Planning a Wedding on a Budget

Invitations

2009-05-28T18:17:00.002-05:00

It has become apparent to me that the most stressful part of the wedding (at least in my opinion) is the invitations. My mother and my future mother-in-law have both been great help with this task, but I still tend to get a little overwhelmed when dealing with the invitations.

First, I printed my invitations myself! I caught a sale at Hobby Lobby, so all my invitations were 50% off. Printing them was quite easy. My invitations include a basic 5 1/2 x 8 inch invitation card, a 3 1/2 x 5 inch RSVP card, and also a small card with directions to the venue. Even though I included so much in each envelope, transferring all the addresses to the envelopes was the stressful part of this task.

I recommend getting some standard size address labels from Staples. I tried to use some that were smaller than average, and I could never seem to get the text to line up with the label. All this stress could have been relieved had I simply forgone the "pretty" labels, and bought the standard white address labels at Staples. Take my advice - the easier, the better!

My Budget

2009-05-16T12:45:00.002-05:00

I thought it might help some brides if they saw what my budget looks like at this particular moment. I am trying to plan my entire wedding for about $6,000. I hope this helps!

Ceremony and Reception Venue		$1,735.00
	Venue	$ 1,200.00
	Audio/Visual Package	$ 150.00
	Linens	$ 100.00
	Setup/Teardown Fee	$ 90.00
	Stage	$ 120.00
	Keyboard	$ 75.00


Wedding Cake		$ 544.00
	14-10-8-6	$ 380.00
	Tax	$ 32.00
	Ribbon	$ 10.00
	Delivery	$ 50.00
	Grooms Cake	$ 72.00


Bridesmaid Dresses		$ 552.54
	After Six 6548	$ 440.00
	Tax	$ 31.54
	Shipping	$ 20.00
	Riley's Dress	$ 61.00


Wedding Dress		$ 810.00
	Dress	$ 599.00
	Bra and Underskirt	$ 70.00
	Tax	$ 66.15
	Hair (Bride and Bridesmaids)	$ 75.00


Flowers		$ 292.49
	Bridal Bouquet	$ 65.00
	Bridesmaid Bouquets	$ 70.00
	6 Boutonnieres	$ 36.00
	Petals	$ 30.00
	Cake Topper	$ 17.50
	Cake Daisies	$ 24.00
	Tax	$ 22.99
	Corsages	$ 20.00
	Delivery	$ 7.00

Catering from Klein's Catering		$ 590.74
	6 Meat and Cheese Trays	$ 177.00
	3 Veggie Trays	$ 67.50
	3 Fruit Trays	$ 84.00
	3 Chocolate Covered Strawberry Trays	$ 135.00
	Tax	$ 45.89
	Delivery	$ 35.00
	10% Fee	$ 46.35

Photography		$ 875.00


Decorations		$ 457.91
	Napkins	$ 54.22
	Centerpieces, Aisle Runner, Invitations	$ 126.02
	Twinkle Lights	$ 7.30
	Toasting Glasses
	Guest Book/Pen
	Arch	$ 30.00
	Garland	$ 50.00
	Sparklers	$ 149.12
	Chair Bows	$ 41.25


Rings		$ -
	Groom's Ring


Total Cost of Wedding		$5,857.68

Step 7: Decorations

2009-04-02T11:29:00.000-05:00

Decorations: This is probably one of the most stressful parts of the wedding. My recommendation? Do it yourself! Go to Hobby Lobby, Michael's, or some other craft store, and find beautiful decorations. Shop around, and wait on the sales to come to you. In fact, when I got the centerpieces for my wedding, Hobby Lobby was having a 50% off sale on decorative glassware, candles, and anything that had to do with a wedding. Don't stress out...you'll have plenty of time to shop around.

Step 6: The Dress

2009-04-02T11:27:00.002-05:00

Wedding Dress: This is the most important day of your life, but don't feel like you have to spend thousands of dollars on a beautiful wedding dress. There are stores that constantly have good sales going on, and you might be able to find your dream dress at a fairly low price. Shop around. Look up stores such as David's Bridal and see if they are having a sale. You might just find the dress of your dreams for a few hundred dollars.

