Officiants? Florists? October Flowers? DJ's? HELP!

amanda1611t

I am new to this Wedding stuff and have just started all of my planning! I need suggestions for officiants! How much do they cost? I don't want to spend a lot! Does anyone know cheap florists and ideas to have cheapre arrangements? I am sort of on a budget. What flowers would be good for October? Does anyone know an DJ's that will work for $500 or less? Am I crazy to look for that price?

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2010Bride2be

I can't, I just can't.

Slow down. We can see that you're on a budget. A lot of what you're asking depends on your location. Are you looking for an officiant of a particular religion? Where is your ceremony/reception?

In regards to the DJ...Some people will tell you that you're crazy to look in that price range (the whole 'you get what you pay for' deal). I have also learned on this board that a lot of the DJ companies in NJ charge up to $1k for their services. I've seen these DJ's and I don't think they're worth it. So, be careful when looking for your DJ and if at all possible, get personal references. Don't believe everything you read on the interwebz.

OliveOilsMom

If you are looking to save money, go on over to the Budget Board.  Those ladies have some great ideas.  I would not have fresh flower centerpieces.  You can make the table beautiful with just some votive candles and rose petals spread around.  You can buy the rose petals freeze dried in bulk.  Also, some brides make their own bouquets using brooches, fabric or paper flowers, and a number of other things.  I would check out the DIY board for inspiration.  The ladies always post pictures of their projects.

If you can't afford a DJ, you can always hook up an ipod to the house speakers at your reception hall.  And ask a friend to be in charge of the ipod during the reception.

Rangergirl

One of the things I found when looking for a DJ was to attend either a Bridal Show or event that different companies were hosting. That way you could see the type of show they put on and whether they are worth the cost of whatever it is they are charging.

My best recommendation for a budget wedding, if you're willing, is to look at another time of year maybe. If your heart is set on October, just be aware that is right up there with June as one of the most expensive times of the year to get married, My sister got married in October of 2010, I got married in January 2011. We had VERY comparable weddings in terms of hall, DJ, photographer, etc... yet she paid 60k for her wedding and we paid 20k for ours.

Some of the ways we saved:

We made our own centerpieces instead of getting floral ones (which were more appropriate for the time of year I got married anyhow), we made our own favors, we made our own invitations, place cards, programs and menus, made our own card box, etc.
 
We provided our own ceremony music, the hall provided our ceremony decorations (though we provided the runner) and we found a priest very willing to work with us on cost.

We bought a LOT of the decorations and such the season before the wedding on clearance and saved them until the wedding. We also waited until The Knot and other sites had clearance sales/free shipping promos etc and saved a lot that way.

The most important thing is being up front with any vendor about your budget. If we just looked at The Merion's price ranges and moved on, we NEVER could have afforded having our wedding there. We were honest with them about the budget we had and got the wedding of our dreams at a fraction of what it should have cost just by picking a less popular day to get married.

Good luck!!!

kellyrose6

Mums the Word does a great job with flowers and a budget too...

We used a venue that provided the DJ, centerpieces and the officiant, all for a reasonable price  (less than 70 per head) and I was satisfied with them all!!!

kellyrose6

Oh and Gerber Daisy come in great fall colors and one of the cheaper flowers to get...

melsbells2012

i am an ordained minister and work with budgets =]  message me.  Also i work with a dj company soooooo i have some connections=]