Small budget brides - post your tips!

[Kiki]

I was a small budget bride and I found tips from so many gals so very helpful. What tips do you have, or have you found for weddings with a small budget?

Mine:

Make your own invitations
Check E-Bay for decorations that are gently used
Make your own centerpieces

[Aubrey]

I second making your own invites!

Also, I did all of our flowers. I bought silk flowers on sale at Michaels; at the time I got married, I worked at Michaels, so I got a 25% discount on anything I bought there.

My MIL made my dress and all the BM's dresses; that saved us a TON of money.

We rented an arch and all of our chairs; I remember calling around last minute trying to find good deals on chairs!

[KathyandJer]

I'm "renewing" a used wedding dress (got it for cheap, and basically it fits, but I want to alter it so it's more like my perfect dress. And the seamstress is Jer's "Other Mother" so free!), cake is being done by the seamstress as well (she's great at doing all kinds of specialty cakes), ebay and MLW classifieds for certain things (including my wedding ring!).

Our DIY list is huge: invites, STD cards and CD's, favours (2 for each guest, 1 for each RD guest), Kid's stuff for the kid's table - DIY colouring books etc..., flowers, hair accessories(beaded flowers for all the girls, my veil), centrepieces, guest book tags (for guests to sign - like a wish bowl).

Photographers - two of my nieces who love taking pictures, have incredible photography equipment, have both taken photography courses...we'll be buying a case of film and letting them go wild!

[KathyandJer]

Oh, my shoes too - if they're still available when I get to Jer's this Friday (:jump4joy: only 2 days till I see my Jer! :jump4joy:), there was some very cute white sandals at Sear's with a little bit of beadwork at the top ... for a grand total of $9.97!!! I think I'm going to buy two pairs, so I'll be used to the sandals by then!

Also, for a couple of projects, we're going to wait until christmas and get wrapping paper/tissue paper etc... for a good price afterwards ;)

[lizaanne]

We are having our luncheon (key word there, not a dinner) reception at a fabulous resturant on a Saturday. Because it is in a location that sees a majority of its traffic during the work week, we are getting a great price for the meal, as well as having them CLOSE the place for our event!!!!

Find a place that is unique and have your reception at a time when they usually will be very slow. Because they will make more money doing your event than having their usual walk in business, they may be willing to work with you on price and extras just to make the extra money.

~Liza

[rowanmayfairs]

I'm a small budget bride

Our wedding will cost $5,000 or LESS

Ceremony
Ceremony Site Fee $75.00
Officiant's Fee - included in ceremony charge
Signature Mat & Frame $10.00
Ceremony Décor =$75.00
--------------------
Ceremony Total $160.00


Wedding Attire
Wedding Dress- $175.00
MOH Dress-$60.00
Petticoat-$24.95
Maid of Honor Dress-$60.00
Alterations (2) -$150.00
Shoes (mine and MOH)- $100.00
Garters-$10.00
Veil & Tiara $45.00
Jewerly-$300.00 (Matching rings sets & wedding day jewerly)
Hairdresser-$150. approx (for makeup and hair)
Manicure/ Pedicure ?
Groom's Formal Wear-$135.00
Best Man's Formal Wear-$135.00
---------------------------
Wedding Attire Total $1434.00


Photography
Photography Fee $250.00
------------------------
Photography Total $250.00


Invitations/RSVP
Invitations $60.00 (wilton-printed on our pcs at home)
Stamps: $23.00
----------------------
Invitations/RSVP/Programs Total $88.00


Reception
Reception Site Fee $100 (same place as wedding ceremony)
Table Linen Fee- $75.00 (table cloths & skirts)
Food- $150.00 ?
Choc Fountain-$40.00
Non-alcoholic Beverages -$50.00
Alcoholic Beverages -NONE SERVED
Bar Fee-NONE SERVED
Napkins- ?
Wedding Favors Bubbles for exit of ceremony $25.00
Decor-$300.00 (approx..maybe less)
---------------------------------------------
Reception Total $665.00


Music
Ceremony Music -$25.00
Reception-FREE..we will provide cds and do it ourselves (church has a sound system)
--------------
Music Total $25


Bakery
Wedding Cake-$140.00
Toasting Glasses $15.00
---------------------
Bakery Total $155.00


Flowers
Fake Flowers $100.00 (3 bouquets, 2 bouts) APPROX (maybe less?)
-----------------
Flowers Total $100.00


Transportation
To Ceremony/Reception: Depends on if a vehicle needs gas that day..
otherwise its a 15 min drive
----------------------
Transportation Total: ?


