Budget Wedding???

Michelle Politte

I know weddings are expensive but I'm trying to figure out a way to do this without spending a ton of money. The so called "budget" weddings still have a $10,000 budget which is still pricey to me. We will likely be paying for this by our selves with little to no help from parents. I don't want the court house wedding but at the same time I don't want to spend a ton of money that we could have used as a down payment on a house. Is there a way to do a classy nice wedding for around $5000? I'm considering seeing if my grandmother can make my bridal gown after I find the one I want. What are the prices of normal weddings were you don't go crazy and need all kinds of expensive items? Any information or ideas is helpful. Thank you in advance.

Mrs.B6302007

There's a board on the drop down menu for this very topic.  You'll probably get some good ideas there as well.

mbcdefg

Can someone please provide a link to this Budget Weddings board? I saw a bunch of new boards on the main menu, but nothing relating to budget weddings. Sheller, maybe tell us what you're envisioning for your wedding, the state/area you're getting married , and how many people you want to have there, and people can make suggestions based off that. It's hard to say right now what you should do, because we don't know if you want a five-course dinner for 30 people in New York City, or a cake and punch reception for 200 in Kansas. Know what I mean?

Mrs.B6302007

hey letters - it's the first one on the drop down menu i 'll try to get a link for you

Mrs.B6302007

yeah, it's not on the main board page yet. you have to use the drop down menu just above

mbcdefg

Under "Special Topic Wedding Boards"? My first link is for the Flowers board. Here's the page I'm referring to: http://community.theknot.com/cs/ks/community/default.aspxA link or a board number would be great if you can grab it, thanks!

trix1223

shellerz:  some ideas for you:The biggest thing to consider is what you NEED vs. what you WANT.What you need is a bride, groom, officiant, and license.What you want is everything else.  So make a list of what is essential for you vs. what you can do without.  Some suggestions:#1)  have a very small WP.  The bigger the WP, the more money you'll spend on flowers, gifts, hair, etc.#2)  Think outside the typical for a wedding dress.  Look at bridesmaid dresses that also come in white/ivory.  You'll find many, and the cost is far lower than a typical bridal gown.#3)  DIY things like invitations, programs and other paper products.  People could care less whether your invitations are letter press or photocopied.  Invitations are generally thrown away as soon as their purpose:  where and when the wedding is, are done.#4)  STOP reading wedding magazines/websites, and watching wedding TV shows.  Their sole purpose is to convince you to buy the products their advertisers are trying to sell.  But people do get caught up by the pretty pictures, and stop thinking rationally.#5)  Skip favors.  No one really cares all that much about them.#6)  Skip one-use items:  toasting flutes; cake cutting sets; ceremony decorations.#7)  Don't even consider things like flip-flop baskets, potty baskets, OOT bags.  They are not at all needed, and are, IMO just silly#8)  Have a small cake to cut and have sheet cake in the back to cut and serve your guests.#9)  Use an Ipod instead of hiring a DJ.#10)  Cut back on your guest list.#11)  Use inexpensive/in season flowers.  You can have a lovely bouquet made with Sam's Club or Costco flowers.#12)  Search out a non-floral centerpiece.  Floral ones can be very expensive.#13)  Have a non-alcoholic reception, or a limited (beer/wine) only bar.#14)  Arrange for a friend to drive you.  You don't need limos.GL

Mrs.B6302007

Whoa, Trix!  That needs to be a sticky on the budget board!

