Wedding Dilema

Fighting4Healthy

I need to cut my wedding cost, my original budget was $9,000 but I need to cut some more of the cost of the wedding. So far this is what I have done.

Dress

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$314 from David's Bridal
Veil

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$171 from David's Bridal
Ceremony Venue

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$100 The Emmanuel Chapel at Penn State Mont Alto
Reception Venue

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$475 The Wood Center at the Capitol Theater in Chambersburg
Photographer

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$1,585 from David's Bridal

I have gotten quotes as well
Flowers

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$730 at a local Florist
-bouquet----16-24 red roses with stephanotis
-toss bouquet---12 red carnations with mini white carnations
-boutonnieres-- Groom->1 red rose w/ 1 stephanotis, groomsmen->1 red rose, best man-> 1 white rose, Dad-> 1 red rose w/ white sweetheart
-corsages--wristlet for jr bridemaid doubles at ring bearer .---- white sweetheart roses
-centerpieces---- white alstroemerias in 5"-6" vases
-alter decorations--- 2 red roses
-bridesmaids bouquets--- 3 roses 2 red 1 white with silver glitter.
-6 pew bows-- white with greenery.

Catering-- 32.95/ person+ 6% tax+20% gratuity= $2,096
cheese and tomato crostini
cheese and fruit display
prime rib
chicken cordon bleu
roasted red potatoes
chef salad
roasted veggies
coffee
soft drinks
lemonaid
tea

I am trying to figure out invites and other ways to cheapen the wedding, plus the GROOMZILLA wants to give red champagne glasses as favors... help... the honeymoon is not included in this budget, though I am thinking about not taking one because of the fact that I just don't want to spend that much money... ugh!! frusterating

i_love_vinegar

I think the florist is overcharging.

Maybe find an independent photographer who charges less

Good luck!!!

Ebbykins

I agree, I used to be a florist, your flowers seem very simple and could very well end up being closer to $500 if you shopped around. Also if you aren't set on the veil... that's a really high cost considering you still have to account for hair and make up on top of that right?

laurenduck05

Yeah I agree your being charged too much for the photographer and the flowers, also get your bridesmaids and grooms men to contribute a small amount to their suits/dress/flower s etc..... If you explain the finacial situation, they will deinatly understand and even if try contribute $40 each it will make a huge difference. This is what I am doing for my wedding in July!! :-)

MissingMyOldSelf

I searched the photography schools in my area and was going to get a student photographer, but I also put an ad on craigslist, and my photographer was free.

I also found my videographer for $250.

I went to a local flower place 2 days before my wedding, and I did my bouquets, and the groomsmens boutineers, and with my and a friend doing them instead of the staff, I saved over $500. (My florist cost: $325)

Do you have a wholesale store around you, like Flower Factory? You can design your centerpieces for a lot less than a florist would charge.

My toss bouquet was one that I got from Walmart, and I doctored it up (maybe an additional $2?) for ribbon, glitter, etc.

It might not be the top-notch elegant wedding of your dreams, but it will definitely be YOURS, and that's all that matters!!!!

MarieNevada

elope. the wedding is just a day, the marriage is what's important. (i'm single lol)

Ebbykins

PS As cute as the glasses are in theory as a keep sake, most people don't really have a place for that kind of stuff these days... or do they? I dunno, I don't know what I'd do with a red glass other than store it in my cupboard, as much as I love the couple who invited me, lol. But that's coming from a tom boy, who knows right.

MissFit0101

I couldn't really tell you much, other than this: If I could go back, I would have the teeniest tiniest little wedding, with only closest family and friends, and not pay out the butt for photographers, dj, etc... (you can get the same quality of work done for half the price if you do your research and put the time into it) ... and I would put that extra money into taking a honeymoon!!! I didn't get a real honeymoon, just a couple nights in a gorgeous beachside hotel 20 minutes away. I can hardly remember the wedding it went by so fast... I would have rather had a great honeymoon.

litlpineapple

I think the florist is overcharging.