Gifts
Best Man Gift: ?
Matron of Honor:?
------------------
Gifts Total $

Parties
none
---------
Parties Total -$0.00

Honeymoon
can't afford-we bought a house
-------------
Honeymoon Total $0.00


Miscellaneous
Wedding Announcement-FREE
Marriage License $30
Rings $250.00
--------------
Miscellaneous Total $280.00


Total Costs So Far $3232.00


I am the wedding planner/cordinator/decorator/host/bride for this wedding :)

We are NOT serving a meal and no liquor so that helps out alot on costs. We are serving cake, having sandwich trays, pop and punch and coffee (and possibly a chocolate fountain).

The nearest Michaels or any other craft store is over an hour drive. I am using ebay as a resource for wedding shopping. I really do compare prices and shop around for the best deals.

I go to walmart once a week and I can pick up fake flowers, and some Wilton stuff while there.

I am bound and determined we will have a beautiful wedding on a small budget.

I do my best to spend on my money wisely..

[PurpleFlower]

We are doing a lot ourselves! Also I am combining our centerpieces with the favors (chocolate suckers, homemade) This way it is pretty but still functional. Also we are getting everything over time and on sale.

[dreamer5571]

table cakes at each table, they are centerpieces, cakes, saves you a cake cutting fee..

I'm getting seven 3 layer cakes with white buttercerem frosting for 15 bucks a cake at Save Mart bakery, and The head table cake will be a 4 layer cake

Comes out to 195 bucks for the cakes and cake stands. 200 bucks for cake and centerpieces? A great deal!

<<3

[KathyandJer]

I believe Heather said it best - I read it in a budget article in a bridal magazine too - TIME is the best thing! The minute you have to RUSH to buy anything, you spend more!

Jer and I have talked about our plans for at least 6 months. So when we went on vacation and saw the wax seal that we debated for a long time for HALF of the price it was/is at Michael's? We snagged it! We already knew that's what we wanted, and we were in the "price comparison" phase - it was awesome!

Same with disposable cameras...we found a great site (http://www.efavormart.com/) with great shipping costs - I thought I was just going to buy whatever cameras we could get here for a good price and recover them, but these ones work and with the reasonable shipping (same cost for 1 or 100 cameras being shipped!), then I couldn't recover them for less than we're paying!

[SueMartin]

we found having a lunch time reception combined with a hors d'ouvres menu saved us heaps.. we also didnt have a dessert but used the weddings cakes as dessert. other than that we had DIY invitations, home made CD's for music ( It was a garden reception at home) and hired all the equipment ourselves , not allowing the caterer to do it so we didnt have to pay her add-on.

[KathyandJer]

we found having a lunch time reception combined with a hors d'ouvres menu saved us heaps.. we also didnt have a dessert but used the weddings cakes as dessert. other than that we had DIY invitations, home made CD's for music ( It was a garden reception at home) and hired all the equipment ourselves , not allowing the caterer to do it so we didnt have to pay her add-on.

Same here - wedding cake IS dessert...and then the caterer that we're going with offers free homemade ice cream to serve with it!

Otherwise, if our budget allows, we will be having the chocolate fountain so that will be extra sweets for people!

Again, I'm going back to the time thing....now that the main wedding "season" is coming to a close, I think we all just need to keep our eyes open for the end-of-season sales on everything - flowers, papers, shoes (that's my new goal because I wasn't able to get the shoes I wanted when I was at Jer's!), accessories etc...

[KathyandJer]

Ohhhh, and finding people with special skills - perhaps people who tinker in graphic design (help with STDs, invites or programs), or people who love photography (and are good at it!), or people who would just be willing to be part of an assembly line for some of our crazy DIY projects!!!

