Jason and I are getting married in a month, and I need tips on how to do this as cheaply as possible! It's going to be a family only courthouse wedding, followed by a small reception in our apartment complex's clubhouse (it's a really NICE clubhouse, plus a pool attached!)
Here's what we have so far...
wedding rings (200 for mine, 100 for his)
dress ($10 on sale, was $220)
shoes ($5 on sale, was $50)
clubhouse ($50 plus $100 refundable security fee)
invitations (done by his work, think they will be free)
potluck reception, rather than catered
BYOB (I am breastfeeding and won't be drinking, so why should I pay for others to get drunk?)
I need tips on how to decorate and whatnot. I really want to get a three tiered cake, as well. I don't know if I want flowers, I've always been against cut flowers because they die, artifical flowers look cheesy, and we have no where to put potted plants afterwards.
Soooo... frugal wedding tips, anyone? :)
kannondicarpo
04-13-2007, 08:56 AM
Jason and I are getting married in a month, and I need tips on how to do this as cheaply as possible! It's going to be a family only courthouse wedding, followed by a small reception in our apartment complex's clubhouse (it's a really NICE clubhouse, plus a pool attached!)
Here's what we have so far...
wedding rings (200 for mine, 100 for his)
dress ($10 on sale, was $220)
shoes ($5 on sale, was $50)
clubhouse ($50 plus $100 refundable security fee)
invitations (done by his work, think they will be free)
potluck reception, rather than catered
BYOB (I am breastfeeding and won't be drinking, so why should I pay for others to get drunk?)
I need tips on how to decorate and whatnot. I really want to get a three tiered cake, as well. I don't know if I want flowers, I've always been against cut flowers because they die, artifical flowers look cheesy, and we have no where to put potted plants afterwards.
Soooo... frugal wedding tips, anyone? :)
I would suggest that you go to a local chain store and see if they do tiered cakes. I got my wedding cake at a bakery like that and it was much cheaper than getting it from a specialty bakery.
Be back if I can come up with more.
LissAnne
04-13-2007, 09:21 AM
Well, we had a pretty big church wedding with a "light lunch" reception afterwards, so some of my ideas won't work for you, but here are a few things.
We did our own floral arrangements. We ordered white roses from costco, and the bridesmaids carried long-stemmed roses tied together with ribbon. For the tables, instead of traditional centerpieces, we did small round cakes (single-layer) in different flavors on different tables. They were decorated really pretty and we borrowed cake stands from people to hold them which looked really cool to have a different cake stand at each table. Then, we had a small cake (it was still 3-tiered, but just smaller since it was just for us). We got the cakes all from a local grocery store, except for our cake which my aunt made. We also didn't have any alcohol. We played CD's over the sound system during the reception. By doing a "light lunch", we just had rolls/meat/cheese, salads, etc. It saved a TON of money, and since the wedding was at 2:00, the reception was at about 3:00 so no one really expected a meal anyway.
We did all of the decorations ourselves (ours was a couple of days after Christmas, so we got a ton of Christmas trees that were leftover at lots and decorated them with white lights). We also did simple white candles and vases placed randomly throughout the reception area with roses in them. For favors, we did little bells with a little tag on them that had our name/date, and a little message. Plus, we used those instead of bubbles or birdseed/rice so people rang the bells when we were coming into the reception and leaving from it.
That's really all I can think of right now! My mom also made my dress and the bridesmaid dresses, but you already have that covered ($10 - nice deal!!!) I'll keep thinking...!
MamaZ
04-13-2007, 09:22 AM
Try your local grocery store too. Stop N' Shop made us a beautiful teired cake :)
Our total wedding cost under $500 and we had about 100 people there. We just got married at the court hosue with a few family, then had a big BBQ at my mother's house. Everyone was relaxed and had a blast (aside from the guy that ended up getting his foot hit with a horse shoe during their game :giggle: )
CarrieMF
04-13-2007, 09:27 AM
For flowers do small potted plants and have them on the table as favours for the guests & a slightly larger one for the centerpiece. Then give the bigger ones away. Or if you want flowers around, you can see if anyone has potted plants they would be willing to bring.
ce&E
04-13-2007, 09:27 AM
Some other ideas that I of-
We potted annuals for our flower decorations. We just put the pots in white paper bags that we cut to the right size and tied with ribbons. Then we let everyone take home the flowers with them so they had happy homes.