Michelle Politte

Yes I found the budget wedding tab after I posted this, they don't make it too easy to find. We haven't officially started planning the wedding yet but I'm trying to get ideas on how much we need to save for it. We actually aren't engaged yet but he is getting the ring soon and we have talked about how we would want the wedding to be. I just don't want to save X amount of dollars then realize I can't do a wedding for that amount so I'm trying to get an idea how much what we want will cost.As for the location we live in Michigan. The theme isn't set 100% yet but I was thinking one of the following three Fall, Halloween, or Old Hollywood. He works in the movie industry so I think the Old Hollywood theme would be really fun. The colors will likely be orange, black, and white. I love the look of damask print also. I sorta want it to look formal so the I'm leaning away from the Halloween though it would be fun I don't really want zombies at my wedding. I actually know someone that did that and it worked well for them but it's not really what I want. As for Trix's tips....1. I don't plan on having a huge wedding party it will depend on him cause I only have like three bridesmaids in mind and even that I'm not sure if one could make it since she moved to another state after she got married.2. The dress I really want the glam here but am considering seeing if my grandma will make a dress for me. Find the perfect dress and then see if she could replicate it. Also I'm going to look a thrift stores and clearance sales. I would also consider renting a dress if I could find a place that rents them. I don't plan to keep it but I will see it in the pictures for the rest of my life.3. I'm a scrapbooker so I will be making the invitations and things like that. 4. the TV shows all make me wonder why they need all of that stuff, lol5. I agree with you 100% here they just get thrown away at a later date.6. My aunt was able to find most of these items at a dollar store for my sister's wedding so I think I will look there. I don't plan to keep the cake knife but we will need one to cut the cake. The glasses I was thinking of just getting plain ones from a discount store for the bridal party or maybe just for us depends if we have the typical bridal party table. Side note on this one my sister had a fit at my aunts wedding because she was in the wedding and her husband wasn't in the wedding. She refused to sit at the bridal party table. If I have her in the wedding and I want to do the bridal party table and her husband isn't in the wedding how do I deal with that??7. Not really sure why you would get any of this to be honest, lol8. I was thinking of doing a small cake and then cupcakes. My aunt actually did my sisters and made cupcakes also so that is another option as well. 9. We know some DJ's so we might get them to do this for free. 10. I don't think we will actually have even 100 people. I've started a list and have like 70 and can cut part of those but part won't come anyway. 11. I plan to just do simple flowers myself. Just get some flowers and put a ribbon around them type thing. 12. I've got a DIY candle idea in mind and depending the time of year I was thinking of growing some flowers in orange to use the petals from on the tables. 13. I'm all for this but he wants alcohol seems to think it's part of a wedding so I'm sure there will be a conversation down the line about this one, lol14. I'm not a limo person. I would love to have a classic car drove by someone but I haven't got my car yet. I want a 56 Chevy Belair but don't have it yet, lol. Though my future brother-in-law has a new Camero in black ordered so maybe we could get him to drive us. I'm assuming he's not going to get rid of it within the next year or two. It will be black so it would match the wedding, lol. Thanks for all the advice it has got me thinking. I guess the part I'm most worried about costing is the location and food. My boyfriend's sister is getting married this week and I didn't realize the cost per person some locations require for food.

trix1223

shel:  re head table.I haven't seen a head table in years (well except for my nephew's wedding which was a train wreck all around!)People now tend toward sweetheart tables.  It allows the couple a little bit of alone time, and keeps the WP from being separated from s/o for the reception.I'd strongly consider doing away with the head table idea.Your other things sound great.  Love the idea of the classic cars!

MOBinFL2008

Trix gave you a lot of great ideas; I have nothing to add in that regard.  However, if making the dress is too much for your grandmother, David's Bridal has a $100 dress sale periodically.  You might be able to get just what you want there.

ddumire

My sister's wedding (Adrian, MI) cost about $5000.  She had her church at our catholic church = free.  The reception was at the UAW hall = $250.  Dress David's Bridal= $300.  Flowers were about $1000 for her, she had a big cascade bouquet but the BP carried a single white lily.  Also flowers decorated the church, none for the reception.  The reception decor was DIY with mirrors, and stuff from dollar stores.  Her DJ was inexpensive (but sucked), she can't remember how much it cost but I think it was $250-500.  I have no idea how much she spent on photography.  You might be able to buy a dress from David's Bridal for cheaper than your grandmother could make it.  Just look for the sales rack and find something that doesn't need alterations.  You can save money on flowers by choosing things that are in season or making bouquets yourself.  If you have netflix, get Martha Stewarts complete weddings, it has a lot of how to segments in the series from flowers to cakes etc.Around here (east coast) photography is about $2000-3000, but cheaper in MI.  That is a consideration you have to make, since it is something that you have for years afterwards.

