Wedding Resources - Any suggestions on how to have an inexpensive wedding?

Any suggestions on how to have an inexpensive wedding?

My fiance and I are getting married June 22, 2007. But, we are poor college kids. I would still like to have a beautiful wedding. We live in a small town, so I am not worried about paying for the church or pastor. But, decorations and the reception are going to be expensive. What can I use to decorate/ eat that is nice, but inexpensive? My cousin just had an average wedding and it was over $10,000! I am looking to spend about $2,000 for all of it. Any ideas would be great. Thanks!

Public Comments

wow, only $2000? have a potluck, tell guests to bring their own chairs and alcohol.... or vegas!!!!
get married at the justice of the peace and at your home have a small reception. coast should be no more then 50 dollars for the wedding certifacte and maybe 80 dollars for food and drinks
Do you both have a big family? Ask family members to help with the decoration and food which could be their wedding gifts to you.
I was just thinking the same thing the other day. I was thinking that instead of hiring a caterer that I could make a small luncheon buffet on my own. I could make tons of meatballs ahead of time and freeze them and ask my mom and stepmom to help by making some ziti the night before. Its pretty cheap. Also I was thinking of scoping out different grocery stores around that time and getting a ton of lunch meat at sale prices and getting some help rolling it, along with some cheese. Ask a bakery about getting some sandwich rolls in bulk the week of the wedding. And things like that. I want to have roses at my wedding and I thought about simply having 6 roses from Sam's club in dollar store vases on each table. I think that in all I would invest money for a nice wedding dress and for tuxedo's. Besides that if you have enough time to do a lot of stuff for yourself and you have some help that it doesn't have to be fancy and done by professionals to still be beautiful. And you will have the memory of having done it all yourself! Congratulations!
do all the hoopla yourselves. you'll have to make your own decorations (instead of buying them ribbons are cheap). have family cook the food for the reception (instead of getting a caterer). make your own cards for the invitations (craft stores have them). shop for discount items online. $2000 isn't much to work with. why not just wait when you've saved more? definitely DO NOT borrow money for it. bad way to start a marriage.
I spent roughly $1,000 for my wedding - and we had enough money to spent a lot more, but I don't see the need! We got married in our backyard (the minister came to perform the ceremony) as we lived on a lake and the lake was the background for the pictures. My brother was in college to be a professional photographer, so he took the photos. I also gave all of the guests little disposable cameras (not digital back then), but you can ask all of them to bring their own and then email you all of the photos - the candid ones are usually the best anyway! If you need more professional photos, perhaps you can make a trade with a photographer for something they need! As for food, it was a summer wedding and I didn't want to provide "hot" food or anything heavy. I wanted everyone to enjoy themselves, so I put in the invitations that the reception was going to be at the house and that we were going to have fun afterwards - so bring summer clothing to change into! While everyone was changing, I had a local deli cater finger sandwiches, fruit salad, various fruits and vegetables with dips, chips, hot dogs for the kids, etc. Everyone loved it and thought it was much more relaxing and enjoyable than a stuffy big wedding! For music I asked a few friends to bring their favorite CDs and we just had a nice stereo set up with speakers outside. We did not have dancing, but instead we all went swimming and waterskiing. For flowers, I went to a local flower grower and bought them at cost - and didn't have many, but had a lot of green plants instead that made it more of a tropical feel - and then those could be kept (still have some!). I'm sure that whatever you do will be nice - it's a special occasion no matter what you serve or how you decorate. But just remember that it is all over in one day, so if you can cut costs without causing too many problems, go for it! The number one reason people don't like going to weddings is not because they don't want to celebrate, but because they're normally too formal and not relaxing. Make it comfortable and everything will fall into place! Good luck and congratulations!
Instead of gifts, you could ask some talented friends and relatives to help you. One of my friends had a similar situation, and I cooked the food (very simple meal, lasagna, salad & bread), another girl with a flair for it made her bouquet and the flowers for the wedding party. Her brother who was a good photographer (but not a pro) took pictures and did a home video. They had the reception in a public park that had a covered area in case of rain (it didn't rain) and it only cost like $150 for the permit. Nature did the decorating, and it was gorgeous. They borrowed folding tables & chairs from everyone they knew and got paper goods in the wedding colors at the dollar store. They spent about $1,000, but this was about 10 years ago. If you did similar things, you could probably do it for $2,000 or so.