We used a grandmother my father knew who used to make cakes for our cake and whe charged us only $25 and made it from scratch! Maybe if you ask around you could find someone willing to make it for you for a your wedding gift or for a small fee. Something else one of my friends did was make lots of pretty cupcakes and then put them on a three tiered stand. It was beautiful and cheap!
HTH
janendragon
04-13-2007, 09:45 AM
we got our wedding rings at walmart and spent less than $100 in both.
fake flowers made into boquets etc by yourself......they last forever, so no fee to preserve them after the wedding.
sheet cake from the grochery store to eat and a small decorative cake.
buffet style eating, and make some of the foods yourself.
Sanche
04-13-2007, 10:00 AM
Find someone locally who doescakes, instead of paying a bakery for it.
janendragon
04-13-2007, 10:03 AM
what time of the year have you planne your wedding? we had a christmas one......so our church and curches reception hall was already decorated lol and the $1 had cheap xmas decorations and xmas themed tablecloths etc.
AshersMommy
04-13-2007, 10:10 AM
what time of the year have you planne your wedding? we had a christmas one......so our church and curches reception hall was already decorated lol and the $1 had cheap xmas decorations and xmas themed tablecloths etc.
May 9th. I don't know what colors to use for decoration, and I don't think Jason cares... I figured I'd wait til I found a cake I like, then use colors from that. Go to dollar tree for stuff.
janendragon
04-13-2007, 10:13 AM
cino de mayo decorations will be around and possibly on clearance!
MelDM
04-13-2007, 11:28 AM
Congrats!
We're getting married in August, so i'll be stocking this thread :giggle:
We are buying our wedding cake from Safeway. $220 for a beautiful 3 tiered cake that feeds 228 people. Way cheaper then the $845 I was quoted for almost exactly the same cake from a baker specializing in wedding cakes!!
ceilismom
04-13-2007, 11:39 AM
I used silk fall leaves scattered on the tables, with fall colored hersheys kisses. You could do the same with silk rose petals in your choice of colors, and Easter colored kisses. Glass beads can add some sparkle to the table, and they're around $2 for a bag, a few can go a long way. Tealight or votive candles in inexpensive holders or shot glasses add just as much candlelight as the fancier and more expensive candles too. It is possible to find silk flowers that look realistic, but they are more expensive. I bought long stemmed roses at Safeway for my bouquet, and just didn't have the bridesmaids carry anything.
Also used some ivory and leaf printed wired ribbon (Hobby Lobby has a lot of wedding stuff, and will often run a 50% off sale on it) to make bows, which later were put on our Christmas tree and Thanksgiving door wreaths. Christmas lights are handy too, and if you or your relatives already have them, free. I made my own wedding cake, just pound cakes baked in a bundt pan and placed on two-tiered dessert stands, and decorated with fresh berries ( I decorate cakes, but hate the taste of frosting). DH and his cousin both had DJ equipment, so we just made some CD's with music we liked, and the cousin kept them spinning all evening.
I used the vinyl table liner on a roll from the paper warehouse (it gives a lot of color, and it's a lot cheaper to use that and get chinet plates and clear plastic silverware at Sam's than to use the colored paper plates and silverware).
sandrc
04-13-2007, 11:43 AM
we were married in the park, my mom and sister decorated (crepe paper and balloons) we bought cloth tablecloths cheap at the dollar store (my mom uses them on the table during holidays now too) my bouquet is silk flowers and the boutiners (sp) were fake also my mom's friend did them for very cheap or free. we got a big sheet cake at the grocery store. i think it cost like $20 or so. they also did tiered cakes as well. we had fruit and veggie plates. my mom bought whole fruit and veggies and cut them up herself. my dress was onsale at sears during the prom season. we bought a bunch of disposable cameras and gave them to guests to take pictures instead of hiring a photographer.
hope this helps. oh and i did my own hair and makeup. i did get my nails done the day before but it was a waste of time and money.
aept
04-14-2007, 10:51 AM
Potted flowers as the favors works wekk so you don't have to figure out where to put them afterwards. You may have time to start something from seeds / seedlings now to avoid buying fully-grown, full-price plants!
jasmine228
04-15-2007, 12:50 PM
We got my ring at Walmart for $30. Heh...But we spent like $200 on hubby's because he had to special order it for his huge hands (his wedding band is a 16.5...mine was a 9.)
