Pre-wedding HELP!!!

Kellie Clay · April 2013

We will be engaged any day now. We are getting married NEXT JUNE. (its the only time in our schedule to do it) My family lives in Georgia. His family lives in Washington state, Idaho, and Wyoming. We live in San Diego, CA. Where the hell do we get married on a LESS than $10,000 budget??? PLEASE HELP! Any ideas??

s-aries8990 · April 2013

If you're goin to post on two boards, please put an XP in the title (XP= cross post).

I answered you on CC.

Again: WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE ENGAGED.

Figure your head count, add 10. Figure out what you want, where you can reduce, and where you can go without.

Hummingbird125 · April 2013

Try your local board. You're going to have to figure out your head count, call venues, and get quotes. There's no magic answer anyone here can give to you.

Kellie Clay · April 2013

I understand. Its just that I dont even know where to start! Also, I am new to this so I didnt know about the XP. I will definately do it next time. Thanks for the input.

kmbryant2413 · April 2013

Welcome, and congratulations on your engagement!

The forums here at TK are very different than the website. The Knot is a wedding industry, designed to make money. Their 'top vendors' are the ones who paid the most, etc. So the checklist here on TK is going to be designed to help you spend the most money possible, especially through their website. I didn't really 'do' a checklist when I got married, but some other ladies will certainly be able to direct you to a great one, or give you some ideas.

Most regulars here first suggest setting up a budget with your fiance. It's a great communication builder in addition to laying the foundation for your wedding. Remember, that a wedding does not need to put you in debt, and you shouldn't start off your marriage that way! While you should properly host your guests, you do not need to break the bank for it.

After you have set up a budget, set up a guest list, and then look for a venue that will comfortable house everyone. Don't go the other way with choosing a venue then a guest list, it usually comes out poorly. From there, you can go dress shopping, cake tasting, and everything else to your hearts desire! It is also STRONGLY advised that you do not ask anyone to be in your wedding party (bridesmaids, MOH, groomsmen, etc) until 7-8 months or less until your wedding. A LOT of unnecessary friction can arise.

I would highly recommend lurking the boards. Etiquette, DIY (if you're that kind of person), and Budget weddings will all help you get a great idea on how to host your guests, and the ladies here give great advice. Many of them on the forums however have strong personalities, and while they are blunt and honest, please do not take it as a personal attack! You can learn a whole lot here on the forums that the regular Knot site might not provide for you (and you might make some friends

)

Make sure you take time to enjoy being engaged! Give us some more details, and welcome to The Knot!

(My standard copypasta contribution)

Kellie Clay · April 2013

Thanks so much! You rock! I appreciate letting this rookie know what I am getting myself into here on the Knot! :0)

motoLyn · April 2013

There's a flowchart floating around here some where. But I can't flacking find it, so....

1) Get engaged, WOO HOO Congrats when that happens!
2) Talk over with your (FI) the budget...$10,000 can go a long way if you plan and willing to do some things yourself.
3) Figure out what kind of wedding you as a couple would like, traditional? Daytime? Night time? Modern? Outdoors?
4) Go introduce yourself to your local board and look at the members planning sites, don't bombard them with "WHAT DO I DO" threads. But go do some research of venues and then ask if anyone has any experience with them.
5) Start to compile a "must have" for the wedding and "be nice to have" and if the budget is tight "do not need". My wedding what was important to me was food, drinks and the photographer. All else I could deal with being good and somethings I went without or did on my own.

Now did I miss your intro thread? If not, introduce yourself in a new thread.

cu97tiger · May 2013

Others have given you good advice, I'll just add this....

It's really easy to get married on $10k if you keep your guest list to a minimum and don't have a dinner reception. Get married at 2pm, have cake and punch at the reception. Find a public outdoor venue that might be really cheap. Also, look at www.apracticalwedding.com and search for budgets. That site is a lifesaver.

Finally, stop worrying about this right now. Once you get engaged, you will have plenty of time to worry about these things. Don't ruin today by worrying about tomorrow.

loves2shop4shoes · May 2013

Wait until you are ACTUALLY engaged to worry about planning your wedding.

For me, 10k is a budget that can have a very nice, small, tasteful wedding. Or a very large, tacky trainwreck. My preference would obviously be the former.

If you keep the guest list small, you should be able to get married with 10k without too much hassel. My advice is to not skimp on a photographer...because other than your rings and your marriage, that's the only thing that will last longer than the day itself.

Pre-wedding HELP!!!

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