Maybe find an independent photographer who charges less

Good luck!!!

Great idea, not sure of your area but check out photographers online - they'll probably charge less that they're working on their portfolio and will give you just as amazing memory shots.

Flowers can be bought wholesale from someone local and you can do the arrangements yourself - saveoncrafts.com if a WONDERFUL site to check out for centerpieces and decorative touches.

Invitations can be printed at home or you can try - weddingpaperdivas.com, they are pretty reasonable for modern designs.

Do as much as you can by yourself; filling out invitations, making arrangements, packaging the favors... You and the bridesmaids or someone close to you can help - have fun while saving!

I'm in NYC and got engaged on Christmas and venue/catering prices are upwards of $4,000 so I've been looking into some planning before I start planning, lol! Good luck!!

pinkgigi

I had a super cheap wedding (but it was my second). I negotiated with the florist with what flowers were cheapest (i.e. in season and cheap for her to source). I made a lot of my decorations, and only had friends (and disposable cameras around) for the photography.

For the giveaways, you can make your own gift bags pretty cheaply. I gave away handmade chocolates, but then I don't believe it being generous with stuff that people won't really appreciate long-term. A lovely photo of the two of you presented in a good-value frame would probably be cheaper.

I remember someone saying once, decide what is really important to you, and the other things can be ignored or scaled back, good advice.

GG

mamamc03

For my wedding, I used silk flowers and made ALL the bouquets and boutineers. I like silk, because it lasts. It is soo sweet to see my daughter playing with my bouquet. ALSO, I purchased my veil from Hobby Lobby. As for food...I say, just feed them cake and punch/wine. Wine glasses for favors...WOW, that's expensive!! For your photographer/videographer...ask a friend. Have a list of pictures that you want....the kiss, the rings, the family, etc. Offer them $50 and they will likely decline. For the venue...ask your church...if you attend. Ask if you can get a discount if you clean up yourself. Myfamily stayed behind and cleaned the place.

For your honeymoon, do a staycation in your hometown, or go to the nearest metro area and be a tourist!

Best wishes!!

MissingMyOldSelf

I searched the photography schools in my area and was going to get a student photographer, but I also put an ad on craigslist, and my photographer was free.

I also found my videographer for $250.

I went to a local flower place 2 days before my wedding, and I did my bouquets, and the groomsmens boutineers, and with my and a friend doing them instead of the staff, I saved over $500. (My florist cost: $325)

Do you have a wholesale store around you, like Flower Factory? You can design your centerpieces for a lot less than a florist would charge.

My toss bouquet was one that I got from Walmart, and I doctored it up (maybe an additional $2?) for ribbon, glitter, etc.

It might not be the top-notch elegant wedding of your dreams, but it will definitely be YOURS, and that's all that matters!!!!

Forgot to add: if you find a student in photography who wants to start or update a portfolio, or even a friend or relative with great photography experience, that's a major moneysaver right there.

We also printed our homemade custom invites that we got from Walmart and decorated them with a bow that matched the bridesmaids dresses.


I totally agree with what MissFit said.... if I had to do it all again, I would go for a small wedding. I had 150 people, and it was too many. I felt the day was a blur, and I remember getting up that morning, and I remember laying in the hotel bed. I don't remember much, other than the fact that the DJ (a former friend of mine) didn't show up. My replacement DJ did a great job... but that's only one of two incidences that I remember. (The other was that it was so hot on my wedding day, the bakers who did the cake put cardboard on top of the cake, THEN iced it.... who the heck does that???.... and we couldn't cut the cake properly But in the end... the only thing that matters.... is that you married your best friend.)

Kassielin13

Independent photographer is definitely the way to go. I paid right at $200 for engagement pics and the whole wedding day (8 hours) of photography. In our package we chose 5 8x10s 20 of another size and 200 4x6s! Also received a video and discs of pics plus full copyrights!