A friend of mine made my flowers...she said she spent about 30 on my bouquet. She also made my dress...we got a pattern and the fabric (costume satin was MUCH cheaper than the expensive satin and frankly, it didn't have to last through a lot of washes!) for under 40 including zippers, buttons, underlayment, thread, and shoes..and for someone who is a size 24, pregnant and growing, and happens to be 6'3", that's a GREAT DEAL!
My MIL brought the potted plants off her porch to decorate the church with. We also used a bunch of garland type flowers and kept the tags on them and then returned them the next day! :D
My parents went to sam's and spent about $200 on food but I'm oldest of four kids, hubby is youngest of four, my aunt came with her husband and five kids, brian's brothers are all married and two of mine had girlfriends with them, three of my aunts kids had their boyfriends/fiancees....combined with Brian's mom's friends, his aunts and uncles and their kids, his nephews, people his mom went to church with, etc (we got married in his hometown 7 hours from where I grew up! I bet we had close to 200 people there!
The girls all wore their own dresses (and no they didn't match in the slightest), groomsmen wore polos and plain black slacks(My brother actually had black jeans on lol)...Hubby also had a tux from when he was performing as a music major...
and Hubby's brother had gotten married 5 weeks before we did so we had a lot of decorations that we ripped red flowers off of and hot glued purple and yellow ones on.
Of course, we weren't real serious with the whole thing...
http://photos-968.ak.facebook.com/ip001/v14/39/50/164003518/n164003518_30030968_1383.jpg
angel0123
04-15-2007, 06:59 PM
ask on freecycle for wedding decorations... I have a whole box full in my shed if someone wanted them locally I would give them away.
I thought I was frugal for under 3000$... ;)
mom22es
04-15-2007, 08:13 PM
I have a box of those wedding bubbles left over from my wedding (5 yrs ago lol) if you want them.
A good, cheap idea for favors is making your own chocolate lollipops. People love them and they are CHEAP and easy to make.
You could also make each guest a cd for a dollar or less.
aywilkes
04-15-2007, 08:39 PM
[QUOTE=Soooo... frugal wedding tips, anyone? :)[/QUOTE]
I just had a frugal wedding a little less than a month ago. Have you been to the dollar store? I went to Michael's too and got wicker baskets and ribbon from there.
Namaste
04-15-2007, 09:00 PM
Biggest tip: keep guests down to a minimum. :)
In some states, you can have a friend or family member marry you. You apply for a special permit to have them administer the wedding. That might be nice and cheaper too.
aept
04-15-2007, 09:15 PM
You could also make each guest a cd for a dollar or less.
I am such a dork! Here I am thinking - that would be a lot of work to make everybody a cloth diaper! And would all the guests need cloth diapers?
OH DUH - a music cd!
mum0fthr33
04-15-2007, 09:23 PM
For the cake you can also go to the grocery store and ask if they would sell you the teirs for cakes and they will usually do that get 3 of there diffrent sized cakes take them home and stack them on the teirs :goodvibes:
We just had family members bring a covered dish and we got the meats KFC LOL and made our own meat trays. order pizza get the specials that are only cheese buy a few bag of ready made salad
Make sure you have a brides 1$ dance if you don't feel like dancing make the hubby dance for a $1 it will help you pay for anything that you over spent on.
dvrgrl38
04-15-2007, 09:24 PM
We used potted flowering plants and had the guests take most of them home after the wedding. We had them line the isles during the ceremony and then placed on the tables as centerpieces during the reception. Then they were the party favors.
