hire a decorator?

brittani3245

Yay! I'm so happy I can finally be a part of the knot! I am very recently engaged and starting this fun (and stressful!) journey of planning a wedding. I am on a tight budget as I am just graduating from college in May and am already up to my ears in student loans. I really want a wedding at a place that I probably can't afford. My back up plan is to maybe go with a more affordable place  and hire a decorator?

Anyone have any thoughts for me?

OBX2011

Congratulations on your recent engagement

If you are on a budget, skip the decorator altogether as the costs is a lot more than you would expect.  Anything you can DIY yourself will save a lot of  $$ along the way.  A bolt of tulle can go a loooonggg way for simple decorations.  There is also a DIY board on the left that you can get some ideas from.

chickenbut143

Congrat's and welcome!  Like PP (previous poster) said, theres a DIY board and a budget board...they can help w/ alot of options, as well as your local board. 

Sue-n-Kevin

Congrats and welcome!

The biggest way to save money is to 1) budget for what you can afford (ie save up for), and schedule your wedding accordingly and 2) keep your guest list down to the number of people that fit within your budget and the venue you choose.

Student loan debt is a killer. My son has debt almost as much as my mortgage. While my hubby and I have good jobs, we also have financial obligations, ie TWO mortgages, and 2 kids still at home. We planned our wedding over an 18 month period, understanding we were paying/budgeting for it all, and very early in the process put together our guest list. As adults and parents, our list was almost all family, with only about 15 friends and coworkers; we invited 80, had 73 attend. But for us, that was what worked. I understand younger people will sometimes want more friends than family.

I agree, the DIY board is wonderful. Even if you are not crafty, by googling anything you want to buy on a discount, using DIY projects, you can save a lot of money.

Also, if you need to use someone to decorate a less than desirable space, or put out all the wonderful DIY items you are doing, a "day of wedding" coordinator runs about $300-$600 depending on your geographic area. Most have "packages" that fit various budgets.

Your local board (see list of boards to the left, click on the local wedding board link then find the one nearest you) will be a wonderful asset. They will be able to help you find the best vendors in your area, and local stores, etc.

Good luck.

librababy

I don't think you need a decorator. Just some really nice decorations you can eithe rdo yourself or have your florist do for you. No need to waste money on a decorator. Instead hire a day of coordinator that will help you out.