Budget Difficulties

ILoveAGirl7612

My fiancee and I just got engaged, our wedding isn't until 2016 but we want to start saving and doing things to plan out our wedding. We want a small wedding, under 50 people if possible. We're on a $15,000.00 spending limit, this includes our dresses,food (which we're making ourselves), decorations (also making ourselves) and most of what you would need for a wedding. We're looking for any help or ideas. It be appreciated. 

by the way, our wedding theme is the color teal of that helps!

QueerFemme

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_gay-weddings_budget-difficulties?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:44Discussion:0aeaf4b2-724e-47ab-a4f7-325df1eb6fcePost:b566a135-c02e-4d0f-b670-7c24675892bb">Budget Difficulties</a>:
[QUOTE]My fiancee and I just got engaged, our wedding isn't until 2016 but we want to start saving and doing things to plan out our wedding. We want a small wedding, under 50 people if possible. We're on a $15,000.00 spending limit, this includes our dresses,food (which we're making ourselves), decorations (also making ourselves) and most of what you would need for a wedding. We're looking for any help or ideas. It be appreciated.  by the way, our wedding theme is the color teal of that helps!
Posted by ILoveAGirl7612[/QUOTE]

Try hanging out on the budget board.  15k is decent budget for 50 people, honestly.  We hosted 135 people on about 12K.  It's totally doable.

noahark1

Agree with the advice to check out the budget board.  But with your budget and estimated guest number you should be golden.  We're doing a dw with a guest list of 40 and a $7500 budget and it's more than do-able.

lebrooke1013

We are hosting 50 people on $3,500.00.... so do like we did, and get with your friends to find out who is talented! I have a friend who is a pro photographer, one who is a carerer, one who is a florist, my sister is a baker, and my coworker is a DJ-- put your friendships to work! But if you ask friends, be sure to ask nicely If this isnt an option- hit up Craigslist. You can find all kinds of decor on there, and tons of creative people looking for work. Go look under the "Services" section to search for vendors on the cheap cheap! Also- there are photographers nation wide who will travel to you and photo for free if you pay their travel expenses and hotel. Since photographers generally cost about 2 grand, this might be a good idea, since a hotel for 2 nights is about $250 (in my area, at least), and a plane ticket is around $400. When I was a photographer, I would charge locals, but take assignments as far as NYC just for the cost of travel/hotel, so you could look into that!

QueerFemme

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_gay-weddings_budget-difficulties?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:44Discussion:0aeaf4b2-724e-47ab-a4f7-325df1eb6fcePost:089a6184-b3ee-4fbb-bd7f-c84af51e3b89">Re: Budget Difficulties</a>:
[QUOTE]We are hosting 50 people on $3,500.00.... so do like we did, and get with your friends to find out who is talented! I have a friend who is a pro photographer, one who is a carerer, one who is a florist, my sister is a baker, and my coworker is a DJ--<strong> put your friendships to work! But if you ask friends, be sure to ask nicely :)</strong> If this isnt an option- hit up Craigslist. You can find all kinds of decor on there, and tons of creative people looking for work. Go look under the "Services" section to search for vendors on the cheap cheap! Also- there are photographers nation wide who will travel to you and photo for free if you pay their travel expenses and hotel. Since photographers generally cost about 2 grand, this might be a good idea, since a hotel for 2 nights is about $250 (in my area, at least), and a plane ticket is around $400. When I was a photographer, I would charge locals, but take assignments as far as NYC just for the cost of travel/hotel, so you could look into that!
Posted by lebrooke1013[/QUOTE]

I appreciate the ideas, but OP, please don't take this advice. Asking your friends to work for your wedding is really rude, honestly. It's one thing to accept their offer, IF they offer to help, and if you appropriatly compensate them for their time.  But, please don't use your friends and the skills that they have trained for and learned as free labor.

lebrooke1013

I did not mean "friends" that you were planning to invite. That definitely would be rude. I meant if you have friends that are professional vendors, then ask for their services at the wedding. It doesn't mean ask your best friend to take your pictures and be a bridesmaid, or ask a person attending to cook all your food. To better explain- like I said before, I have friends doing a lot of stuff for my wedding. My friend, Travis, is a great chef, but I don't know him well enough to really ask him to my wedding. We are friends, but its more of a professional friendship, to where we do business together and meet for lunches, but nothing personal, like inviting him to my home or going out on the town together. So I am paying him to cater for me, and since we know each other in a professional setting, I am getting a discount. It is the same with my other vendors, too. I went to high school with my photographer, so we know each other from a veryyyyyy long time ago, and haven't really talked since high school. But since we know each other, she is giving me a little discount. And my sister just volunteered to bake a cake because, I swear, she thinks she's Betty Crocker haha! So basically, think of who you know that you could hire, and maybe they will cut the price since they know you, because people who don't know you at all generally don't just offer to cut their prices. That's what I meant