Apathy
04-15-2007, 09:24 PM
If I had more time to put things together I'd have gotten a permit to have alcohol in a park (we have a few nice ones) and had a shindig that way. It's like $80 or so here. All our friends knew we were low on funds and would've happliy brought a dish to pass (but we would've figured something out so we didn't have to COUNT on that since some people wouldn't be able to).
Our cake lady at the local grocery store said she could do a LOVELY layered cake for us at 1/4 (or even less) the price of the fancier round ones if square/rectangular didn't bother us. We just bought 2 small cakes though, no real guests, just us, our witnesses, and the Rev Kris.
We also bought our rings on ebay. It was about $110 for both rings. This seller has lovely rings and was great to work with when I bought by dh a "promise ring". http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtitanium_knightsQQhtZ-1 but for our wedding bands we went with http://stores.ebay.com/CUSTOM-RING-DESIGNS and I still get compliments nearly every day and I've been wearign it just over a year now :thumbsup:
karstensmama
04-15-2007, 09:27 PM
Wow, and I thought our wedding was frugal! I'm very, very impressed.
Our table decorations were unique compared to everything I've seen so far. We borrowed 12 inch mirror squares from a friend, got a buch of small decorative bowls from Michael's (the little fish bowl kind), and in them either put floating candles or goldfish. The goldfish and candles in the bowls were then given to the person who found a dot under their chair. Unfortunately, the fish we took didn't make the trip from WI to Itasca, IL. It was literally green around the gills and died a few days later. :cry: I also got some fake ivy and delicate periwinkly blue flower viney stuff from Michael's, that I put around all the mirrors. All that cost about $50.
As for other decorations, I'd go with white Christmas lights and balloons. I'd also check out places like Big Lots or the Dollar Store for decorative ribbon.
A different way to make your bridal bouquet, especially since you haven't picked colors yet, would be to ask the guests to bring one flower (per family) to help you make your bouquet. It would be a personal touch that would really make them feel a part of the ceremony and as you walk down the aisle, you'd gather the flowers from the people. Plus, it would cost them, what?, at most $2? Then, after the ceremony, bind them together with some floral tape and you can place it on the head table for everyone to see!
I was in a wedding not too long ago and we bridesmaids carried a single red rose. We wore black tea or floor length dresses of our own choosing and they looked really pretty. Plus, I was super psyched because I had been in a wedding just a few years prior, in which we had to wear the same kind of dress and I found a beautiful one for $15! And I got to wear it twice! Woo hoo!
If you do choose to go with real flowers, find out what is in season at the time. You'll save yourself big $$$.
uk2usa
04-16-2007, 02:00 PM
Our friends got married last autumn and instead of flowers they had potted plants and huges vases filled with apples...I actually ate an apple b/c I didn't like the salad they served...
You could do an edible arrangement: fruit, candy etc...
I wish I was getting married again...:goodvibes:
danibu98
04-17-2007, 05:32 PM
I don't know where you live, but I did silk flowers from Christmas Tree shops and they looked AWESOME.
I have a garter NIP that I can send you ffs if you'd like.
We did those little sutter home wine bottles for favors. My mom made labels with our names on it and the colors were very pretty (ie red wine had pink and dark cranberry colored labels) and they were on sale very inexpensively, less than $1 a small bottle.
Danielle
boysandchef
04-17-2007, 05:36 PM
Heres one for our token gift to all the wedding guests we did flower seeds...
I bought fancy looking scrapbook paper and some ribbon I made it into and envelope using tape....I typed up a little tag and hung it from it..
So they knew what the flower was and how to grow it.
I bought all my seeds, ribbon, and paper at Walmart.
I spent $40.00 and that was for 177 guests.. So I think that was extremely cheap
coleybear805
04-17-2007, 09:14 PM
I got my cake at a grocery chain (special-ordered it from their bakery) for I think about $80.
I don't remember if you mentioned photography-- do you have any friends that are good at this? Ours was free because my mom's cousin did them for us.
AshersMommy
04-17-2007, 09:32 PM
I got my cake at a grocery chain (special-ordered it from their bakery) for I think about $80.