[MostlyMel]

We are saving a LOT of money by having a destination wedding... we'll be driving down to the location, and our ceremony package (minister, photographer, wedding album, cake and cider for two) is only $400. My uncle, who is an amazing photograper, will be taking additional pictures for free. We will have 25 guests max (if they all rsvp yes), and the cabin FH and I are staying in will be $500 for 3 nights, including tax, cleaning fee, etc. We're not sure yet if we're going to have a reception... more than likely we'll all just go out to eat afterward. We'll be doing the invitations ourselves, and I believe my grandmother is custom making my designer-imitation dream wedding dress. So altogether our wedding will probably only cost between $2500-$4000.

[Kathy]

Something else that's looking like it's going to save us money is having people you know help you out. A friend offered to take our engagement photos, and I will probably ask her to help for the wedding as well - she's taken pro photo classes, and I've seen her photos, so I trust her ... and she'll do it for free or cheap. I also know a woman who does wedding cakes on the side, and the kind of cake that I want is cheaper anyway, so I'll save a lot there too. I think that the more friends/family I get to help, the more money I'll save.

[mrrr]

DIY! DIY! DIY! And if you can't maybe find someone that can help you out.

I agree, time is definitely the best money saver. It allows you to shop around and find the best price.

Wait for sales. I don't think I've bought anything at full price.

Figure out whether the item you're wanting is absolutely necessary. Can you go without it? (ie programs, favors, etc)

Think simple. Be creative.

Some of my biggest savings came from DIY and from my caterer-we're using Fazoli's and it's less than half as much as everyone else around here.

[Jessica!]

We are going with a small budget wedding. I am making my own invitations and guest book. If we do an outdoor wedding at my aunts, we will probably have a "cook out" reception dinner. Everyone (that lives in the area, out of town guests are excluded) bring a dish to pass? I don't know. I'm not into all that fancy-smancy stuff. We will probably just play music from a CD player too. The wedding is still off in the future, things may change. I'd just rather save money for a house too. That way, not all the money goes into the wedding.

[Fellnlove92203]

We are diy our std magnets/cards, our invites (buying the from cardsandpockets.com and assembling ourselves), making our own favors (personal cd's), diy table numbers, diy camera tents, putting together color books for the kids, and buying everything either onsale or with coupons that I get! So far we have everything bought (just needs to assemble most of it). Then as far as our vendors, thankfully fmil is a bartender and knows people in just about every line of work that we need, and thankfully, they are giving us great deals!

[Raychel]

Having a destination wedding definitely helps...or at least it can...of course you could spend however much you wanted on a destination wedding though.

I used to have a big ole list of tips...sadly it no longer exists b/c UW ate it =P

What I've done thus far to save money:

**Got my dress during a great sale and saved nearly 50%
**Got my jewelry on sale and probably saved nearly 75% (It also came from one of those accessory shops at the mall so it was cheaper to begin with)
**Got my shoes at Marshalls...I found a pair and fell in love with them...they were originally $70 shoes...found them on clearance for around $15 or so
**Made my own bo-k. By the time it was all said and done I probably spent around $30 making it but it is certainly cheaper than what a florist could offer me.
**Waited for sales and doing a lot of DIY stuff.
**Having family pitch in if they offer...for example my mom offered to make my wedding cake...and she's a great cake decorator so why turn that down.
**Shopping around for deals on our honeymoon location.

[CdnStealthGirl]

Borrow what isn't important for you to have as a keepsake later.
*We borrowed a silver tray for our wedding cake favours. We borrowed a really nice tablecloth for our guest book table.

Prioritize
*Make a list of everything in order of importance. If you run out of money/time before you reach the bottom of the list, the things you can't do won't be missed. We didn't have a wedding cake.

[Winter_Bride]

Borrow what isn't important for you to have as a keepsake later.


I bought my dress, and my friend made my tiara, but the veil I actually borrowed from a friend who was married a few years earlier.

[-->Kat<--]

My biggest tip would be to get your food from a restaurant that does catering. We found it to be the cheapest way to feed our guests. Use your resources... friends are always more than happy to help.

I borrowed my tiara, the flatware, & the water pitchers.

[purple_octopus]

My suggestion would be to explore all your options and make sure you're comparing apples to apples. I ended up making a huge departure from my original plans, because going with a venue that did everything for me was really cheaper in the end. Plated dinner ended up cheaper than buffet, banquet hall ended up cheaper than catering to my own location, cake is included, etc. You just never know what kind of deals you'll find if you don't do the research and compare.

