Budget Help

adorfe

My fiance and I are paying for our wedding all on our own, which hasn't been easy being to recently graduated college students. We want our reception to look nice and not cheesy, but can't exactly afford lines and nice dishes. Does anyone have any suggestions to keep our reception looking formal without hurting our budget?

hollieheidi

check out linentablecloth.com  

they are having a really great sale right now on linens as well as a coupon code.  we were originally going to use the linen-like tablecloths, but it turns out that for the same price I got real satin tablecloths and runners from linentablecloth.com

also we are using the heavy clear plastic plates for the buffet and we were able to get the heavy plastic silverware (Reflections) in pre-rolled wraps from webstaurantstore.com   we got 120 wraps for $56.  I'm going to dress them up a bit by taking off the paper wrap and tying them with nice ribbon. 

check out the budget board and the diy board as there are A TON of ideas to personalize your wedding and keep it nice on a budget

Happy Planning!

fishieballerina

If you have your reception at a hall it may end up costing less than having a catered affair. If you have it outside or at a place that needs to be catered you have to pay for the tent, linens, tables, food, chairs, silverware, glasses, plates, etc. A hall includes almost all of this for the same or (in my case) cheaper price. Reception sites will include table linens, china, and glassware. Also, consider having a cocktail and appetizer only reception. This would save on having to buy/rent silverware. Cupcakes instead of cake also cuts back on the cost of plates and silverware. However, know that there are important things at a reception that you do not want to cut back on (for instance, if you and your FI really like to dance do not cut back on the music). The important thing is that you and your guests have fun. The best wedding and reception I went to cost the bride and groom only $200, but made sure that the guests were enjoying themselves.

CaptiolBride

tons of ideas...

have an outdoor wedding (no need for a lot of decor junk)
have an intimate wedding 40-80 people. (I'm only having 80-100)
use classic linens.... solid colors.
oh, candles make any place look classy & romantic
since flower cost can add up.. use minimal flowers.

jwildin

We are dealing with the same thing.  My fiance and I both just graduated college and are in graduate school.  Since we do not have a lot of money, we found a venue that included food, bar, table settings, centerpieces, and the cake all for one price per person.  We also get a discount on people who are not 21 since they wont be drinking.  Compared to renting a hall and making everything it is a lot less stressful.  It may be beneficial to look into places that have packages that include everything!

kikicurlytop

So, essentially I am in the same boat. Although I am lucky enough to have super traditional parents who want to pay for the wedding, the budget we are dealing with is about $3500. We are saving money in all kinds of ways that don't detract from the overall formality. One is that we are having a very late ceremony and reception, so people will eat dinner before they come, and then we are only serving desserts, which is really inexpensive if you do it right. You can get tons of dessert items at Costco, and places like it, like cookies, and fruit, and such, and it won't break the bank. Then we are still having wedding cake but we are getting a much smaller one from a local grocery store, and we are having some extra in sheet cakes in the back, in case any one still wants more even though they are eating dessert. Another benefit of the dessert reception is that you can use disposable plates without it looking tacky. Also, we are not having a DJ. Instead we are creating our own playlist on iTunes that we will hook up to the sound system where are reception is held. Really, I don't think any one will miss the DJ. All they really do is play a mix of songs anyway, so why not save money and make your own mix?

fishieballerina

Another suggestion is to not have open bar. In some locations this does not fly, but where I am from NO ONE has open bar and we are ok with it. For outdoor weddings ask each guest to supply a bottle of liquor and have a homemade bar. For something indoors have cash bar. Most people won't mind paying for their own drinks and it will easily cut down the risk of Uncle Eddy getting drunk and taking hold of the mic.