I don't remember if you mentioned photography-- do you have any friends that are good at this? Ours was free because my mom's cousin did them for us.
We've got a few family members and friends who are all bringing digital cameras. :)
littlefornow
04-22-2007, 02:52 AM
I did our wedding for less than $500 including rings, dress, etc. Check your local Freecycle.org and see if anyone has wedding stuff to give or borrow. One lady gave us sterling silver goblets. We were able to get them reengraved for free. She had gotten them as a gift for her first wedding, we took them to the engraving place and they replaced them with engraved for us goblets and did not charge us anything.
Someone else gave me a ring pillow. I got a huge box of white Christmas lights.
I was able to borrow a garden arch with lights and I tied tulle, silk flowers and ribbons on it.
For centerpieces you can use small glasses with a flower floating in each one surrounded by ribbon curls, tulle (scrunch up a square and set the glass on it) and pretty colored hard candies. You can get tulle by the yard cheap.
Skye5000us
04-22-2007, 06:41 AM
I don't know if anyone else mentioned this (I didn't get to read through ALL of the posts) but I have been to a couple recent weddings where they used cupcakes instaed of a traditional tiered wedding cake. They just had them stacked on something tiered (I don't know what it was but I am sure you could put something together that you liked) It was actually really neat, something you could do yourself, and you wouldn't need a caterer to cut it up into all those little pieces for you. Hope this helps
tinyblackdot
04-23-2007, 05:09 PM
For your bouqet, i saw a thing on Marth Stewart where this girl made her bouquet out of paper flowers. It was really pretty and she could keep it forever! I bet they have a link on marthstewart.com. The idea of having everyone bring flowers is also a cool idea.
littlemsmom
04-26-2007, 11:27 AM
For my wedding we used silk flowers and put them in baskets and put them on the steps at the front of the church... And then we grabbed them and took them to the receptopn and used them as tabel decorations... They turned out awesome!! No one knew that they were fake flowers. I got them from Michaels when they had a 50% of sale on silk flowers. I spend about $50 on all of the flowers.
Phooey
04-26-2007, 02:41 PM
We made our own decorations - made "bouquets" with ribbon roses I made from ribbons with wires on both sides - just pull on one end, roll them into a rose shape, put a few together with tulle fabric and some greenery behind, and we had pew decorations.
I also went to a candle store and bought some larger candle holders (wrought iron covered in fake ivy) and put those on bar stools covered with tablecloths instead of the big candle thing or flowers. We still have the candle holders in our bedrooms, and then I sewed the tablecloths into a swag curtain that's now hanging in my living room.
The BEST thing we did was to SKIP the teired wedding cake and instead go with individual cakes of different flavors at each table. That way we didn't have to buy centerpieces, it got people to mingle around different tables to choose what flavor of cake they wanted, and they were a TON cheaper.
My hubby's aunt did the video recording. IMPORTANT NOTE! Make sure NOT to invite the closet family alcoholic to do the video recording - our tape is to jumpy that it kinda makes us seasick to watch it...
For the reception, we just did little things like ham sandwiches, a friend made yummy mints, some other friends made some salads. We didn't serve alcohol, but made our own punch. The church had things to decorate with so we didn't have to buy anything new there...
Phooey on spending a lot for a wedding
undrthtblndrumng
04-26-2007, 04:09 PM
Since you said you didn't like cut flowers you could make a beaded bouquet something like this: http://www.weddingshowergifts.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/219
Or if you would like I can make one for you for the cost of the materials and shipping, along with smaller ones for your bridesmaids and bouteniers (sp?) for the men if you want. Just get back to me quickly. (I can get about 500 crystals for probably $20 and then the wire and ribbon)
For centerpieces you could fill punch bowls (borrowed from friends and neighbors) with water, put some glass beads in the bottom (like from Michaels) and get some inexpensive floating candles. Surround the bowls with tealights (you can get about 100 for $10 at michaels -- again) and a couple more glass rocks or no tealights but with candy filled votive holders that your guests can take home with them as favours.