Instead of spending a lot of money on a gown, I had my dream gown replicated by juliusbridal.com. It's perfect and requires no alterations, saving me even more money. My bust is about 4 sizes larger than my waist, so there's no way I would have gotten away without alterations ordering from a boutique.

I made my invitations for 21 cents a piece, paid another quarter a piece for the set of envelopes. I like them a lot better than the print your own kits (they are more personalized) and they were cheaper.

I'm making my own veil with $4 worth of tulle. Easiest thing in the world to do.

In lieu of hiring a DJ, I'm programming my own playlist that can be played over the sound system.

I hired a photographer that just moved into town and is starting up her business. I looked at her portfolio from the work she did in the previous city, and it looks great. I found her through craigslist. My original plan was to find a university photography student that would do it for free or cheap trying to build their portfolio. I have actually found someone, so I will have two photographers (for a fraction of the price of one).

Having my wedding two days before Christmas has also been a money saver. My reception venue and church will already be decorated. I am saving a *ton* of money right there.

ebay has been my friend.

I don't remember where I read it, but there is the "triangle rule". Say you had a paper triangle, and on each side you write a different word. On one side, you write "cheap". On the second side, you write "fast", and on the last side you write "good". The rule is that you can only have two of these three things at a time. So as a general rule, you can have it good and cheap, but not fast (most DIY stuff is this way). You can have it good and fast, but not cheap (this is what most of the wedding industry tries to sell you on), and you can have cheap and fast, but it won't be very good.

[-->Kat<--]

that's a great rule of thumb

[rowanmayfairs]

We had a wedding just under $3,000

I used my imagination and thought creatively to make money go far.

I used ebay and walmart as my sources :) Then checked around to find a location that would offer me the whole facitlity and minister for one price.

I did all the decorating myself (with the help of my family), and had a family friend serve the food.

We started our wedding at 2pm so we didnt' have to serve a meal. We served sandwiches, cheese cubes and cake. Plus punch, water and pop :)

We had a beautiful wedding and got tons of comments on how beautiful everything was :)

We could of done things even cheaper but even at my cost I think I did a very good job :)

I managed to resell 50% of my stuff and already got most of money back :) I decided to keep my dress, shoes and veil. Everything else is resold or going to be resold :)

[Mandy]

* My biggest tip: Check with friends and family first!! You'd be suprised what hidden talents they my have! My FsMIL is making our wedding cake, my aunt is providing baked goods, one of our friends' father own a DJ service, another friend is a photography major in college and is taking all our pics, and one of my MOHs is playing beautiful music for us. It's been a HUGE help to us and makes us happy to see our friends and family have a special hand in everything.
* eBAY is good. Use it when possible.
* Look for places that allow you to provide your own alcohol/catering. We found the "community ballroom" in our city hall and it's amazing. We just rent the room (for only $250!) and we provide everything ourselves. This means we can price hunt for the best caterer and save HUGE $ on our own alcohol. Instead of $185 for a half barrel of beer (what do you expect, this is Wisconsin!), we're paying about $50!
* Haggle. As much as you possibly can. We're getting married in a very small town and competition between businesses is pretty crazy. We found GREAT prices for hair, nails, tuxes, and alterations simply because we called around and aksed how low they'd be willing to go for us. The worst they could say is no! We ended up getting great deals on everything and even got some great coupons for our out of town guests to use while they were here!

[Kirsten]

I agree with the other ladies - DIY is the way to go. It will take time, but you have control over cost and quality that way.

I DIYed my wedding dress - $120.00
I DIYed the MOH dress - $30.00

I DIYed the invitations - about $150 (including postage, though)

I DIYed the bouquets, bouts, corsages, and centerpieces - $185

I DIYed the bathroom baskets (thank you, Dollar Store), card box, and other projects.

Also - use coupons! Especially to craft stores. Saving 40% on a purchase will add up over time.

[PurpleFlower]

Watch what you buy! Somethings you don't need even though at the time you think you do!

Oh and shop around. I live in a kinda small town so hitting all the major stores is not a problem for me but check out all of them. You can find the samething at a different store for less!!