To cut costs, because I love decorating, I made all of my own center pieces/decorations. Shopped at the dollar tree for flower arrangements. I probably only spend around $100 - $200 for recep decoratoins!

Another big thing was our cake! My first few quotes on a 3 tier to feed 150 guest was $700 and Wal-Mart made the same exact cake for $189! It tasted just as good as I had dreamed!

Hope this helps!

WifeNMama

$32+ per person is pretty expensive catering or am I way off? Can you cut the price down or limit guests? Photography is really expensive too. What are you getting for that price?

We had our mothers make desserts, not cake. A friend did photography. Ceremony and reception in the same building, bought flowers from Costco and safeway and assembled bouquets and decorations ourselves.

Also we did wine glasses as favors, from the dollar store! We still use ours, and had extra so people could take home sets if they wanted no monograms or dates, just a simple clear glass.

Elleinnz

My professional wedding photographer friends would shoot me for this - but there are budding amateur photogs out there dying to get to shoot a wedding - and will do it basically for cost + a bit.....

Where do you live - have a look at a site like flckr - here in auckland we have a local group that meet up - and the photogs are of a good quality....quite a few of the guys (and girls) I know have been "second shooters" on weddings for another photographer, so have some experience already....

If you find someone you like get them to do a mini engagement shoot - that way you get to see if you like their style - the way they interact with you - and if they actually know what they are doing.....

Also in this digital age you most probably don't have to go for a massive "print package" - it is more important to get some high resolution images to keep (and you can then print as and when you want / have money)

I also agree with the keepsakes - man they might be cute - but in the end of the day I go home with one red glass - that I have no use for - and will sit and gather dust for a while until I just dump it......and in the end of the day you would have spent a lot of money on it..... If it is me I would make the keepsake something really small and personal - I always like a little gift of nice candy or chocolates......

krik84

Agree - keep looking for a cheaper florist or do the silk if you can't find one. Also, we got a lot of discounts for having our wedding "out of season"- maybe a little too late for you to change but if not...

We did not spend too much on the wedding - all a blur anyway- just one crazy day. The honeymoon is what you should spend money on- we went to Cozumel- so much fun- go Scuba diving- coolest thing I have ever done (...besides creating children)

photo_kyla

I've got to say, don't scrimp on a photographer. Ultimately, flowers wilt, food gets eaten, and you'll never wear the wedding dress again. The photos are going to be the thing that lasts and that you will look back at to remember. As for the cost, it depends on where you're at and what you're getting for that price. If you're getting a really nice album and some framed prints for the wall as well as just coverage, that's a reasonable price for about a 3 hour ceremony/reception. If you go to someone who charges a few hundred bucks for a CD and nothing else, you can easily spend more than $1000 on those things. And the quality is probably going to be a lot less.
I used to work in a photography studio and helped shoot several weddings. I also have seen photos from weddings where a friend who was a "professional" took the photos to help out. There is no comparison. (And most people who just end up with a CD take years to get around to printing any of them, if ever.)

A suggestion about the veil: one of my friends wanted a veil with a blue ribbon edge. David's Bridal was going to charge her over $150 for it. She bought a plain veil for $30, bought the ribbon from WalMart, and took it to a seamstress to have it put on. Final cost $48. Maybe there's a lower cost option for your veil?

Pebble321

Lose the pew bows and the keepsake glasses - noone except you will even remember that they exist in a year's time.
Shop around for flowers - that actually sounds like pretty good value to me, but if you can get cheaper - all the better.
I agree that you might be able to find a cheaper photographer. Make sure you check out their work first and their reviews so you know what you are getting. This is one thing that you have to decide for yourself if it is a priority.
Print your own invitations and placecards if you need cards.
Ask friends to help with this, it's a fun activity to do with family or your wedding party.

