of my engagement ALL DAY EVERY DAY and I got so many ideas and tips. The information from brides here is invaluable.
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MemberHave you your venue/music/officiant/photog sorted? Other than that, it’s kind of about picking your battles, isn’t it! The things you’d like vs the things you need…
MemberMy biggest problem right now is the guest list! I always ask him if he has anyone he wants to invite other than the family and he is always like o I don’t know… I only have like 2 months left with him!
MemberI hate that. I can’t get my fi to bother with it either. He’ll be ‘How Much???!!’ when the bill comes in, but he’s just not making the connection right now!
Memberi also have a tight budget and am doing everything myself as well!! of course, friends and family are helping were they can….we are estimating about 80 guests and have only a 3k budget (4k being the max if we absolutely have to) …..we are also not using any vendors…the only exception is photography, but even so, i will be asking a friend of a friend who is a photographer to give me a quote…
my advice would be to keep it as simple as you can….simple = less stress…. i agree to stay on WB, but even websites like weddingbee and theknot might not be useful for brides like you and i when it comes to thinking outside the box and making things cheap yet still elegant and tasteful….no offense to anyone!! thats just my opinion….
make a list of things you’d like to include in order of importance… for me, flowers are not important at all and i’ll be saving a ton by not having them…
you can save on your gown by shopping off the rack, or hit the stores after high school proms are over – sometimes they have very pretty fancy white prom dresses for sale that looks just as good as a wedding dress!
the dollar store can be your friend 🙂
if possible, organize family members to bring a dish of appetizers – this could even be they’re wedding gift to you since they will have to buy food to make and bring ….i don’t think its tacky at all to ask family for help….especially when your on a tight budget…
the less in your bridal party – the cheaper it is on attendant gifts and the like…that is just my opinion…
skip the wedding magizines….they tend to have everything for the bride having a 10k wedding or up….plus i think its a waste of money to buy them when they are not all that useful….
not everyone would agree with me on some of those points but its just my opinion! and its how i’m going to pull off a 3k wedding in less than 7 months 🙂
happy planning!!! 🙂
MemberHe gave me a $1000 budget… he will give me the money when he gets done with boot camp then I have like 3 months to purchase everything before the wedding.
MemberI would be thrilled to have $3000! i believe i could make an amazing wedding with that much but thats just because im having to make it work with 1000… thanks for the tips =)
MemberWhen your budget is so tight then I def agree with mamahusky, on getting family/close friends to pitch in on the food somehow. Have you even a rough idea of guest list? It could be really nice if say 5 ppl brought appetizers, 5 brought pies/desserts… it could simplify things a lot for you.
Memberwe are definitely having our close friends and family bring stuff. we are just going to have finger foods or something because its going to be around 3 or 4 ish and my grandma is making our wedding cake =) our guest list is around 100+! way too many in my opinion but yea….
MemberI found having a set budget and a set guest list really help me figure things out. With a tight budget you really may have to limit your guest list.
Here are the percents that I tried to follow. As you can see this doesn’t include a honeymoom or rehearsal dinner.
Reception: 48%-50%
Ceremony: 2%-3%
Attire: 8%-10%
Flowers: 8%-10%
Entertainment/Music: 8%-10%
Photography/Videography: 10%-12%
Stationery: 2%-3%
Wedding Rings: 2%-3%
Parking/Transportation: 2%-3%
Gifts: 2%-3%
Miscellaneous: 8%
MemberSince you said you are DIYing everything, ask friends and family member if they have some of the items that you would need for your DIY projects. For example, if you are like myself and do not have any material already for your projects, you may want to ask around to see if family members or friends has paper, paper cutters, ribbons etc. Every little bit helps when you are planning on a budget.
As previously mentioned, the dollar store can definately be your friend. You may be able to find things in there for favors, centerpieces and etc.
Member1000 is definitely a challenge but can be done!!
here’s a few other things i would consider if i only had 1000 to go on and that many guests coming….
-with only 1k budget, i would definitely consider a park or backyard wedding…i just know around where i am, even the cheapest halls are more than half that amount…
-if photography isn’t as important to you, ask guests to bring their cameras and take as many pics as they can….or provide disposals on the tables for guests to take pics with….if you want a prographer, scour craigslist and local college for photography students…maybe think about only getting one for the ceremony only and use friends/families pictures during the reception…
-think about maybe just a dessert reception….have friends and family bake the goodies! everyone loves to bake…and your more likely to have more guests offer their baking skills than have to bring a dish…
-no alcohol…for that type of budget, i would skip on it altogether…
-i would also hit up yard sales every weekend….you’d be surprised what you can find at yard sales….i got a few mason jars for 50 cents each which is even cheaper than getting glass candle holders at the dollar store….
-have you thought of a theme yet?? if it were me i would consider a vintage romantic theme….you could ask relatives to borrow chairs, who cares if they mismatch? with careful planning it could all tie together…
something like this…
-skip renting fabric, buy some at a fabric store…for tables, try local churches…some of them even let you borrow them with just a donation, they don’t give you a price tag to use them….
-Goodwill stores can also be your friend…and you could even find dishes here for cheap that would further go with a vintage theme if thats what you choose to do….
-Goodwill is also a good place to search for wedding dresses…
-christmas lights add romance to any event….esp if you have the wedding in the evening….at FH’s birthday party, i hung them up among the trees in our backyard and it was such a nice lit canopy, set the mood just right 🙂 dont have enough? ask friends/family to borrow them!
if i think of any more cost saving tips i’ll come back and let ya know 🙂
MemberFrom an 80 guest bride with under a $4000 budget I would recommend not going over board with decorations… no one ever remembers that stuff.
Start saving your spaghetti jars now and you can use them as “mason jars” to put votives and hand picked wildflowers (or plant a $1 mum from Walmart that time of year in each) for centerpiece/table decor. Simple, lovely but nearly free.
Make Dollar Tree your BFF and think outside the wedding box. They have 12 packs of pretty paper doilies that can be strung on twine and hung for an inexpensive decor.
Don’t waste money on disposable cameras – ours were a lot of fun for the kids to run around with, but at $10 a pop with developing we didn’t get a single great picture from them.
Considering the time of day you’re thinking about, a Cake and Punch reception would be fine. Just serve up fruity punches (even go non-alcoholic for the entire wedding and you’ll save a bundle) and a couple of other dessert options with your grandmother’s homemade wedding cake.
You’ll be getting your money in the perfect time of year to buy a lovely summer dress, instead of a “wedding dress”. I wore a $30 (on clearance, online) white linen summer dress with a purple cardigan and went barefoot. Not only was I comfortable, but I made certain my guests knew it was a comfortable affair so everyone was dressed casually and was able to enjoy the afternoon summer sun.
Check out vistaprint.com for your invitations. They not only offer a lovely selection of pre-designed items, but you can design your own if you’re savvy with photoshop or illustrator and upload them. We signed up for their emails, got some great free +shipping offers and had them print our personally designed invitations as “large postcards”.
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