Budget wedding

krissy3475

I posted a few days ago about a cheap but nice wedding venue and have gotten great feedback. I'm just wondering if anyone who has had to plain a wedding on a budget(I would really love it to be $20,000 or less) would be able to give me some pointers on how to do it since I have no idea where to start. Thanks! )

StephBeanWed61502

Set your guest list first.  That way, you'll know approximately how many people you have to pay to feed, and that will help you figure out what you can afford.  Generally, about 50% of your budget will be on the reception hall.  You can Google "wedding budget" and you'll get an idea of the suggested percentage of your budget each item should cost.  From there, you can make adjustments based on what's more/less important to you and your FI.  (For example, my FI and I didn't need limos since we were staying at the hotel next door to our venue, so we took the "limo" money and put it towards the photographer.)  Once you know what you can spend on each thing, let your vendors know what your budget is ("Hi Mr. Photographer, my photography budget is $2000, what packages do you have in that price range?") and stick to it.

Good luck!

OwningAHome1981

I think in order to do this you need to a) not have your wedding on LI b) have a small wedding or c) have no extras whatsoever

Just trying to be rational. It CAN be done but it is no easy task. Most weddings on LI cost at least $40k. Some places have a packages- maybe like Ariana Waterfall or Meditteranean Manor.

butterflyfaye

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-york-long-island_budget-wedding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:120Discussion:2a72fa79-faf9-46b8-b010-25f47485b5fePost:338723a5-db96-4d0e-ab2e-53face79ff6d">Budget wedding</a>:
[QUOTE]I posted a few days ago about a cheap but nice wedding venue and have gotten great feedback. I'm just wondering if anyone who has had to plain a wedding on a budget(I would really love it to be $20,000 or less) would be able to give me some pointers on how to do it since I have no idea where to start. Thanks! :o)
Posted by krissy3475[/QUOTE]

<div>It's do-able but it's not easy.  I'm aiming for a budget of $20,000 to $22,000.</div><div>
</div><div> I have all my major vendors besides my florist settled and I'm at $14,000. That includes my ceremony space, receptional hall, food, open bar, cake, engagement session, 8-hours of photographer, videographer 6-hours of DJs, two 10-passenger limos, my wedding dress, shoes, veil, STDS and officiant. 

Part of it has been taking a friend or two up on favors, having a professional videographer friend do our video (which I didn't care about much), my bridesmaid is doing the invites - escort cards - menu -programs for us, etc. </div><div>
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starlette19

My wedding is coming in at just under 20,000. It drove me a little crazy trying to find good prices for everything but it was worth it. Trying to keep the guest list on the smaller side helped out a lot. Our final count is 93 including us and our vendors. 

marrythenerd

Consider the off season for better prices all around. Try and find an all inclusive venue so you just need to find flowers music photo and invites. Stick to the basics. It doesn't have to be showy as most li weddings are. Find ways to make it memorable with personal touches.

MLAT5

My wedding planner from ElitebEvents specializes in budget weddings. I'm having 175 guests with a budget of 15,000 but not in long island...however she was telling me how she pulled off a LI wedding for 10k and it included everything. Even myself, I'm not short of anything. I especially love how she got me the wedding dress of my dreams for a super small budget. And she's also taking the stress away. In my situation her services are paying for it self. But if you're a Hands on bride then deff check out med manor or ariana

OwningAHome1981

Nicole DeMarco is great! Nice girl too.

In Response to Re:Budget wedding:[QUOTE]We got married earlier this month amp; it cost under 17,000...Saturday afternoon ceremony amp; reception at Westbury Manor best venue, EVER?101 guests including us amp; vendorsDress from David's Bridal just remember you're NEVER wearing it again. nbsp;Ever.Shoes from ZapposHair/Makeup by Nicole DeMarco HIGHLY recommend!!!!!Stan Wiest Keyboardist during ceremony amp; DJ for reception HIGHLY recommend!!!!Photobooth by Ovation SO much fun!Flowers by Colonial Flower Shop in Bellmore cannot say enough amazing things about themPhotography 8 hours by Gray Studios haven't seen the photos yet will let you know if I recommend lolClassic Transportation for after party shuttle ehhh not the nicest driver put nicelyCenterpieces found on Etsy be creative!!! nbsp;Flower centerpieces are a big waste of money!! nbsp;..in my opinion lolInvitations amp; ThankYous from Wedding Paper Divas adorable!There is probably more but I can't think of it right now...But, it CAN be done!!! nbsp;And it CAN be your dream wedding!! nbsp;I loved every second of mine amp; I loved it even more because we didn't spend a ridiculous amount of money on it!! Posted by KCTZ[/QUOTE]

Mare munda

I used Gray Studios for my wedding and they were the most unprofessional vendor i worked with.  In addition they took only 600 pictures and several of those were dupes, they did not take wedding party pics and they got very few pictures of my husband and I.  When I confronted the owner about the HORRIBLE and scarce photos he offered to photograph us again in our wedding attire.  Uhm, not really the point.  DO NOT USE GRAY STUDIOS, YOU WILL PAY PROFESSIONAL PRICES FOR VERY POOR PHOTOS! 

MrsKatieBrown

My budget is in the $20,000 range too - currently getting closer to $25,000 though. It's definitely expensive to have a wedding on Long Island! Here's how we're saving on a few different things:

Flowers - We are mixing inexpensive flowers with expensive ones and only using flowers that are in season. We hired a florist, but I am arranging the centerpieces myself and using my own jars and bottles.

DJ -  We hired 1 person to act as the DJ/MC, rather than hiring 2 separate people for each. 

Invitations, programs, etc. - I am hoping to spend $200 or less (plus postage) on invitations by either purchasing a printable design on Etsy or designing them myself. I haven't settled on anything yet, but it seems do-able! Instead of spending another $100 or so on programs we are going to have signs that list the bridal party and details about the ceremony.

Favors - This is a big project, but I am making the favors myself. My wedding isn’t until May 2015 so I already started since I have to make 125! They are candles in small 4 oz Mason jars. I am going to order personalized matches to go with them. They cost about $3 each and would have been twice the price if I ordered them.

My Pinterest has a lot of my ideas here: http://www.pinterest.com/katiephoto/the-knot/

I hope that helps! Check out this website too: http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/

Hummingbird125

I'm sticking to a budget of about 15k on Long Island. We're inviting 90-100 guests, doing BBQ food from a local smokehouse and passed hor d'oeuvres + staff from a catering company. I have negotiated for EVERYTHING so far, and have managed to knock a few hundred $ off of every quote, or have gotten freebies thrown in because I asked for them. ALWAYS NEGOTIATE. I'm planning on doing all of my paper goods myself, and keeping the ceremony and reception at the same venue.