you should be fairly lucky with decorations - the church may have things left up from the christmas season or clearance items at local stores. fill large vases with red and silver bulbs for centerpieces. ... just an idea to get your planning rolling.
RYAN8669 5/2/07 10:32 A
I am also on a tight budget and I have gotten so much stuff on eBay!! I found the slip that I need for under my dress - $15, the strapless bra - $30, jewelry for myself and all the bridesmaids for like $10 each, stuff for my hair was about $30 all together, veil - $10, save the date cards, favors, thank you notes, 4000 silk rose petals for use in decorating the reception for $15. They have almost everything that you could possibly need, including bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, shoes, - I mean everything!!
Good Luck - you have plenty of time, so start making a list of the things that you need (the Knot.com has a great checklist), start buying some of the small stuff with each paycheck.
As for the major stuff (food, reception hall, etc.), look at your finances, figure out what you can reasonable save before the wedding, start interviewing vendors and getting prices together. This way you will have a better idea of what your budget should be. Most vendors only need a small deposit down and the rest will not be due until the month of the wedding. Once you have an idea of how much you can have saved, you will know what you can spend on each vendor.
Decide what is most important to you about your wedding - for me it was the photography, we figured that the day after the wedding we would have nothing but the pictures to show for all the money spent. So, we spent the majority of our budget on a really great photographer and decided not to do much with the flowers and to have a really basic cake instead of tons of flowers and a really outstanding cake.
I would also recommend attending some of the bridal shows that most towns have - they can be a great place to meet vendors, sample food and cake, get discounts and coupons, etc. - They can be a little overwhelming, but just take your time!
I hope that some of this helps you - I was a bit of a basket case when I started trying to plan, so I totally understand!!
Let me know if there is anything else that I can help with!! Good luck and congrats!!
LOLA926 4/28/07 3:22 P
the knot.com is a great tool with wonderful ideas
KLOOSE 4/27/07 9:46 P
You can also get some Christmas clearance items in your colors the day after Christmas. You can order your flowers wholesale to save some money also. Good luck.
MOONDANCERJEN 4/27/07 2:45 P
I really like brides.com take all the content from the top three wedding magazines and put it on one site and you have brides.com. start a profile and save everything you like, or if you use firefox you can get a plugin called clipmarks, which i've been using like crazy when i see something i like.
JHARBISO 4/27/07 2:34 P
I highly recommend the Knot and also looking on ebay for lots of ideas. Also I recommend going to your local craft store for ideas. They usually have pamphlets on cute things you can try to make for your wedding cheaply!
WALTHERCHIC 4/27/07 2:12 P
Okay, you need to set a budget and then determine what is and isn't important to you. You've got two major things down, the ceremony and the reception location. You're going to need to decide what else you want: Food - will it be catered or do you have family that will be cooking?
Music - do you want dancing? or just background music? Live music or a dj?
Photography - you can hire a professional for just posed shots, just the ceremony and some posed shots, or the whole shebang
Cake - come on, it's a wedding, you've got to have one, but, you don't have to spend a fortune on it
Okay, the things we girls usually like
Dress - yours - look around, find a shop having a sample sale or a shop going out of business, you can get great deals. If you have a David's bridal near you, they often have good deals as well. Go and try on a ton and don't worry about the price, that will tell you what style you like. Then, you can always try Ebay, it's amazing the deals my friends have gotten there.
Wedding Party - big party? just a Maid of Honor and a best man? Once you decide on that, then you can decide if you want suits or tuxes, matching dresses or one color. In my eyes, smaller party is easier and less expensive.
Flowers - don't be afraid to use Stop and Shop or your local grocery store. The ones near me have fabulous florists.
Invitations - you don't have to spend a fortune on these either. Whether you print them yourself or order them from a company, people who love you will be glad to receive one.
Good luck. Let us know if you have any more questions.
LADYBOOP1970 4/27/07 1:07 P
The first two suggestions I make to anyone on a small budget and a fair amount of time to plan is theknot.com and eBay. These two sites have been a life saver for me.
TheKnot is a great resource for ideas, articles, pictures, budget planning, tracking guest lists, etc. They also have a checklist of things to be working on at each month before the wedding so you don't forget things. I would look through their photo galleries for ideas and then go to eBay and see if I could find the same or similar item for MUCH cheaper.
I have found my dress, crystal champagne toasting flutes, cake knife/server set, BM gifts, reception decor items and all at a fraction of the cost that I would have paid if I had used a traditional wedding/bridal shop.
Another site is weddingchannel.com. I know some people find theKnot too busy, but the weddingChannel is a good planning site also. I've used both.
BTW, I have found that no one considers anyone on this site a bother. The ladies here have been very helpful with all sorts of ideas. Just throw a question out there, I'm sure someone will be glad to help.
GL and have fun!
2LAMBSMOM 4/27/07 12:26 P
I don't want to be a bother, a leach, or a sponge (whatever you would prefer to call it), but I am stumped. I need direction in how to start planning my wedding. I'm on a tight budget, I want things to be simple - yet elegant. I am not very artsy-crafty and do not have much family support for arrangements or ideas. What I do have is: My church is reserved for the ceremony and we are using the church's activity room for the reception (non-alcoholic). My colors, will be red, white, & silver. Oh yeah, I'm getting married January 2008. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank You in advance, Dawn
