WR: Crafty, Budget-Friendly, DIY Wedding Stuffs?

bsidebella · June 2011

I've had a ton of extra time on my hands since I've been on disability, so I've been brainstorming.

FI and I have begun to wedding plan so we can start putting money away. We decided to hold off on moving to Oregon until Sept. 2012, and if things go according to plan, we want to be married before then - April or May 2012. If things fall apart, we're going to stick to our original date in January 2013.

We are most likely going to be paying for everything ourselves, so I've started to come up with ways to cut down costs. I want to know if any of the crafty, creative ladies have any ideas or suggestions to add?

Here is what I have so far:

-FI's uncle is a printer, so, like he has done for other members of the family, he will most likely print ours at a family discount. He will most likely do our programs/benchers as well (and if for some reason he can't, I have no problem doing this myself - I love playing around and making pretty things on the computer).

-FI's great aunt, the jewelry designer, will make our wedding bands (she made FSIL and FBIL's).

-Make our own chuppah (Jewish wedding canopy)

-Use dollar-store items to make our own centerpieces

-Buy my dress/accessories at resale shops or on ebay or craigslist

-Have my MOH and BMs buy their dresses at department stores instead of a bridal shop, and wear their own shoes (as long as they are black)

-Ask my friend who is currently in beauty school if she will do the ladies' hair and makeup on the day of.

-FI's dad might be able to get us a good deal on a deejay.

Most of our budget will most likely go to our reception venue/food costs and the entertainment, since everything else can probably be done cheaply. Anyone have anything else to add, or suggestions? I'm not very good at decorating, but I love being crafty and I can copy a picture pretty good.

lunarsongbird · June 2011

I'm totally and utterly in love with paper flowers.

::stands with her arms across her chest::

And I'm not BSC, I just like paper flowers!!

How many guests? Do you have a theme or colors picked out?

bsidebella · June 2011

Paper flowers would actually be cool for the centerpieces! I've seen it done and think they are so cute. I would love for the bouquets and boutonnieres will be real flowers, though - carnations (especially pink ones) have a very special meaning for me and they are important.

Our guest list has 107, but we are expecting approximately 90 to actually attend. Our colors are dark green (like a shade or so darker than emerald) and black, with silver accents. I don't know if pink carnations work with that, though, so I think I'll do a miix of white and pink. As for a theme, not really. Maybe some sort of musical theme, since we both have music backgrounds.

lunarsongbird · June 2011

You can even make some of the flowers out of sheet music...It would look ah-mazing!
Have you looked at Sam's club/Costco for flowers? They have great reviews!

bsidebella · June 2011

Lunar, that is an AWESOME picture!!!! Where oh where did you find that? Well, I guess I can just find a paper flower how-to and then use sheet music ... duh.

Does Costco do flower orders for weddings? I had no idea. We aren't members, but FI's parents are.

lunarsongbird · June 2011

Yup- and the things I like about Costco or Sam's Club...is if the wedding venue is nearby a store- and the flowers come in looking not so great- they will replace them at the store. However, I haven't read any bad reviews on them.

Are you going to do any of your own food?
Seems like food is the most expensive thing.

bsidebella · June 2011

That is really flippin' awesome, I had no idea! I will look into that.

I don't think we'll do our own food - that will probably make the cost go up, wouldn't it? Having to buy a sh!t-ton of ingredients and making sure there's enough for everyone? That would be sure to drive me insane. Besides, I have a very small kitchen - cooking for over 100 people might kill me.

We're currently in a deadlock over whether or not to select a venue that will allow us to bring in our own caterer, or to find a place that will do it all in one fell swoop. We're currently exploring which is the cheaper option.

EDIT: Lunar, I told my FI about the sheet music flowers and he LOVED the idea!!! Thank you so much!!!

WR: Crafty, Budget-Friendly, DIY Wedding Stuffs?

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