How do I have a really low-cost wedding?!?

My fiance and I are getting married in May and I need it to cost less than $800 or $700 if I can. I already have my dress which cost $99 and veil from a discount store for $25. I will probably have 2 bridesmaids, 2 groomsmen, a flowergirl, ringbarror, and best man.



I am the member of the church I want to use, so it may cost me little to nothing to have my pastor marry us, one bridesmaid will make her own dress, and the other I will have buy her own dress.



My biggest expense will be flowers, decorations, and the reception. I am going to make a CD with all the songs I want to play and just play it on a CD player, I have a friend who will make me a cake for little to no cost, and I want candies, nuts, mints, and homemade punch. The flowers, I only want my bouquet to be real, the rest I want fake that i can make, but still look pretty .



The other expense will be my family's clothes (I have 3 brothers %26amp; 2 sisters) and the folks don't have money to help.



Help?!!

How do I have a really low-cost wedding?!?
It looks like you have it all under control. I'm not sure what you are asking. Just have your family wear a nice traditional suit or dress for pictures. And find someone with a good eye to take pictures. If you email me with further questions, I would love to help.
Reply:When my sister got married she put me in charge of the flowers, I bought floral green tape and about 30.00 worth of fresh flowers from Wal-Wart, my other sister and I put together her flowers for the entire party, plus the single flower for the men. They were beautiful, she had so many compliments on them, we did end up buying roses for her, but they only cost 12.00 , we used the floral tape to wrap the stems and ribbon to flow.

Also - wedding invitations that are discounted 30% at checkout, available at www.sandstoneweddinginvitations.com
Reply:1) go to bridal shows for ideas

2) i bought all my bridesmais bouquets including a toss bouquet from afloral.com for 35.00 Inc. shipping ( my bouquet was only 25.00)

3 I bought all my party favors decoration etc at oriental trading

4 i bought 10 disposable cameras to place on the tables for 25.00 on ebay ( no photographer needed)

5 my bridesmaid dresses some we found on ebay and the rest on www.keepmeinstitches.biz.

I have done my entire wedding including rings ( check ebay for irish gaelic rings "my soulmate". 59.00) for less than 800.00 and i had to buy my dress rent a hall. pay for a tux.etc.You can also look at thrift stores, secondhand stores or consignment shops. My flower girl dress cost 3.48. My wedding party glasses i got for .59 at a local thrift store and bought decals at a craft store for 2.50.

6 food- arrange a potluck for close family and riends.

hope this helps
Reply:fake flowers also cut costs. another idea i am using is having a cold meal served by the local cadets for a small donation. i am using my lap top for music. asking siblings and grandparents without a clue to buy things for us such as; my sister is buying our wine glasses, my brother is buying the cake lifter and knife set, my grandfather is going to get the guest book and so on... i may have a friend do my cake or buy costco cakes and have someone decorate them. i am making my favors, invites, and programs and printing them off on wedding colored paper bought in bulk. the little things help.
Reply:Hobby Lobby (if there is one in your area) has awesome fake flowers. My best friend used silk calla lillies from there and they looked so real. They were really cheap too. I suggest just having a cake and punch reception. Maybe you could get the one bridesmaid that is making her dress to make both (with the other paying for her costs of course). Then they would match perfectly. As for your family, nice khaki's and white shirts for the guys and khaki skirts and white shirts for the girls... or use the color of your wedding. You can find great deals on the khaki clothing at a uniform store... especially if they are younger. It sounds like you have one heck of a plan!
Reply:I guess maybe you could change the date to give more time to save more money.....as for your brother and sisters ...maybe they should just consider wearing something they already have in their closet.....for the reception why not just have it at someone's house outdoors the weather should be nice by then and also you can find a local inexpensive caterer or to really cut costs have family help with the menu, and cooking.....good luck i know the pressure is on my wedding is next july!
Reply:Hi!! I'm planning a wedding for June and I'm also on a budget. For bridesmaid dresses, have both of them made, not just one. Fabric is cheap and many people know how to sew. (home ec teachers at the local high school might even help you put it together and lend a sewing machine!!) Also, having the wedding around 3:30ish means you don't have to provide a full meal, just snack-type foods. That saves money also. Consignment stores and goodwills etc have nice clothes VERY CHEAP. Orientaltrading.com has GREAT stuff for weddings, and its all in bulk and cheap!! In addition, printing your own wedding invitations on pretty paper saves money rather than buying expensive ones.

