Wedding Cost

14 Responses

1. Lisa D

   2009 Nov 04 1

   You need to have a small wedding with just close friends, limit it to 10 or 20 a piece, and your family members. That will cut costs right off the top. Then after you’ve been married for 15 or 20 years, you can have a huge renewing of your vows and reception. (If you can’t picture being married that long, or planning that far ahead then I wouldn’t suggest getting married just yet). A commitment is compromising and communication. You both have to come up with a few sacrifices to have a dream wedding on a budget. Best wishes.
   References :
   Small wedding, 20 years ago..planning an all out celebration with friends, family, and our three boys. (Now that we can afford it).

2. rxing

   2009 Nov 04 2

   get the dress from Target.com-famous designer has a line – max
   dress costs 160$

   Look for a restaurant that does brunch wedding.

   have a 9-930am wedding and 11-2pm

   it will be beautiful and less expensive because of the menu and no alcohol. just momosas if you want.

   If i had it to do again, I would do it this way.
   References :

3. kbk823

   2009 Nov 04 3

   Decide what is important to you, and spend your money there.

   I know that flowers mean nothing to me, so we wound up just buying out a grocery store’s inventory of yellow roses on the day of the wedding- until that day, I had no idea as to what color or type of flower we’d have, but the store had a lot of yellow roses, so that’s what we went with. But I also knew that I wanted people to have a good time and dance, so we spent a good amount of money on a really good band and DJ. We held our wedding at a yacht club (not as expensive as it sounds), and did family style meals instead of individual service.
   References :

4. justme1

   2009 Nov 04 4

   If you can add additional info to this question, it would be a huge help. For example:

   *# of guests?
   *What you insist on having at the wedding vs. what you’re negotiable about?
   *How much work you’re willing to do yourslelf, vs. what you’re going to pay a pro to do (food, flowers, photos, etc.)

   If you don’t want to add info, you might just want to get some ideas from theknot.com
   References :

5. sassy71074

   2009 Nov 04 5

   Have it on a Friday or Sunday…places give a discount for those days. have a morning wedding ( like sunrise, very BEAUTIFUL!!) then u do not have to worry about the bar cost. You could do a brunch and then have the rest of the day to yourself to do something special.
   References :
   I am a event coordinator for a resort!!

6. eringobraghless

   2009 Nov 04 6

   Elope.

   Seriously, there are many things you can do for yourself. If the climate where you are will allow it, you can be married outdoors. My sister did all her own food prep, not only because she is an excellent cook, and didn’t believe she could get the quality commercially, but because she could serve what she wanted for much less. I was an Event Coordinator at Michaels for 7 years, and they have a brochure and demos on doing a lot of your own decorating…consult the EC at your nearest, and also the Wilton instructor at the store, for advice and possible help with the cake. If you start now, you could take all three courses and do your own, very professionally if you work at it.
   References :

7. Margaret

   2009 Nov 04 7

   For my own wedding I purchased a gorgeous designer gown from a high end bridal shop, but I bought the demonstration gown for a design that was no longer being produced. Even with the alterations (It was a size 12 and I am a 2), I saved thousands and it was spectacular.

   My bridesmaids wore matching dresses we found in the garment district in our city (Los Angeles). We paid less than $50 for each dress. They were not constructed to last a long time, but they looked wonderful and I did not kid myself that anyone would be wearing the dress again.

   Our wedding was not low cost mostly because of the 300 or so guests. If I had to do it again, I would let many of them stay home. Limiting your guest list only to the most important people in your life gives you a lot of freedom in choosing the venue for the ceremony and reception and to do a lot more preparation yourself that you would otherwise have to hire out.

