Budget and Deals

Princessgia07

Hey Michigan Brides;

Just looking for some ideas to keep the cost down when planning your wedding.  Mine is in about a year and half. Just got engaged and have been looking at prices for everything.  Kinda overwhelming.

So, what i'm asking is where to start.  What are the best deals out there?  Any input is welcomed.

Thank you!!!

Sue-n-Kevin

Welcome & congrats on your engagement!

The first thing you need to do is set your budget. This would be the amount you expect to pay for everything. Take into account whether you are getting money from your parents or your fiance's, and how much you and your fiance have to contribute. Getting this dollar number set is the most important thing.

Next you probably want to consider your guest list, and what other things you see as part of your wedding. Do you want top notch photography, or is that not important? Decor? Limo? DJ? Most brides understand, and it's my experience on the Knot, that the amount you spend on your reception will be 60-80% of your budget. The range is due to the fact that some people want a really expensive dress, so limit costs in other areas, for example.

If you are finding banquet halls that are all inclusive (supply food, alcohol, linens, tables & chairs) to be above your budget, then look into having your wedding during a "non-wedding" time like November-March, when prices are lowered to get more business. The rest of the year is prime wedding season. Also, consider a Friday night or Sunday reception, or a luncheon or brunch time on Saturday. Those cost less.

Also, FYI: having an "appetizer only" reception is NOT cheaper than a meal, because it takes people hours to assemble those appetizers, and you need to supply a "meal sized" portion (10+ appetizers per person) if you are having your reception at a meal time, ie noon-3 pm, or after 5 pm.

Also, finding a vendor that supplies just a venue, like a park pavilion or building, or using a friend's backyard  is not necessarily cheaper either. You will have to bring in all the equipment, food, alcohol, tables, chairs, linens, buy insurance,  and possibly supply port-a-potties.

We had a venue that supplied tables & chairs & a building, and brought in everything else. I thought, like a lot of brides, that this would be a LOT cheaper, but in the end, it wasn't. I could have scaled back on things like food quality, but didn't want to, because that was my one big "thing" that I wouldn't compromise on.

The easiest way to keep the cost of your wedding down is to select a non-prime-wedding month, select a non-Saturday dinner time, or cut your guest list to the bare bones. You can also do a lot of DIY, which I did. I made all my paper items, including invitations, at home. I made my own floral centerpieces with flowers from Costco. I made all my decor.

At the top of the board there is a "push pin", the topic is "Vendors". On that many brides over the years have posted their vendor reviews, with prices and ratings.

Good luck. The ladies on this board are very nice.

imleokadia

I agree with Sue - set your budget and do your best to stay within that budget! To be honest, you can spend, spend, spend if you don't set a budget. Personally, we are paying cash for our wedding and I have a budget of $10,000 (I think I will probably hit $12,000) but I'm very impressed with how well I've done thus far!!
Do your research. Coming to The Knot was a wise decision, you won't believe how many ideas I've gotten from previous brides and I've found several deals from word of mouth on this site as well.
What area do you live in and where are you thinking of having the wedding? I can recommend a few vendors in my area that I researched if you'd like.

MMRoberts11

Sue covered everything well.  I'd recommend using the knot's checklist to help you focus on what should be done by when.  I used it and tried to stay ahead of it for the most part. 

As far as specific deals go, really you can get a deal for everything so when you are ready for specifics please let us know.

I definitely understand how it can seem overwhelming at first.  Breaking things done into little tasks seemed to help me best.  Rather than think of the entire wedding at once, focus on just decor, vendors, etc will help.

Meegles4

Agree with PPs. Regarding the feeling of being overwhelmed -- I would suggest that you use The Knot's wedding checklist. It will populate with all the tasks based on how far out your wedding is. So, you don't have to break everything down and prioritize -- it does that for you.

For example, at a year+ out, you should be focusing on the "big" stuff -- setting a budget, getting an idea of a guest list, finding a venue/cater, etc. Little stuff like the cake or the limo can wait. The other nice thing about TK's checklist is that it includes a lot of really little stuff that you don't think about. It's also customizable so you can delete things you don't care about, or add things that are unique to your wedding.

Princessgia07

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_budget-and-deals?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:88Discussion:5e5a7e1e-f40f-49ae-a9e5-1ba90b823dc8Post:8fb56569-f65b-4f5c-9015-bd2bd6740d4b">Re: Budget and Deals</a>:
[QUOTE]I agree with Sue - set your budget and do your best to stay within that budget! To be honest, you can spend, spend, spend if you don't set a budget. Personally, we are paying cash for our wedding and I have a budget of $10,000 (I think I will probably hit $12,000) but I'm very impressed with how well I've done thus far!! Do your research. Coming to The Knot was a wise decision, you won't believe how many ideas I've gotten from previous brides and I've found several deals from word of mouth on this site as well. What area do you live in and where are you thinking of having the wedding? I can recommend a few vendors in my area that I researched if you'd like.
Posted by imleokadia[/QUOTE]

Thank you everyone!!  I'm in the Metro Detroit Area, Sterling Heights.

kjaynes2

I cannot agree more with the post to 'set a budget'. But, as importantly, keep track of your spending's to a T. I joined the Knot back in November, and have jumped on an off here and there, but it is a GREAT resource that I want to start using more. The reason I suggest keeping track of your spendings is because my fi and I have thusfar selected our reception venue, DJ, photographer, and my dress. As we were purchasing all of these things, I kept a 'running tally' in my head. However, I just got around to actually writing it down yesterday, and I realized I must have rounded down here and there, because we are $800 higher than where I calculated us in my head! SO FRUSTRATING! I also suggest haggling for EVERYTHING. The worst they can say is no :-) I've yet to pay full price! My reception package was supposed to be $78/pp (food, drink, tip, tax, chair covers, DJ....I think that's everything?) and I have them talked down to about $66 so far! haha....My dress is my favorite deal...it was a ticket price of $1200, and I loved it SOO much...but that was NOT in my wedding budget. Ha...I told them that I would buy the dress off the floor for 1/2 off, and they agreed! I wasn't sold on it yet, so I took a week to think about it, and then called and asked for a further reduction in price. OUt the door...I paid $399! YAHOO! Haha, mind you I still have to get it altered =/ Anyway...don't be afraid to ask for a deal! And budget like crazy! I think I'm up to probably 3 different spread sheets! Good luck, and most importantly, have FUN with this!
K