Further more, HAVE FUN planning your wedding and don't forget friends and family, they are always willing to help.
Reply:One idea i have for the reception is the location. Maybe try a family members back yard who has a nice garden area or a lot of green space. If you have any national/state park areas they are usually cheap and beautiful. You can always try a local VFW or some kind of group that rents out their halls if you wanted it indoors, or sometimes churches will let you hold your reception in their gym. If you get a few quotes you can probably get away with a caterer for a few hundred or ask family and friends to help prepare dinner dishes or just do a cocktail hour with finger food and bruch style foods to make it cheaper. if you have your wedding early in the day and your reception early afternoon you are not feeding everyone dinner which will save lots of money!

flower ideas: if you go to budget-bride.com they have a wedding package that if you are brave and don't care specifically which flowers are in your bouquet they will have a whole wedding package for you for $100! It's a pretty good deal and i'm considering it myself! They also have tips to DIY bouquets step by step. hope this helps!!
Reply:Find and book a photographer ASAP. Sometimes colleges have photography professors that are willing to give names of some students who would do it for little cost. (I have 3 people doing our photography and our cost is $150). Purchasing flowers in bulk can save a lot of money--Sams Club has good deals. Also, browse online before shopping and go into stores with a good idea of what you want and your budget. Do your favors, inivitations, nails, makeup and hair yourself. I also will have a CD or an iPod for music. Do you have anything planned for food? My family is contributing food so we'll have a buffet style reception. Go to a party supply store to find good deals on plates/napkins etc. Have a cash bar or no alcohol at all, that will save a ton. Catering and photography seem to be two of the biggest costs, so look into those ASAP. Think of creative ways to recoup some of the money you spend--have a "dollar to kiss the bride or groom" or "dollar to dance with the bride or groom". Family members will line up to do either one! Remember: shoes, jewelry, panty-hose, undergarments, etc.

Good luck and happy planning!
Reply:First, keep your guest list small-- invite only the people you're closest to %26amp; who you feel have to be there %26amp; will make your day happier. Don't feel obligated to invite people just because they invited you to their weddings or because you think they might be offended if they don't get invited. If some people do get offended, explain that you would have loved to have had them there, but you simply couldn't afford to invite a lot of people.



If your church has a church hall or large room that they use for meetings/dinners, use that for your reception site. If not, find a local park (a nice-looking one!) with pavilions that have electric outlets (for your music)-- but only do that if it's warm enough outside in May where you are.



You could have your wedding either early in the afternoon or after 7pm-ish, so people won't be expecting a full meal. If you do that, you could state on your invitations "Please join us after the ceremony for a cake and punch reception" or "light refreshments will be served" or something like that. That cuts a huge amount off your food bill!



Good luck to you!
Reply:Well it seems that you have most everything budgeted to the best of your abiltity..



You can check your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, or local resale/thrift stores for nice suits and dress clothing... My step-dad doesn't wear suits and we found him a really nice Ralph Lauren "CHAPS" suit that was reg. price $200 at a Goodwill for $15 ! You can also try FREECYCLE.org for your area and make a POST of what you are looking for size wise and for whom.....



Good luck
Reply:sounds like you're really doing fine.



You said you have a CD for the reception but what about the ceremony? Take it from a musician who plays for weddings, that can be expensive like $50-100 per person playing. I would just have a pianist play or find some friends who would be willing to do it for free.

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