   A brother-in-law of mine and his bride were married right on the beach in California – no cost at all for the ceremony location. It was casual, but very classy.
   References :

8. e_d_ellis2004

   2009 Nov 04 8

   Get married at the courthouse and then have a buffet style reception with a small number of family and friends. That way, you won’t have to rent a venue for the wedding, buy a gown, rent a limo, or spend money on any of little things you have to buy when you have a formal ceremony.
   References :

9. movievixin

   2009 Nov 04 9

   Doing thing your self will cut down the cost. Like making you own invitations. You can get an invitations kit for like 29.99 at places like staples,Micheal’s,hobby lobby ,walmart,office depot. It comes with every thing you need and you can print them out at home. Some thing Else is have a smaller cake to cut and then use sheet cakes to serve your guest ( Saw that in a wedding show on the WE network)
   Don’t spend a ton of money on favors most people will not take them unless they can eat or drink them. If you or some on you know is crafty make the centerpieces you self. See if any one you know or your self can do the flowers for you.
   good luck with your wedding
   References :
   http://www.save-on-crafts.com/makbouqandga.html
   http://video.about.com/weddings/Make-a-Wedding-Bouquet.htm

10. Erica A

    2009 Nov 04 10

    Well it depends on how many people are coming to your wedding. Maybe just stick to close friends and family and no distant relatives.
    Receptions cost a lot of money when there are more people there.

    shop around for the best caterer, have an open bar for several hours only.

    You could have a destination wedding, that is what I’m doing, only close friends and family will come and it can be very intimate and save you some money as well.

    You can also rent your dress instead of buying it, its nice to have but if you cant afford it then that can be an option.

    You could do your own invitations, go to a stationary store and buy the invitaion paper and print them yourself.

    Maybe instead of wedding gifts your family could chip in to help with some of the costs of the wedding as their gift to you

    Shop around for a good ceremony and reception site.

    Use flowers that are in season at the time.

    Get the wedding party to help and make your own center pieces.

    It is difficult to plan a low cost wedding since we all want the wedding of our dreams but there are little ways that you may be able to save some money by doing things yourself.
    References :

11. lizzie

    2009 Nov 04 11

    Have some things personalized or borrowed.you can ask your entourage or any of your creative friends to design your gown, do the invites, etc..
    References :

12. Angie H

    2009 Nov 04 12

    I would suggest to try to invite only really close friends/family to the wedding. I would also check into ordering wedding flowers in bulk from Sam’s Club or Costco for a reasonable price.
    References :
    Bride to Be

13. sweetncgirl_15

    2009 Nov 04 13

    My sister and I are planning her wedding and it is basically me doing the majority of the planning. We just started last week and it will be in either May or July so we’re on a tight schedule and even tighter budget. We have been shopping around at different stores (Walmart, Mighty Dollar, Dollar Tree, etc.) and online comparing prices before we buy. We have bought the majority at dollar stores (everythings a dollar and looks nice). We are making pretty much everything ourselves… invitations, centerpieces, boquet (Sp?), etc. I think we are doing simple snack foods which we are also buying and making ourselves like chips and dip, sandwiches, and stuff. I hope this helps and congratulations on your engagement!
    References :
    My head from planning my sister’s wedding.

14. momof2boys

    2009 Nov 04 14

    Since it is in May, you could have the ceremony outdoors at a local park (most times you need to get permission, but it is usually free.) Then you dont have a site fee, just the fee of an officiant. You could have the reception at a fire hall or a VFW. These places are usually very cheap, and with the right decorations can be just as nice as any other place. Also for flowers, you could go to a grocery store the morning of and get their premade bouquets. These usually range from $6-10 per bouquet, and then hand tie them with some nice ribbons and you have a beautiful spring hand-tied bouquet! If you still want a florist to do yours, you could do this for just your bridesmaids. For a photographer, you can call around and see if any offer a "digital only" package, where instead of prints or albums you get just a CD of your prints, which you could then print yourself and do your own albums. This usually ranges from $500-700 depending on your area. For your dress, if there is a David’s Bridal in your area, shop the $99 sale. Wear white sandals instead of purchasing fancy shoes…you will be much more comfortable and no one really sees your shoes anyway. Narrow the guest list to only close relatives and friends (food/alcohol is usually the biggest cost, so narrowing down the guest list usually makes a huge difference!)
    References :
    I am a wedding photographer and coordinator