try wal mart for a cake my was beautiful and only cost 110 for 15o people cheap. print your own invitations try to use church for the reception see if they already have table coverings for food just serve small finger foods like cheese and crackers no liquor just punch (Way cheaper) fruit trays things that you can get a Sam's and put together your self consider using artificial flowers i did for everything but my own bouquet i found a lady on eBay names Trish i think she was very reasonable and worked with me actually i got all decorations on eBay and spent around 900 which includes favors which you don't need your biggest cost will be the photoghraper which i would book soon cause they go fast my whole wedding last July cost around 3,000 and we did a lot of extra stuff remember though that as long as you and he are both up there on that day that's all that will matter 50 yrs from now congratulations
My daughter was just married Sept of 2005 and she spent less than $3000. She found a gown at Jessica McClintlock for around 350. The guys wore suits instead of renting tuxes. She used silk flowers instead of real. She had a local catering company do an awesome Noveau Mexican style buffet meal bargining for the best price. (The meal included drinks and dessert but since she had a wedding cake - she got them to drop the price and skip the desserts and drinks) We went to Sam's Club and got cases of soda's (no one in either family drinks much alcohol - so we skipped that). We did rent linens and tables - but she was able to talk them down. The cake was from Albertson's and I will tell you it was awesome - they did a great job and less than half the price of a bakery. There is a web site out there - http://fireyourweddingplanner.com/ that was a huge help to her. Best wishes for a wonderful inexpensive wedding and life of love.
I got married for under $1000 somehow and I thought it was really nice. We had our reception at the church in the fellowship hall. I did my own flowers, got them from the Hobby Lobby. I pretty much got all the decorations from the Hobby Lobby, I'm sure you have some kind of store similar if you don't have one in your area. Our ceremony decorations were just garland on the altar and strung behind us where the church choir usually sits, the unity candles with garland on that table, and bows on the pews. It was real simple and pretty. You can find an individual to make your cake cheaper than a company that does it. You don't have to have a full buffett for the reception, especially if you get married at a time where everyone has already eaten before they came, there are plenty of light deli trays and stuff like that you could get at a grocery store. If you don't have alcohol at the reception, that saves money. Things like that. Maybe this will help or maybe you'll just think that I must have had the crappiest wedding ever! I promise it was great. It is what you make it.
Go to a beautiful place nearby (with yourself, fiance, and CLOSEST family members) and get married at sunset. Maybe there's a beach nearby, or beautiful field with a view of the mountains, or just a park with a beautiful flower garden and get married. Videotape the ceremony and play it at a bar-b-que style reception. That's right. Bar-b-que. All you have to pay for is meat and paper plates/ plastic silverware. Ask everyone to bring a dish to pass. Everyone has a favorite they like to make and share, and most people won't mind doing so! Host the party at your house in the back yard (parents house, or whoever's willing to let you borrow their yard...) beer is another expense, but kegs aren't that expensive. Or do the BYOB thing. There are lots of ways to cut down the price tag on your wedding, I think these are the cutbacks I will use for my own! Also, grow your own bouquet! It's fun to watch something grow that you planted yourself, and even better when people say "what a lovely boquet!" and you can say with pride...'I grew them myself!' just some ideas!
Elope, don't spend your money on a wedding.
A beach wedding isn't so expensive if you live not too far from a beach. As far as I know you don't have to pay for the venue, that shaves off a ton right there and the clothes don't have to be so stuck up and expensive. There might be a couple things you'd have to adjust but overall I think it will be cheap and everyone will have a time to remember, including yourself and your fiance.
To me the answer is obvious... Dont get married. Marriage is for suckers. Chances are it'll be over in a couple years anyways.
Have a morning wedding. That way you can offer finger foods at the reception. Do not have an open bar. Let guests pay for their own drinks. Have your bridemaids, friends and family help make favors and decorations. I'm going thru the same situation. Another idea is to check w/ the church to see if a couple is getting married before you. If so, see if yours and their colors are similar and maybe you can go half with them on the decorations. If you'd like to talk about it more and exchange ideas email me at briteii@yahoo.com.