[Coze]

I hired a photographer that just moved into town and is starting up her business. I looked at her portfolio from the work she did in the previous city, and it looks great. I found her through craigslist. My original plan was to find a university photography student that would do it for free or cheap trying to build their portfolio. I have actually found someone, so I will have two photographers (for a fraction of the price of one).


Hi hi-

I did this yesterday after reading your post and found a photographer for free for the wedding/reception/preparation/bridal shower/party and rehearsal... YIPPIE!! Thanks for the great idea!!

TTFN...
D.J.

[PurpleFlower]

yay for the free photog!

[Renny]

e-bay, Dollar Tree, yard sales, DIY, Target dollar bin

I am planning a very low budget wedding while trying to make it look like a fortune, but aren't we all ;)

I got my fiances wedding band from e-bay at a terrific price, veil, tiara,invite supplies as well as other things. today I got a $1 RB pilow at Dollar Tree and will making it into my own design. I also got 3 packages of invites for the rehearsal dinner for 25 cents total at a yard sale.

I agree with shopping around and comparing.

[laineybugger]

Great tips girls!!! Here are some of mine

** Fiance purchased my beautiful diamond online fairly cheap then we had it set into a very nice setting with matching bad. Paid about half what we would have for the same thing from a traditional jewelry store.

** Purchased his ring from Overstock.com. It is a Tungsten Carbide band and we saved over 50%.

** Found the shoes I wanted and when I found out they were $68 I started hunting for a similar style but less money. What I found where even prettier and were less than half as much.

** Purchased a DIY invitation kit from Meijers for $25 and will have them printed at my fiance's work in their graphics dept. We are not using RSVP's as we are having a small wedding so we are using the RSVP cards for Thank You notes.

** We are waiting until spring to find dresses for our 6 and 12 year old flower girl and junior bridesmaid... I figure when all the easter dresses come out we can find then something very pretty for way less than the $110 at David's Bridal!

** Our biggest saving is the actual wedding/reception itself. If you are in Michigan check out www.castleinthecountry.com. Castle in the Country is a BEAUTIFUL bed and breakfast. for $1370 we are getting the entire package for 10 people (we wanted a small wedding and can do up to 25 for additional money) We get the ceremony with officiant, flowers, cake, sit down plated 4 course dinner for our guests, and 2 nights stay including meals for my fiance and I in a lovely suite. The owners do all the planning which is saving on stress as well as money! She told me just show up in my dress and she will take care of everything else. They are lovely people.

** For our honeymoon we are going up to Traverse City, MI for a long weekend. Fairly inexpensive.. then next year we are going on our dream cruise :)

[j's beautiful]

Thrift Store shopping can be great!! You can find awesome things in great shape for very little money!

[*alissa*]

* My biggest tip: Check with friends and family first!! You'd be surprised what hidden talents they my have! My FsMIL is making our wedding cake, my aunt is providing baked goods, one of our friends' father own a DJ service, another friend is a photography major in college and is taking all our pics, and one of my MOHs is playing beautiful music for us. It's been a HUGE help to us and makes us happy to see our friends and family have a special hand in everything.
* eBAY is good. Use it when possible.
* Look for places that allow you to provide your own alcohol/catering. We found the "community ballroom" in our city hall and it's amazing. We just rent the room (for only $250!) and we provide everything ourselves. This means we can price hunt for the best caterer and save HUGE $ on our own alcohol. Instead of $185 for a half barrel of beer (what do you expect, this is Wisconsin!), we're paying about $50!
* Haggle. As much as you possibly can. We're getting married in a very small town and competition between businesses is pretty crazy. We found GREAT prices for hair, nails, tuxes, and alterations simply because we called around and aksed how low they'd be willing to go for us. The worst they could say is no! We ended up getting great deals on everything and even got some great coupons for our out of town guests to use while they were here!

Yes!
My sis had photography experiance, and did very well with our pics. A girl at my church bakes wedding cakes and did ours FOR COST. My grandma was a seamstress for years and di all other alterations that the place I bought my dress from did not do. My mom along with the other ladies at our church are exallant caterers. My videograher.....well....that didn't turn out so good....he was my uncle and my g-parents insisted he knew what he was doing. I should have requested to make sure first. The ladies at the church were exellant servers. They also helped with ALL of the decorations.