Weddings are funny things - we want everything to be perfect, but after the day most people only remember a few of the details - they won't mind much what the menu is or what colour the ribbons were - they wil remember that it was a warm and loving day and that they were happy to see you married.

pinkgigi

Oh I forgot to add, I made my pew decorations with wire and netting and some fake flowers, they were really lovely.

GG

mrsmellymac

Damn...i need to take my photography to a professional level. My future sister-in-law said all the photogs she could find were charging $2000 for pictures! ridiculous! But I agree, the thing you will want the most are the photographs! memories for years to come! Its important. So if you can't find someone cheaper with a good review, don't worry about it.

Make your own invitations, programs, and place cards! Its VERY easy to do. they have kits at office max, walmart, staples, etc. or you can look online for invitation templates (i.e. microsoft) and download that and print on fancy paper. You can cut out some holes on the top or the sides and tie ribbons. My future sis-in-law's wedding is going to be beach themed, so we're actually going to be supergluing starfish and seashells to the programs, doing a "glitter" thing with sand, etc.

Look online for DIY wedding projects! Its a fun thing to do with your bridesmaids!

Good luck! I know its hard!

ckdub428

we did all silk flowers and were able to have 3 times the flowers that I would have had if I used a florist. And it was only about 150 bucks. We also made our own table decorations. Hobby Lobby again there too. Just make sure you don't buy anything there unless it's a half off week.

katherines2230

Buy yor flowers in bulk from sams club! I got a quote for over $3000 for flowers and it's gonna cost me $800 at sams!

sparklesammy

Hello, congratulations on your engagement.

Im getting married next year so have been doing the wedding planning thing, and i see that you are struggling with the budget. As other have said, the flowers seem to be a big expense and there are lots of suggestions on that.

I wonder if you might be able to get a better deal onthe photographer. SOme of the photography packages that we looked at were slightly less because they iincluded only the images and not the printed pictures. If you had these you could used them to make an album later, and it doesnt need to come out of the wedding budget.

Also, the groomzilla needs to understand that a budget wedding can not include lavish gifts for the guests - who you are already spending lots of money on just having them there!

try to come up with a small keepsake that is inexpensive and package it nicely, so that it will looks pretty. People do not expect a big deal for a wedding favour, just something to keep to remember the day!

For invitation - there are lots of online pages showing you how to make your own invites and make them look good. do a google search and you should find something, there are even some videos of online tutorials showing you step by step how to do it.

We are making out own save the date cards....which we actually should do before the end o this month....hmmm

anyway, best of luck

skittybang

I know everyone keeps photographer is expensive but it really depends what that package comes with. Mine was approximately $1,200 which included 2 photographers, Full album, 2 in-law albums, DVD, and all the prints. I would still look at an independent photographer. Over $1500 is pretty extensive. Great way to save on this is hiring a cheaper photographer and getting the disposable cameras for all the tables.
I think it odd the veil is half the price of the dress - probably can find something more reasonable at a boutique.

Decent price on the food, though.

With centerpieces - sometimes the venue will supply their own for no additional cost

For favors - one thing I did was use some of the bed, bath & beyond gift cards from my shower to buy in bulk some kitschy stuff. You could also do what a friend of mine did and say that "the money that would have been spent on favors has been donated to __insert charity__" You don't actually havvveee tooo.... but I'm a jerk and would probably lie about it, haha!

angela828

My fiance and I have decided to save costs we will be using fake flowers for the bouquets and possibly the boutineers (spelling?).. saves so much money and his mother is going to prepare them for us since I am not crafty. We have decided to not do as much flowers in the church bc the church is pretty on its own and will be having only 2 or 3 big arrangements (of real flowers bc then we will donate to church). We are also using fake flowers for centerpieces. Plus I want to keep my bouquet so this is perfect for me. I'm not a huge fan of flowers and they are very low on my list of priorities.

