intro for a newbie

voxytoo

Hi!  Just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Beth and I became engaged back in April.  We are looking to get married May 2011.  We are paying for everything ourselves so we need to push it out as far as possible.  I have just started to look for a venue and a dress.  Any advice with this is most helpful.  We are looking to keep our budget in the 10k region for everything and we will have only about 100 people there as well.  I went to Davids Bridal last week because I need to keep the cost of my dress down as much as possible.  Found a couple of dresses I liked but nothing that blew me away sadly. 

kryrose

Welcome to the knot board first of all! :)Anyways, Since you have timeI would recommend trying the running of the brides if you are up for being up early in January. They have AMAZING dresses from what I hear for next to nothing. I wish I would have waited for that, but was scared I wouldn't find something I liked. Also I am doing shamrock gc for my reception they hold max 100 people inside and 150 outside tented, and it is VERY reasonable. food runs from 12-15 pp buffet style. The liquor costs are up to par for a bar. like 2.25 for miller lights I believe. Def check out Anita Kline for cake. for 2 dollars a slice it can't be beat and plus it's AMAZING!!! Since you have time you have plenty of time to find bargains on stuff through many vendors. Oh I highly recommend Bravo Bride dot com I have purchased quite a few things there, and it's a reselling site for brides it's fun and I have bought a few things there for my wedding, and maybe you can go there and find a dress. It's amazing some of the original prices and the brides are really selling for a fraction of a cost. As for photography i know some brides got really good prices on photography. I am getting mine for 895 for everything but I believe there is someone that charges 495 and their work is amazing. I am a major budget bride myself, so i feel the 10k region for everything. I believe being a month out. I am about 6k in for everything. that will include food costs. Also try to do as much as you can DIY it saves alot in the long run! Anyways, congrats and look forward to seeing you around more. Krystle

kryrose

PS do everything Early that way you get the vendors you want!!

Stackeye210

You'd be surprised how much 10k will get you in Columbus.  Just do your research and you can have everything you dreamed of in a wedding.  With 2 years to plan you have more time to talk to multiple vendors.  It's worth it.  Be careful of bridal shows.  As they are helpful for ideas, they tend you get you a million and one phone calls for services you care nothing about.

Stackeye210

PS - congrats on your engagement and welcome to the knot.

Erin.Patrice

congrats and welcome!!!

mblevins25

I got my dress at Wendy's Bridal on Sawmil and I was very happy with it and with the price.  It's pretty busy on Saturdays, but not as bad as a David's.

voxytoo

Thank you all so much!  I did go to Davids the other day thinking I was just going to get some sort of feel for dresses.  I have no idea what kind of wedding I want so I thought if I could find the dress I like then I can start to plan out the wedding.  I just have such a limited budget that I am very nervous about going to a Wendy's because I just can't spend that much on a dress.  I don't have any ideas for venues or ceremony but would prefer to have it all at one place simply because we will have a lot of out of towners from my hometown in MA and from his in PR.

brianamber4

Welcome these girls are so helpful.

Alko726

Congrats on your engagement and welcome! I had a long reply written out, but my computer crapped out on me. Good luck with all your planning! These girls always have answers, and 10k is certainly a workable budget in Columbus! Have you checked out North Bank Park for your ceremony and reception yet? You can bring your own alcohol and caterer to help save quite a bit of money I'd think, and there are plenty of downtown hotels nearby for your OOT guests. As for dresses, it never hurts to give shops like Wendy's a try. If you have the time, it may be worth it to go to Cincinnati Bridal and Formal (and surrounding stores in the Bridal District). They've got over 4,000 dresses in a wide variety of price ranges, and you may be able to find something in your budget. I saw dresses I liked for as low at 475, I think, and you should never pay the ticket price, as they like to mark up their prices (like most stores). They match most internet prices or in my case, they beat it. Good luck! I'm sure you'll find one you love and if you have your heart set on a dress that's more than you'd like to spend, check out sites like kyrose mention -- bravobride, preownedweddingdresses, or bridetobride has tons of dresses worn once or never by brides looking to resell.