Ebay was a Godsend. I found alot on ebay I could not have gotten cheaper anywhere else. (invites, thank you cards, tiara, JR BM dress, ring pillow, guest book w/ matching pen and pen holder, untiy candle)

Hobby Lobby has 50% wedding sales often. These are GREAT! It includes ribbon, fake flowers, some fabrics, along with favors, invites, etc.

Our church did not charge us for the use of it for the ceremony or reception.

Print your own invites/STDS/programs saves a ton. And the results can be beautiful.

Definately take your time and look around. I took my time and found my dream dress for $600 (a knock off of a bonny....which retailed for $1500) and that included the alterations and gown bag ( I didn't include the bustle...which is why she gave me the gown bag instead)

The internet in invaluble while resaerching differant options.

DIY as much as you can.

Our wedding cost $6000 in all. That included DH's ring, and the honeymoon (just the booking of the hotel, not transportaion, or spending money)

If your own vehicle is decent looking....just use it as the getaway car. We used my 2001 dodge neon all washed and waxed and decorated. :)

[KathyandJer]

I totally agree about ebay...we've gotten a few things (my ring, server set, tulle, cake topper etc...) at really good prices! Definitely have to shop around though because with shipping costs, some things end up more than at a local store!

DIY as much as possible :yes: We're doing small budget made to look like more...only way we can do that is by doing alot of the extra touches ourselves. Etched glasses for the BP, etched votives on each table, card holder, wishcard/guestbook holder, my veil was $9.99 then I bought $10 worth of rhinestones and jewel glue to decorate it myself.

[Andrea]

You could have your reception at a different time in the day...as in like 6 so therefore you would only have an horderve (ugh I hate TRYING to spell THAT word) or cake dessert wedding.

Do as many DIY projects as you possibly can.

[Renny]

You could have your reception at a different time in the day...as in like 6 so therefore you would only have an horderve (ugh I hate TRYING to spell THAT word) or cake dessert wedding.

.

typically if you have a reception anytime around dinner 4:30- about 7:30 you will be expected to have a meal. If you are trying to avoid a meal then I would make sure to host it early in the day or give enough time between the ceremony and reception for people to eat and state you are only having a desert reception.

[KathyandJer]

Choosing another day as well as a different time! Getting married on Friday evening or Sunday is often-times ALOT cheaper!

[*alissa*]

We did a 3 pm wedding.....and had a tea luncheon. My mom bought the food, and the ladies from her church helped her preapre it and set it up. That saved alot of money!

[laineybugger]

OH, I just thought of another big one.. the day of the wedding can make a huge difference if you are willing to do that.

We are getting married on a Thursday evening. We picked that day because it's our anniversary, and tattooed on my fiances arm.. but it worked out that it's also a ton cheaper than a Friday or Saturday evening!! :)

We aren't all that concerned about it being a Thursday. We are having a small intimate wedding. Our very close friends have already taken a vacation or made the necessary arrangements to be there with us on our special day.

[*grasshopper*]

Thrift Store shopping can be great!! You can find awesome things in great shape for very little money!

yep! I found a great wedding dress there for $3.00!! :sappy: I have no idea how much dry cleaning it will cost, though, but I feel like the cost of the dress will offset whatever that is. :heee:

[rowanmayfairs]

We spent less than $3,000 and had a beautiful church wedding & reception. :)

I bought most of my stuff off ebay, then I recouped some of money after the wedding by selling my wedding decorations, petticoat and various little things on ebay. (kept my dress, bouquets, shoes, veil) .

I knew I wanted a beautiful wedding but we didn't have a fortune to spend. We paid for a little over half of the wedding.

My bouquets were made by Wilton, but it took some creativity and hot glue and they were personalized to suit ME.

Printed our own invites & rsvp cards :) No one knew the difference but us.

I always was good at making a dollar stretch so the wedding was a challenge that I loved. Having a beautiful wedding w/out going into debt was the challege.

We found our photographer cause of our neighbor's recommendations and the church next door used her too. She charged us WAY less than any other photographer, plus color spotted, B&W pictures for FREE . Plus hand delivered them to our DOOR when they were finished :)

Just think outside the BOX and be willing to be creative and make saving money a challege you want to MEET !! :)

[Raychel]

Now that it is over something that I learned that I would like to share with others would be when you are out trying to SAVE money you may not realize it but sometimes it can be easy to actually spend more money by trying to be thrifty.

