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small budget wedding

jennileschjennilesch
in Wisconsin

I'm looking for any unique advice on how to save some money on our wedding. We have the church and hall and haven't planned anything further and I don't know where to begin. I'm soooo overwhelmed by money issues right now!!!!!

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Re: small budget wedding

  • jcrew_shopaholicjcrew_shopaholic member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    DIY everything yourself!  It will take a long time and require a lot of patience, but it is so worth it in the end!  I just finished my save the dates and now I can't stop looking at them!!  Also, just get quotes from as many vendors as possible and compare their services.  More and more vendors are now matching and/or beating other vendor's pricing, so you could always haggle with prices more than you think!  My fiance and I are having our wedding with a budget of $5000 and it has worked out well so far :)
    Anniversary
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  • korinawikorinawi
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    There are lots of easy ways to save money, from doing the invitations yourself, to the flowers yourself and having a buffet done by someone you know.. even bbq style. We aren't doing that, but there are many easy ways to do it.  You can get a cheap DJ, although make sure they are reliable.  DJs are a dime a dozen.  I wouldn't go super cheap on a photographer though.  Anything under $1000 for a full day and you might be risking some bad pictures which are all you have left to show for your day.  Instead of a cake, you can do cupcakes.. go to Sams club for that or Costco. Michael's for flower arrangments or other unique little items.  Heck the Dollar Tree has stuff you could probably use.  There is a difference between making it affordable and it looking cheap.  Try to keep it classy if that's the image that you want. Good luck.
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  • emilyprocter80emilyprocter80 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    instead of having a wedding cake we had individual cakes at hour wedding filled with different kinds of flavorings.  Each table had there own cake and creme pie flavoring.  There was more cake for the guests and we saved thousands instead of having a wedding cake.  It worked out great and everyone interacted with one another to see what each other table had.

    Like korina said don't go cheap on the photographer.  Avoid cheapo photographers like Ari Rosenthal and Olga and so on whose work looks cheap.  Trust me you'll regret them.  I did.  Go with someone who knows what there doing and do if full time.  To be honest the best and most talented photographers in WI are no longer listed on the knot directory.  So that makes it harder to find a good and talented photographer.  Most of those photographers just got overwhelmed by brides.  Photography is the most important part of a wedding so do that first.
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  • korinawikorinawi
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I haven't seen much of Olga's work, so can't comment on her although it looks pretty nice.   I believe Olga was named a Best of 2009 on TheKnot.com which must mean somthing. Yes, Ari's photographers are very affordable, definitely not cheap,  but we actually hired one of his photographers.  Their work is amazing and we couldn't be happier.  I'm curious about your tastes Emily .  There are plenty of very talented photographers on theKnot.com  Front Room is probably the best in town (not sure if they're on theKnot) but very very few people can afford them.  Are you a photo snob now that you got lousy pictures?  Ironic.

    Although I couldn't book Ari as he was not available, I've seen his work in every major magazine and the reviews everywhere are stellar.   There are some pretty expensive photographers in the area who are actually pretty mediocre so it's mostly a personal taste thing.   Ultimately, a couple should like the photos, but also do research online to learn more about the photographer or any other vendor they are looking into.  There are several sites where you can find out more.
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  • korinawikorinawi
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Oh and Emily, your listed wedding date is on a Tuesday. That's a bit odd don't you think? Or are you a vendor out there dissing your competitors.  Why would you join TheKnot.com more than a year after your wedding. Very suspicious.
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  • brimavenbrimaven member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Focus first on the date specific vendors such as photgraphers and limo, and DJ. Then Tackle the less date specific like the flowers and centerpieces. I have to agree with the others on the photog prices. If you spend less than $1,000, you will probably regret it. DJ's, yes there are lots of them, but you definitely should hire a professional company and not just some friend/ relative. When it comes to planning a wedding just remember that yes you are on a budget, but cheaper is not always better, and you can't really go back the next day and do it over.
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  • SweetCharadeSweetCharade member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Think about booking stuff at bridal shows, too...I booked our limo at a bridal show and got almost $70/hour off of the normal rate and a free hour on top of that.

    DIY and Michael's may very well become your best friend!
    .:Planning Bio Updated 01.01.2011 w/ For Sale items:.
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