Don't have a year to plan

Readingdiva123

    So due to some things going on in my family and their health. I don't have the year to plan only like 7 months because we are getting married on august 12th and not much of a budget. We have the church and the preacher reserved. but  i'm a little overwhelmed on everyhting that still has to be done and in such a short time and a small budget.
     I was wondering if anyone else has had to do this or knows someone else who has. Any adivce you could give me would be greatly appreciated and welcomed. thank you in advance.

mayflymanitou

We got engaged in Sept 06 and married in May 07.  It can be done!  And honestly, I think it's easier to plan on a shortened timeframe because you simply don't have time to agonize over every decision.  You make it and move on to the next one. 

I could not have survived without my planning notebook (just a small spiral notebook).  It kept all my notes in something that I could easily throw in my purse and have with me at all times.  Also, make your timeline now of what you want to get done each month (or each week!) and stick to it.  Decide quickly what your priorities are and what you can live without, and eliminate those things immediately.

To save money, enlist the help of friends and family for DIY projects (invitations, decor, flowers, etc). 

Save money on a DJ and have a friend man your ipod (you can rent a sound system for $100). 

Save money on a videographer and have a friend/ family member shoot footage for you.

Don't skimp on photography.

Get sheet cakes instead of a tiered wedding cake.  It tastes just as good and costs a whole lot less.

Don't waste money on favors.

Whatever decor/ flowers you decide on, make sure it can pull double duty at both your ceremony and reception.

Save money on dresses by buying off the rack, or check out the Brides Against Breast Cancer sales.

And breathe

Good luck!

Portland09102011

I would just focus on picking a venue for the reception right now. I think that's the most important thing. It will also determine a lot of other things like what you can do for food and decorations.

The "to do" tracker on the knot may help also. A lot of the things to do are listed more than once because you'll see "think about flowers", contact florists" and actually "book a florists". It feels good to cross off a lot of things even if you just started planning.

DramaGeek

I agree with both Portland and Mayfly.  Get going on finding a venue for your reception, and decide what kind of reception you want.  An afternoon ceremony with a light hors d'oeuvres reception or even just cake and punch will be much simpler to pull together and less expensive.

If you tell us where the church is, we can help with ideas on where to have the reception, catering, etc.

Readingdiva123

Thanks for your advice. The church is in Beavercreek, OR close to Oregon city. Parks aren't really an option because we have a very important guest that cannot be in the sun due to health reasons.

DramaGeek

How many guests are you looking at?  Is a reception at the church an option?  I didn't want to do that, but it ended up working out best for us and our guests actually thanked us for having it all in one place.

The first thing I'd do is check with the local granges.  Often you can rent them rather inexpensively.  Then I'd check with Clackamas Community College to see if they have any spaces they rent.  After that, I'd look into the following places.  Remember that for places like Weatherford's, there's no rental for the space, you simply pay for the food.  For someplace like the community clubs, it looks a lot less expensive - until you remember that you will need to do food separately, so take that into consideration and make sure you compare apples to apples.

Pioneer Community Center 
Clackamas Community Club
Farmstead Restaurant and Pub
Weatherford's
Oregon City Golf Club
Stone Creek Golf Course
Abernethy Center

Hope that helps!

mayflymanitou

Also the historical museum in Oregon City rents out space and has lovely views of the falls.

Readingdiva123

 Thanks everyone. gave me some ideas of places that i didn't know about strange cuz i grew up in oregon city. Unfortunatley we found out the church isn't available for the 12th so we are now trying to figure out another day. Hopefully things start working out better.

DramaGeek

I'm sorry the church isn't available on your chosen date!  Since you're looking for a new date now, keep in mind that Fridays and Sundays often have discounted pricing with vendors.  I assume you're going to try for a date as close to Aug 12 as possible, but if you want to really change it up, an off season wedding can also save mony (usually Nov-April or May, excluding Dec).

[Deleted User]

if you have the budget, thepros.com offers a package with a photographer/videographer/DJ for 2000. After researching all three services indivually, we decided that for the quality and services, the price couldn't be beat.

9doors

We got engaged in October 2010 and our wedding date is May 7th 2011! It can definitely be done. A sample wedding dress was my saving grace - saved on budget and time. Having the ceremony and reception at the same location made it really easy and saved on cost and travel time (Deschutes Brewery). You can skimp on favors (half of them get left behind) and programs aren't really needed unless you need to explain customs and traditions. Definitely don't skimp on the photography or the food. I think flowers and decor can be minimal - understated is sweet and romantic I think. Keep all your notes in a book and make lists. I make a to-do list everyday!