Help!!!!

kolendamm

I need help!  My fiance and I have been engaged since last December and decided on a September 2012 wedding (I immediately got on The Knot!).  In June, we purchased our first house together.  We ran into a financial bind with the house and had to spend all of our wedding savings on the house for repairs (its a long story so we'll just say the previous owners came back into the house and "messed around" with some things after the inspection).  After a few months of discussing things over, we decided to push the wedding back until September 2013.  He's a very traditional guy so he wants to have a traditional Catholic wedding with 250+ people, and that's why he made the decision to push it back.  I, honestly, just want to be his wife; I don't care about simple it is...  Is there anyone in the Cleveland area who knows how and where to have a simple and cheap wedding?  I still think we can pull off a simple, elegant, SMALL, and classy wedding next year and do it for pretty cheap.  Can anyone help me out, please?!

Dani0885

What about just getting married by the justice of the peace and doing a brunch with close friends and family.  In 2013 for your 1 (or 2) year anniversary, you can have a big blowout with everyone?

031107

Depends on what you mean by cheap.  Are you still thinking 250+ people?  If so, nothing for that wedding will be cheap.
 
A punch and cake reception would be the cheapest option and depending on location, decore...could still be classy.
 
We got married and had our reception at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cleveland with 65 guests.  Everything for the wedding cost us $12,700 (that is every penny we spent on the wedding excluding honeymoon).  I am not a DIY person, I paid to have everything done/made for the wedding.
 
Ways to reduce price:
Have wedding on a Sunday
Do not buy a designer dress (the limited and jcrew sell some nice inexpensive wedding dresses)
Punch and cake reception
Pick flowers in season
Have an outdoor ceremony and reception to cut down on decore needed
Don't worry about items such as personalized napkins, glasses, aisle runners...
Don't have 250 people

Talk to your fiance.  Each of you make a list of what is the most important wedding items.  This will let you know where the bulk of the money will be spent, how much is left over, and what you are willing to cut back on or skip to get your wedding next year. 

Research, research, research...Each town has a different price vendors charge.  See what the going rates are.  Don't think "I will only spend $250 on a photographer" if you haven't researched how much photographers are charging for your area (we paid $1600 for our photographer).  You will only set yourself up for disappointment because you won't be able to get what you want. 

JKohio

The pp has some great suggestions. We had a wedding (not Catholic though) with 175 guests and our entire thing (ceremony, reception, everything) out the door was $13k.

We skipped the limo. I bought my gown from a consignment shop for $500 and minimal alterations were needed. I bought my veil 'used' as well.

We used a florist who works daytime at Heinen's floral dept but does weddings from her home workshop for VERY reasonable prices. I was all set to use Giant Eagle for our flowers though, until Diane was recommended to me. Don't be afraid of grocery stores for either flowers or cake! Also, we didn't do floral displays on every single guest table. We did potted flowers (mums! in season) on half the tables, and on the rest, we did candle centerpieces w/ silk ivy. It added interest to the room, AND we spent a lot less on flowers which can get pricey.

We shopped around and found a church we liked that was inexpensive (I'd rec. them, but their prices have since gone up significantly.).

Two friends of DH are photographers, so they took all of our pics for us at a huge 'friends discount' -- under $1k.

We shopped around and found a bakery that was under $2/slice for cake. After considering BYOCaterer halls, but pricing all-inclusives as well, we went with the Belarusan American Community Center for $30/pp and we could BYOB -- a big cost-saver. We served only beer and wine, skipping the liquor, to further cut costs.

We purchased inexpensive invitations from www.rexcraft.com and were very happy with them. Remember, most guests simply use the invitation for info about the wedding & reception, then into the trash it goes. No need to spend big $$$ there, IMO.

Good luck! I'm sure you can do it. How many guests do you think you'd have if you stayed with your original date?

July2012bride

I agree with PP's.  It is possible, but what is your idea of "cheap"?  

Another idea to bring down costs is to have it in "off" wedding season. Often you can get vendors for 1/2 the price you would pay for them from May-September.

kolendamm

I really appreciate all the help and info here! Our cheap is under 100-150 and because we have a lot immediate family, we really can't go much smaller. We're even considering not inviting kids. I guess if I can get enough ideas, create a presentation for him, and show him it can still be done, we might be able to pull it off! (: He's definitely the one who wants big and bold and I want simple so it's just getting him to compromise (: JoP would be out of the question but it has been a fought. Our strict Catholic families would not be happy and we want to stick to our faith. We actually have our church that is already giving us the entire wedding ceremony for just about free, minus some small expenses, so that's not our worry...it's the actual reception that's going to be our problem. I really could use any more advice you all have with this. We both really want to get married next year but we just don't have the money for the wedding we want. And if I can get ideas on how to DIY everything for much cheaper, then it still might be possible. Thank you so much!!!

derrilyn

What's your budget?  For 100-150 expect to still pay at least $10k if you're going to serve a full dinner and have open bar (though BYOB venue and just beer and wine will cut costs tremendously).  And where is your church so we can suggest some nearby cheap reception venues?  Also keep in mind October is also a popular month nowadays so if you would consider having it off-season that would be November-April.  HTH

kolendamm

Our church is in Strongsville. $10k is a realistic budget for 100-150 people but he keeps saying he doesn't want to spend more than $5k. I'm sure we could get it that low if he would quit being so high maintenance!!! (: I had heard that September was starting to be a busy wedding month so August or October were our second choices. Neither one of us want to get married in the winter or the summer (even though those are the only two seasons Ohio has) so that's why we picked fall-ish. Thanks again!

JKohio

I don't think $10/pp is going to buy you a full on evening reception with dinner, honestly. There are some locations you can look into that are going to be closer to $20/pp (still super cheap!) if you want to serve dinner. Keep in mind, that price is not going to include alcohol. If BYOB and you stick with beer/wine only, you're talking at least. $7/pp (depending on brands you choose, of course). Skipping alcohol entirely would save lots of cash.

Skyview Lodge in Bruswick is around $25/pp (alcohol must be bought thru them though). Mapleside is right next door and pricing is similar (max capacity is 150). In nearby Medina, check out Vell's, a BYOB site that runs around $20-ish/pp. Houston Hall in Norton, a bit south, costs less -- closer to $15/pp to start. Most places right in/near Strongsville are going to be $25-35/pp without alcohol.

With your guest list and such a low budget, you may want to ask venues about pricing for just heavy appetizers (cocktail reception only) -- and make sure you pull your time forward so it's not during traditional dinnertime (which would confuse guests as to whether much food would be provided). You might also consider pulling it all earlier in the day and doing a brunch reception immediately following your ceremony. Also, October is considered 'off season' for many venues. Be sure to ask about off season discounts when you call, too. You can save yourself $2-3/pp and it really adds up. September is still considered 'in season' for many venues.

Does your ceremony church have a hall that you could use for your reception?

kolendamm

The church does have a small gathering room but it's REALLY small so it's entirely out of the question. I was afraid that the pp price would be that high. One of our interests is having our family cook the food and friends "serve" like a buffet style. My dad's side is all Polish and he is dead-set on cooking traditional Polish food and finding someone to serve it. That would save us a lot of money, but my concern is that it won't be "classy" or we won't have people to serve. And I know there are reception halls that don't require you use a caterer out here. We had friends a couple years ago have 2 wedding showers. The bridesmaids threw the typical wedding shower and the groomsmen through a "stock the bar" shower for the guys. Each guy brought 2 bottles of liquor and a case of beer...then they bought some stuff too and asked for no wedding gifts. It saved them a lot of money... I just need to sit down and really research and budget everything out...