pandorassoap

To keep it cheaper some weddings I have been to were later in the evening, after dinner. The couple then just had cake, fruits and candies....desserts and a bar. They used an ipod for the music and had minimal decorations. They had plenty of seating but it wasn't a sit down so everyone was up mingling and dancing. Very fun wedding and I think it was very classy and a great idea. Not every wedding has to be a buffet or seated dinner to be nice. Just depends what you want. And making the dress is a great idae, my fiancee is making mine and the fabric was cheaper in price then the bridesmaid dress I got to wear later for the dancing at ours. Good luck!

zachsgirl91809

For the venues, check out unusual places-places that you wouldn't normally consider having a reception at.  I'm renting a very large, gorgeous pavilion in the mountains for $67.00 and that's for the whole day!  I found it at a Christian Youth camp.  It's pretty secluded and has some awesome scenary.  But I would never have imagined looking a places like this for my reception. You could also try renting a place big enough that you could do both the reception and ceremony at-that would cut the cost of renting an extra building.  I don't have to pay for the rental of my church.  If you attend a church regularly, they might do this, of it might only be a donation basis.  Most places that you see and automatically think "wedding", are probably going to be expensive, like fancy manors, banquet halls, or cathedrals.  HTH!

Saivanima

My best friend got married in a little chapel in Senatobia, MS on 07/07/07 for about $4k for a wedding of about 100 people.  She had a ceremony and celebration for only her closest friends and family.  The number of guests and popularity of your wedding/reception site will be what gets you.My wedding budget is $5k as well and I'm asking my bridal attendants to do most of the prep work, including decorating, making the food, and photography.  We're using a playlist and a good techie friend for our music for the entirety of the ceremony and the reception.  Hopefully this is going to be a big help in our overall budget.

Saivanima

Also, as PPs have mentioned, timing is everything. Right now, our wedding is planned for 2 pm on a Wednesday (the date was more important to us than the day).  This means even with a long ceremony and/or a long-ish ceremony, it'll be settled between lunch and dinner, meaning desserts and fruits will be our primary foods, another big place for funds.

BrideofBigSur

I'm totally in the same boat. Mom & dad told me they could only contribute $3,000, which is the cost of one photographer in most circles. We are doing a morning wedding in a National Park. You can usually get a ceremony site for around $150 and have a fantastic view. For example, we're getting married in Yosemtie National Park on Glacier Point for $150. A 3,000 foot-cliff view, for less than a plain church which would cost monumentally more and possibly require marriage counseling or training with the minister. We're having it in the morning, then heading down to the valley for an lunch reception at the Ahwahnee, where we're just reserving a few tables. This will keep our costs at about $3,000 for the whole thing. Not feeding the guests dinner will save us a ton, but we'll only have 40 guests at the most, so we can take good care of them with what we have. Whatever the FI and i contribute will be purely extra and that's a good feeling. This way we can still have the gradiose feel, without the grandiose price tag.

Haleui

Some places where we cut corners:1. I went to Davids Bridal when they were having their $99 gown sale. I got my originally $900+ gown for $350.2. My photographer is $200. She is a student at one of the Universities in my area, and she is great. She took my engagements (for $40) and bridals and she is awesome!3. I cut the bridesmaids bouquets down to just 6 gerbera daisies tied together with a ribbon. 4. Plastic plates/cups/bowls. We were renting china, and then opted against. We are using our parents house for the ceremony/reception. Only thing I would warn you about is, what you don't pay in Venue fees you WILL pay to bring everything in. I had a few non-negotiables (band, food, alcohol) but other than that, we cut corners where we could. We made all of our invites, save the dates and programs. Plus our guest list is around 100 people. I'm not in the $5k range after everything was brought in (Tables, chairs, stage, dance floor, etc) But that is how we saved some definite cash.