New York-Upstate

Any other Budget Brides here?

Hey all!

I am getting married June 4, 2011. I have set my budget at 10k and I am NOT going over that. Any other girls doing their wedding on a small budget? I have already booked my reception at the Elks Lodge in Clifton Park and I am surprised at how nice it is. for my 85 guests my reception is going to come under 4k. I am also going going to do my own centerpieces and got a deal on a DJ since I went to HS with him. I got my save the dates for free at Vista Print (just paid shipping) they are also post cards so I will save on postage. I am getting invitations, RSVP cards and escort cards from them too at a total of 126.00. I am looking for ways to save on the flowers too. My dress I got at David's Bridal for 249.00.
99image 0image 0image 99image RSVP Date May 2nd 2011

Re: Any other Budget Brides here?

  • edited December 2011
    H! I am also on a budget - we are paying for the wedding ourselves. We both are in school and working  - its going to be tight budget. You have great ideas - I am doing my own floral bouquets - I am practicing hand tied  with some flowers from the market - they are coming out great - stick with one type of flower or two and it comes out simple, classic, and sweet. I am also going to use postcards as thank you cards (for the shower and wedding) -  (our picture in the front) and a small handwritten note on the back. Another trick is to shop the after holiday sales - for candies and decor - for example - your theme is red or pink - hit the valentines day after sale and christmas day sales :-))Best of luck to you!
  • edited December 2011
    Thanks, the colors are purple and silver. Shopping after Christmas would be a great idea. We are paying for the whole wedding ourselves too, so saving where ever I can will be huge.
    99image 0image 0image 99image RSVP Date May 2nd 2011
  • beau511beau511 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Also paying for our whole wedding and on a very tight budget! We are doing silk flowers (pussy willow branches and not sure what else) Planning on a winter wedding to save money. Saving as much mney as we can to pull it off...but obviously can't afford some of those crazy wedding venues! There are some budget-friendly places out there tho that we have found :)
  • edited December 2011
    We are paying ourselves too, cant say Im on a budget like yours but i LOVE your ideas!! So creative!
    As far as my idea: to save on my bouquet (since my flowers will die because I am not paying to get them preserved) at my bridal shower, I requested everyone to bring a brooch. I hot glued the broochs from my family and my fiances family onto a foam bouquet ball from michaels and there you go. It is your something old, new, borrowed and blue (hopefulyl someone will have a blue brooch!) The best part is that if your a bride with an eye for sparkle, the brooch bouquet totally provides that!

    This is not the one that I made, but here is a general idea of what it can look like

    http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.happyhullaloo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/inside-weddings-alice-hu-photography-brooch-bouquet-3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.happyhullaloo.com/inside-weddings-brooch-bouquet-los-angeles-orange-county-wedding-photographer/&h=874&w=750&sz=484&tbnid=vFgfIumWJEFvrM:&tbnh=242&tbnw=208&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrooch%2Bbouquet&zoom=1&q=brooch+bouquet&hl=en&usg=__RCV-CtZslcdixTIgSkvcls4_HBU=&sa=X&ei=hTu2TNGGIsiRswbMkrSbCA&sqi=2&ved=0CB8Q9QEwAA
  • edited December 2011
    Hi!
    We are on a very tight budget and we hope for September 2011. We will likely go with the Elks in Wilton/Saratoga. I also plan on doing my own center pieces. If you don't mind the drive, IKEA stores have some great candle and flower accessories. Also TJ MAXX and Marshalls. The biggest thing for me is the photography... I can't afford the best photographers, but I would hate being disappointed with our wedding pictures...
    Good luck and congratulations!
  • edited December 2011
    I would love to go to IKEA, I live in South West Texas right now and I am doing all my planning from down here, has not been easy to say the least. IKEA is about 8 hours from me but I may make the trip sometime and go to IKEA. I love all the home decor stuff there and I could get tons of stuff for my centerpieces.
    99image 0image 0image 99image RSVP Date May 2nd 2011
  • burtcherylburtcheryl member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    don't cut costs on trying to do music yourself using a IPOD either ..that is a disaster waiting to happen
    Burt and Cheryl
  • edited December 2011
    I'm also a budget-minded bride and my wedding date is June 4, 2011 too! We are getting married in Oklahoma then having an upstate NY reception later in the month of June.
    "The real act of marriage takes place in the heart, not in the ballroom or church or synagogue." -Barbara De Angelis
  • NicoleV035NicoleV035 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hello! We are also on a budget! We are getting married on October 1st, 2011. I think the place and the pictures are the worst cost!!! I am also doing my centerpieces on my own.

    You all have great ideas!

    Congradulations!
  • edited December 2011
    Woohoo I found someone to do ALL my flowers including centerpices for 300.00. They are silk flowers but I am saving a ton!
    99image 0image 0image 99image RSVP Date May 2nd 2011
  • edited December 2011
    I actually read a post from another knottie who recommended the website afloral.com for silk flowers. Im getting all the bridesmaids and my bouquets for 50$. the groomsmen im going to just get single roses for the day or maybe just get sale ones too not sure. I am doing pretty good as far as my 13k budget but the photographers are really expensive. Anyone have any good ideas for photographers?
  • bdimples9bdimples9 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Please tell about the budget friendly places!
  • edited December 2011
    I checked out mpiphoto.com and I really like their pictures, however they are not cheap... $2100 for the cheapest package is a bit too much for my low budget wedding. I found a recent grad who wants to get some pictures for his portfolio to do our engagement session for free in a couple of weeks. If I will like the pictures, I will consider hiring him for our wedding... I will let you girls know how it went! :)
  • edited December 2011
    Ooh, me, me!