As far as the photographer, I think that is a decent price but it depends on WHAT you are getting. for example, my photographer is charging about 1900 but we get her literally all day, she doesn't leave until we tell her to go, we get 3 albums with it, a slideshow, the rights to all our pictures, a dvd of pictures, and she is FANTASTIC and her pictures are amazing. I mean, are you only getting a set number of hours with the David's Bridal photographer? The reason we went with our photographer is because she does not have a time limit, she will be there from start to finish, no worries. From the other photographers we priced, she is the best deal.. All the other ones had 8 hour packages for much much more money. We need more than 8 hours! (more like 12). I've heard the David's Bridal package is not good so that is why I stayed away from them. (got my dress there and all the accessories but not using them for other things).

we are unsure about favors right now, however you can buy things in bulk..if the groomzilla wants to do the red champagne glasses tell him to pay for them himself. try orientaltrading.com for cute cheap favors you can buy in bulk. or try a candy bar for the guests to go to at the end... get cute little goody bags and they can fill the bag themselves w fun candy.

You can design your own save the dates and invites and print them yourselves or get them sent to you. try 123print.com or vistaprint.com. I've heard snapfish.com is good too. My fiance and I saved hundreds by designing our own save the dates and uploading the design on vistaprint. we plan on doing the same thing for our invites.

Other ways to save money = your cake can be half real/half fake. none of your guests will know the difference bc it gets cut in the kitchen anyway. you can have a 3 or 4 tier cake but only 1 or 2 tiers are actually cake, the rest is fake. skip the champagne toast if its not included in dinner package. ask a friend to photograph/videotape wedding. instead of a wedding registry, set up a cash registry or a honeymoon registry. some people (my future mother in law) think it is tacky but who cares? you set up a registry online and label it "our honeymoon" and people can put money toward your trip! they can buy you things like dinner certificates, spa days, even nights at your hotel. try myregistry.com I believe.. you can also set up just a cash registry.

hope this helped.. although my wedding budget is higher than most brides I've spoke to on here, it is still important to my fiance and I that we save money! you have to do the research and do a lot of pricing if you want to save $$.

tinywithaBIGheart

photographer is pretty pricey

Fighting4Healthy

I think the florist is overcharging.

Maybe find an independent photographer who charges less

Good luck!!!

I already put the deposit on the photographer, but i get a lot of stuff with it:

8 hrs of continuous photography coverage
dvd w/ jewel case and copyrights
12 months online hosting of images
basic image editing- color balancing and cropping
1-professional album design with 2
1- 10x10 deluxe wedding album w/ 24 sides
1- 16x20 print
2- 11x14 print
2- 8x10 print
4- 5x7 print
2- 2x3 print (8 wallets)
1- 10x10 leather wedding album box

Fighting4Healthy

I agree, I used to be a florist, your flowers seem very simple and could very well end up being closer to $500 if you shopped around. Also if you aren't set on the veil... that's a really high cost considering you still have to account for hair and make up on top of that right?

My flowers are kind of simple--- I've been to 3 florists.
I already bought the veil, and $50 gets my hair done and airbrush makeup, but I might just have my sis in law do my hair and teach myself how to apply makeup correctly

Fighting4Healthy

Yeah I agree your being charged too much for the photographer and the flowers, also get your bridesmaids and grooms men to contribute a small amount to their suits/dress/flower s etc..... If you explain the finacial situation, they will deinatly understand and even if try contribute $40 each it will make a huge difference. This is what I am doing for my wedding in July!! :-)

The bridesmaids and groomsmen are paying for their own dresses and tuxes. The bridesmaids are picking their own dresses, all the same style and color. The groomsmen have a say in what kind of tuxes they want as long as they match, it is only fair since they are going to pay for their attire. The bouquet for the bridesmaids are about $10.50 each and the boutonnieres are about $8 each. One of my bridesmaids is paying for my wedding bouquet.

Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet

Look around for a floral depot or warehouse. You can DIY for $100 including vases, easy!

_GlaDOS_

I’d skip the entire wedding and take a super long $9,000 honeymoon. But, maybe that’s just me.