Weddings can be expensive, but you have plenty of time and that is the best thing when you are on a budget. I spent two years planning my wedding. In the time you have, do as much reasearch as possible. Look at dozens of wedding websites, pick out stuff you like and then get creative about ways you can do those things on your own. You are already saving money by having the wedding at your church. For invitations, you can easily make your own with some cute colored paper and maybe some ribbon. Just design and print them on your own. If you have a craty friend or family member, ask them for help. I made my own invitations and with postage they were less than $1 a piece and I got many compliments on them. As for flowers, don't go to a big florist. You can get flowers much cheaper at supermarket florists. Just keep your arrangements simple. If you want centerpieces, choose a flower with a large bud and just do a sinlge flower in a tall skinny vase. Another very elegant and inexpensive center piece is a mix of wild flowers in mason jars, tied with ribbon to match your wedding colors. Food can be very expensive, but there is no obligation to feed guests a gourmet meal. I attended a friend's wedding that served all different types of candies. She had them in glass jars of different shapes and sizes. It was so colorful and totally unique, plus it almost doubled as a decoration. Another inexpensive food I have seen is tortilla chips with a variety of dips and salsas. Summer may also be good for a simple fruit and dip platter. You can also try an ice cream bar with differnt toppings, but it may be difficult to keep from melting. To save money on a cake, just get a small one that you don't intend on serving all guests, just one big enough for you and your husband to do the traditional "smash the cake in your face" thing. Photography is extremely pricey, but if you know someone you trust to take few good shots, ask. Or you can have several people with cameras, you are bound to get a few shots you like. It's difficult to trust your wedding photos to anyone but a professional, but when you are on a budget you may not have a choice. Just make sure you prioritize to know what things are most important and you are willing to spend the most money on. In a year, you may have more than you think to spend on the wedding too, Good Luck and Congrats!
I think you should post projects at http://www.clienty.com and they can give you price quotes from vendors. It's a really nifty site and they'll help you save money for your wedding. Good luck!
my budget is also 2000. I am using a JOP, and for decor, I am borrowing a lot of stuff. I don't know where you live, but you can buy all kinds of decorations from your local arts and crafts store, and lots of the national chains like Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and JoAnn have sales on wedding stuff all of the time! I got all of my decor at Hobby Lobby, when they had the 50% off bridal blowout, and for all of the stuff I got, only spent $100. Food is just gonna be cake, punch, and appetizers, maybe a sandwich tray so the guests can make their own sandwiches. May I suggest that you check ebay for a wedding gown. There are chinese companies on ebay that make wonderful custom gowns, for really cheap. My wedding gown cost me $109 including shipping. Here's a link: http://stores.ebay.com/Antzinternational Also, check the message board on http://www.weddingchannel.com and they have a thread called "Creative Ways to Save" another couple of good sites are http://www.theknot.com http://www.ultimatewedding.com http://www.wedcraft.com http://www.ebay.com/wedding That's just a few to start you off!
Make your own invitations. I did that with just a few items from the craft store. For flowers, go with handtied bouquets of flowers other than roses. Roses can get expensive. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, you can perhaps go with an arrangement of round cakes. Make your own favors. Check out the dollar stores around you for vases, frames, boxes, that you can decorate with your colors. Buy things online. Sometimes you can get good prices for things on eBay. There are people on eBay that sell wedding favors that are resonably priced. Have a friend or relative do the photography if you can. Put out little disposable cameras for the guests to get some candid shots too. If your wedding is small enough, you and a few family members could cater the reception yourselves. Go with potted plants as table centerpieces instead of flower arrangements. Candles can make pretty decorations and can be inexpensive. Do you know someone who can make your dress? I did that my first time and all I had to do was buy the material and lace. Best of luck to you both!
Well CONGRATS first off, and secondly I too am trying to have a cheap wedding June 2nd, 2007. I am from a small town (TX) but I am going to the beach to get married and only my closest family is coming and my fiance closest family is coming. 15 people max. First you need to find the place you want to have the ceremony and then go from there with decorations... My sis got married at a park and then went to my parents place for the reception where we grilled on the grill and everyone brought their own dish so there was plenty of food! The reception does not have to be expensive... I am having a reception when I get back from the honeymoon so that anyone who wanted to go to the wedding but couldn't can come and celebrate with us a little closer to home... You can always to to a party store and get streamers and things and you can always get fake flowers for the deocrations too... Best of Luck!
I have seen beautiful weddings outdoors. You're getting married in June, think about using the most beautiful public park in your town. Call the department that regulates parks to make sure you can use it and that it is not booked for the day of your wedding. Save money by having a picnic in the park afterward. Ask the park commissioner if you can have a small band or violinist play at the outdoor wedding. Good wishes.