    My budget is also $10k max; the wedding is 20 March 2011. I also got my save the dates from Vistaprint for free (gotta love 'em), and I'm ordering the invitations and rsvp cards from mygatsby.com for $200.

    We are expecting around 100 people, which would have been unaffordable, but we picked an off-season date at a pretty venue in the Finger Lakes for 50% off; we ended up loving the date, anyway, it's the Spring Equinox! 

    I also did David's Bridal, and got a dress that looks alsmost just like the Dream Dress, for $99. I'm investing another $100 in atlerations and it will be perfect.

    Centerpieces and gifts will be DIY, and we're iPod-ing our music. I tell you, it's definately exhausting to do everything yourself, but keeping our wedding budget in line is worth it!
    "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss Visit The Nest!
  • shleylee36shleylee36 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    wow thats amazing. i am on a 10k budget too....and im just starting all this is so crazy i dont even know where to start.....im trying to a lot of it DIY but i dont want everyone to know or can tell i am...if you know what i mean.....ahhhhh!!!
  • beau511beau511 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Our centerpieces are covered in the price per head for our venue, AND They're letting us do our ceremony there as well for only $150 more. That also saves us on needing transportation from the church or ceremony location to the reception.

    Because we're March and a Friday wedding date, we got a great discount. Not only on our venue, but the photographer and DJ experience a lull in March and on Fridays so they're heavily discounted too!

    I plan to attend one of David's Bridals $99 sales closer to the wedding date (we're 3/16 2012) and get a dress under $300... $100 would be fantastic! I already have a plan B of a dress I found online that's $299 if I don't find anything at Davids.

    My mom is making about 20 cheesecakes for us to do a cheesecake bar (she makes like 10 for all of our family gatherings during the holidays and is a pro) and we bought a 3-tiered stand instead of getting a cake. SO much cheaper than buying a cake or paying for a dessert table...even with all the fixings we'll be purchasing.

    I'm doing Save-the-Dates online because it's cheap/easy/modern and I just don't feel like it's necessary to do a printed save-the date... (and then a printed invite). Then there will be an immediate and easy feed as well if people have questions, need more details, want to know how to book a hotel room etc etc.

    We've also opted out on the rehearsal dinner....we think. And if we do it, we're planning on just going to the bowling alley after the rehearsal for pizza and wings :) It's just down the street from the hotel!

    and we've decided on silk/alternative arrangements as well. I am obviously not needing any for my centerpieces, and we decided to forgo the boutonieres for the guys. My bouquet is actually glass beads that match our colors and a few silk flowers. The girls I am debating on pinecones with their arrangements, or even just doing candles. I have not 100% decided yet. (I think I'm doing pretty well though for being engaged about a month LOL)


    I can say do LOTS of research on a venue before you pick one...don't look immediate local...look on the ouskirts and in smaller towns outside your main area. We found a venue $45 minutes away that includes our hotel, colored linens, SEVEN HOURS if needed (as in going into overtime is free), no cake cutting fee, sevrl options for making your package fit your budget, free tasting etc etc etc and less than half the cost per head of ANYWHERE we looked. But I did so much research you would not beleive.
  • Lynnie1960Lynnie1960 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are on a tight budget--around $6,000, but it isn't as difficult as it could be, because it's a more informal commitment ceremony.

    The best deal was that we were able to negotiate a very good price for the ceremony and reception (all in one place)--$40 pp including the bar. I didn't think we'd be able to afford it, but they were willing to work with us based on the prices for services for "non-wedding" functions. It's worth asking. They are providing centerpieces--candelabras on mirrors, tied with tulle to match our colors, saving a lot on centerpieces. They "threw in" colored tulle table overlays and chair covers as well as the ceremony set-up fee. It's a beautiful place, under new management, so they are probably trying to build good will.  

    We plan to go with "seal and send" all in one invitations, which are more informal and a lot less costly. There are some nice patterns available, even more "formal" looking ones. It's around $125 for 100. I haven't priced flowers yet, but I plan to go to a local supermarket chain that has a floral dept. They have a good reputation, and I don't expect to spend that much. The bridal party is small--bouquets for my two daughters and me, and boutonnieres for my partner and one friend. I'll probably get an arrangement for the ceremony that could go on the cake table.  We are going with candy apples for favors. I have been ordering some of the supplies with online coupons from party supply stores. Already have the gift bags, personalized tags, personalized beverage napkins, personalized cake knife set, custom made unity candle and tapers, and foil confetti for the tables. All of that cost less than $200 with coupons and specials.

    My dress will probably not be a traditional wedding dress, but may be a vintage gown. I'm looking at preownedweddingdresses as well as some other vintage dress sites. I think I can find something special for under $500.

    There are a lot of ways to save money. I am looking for deals rather than a lot of DIY projects. I can only imagine that I'll be stressed out. I want to enjoy the day, and the days leading up to the event.

    Enjoy your big days,
    Lynn
  • kayla10710kayla10710 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Do you have any photos of the Clifton Park Elks Lodge?  Are they providing the food or are you having a caterer?  If so who?  Open Bar?
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