I've been engaged since 1/28/2010, so it's high time I had a wedding. Main reasons it just hasn't happened yet are my parent's disapproval of my fiance, and the difficulty of planning anything a year in advance when you intend to switch jobs or are in a master's program. But now that I'm in a PhD program and will be here for a while, and FH will be graduating in the fall, I want to get serious.
My parents told me long ago that they had no intention of paying for my wedding, so I know I'm going to have to budget or DIY most of the day. That works great for me, because I don't want many aspects of a typical wedding anyway. In light of that, here is a list of things I'd like to cut, and I welcome any input on whether doing away with these items is feasible, or totally weird, or what.
1.) The bridal party. I mean no bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, or ring bearer. I've grown apart from most of my high-school friends and have deliberately not made many more friends over the years, and my fiance doesn't have any close friends either. There aren't any children in either family of an appropriate age to be flowergirl, and only one of an age to be ring bearer.
2.) Wedding arch/aisle runner. What's the point of a wedding arch, just to be a background for all your pictures? Why? And why have an aisle runner when it'll just be stepped on (read: trip hazard). The last wedding I was in, the aisle runner was a huge hassle because two young cousins of the bride were assigned to roll it out after all guests were seated, as the first bridesmaid (me) was walking up, and they couldn't figure it out and was a big delay in front of everyone. Then the couple's child started wandering/twirling around in the middle of the ceremony and bunched it up and it was overall a mess. People know where you're going to walk, and they know where you're going to stand.
3.) Alcohol of any kind. FH and I don't drink, and only very few family members drink on occasion.
4.) Favors. I'm only having this wedding (instead of eloping) because certain family members said they wanted to be there. I'm not going to bribe them with a knick-knack happy or small souvenir foodstuff just to get them to come. The *wedding* is their favor.
5.) Wedding shoes. I asked my best friend why I would want to get special wedding shoes, to be uncomfortable during an important event and have limited rewearability afterwards. She said it's to take pictures of them, of course! ... Buying shoes just to take pictures OF them, because it's tradition. No.
6.) Catering. If at all possible, I intend to cook all the food for the reception the day before. In lieu of having a bachelorette party, I'd invite all female family over the day before the wedding and we'd cook everything.
7.) Bachelorette party/bridal shower. See above. I hate being the center of attention, don't want to ask for gifts, and just forsee it being awkward for everyone involved. But that one isn't actually wedding-day related, so back on topic...
8.) Flowers. I intend to make a bouquet of paper flowers (using sheet music from when FH and I were in band together) and any other flowers would also be paper flowers. Centerpieces will be decorated stacks of books, since FH and I are huge nerds and like to read, and if needed I will make paper flowers to accent those.
That's all I can think of at the moment. Does anyone else have any expenses they think are unnecessary?