lebrooke1013

Also, look into "alternate"venues. You would be surprised how cheap art galleries, train stations, public parks, hotel ballrooms, a space at a local college, a public garden, etc. can be. you could also look into a back yard wedding, if your back yard or one of your parents' yards will accommodate? If you want an indoor space, definitely look for venues that provide tables and chairs. Renting those can be pretty expensive. We are renting a banquet room at a small country club on a lake, with kitchen, tables, chairs, and sofas for only $200, so check neighborhood country clubs! Good luck

lovelybride614

Plan EARLY!!! It has saved us a ton of money already. We booked our venue last October for our 2014 wedding and we got the 2012 prices. If you are crafty, take advantage of the Hobby Lobby and Michael's coupons. Wedding wire, vistaprint.com and Oriental Trading have GREAT deals too.

minsu5

My fiance and I are trying to do a wedding under $18K and for 80 guests in May 2014. We contribute through direct deposit every payday (thankfully, we have the same day) in our joint savings just for our wedding costs. So far, we've been balancing where we'll splurge versus where we'll be thrifty. For example, the venue was very important for us, so we decided to spend most of our money on it. Then, when it'll come to our reception centerpieces, we're keeping it low-key. Plus, as @lovelybride614 mentioned earlier, you want to stock up on coupons, join Groupon and LivingSocial. Keep an eye out for things you'll certainly need and can pick up on sale. 

moonlitwish

We're hosting 70 people on half that budget.  We limited the flowers and picked a new venue that was trying to get their name out there.  We also chose a place outside of Charlotte to keep costs down and I bought my linens instead of renting because it was cheaper.  I tapped into my social network for the photographer-who also happens to be gay, so we don't have to have that awkward "are you really ok with gay weddings" conversation.  My in-laws took care of the caterer (because a good dinner is important to them) & we didn't look at dresses that were over $500.  I designed the centerpieces myself and used coupons over time to buy every vase & candle so they were essentially half price.  Used a Living Social deal for Vistaprint on the invites...nothing fancy, but the whole ensemble including matching thank yous were $115 for 80 sets.  100% agree with the sugguestions to look at venues that include table/chair rentals.  We originally looked at tenting our back yard but renting the tents, tables and chairs cost nearly as much as the venue we got and there are more bathrooms there!

Briana+Danielle

my fiancee's best friend offered to be our photographer and we asked her to be our bridesmaid. She said yes to both, I know it may seem rude but is it ok to give her those responsibilities when she's OK with it? 

We're planning our wedding for under 3 thousand. I'm buying as I go. I found invitations at Walmart for $20 so for about 100 people that's $40, We also found the same Thank you notes for cheap, I found my gaters for like $4 a piece. We're getting real flowers at costco cause a friend works there and can use her discount. We're also doing fake flowers for most of the reception I just want real ones for ceremony. Our best friend is our photographer I went to high school with our DJ and we have a friend who offered to pay for the DJ although he is also a DJ and I feel bad not asking him. Honestly I didn't ask him because I wasn't sure about what kind of equipment he'd have. 

Also we have a friend who can possibly make our cake with her mother helping. We want a fun big wow cake with a lot of color. She said it'll be easy cause it's just fondant. I'm hoping so, The food is potluck we're going to buy the main course probably sandwhiches of some kind and then ask everyone to bring a side dish. Or we might ask our family to help us provide hamburgers done up cute and sorta fancy, like sliders. We want chicken maybe not sure about the food. The food and decorations are what we haven't really set down and thought of yet. I've been having trouble finding an officiant to do our wedding in Yakima Washington. I called the only one in the brides magazine our city puts out but she didn't seem thrilled with the idea of a same sex wedding. So I'm not having anyone marrying us who doesn't agree with it even if they said they would do it. I hope we can get everything done in time. I've been looking at everything for ideas online but planned very little so far. Our wedding date is July 26th 2014. 

cavahe

We are hosting 32 adults 5 kids and 3 vendors on a budget of about 6,500. We made our invitations, centerpieces, and decor.15,000 should be more than enough Just be smart about what you end up having to but and remember to shop around the price given to you is not always final

-Congrats!