David's Bridal
Alfred Angelo
Eden Bridals
Moncheri Bridals

Step 5: Music/DJ

2009-04-02T11:25:00.001-05:00

Music: Having music at your reception is also a cost that can be avoided. Many reception venues have an audio-visual package that is included in the price of the venue, or it can be purchased at an additional charge. If this is the case, get the audio-visual package and plug an Ipod into it. Create a playlist in I-Tunes before the wedding. Nominate a close friend to press "play" whenever they get to the reception, and feel free to dance the night away. This eliminates the cost of having a DJ, and it also allows you to have complete control of the music.

Step 4: Flowers

2009-03-30T18:43:00.001-05:00

Flowers can cost a ton of money. To eliminate this large chunk of your budget, consider silk flowers. Many stores, such as Michael's, JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby, sell beautiful silk flowers for a nominal fee. If you don't like the idea of silk flowers, how about mixing and matching? Instead of having all silk flowers, try limiting the quantity of real flowers you order from the florist. Have the florist use real flowers for your bouquet and your bridesmaids' bouquets, and even get a few gallons of fresh rose petals, but don't think that you have to have thousands of fresh flowers everywhere in order for your wedding to be beautiful.

Step 3: Photography

2009-03-30T18:37:00.003-05:00

Everyone wants to have beautiful pictures on their wedding day; however, there is a way to get the beautiful pictures without spending a ton of money. Is there a photography school nearby? Are there any universities that have art courses? Many students that are in photography classes are already marketing themselves and taking pictures professionally. Because they have not yet graduated from a professional school or university, they are often the cheapest, yet most overlooked, option. My advice? Check them out! See what they have to offer! If you don't like what you see in their portfolios, don't agree to have them photograph your wedding.

Next, many photographers will want you to order prints. In order to cut some corners, how about purchasing a CD with all your pictures on it, as well as all the copyright to these pictures? By doing this, you are able to print out pictures when you are financially able to, and you can also allow your mother or mother-in-law to borrow the CD and print their own. By doing this, you don't have to pay for their pictures.

Also -- engagement pictures are often an expensive part of the photography package. In order to cut down on cost, consider having your engagement pictures taken at a department store. Some Sears stores offer family portraits, as does Wal-Mart. Though this might not be the most attractive option, it could definitely save you a ton of money.

Step 2: What will you serve your guests?

2009-03-30T18:31:00.000-05:00

Catering: Many venues will have a list of approved caterers that you must choose from. Keep in mind that when you are planning a wedding on a budget, there is no need to have a full meal at your reception. Try a chocolate fountain, fruit/veggie platters, meat/cheese platters, etc. There is nothing wrong with serving finger foods at your reception. You will already be supplying the cake and the punch, so there is no need to bankrupt yourself by serving a full meal. If you need to cut corners even more, eliminate the caterer altogether! There is nothing wrong with having your wedding cake, some mints, some mixed nuts, and some punch. After all, your guests didn't come for the food, they came to watch two people dedicate their lives to one another.

Step 1: Find the venue(s)

2009-03-30T18:18:00.000-05:00

Find a wedding venue. Typically, wedding ceremonies last 15-30 minutes long. Find a church, gazebo, park, chapel, auditorium, etc. that will allow you to hold your wedding for a nominal fee. Although you want your wedding to be beautiful, there is no sense in going bankrupt on the venue itself. Consider having an outdoor wedding if you are really strapped for cash.

Find a reception venue. The reception itself will probably be the most expensive part of the entire wedding extravaganza. One way to cut corners is to find a venue that will allow you to hold your wedding and your reception in the same place. For instance, many churches have reception halls in them. Use the chapel for the ceremony, and hold the reception in their "fellowship hall" or whatever they call their reception area. If that won't work for you - try to rent a room large enough that it can be split down the middle. Half of the room can be used for the ceremony, and the other half can be used for the reception. (This is what I am doing for my wedding.)