Like with my wedding dress... the first one I bought b/c it was on sale and even though I did like it at the time, the price tag played a large part in my decision as well. Well even though I got the second one at a very awesome price if I would have just waited to begin with I would have gotten my dream dress w/o having to pay for the first one too.

And also DIY projects that didn't turn out how I anticipated were wasted money. And/or buying things and then changing my mind on them later. Definitely make sure you know what you want or you'll lose more money than you save that way.

[Renny]

Raychel- I can be total living proof of all of the above. Though we did have a super reasonable wedding In the long run I ended up buying 3 dresses and placed a deposit on one I never got back and I still have a few fall related items I'm just keeping for lord only knows what reason.

[PrairieDawn]

Here are some tips from my experience as a teeny budget bride:

* Choose pretty locations that need little or no decorating. We married over the Christmas holidays and did no decorating for either the church or the reception site.

* We rented an entire B&B for our small wedding. It served as photo location, reception site, wedding night accommodation and gift opening (a family tradition) venue the next day

* Consider a second-hand or store sample gown. Mine was a sample, $90 (worth $1200) and only required spot cleaning that I did myself.

* Send save-the-dates by email with a photo that hints at your theme

* Advertise at the local college career centre for your help; students often want opportunities to build up their portfolios (cooks, bakers, photographers, fashion designers, evet planners, etc.)

* Our photograhper was young and new; he used us to build his portfolio... for CHEAP

* Buy a used crinoline and resell it after. If you marry in the off season and resell in high season you may make some money.

* DIY hand-tied bouquets using bulk flowers from a grocery store (but only do your own flowers if you have lots of fridge space available to you)

* If you are members of a church you may not pay to have your ceremony there, or you may pay less

* Home made wine can be served at the reception and makes a nice favour IF local laws allow it

* Plan some entertainment that may be more memorable and less expensive than a dance (especially if you have a small guest list); we had carriage rides

...Pam

[Poloke]

A few things I've learned so far:

*save the dates are not necessary
*bubbles aren't either- its hard to get that perfect "bubble" photo and most of the time you'll be left with a bunch of bottles of bubbles in the end.

*RSVP post cards will save you some postage, and you can even have guests rsvp by phone or email for further savings.

*Make your own flower arrangements if you can, either real or silks.
*ask around in your friends and family for those who are talented in certain areas- an aunt who can do flowers, a cousin who is good at calligraphy to do invite envelopes, uncle so-and-so who does photography...you get the drift.
*Go for a morning or early afternoon wedding reception to save on the food. Breakfast is the cheapest meal of the day, lunch follows suit. You could even do an all hor derves or all dessert reception.
*Get married on fridays or sundays for a bit of a discount- some places offer substantial discounts for those days, and for bigger discounts, a weekday wedding will save you the most.
*Steer clear of marrying during peak wedding season, things cost more. Also steer clear of marrying over major holiday weekends b/c it will cost more for your guests to travel & for lodging. Stay away from valentines, mothers day and easter- as flowers are the most expensive near those dates.
HOWEVER, using the holidays to your advantage- a week or two in advance of a holiday such as Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Years or Easter will save you money because the locations are usually already pre-decorated. No need to spend more money on church/ aisle decor, etc.

*Use mother nature to your advantage. There are tons of pretty parks and gardens and state parks that are available for ceremonies and weddings alike, most of the time for a small fee. Or, find one to use as a backdrop for your pictures.

*Skip the full open bar. people who don't normally drink WILL drink when they know its free. Full open bar can cost as much as your reception food, plus the cost of the bartenders. Beer & wine alone can satisfy the liquor craving of guests and help shave alot off the budget, or you can forego the alcohol altogether. (I don't recommend a cash bar)

*Keep your wedding party small. The more maids / groomsmen, the more it will cost you to make flowers for them and also in other expenses like the rehearsal dinner, gifts etc.

*Favors are nice, but not required at all.

*Consider your options for food- buffet vrs. plated vrs. family style. Whats the cheapest way to go and still get what you want?

*Be thorough and do your research...if you have time, this could save you big money in the end.

*Watch the guest list. Keeping it trim will keep the costs down.

*Destination weddings are not always a cheaper alternative even though they tend to be smaller. Consider the cost of your travels & lodging and guest list...often times it can come out the same price as a traditional wedding back home.

*Honeymoons are nice if you can take one. Stay within the USA or travel abroad during off season, even if it means delaying your HM after the wedding for a little bit. Think about the money you'll save and that you can take that extra with you to have a lil more to spend while there.

*Wedding rings can be inexpensive too. Plain gold (or metal of your choice) bands are usually far less than fancier designs & gemstones. There is always an "upgrade" anniversary to look forward to! :)

*coupons, coupons, coupons! If you are set on something and don't want to budge on it, find out how to get the best deal- coupons are often available for many wedding items.
Hit end of season sales the year before your season inspired wedding to get the deepest discounts on items you need. Shop around and do price comparisons. When dealing with vendors, it doesn't hurt to ask for a discount, or to tell them you were hoping to stay in a certain range and ask what they can to do to work with you to get to that. The worst they'll say is no.

*Ask to borrow things. A white evening clutch, the cutting set, the flutes, maybe even a cardbox?

*skip the limo if you aren't that far from church & reception. You can easily save $500 or more on that alone, and for the little amount of time you are actually in the limo, ask yourself if it is worth it. Sometimes you can have friends and family use their cars in the line up to get the wp to and from the locations for next to no cost at all.

*Mens' Warehouse for tuxedos- they are well under 100 to rent and come complete- there are even coupons to further reduce the costs! I haven't seen a deal better than that yet!

*non floral centerpieces are often much less than floral ones, but can be just as spectacular.

*DIY only if you can handle DIY and the time and effort it will require.

*Accessory boutiques (such as claire's) in the mall will have great special occasion jewelry that can save you alot over the jewelry found in bridal shops.

*Find your veil online, make one or borrow one instead of buying it at the bridal shop where the price is likely over 100 for simple tulle. You can always customize your veil with rhinestones or lace if you have time to revamp it.

*EBAY! Best deals! Check it out!

*dont forget to surf the web and to talk to other brides to find out where you can get the best deals on things.

[KathyandJer]

:ponder: Ask lots of questions. When you think you have a great deal, make sure you stop 'n think about it and ask questions or read the fine print!!!

[Winter_Bride]

:ponder: Ask lots of questions. When you think you have a great deal, make sure you stop 'n think about it and ask questions or read the fine print!!!EXCELLENT tip!!

[Sk8ermaiden]

Bump

[Winter_Bride]

I didn't see this posted elsewhere (although it was hinted at a few times) - make a list of what's important to you, narrow it down, and focus your budget.

Small budget bride but you want the perfect location? Just realize that the extra money will have to come from somewhere. It's ok to shuffle money around to still get what's important to you as long as you pick one or two items that are most important.

Shop during the off-season! If you're having a winter wedding, get ribbon and decor right after Christmas. Pastels are big in the spring, and go on sale shortly after. Summertime colors usually go on sale in the fall, etc.

[Kathy]

Find friends that can do great services for less money. This also goes along with putting more money toward what you think is more important. I cared about the photography more than the flowers, so I was more than happy to spend over $1500 on a fantatic professional photographer and spend less than $300 to pay a friend to order & assemble my flowers.

You don't have to rent a limo. Save the $500 and rent a luxury car for the bride & groom instead! We rented a Cadillac through Enterprise for 3 days and paid just $135, and got to ride in style beyond the wedding day/night.

Check out ebay or other discount online stores for great deals if you're decorating the reception/ceremony yourself. I purchased 144 votive candles & glass cups for less than $100 (including shipping) at www.quickcandles.com (http://www.quickcandles.com) - I couldn't find a better deal than that anywhere!!

Speaking of decorations, talk with the decoration coordinators at your sites. I was able to speak with the decorations coordinator at the church when we first booked our date, and she agreed to use the blue & silver decorations and leave them up until after our wedding. That saved a lot of time and money because we really didn't need any additional decorations for the church.

Also, booking vendors well in advance can save you LOTS of money in the long run. Vendors often raise prises yearly, so booking early can potentially save you hundreds of dollars.