Wedding Dilema

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.

Qarol

elope...

maidentl

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

Agreed. I'm still pissed about my wedding 18 years later. LOL If I had a do-over, I'd skip the whole damn mess and have an awesome honeymoon.

khartley535

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.)

^^^This.

As an amateur photog, I've had several people ask me to do their weddings. My answer is always no. Spend good money on a quality photographer. Definitely not an area that you want to scrimp. Not to mention that the cost of a photographer also includes ALL of the time AFTER the wedding that they spend processing your images. This is WEEKS worth of work. My brothers wedding had over 3000 images and the photog spent time on every one of them.

ahinescapron

We saved alot on our wedding by making all of the decorations, such as centerpieces and pew bows ourselves. We went to hobby lobby and got our supplies on sale. We also got a small, local florist to do our flowers. It was cheap and they were excited to do it, so the customer service was excellent. We also saved money on flowers by using one expensive flower mixed in with some less expensive flowers and greenery. They were still beautiful!

infamousmk

Hey there - I haven't read any of the other replies, but here's my two cents anyway.. I've been married once before, and I'm about eight months out from my second wedding.

Cut out the favors. All of them. Nobody cares or wants that crap. Most of your favors will be left behind no matter what they are.

I think I saw someone say that you were paying for attendant attire? Eff that. Bridesmaids and groomsmen agree to be part of your big day and can pay for their own dresses/rentals. Just don't demand they wear $400 dresses, mmkay?

Google "home made wedding veil" or check etsy.com and ebay.com $170 is outrageous for a veil.

I love real flowers, I do, but that's a lot of money on flowers for one day. Why not use silk for the toss bouquet? Consider nixing pew decorations, or look for alternatives to flower for the pews and centerpieces. There are some really fun and creative ways to decorate without flowers. (I won't be using a single solitary cut flower in my entire wedding and reception).

Don't book a photographer through Davids. Check Craigslist, ask friends for referrals, call up the local art college .. you can find a cheaper photog, and Davids is known for price gouging on extras (I'm getting my dress there too, but their other stuff isn't worth it).

Food - do you have to go with prime rib? Are you having a buffet or a seated meal? Go for a buffet and offer something a little less flashy than prime and you'll save a bit there.

Good luck to you and congratulations!

significance

Could you cancel the photographer and ask a friend to take photos, or just ask all your friends to send their best pics? (I did the latter, and was very happy with the results - it also meant less stress on the day, with one less thing to worry about). I also went without flowers, except for a small bunch to carry down the aisle that my sister bought me on the day.

Wedding favours can be very simple things like little bags of almonds (or they can be missed entirely without anyone really noticing). Most people won't keep and use something like a single red glass, so although it is a nice thought on the day, it's a bit of a waste.

You can save a lot of money on the cake by getting a plain chocolate mud cake and giving it a few simple decorations yourself, such as a fresh flower or two. I had marzipan animal wedding favours and simply got a few more marzipan animals to decorate the top of our cake.

If you're confident of good weather, you might be able to hold the reception for free in a public park - some friends of mine did this (but just as well they hired shelters in case of rain, because it did rain heavily on the day!)

infamousmk

Oh, I just read through and noticed that you're already committed to a bunch of stuff - I don't know what to tell you other than good luck.

wifeygonzo

Go to Vegas! Take that $9k and go on an amazing honeymoon!

auntdeedee87

I would do a local search for photographers-- use theknot.com or and other sites can help put you in touch with them. If you'd like more help finding search engines I can help.

There are a lot of up & coming professionals that charge that same amount or less with stunning photos-- Without paying for a huge name.

However, photography is not something you want to skimp on-- Beware of anyone charging less than at least $500 for a wedding package. You can cut back costs, but if your wedding photos are something you truly want to cherish and show off, then you can expect to pay around $1,000.
Expensive, yes, but when broken down by the number of hours worked-- day of, processing and posting, etc-- it's pretty reasonable.

If you decide to shop around be sure and ask them for examples from previous weddings. Ask them how long they have been in the business and what, if any, formal training they have had. There are a lot of 'soccer moms' with DSLRs that have recently decided they are photographers in the past few months and will try to charge you a lot for shoddy work-- this is why you want examples from their portfolio, and preferably to see a business license. Also, insure that they have back-up equipment in case a worst-case scenario rears it's ugly head.

Also, don't be afraid to ask for references. Any photographer worth their salt should be able to produce at least one couple willing to talk to you and share their experiences in working with them,

Your price is going to depend on how many hours you're going to need them there-- IE, a wedding + reception that's over in 4 hours is going to cost less than an all-day event. Not sure where yours falls there?

Does that price include an image CD or a base of x-amount of basic size prints? Or is that extra on top of the price quote? You'll want to factor money in for those, if not.

At the end of the day, people will forget the food, the flowers, and to some extent what you were wearing-- you want QUALITY, crisp, well-lit photographs from someone who, if not a tried & true pro, is experienced and knows their way around a ceremony.

auntdeedee87

Yeah i think the obvious place to cut here would be the photog. Just because you're using a student doesn't mean you can't screen them. Photog students/apprentices are always looking for an opportunity to expand their portfolio. It likely won't be difficult to find someone to do it for $500 or less (including the processing), for which you'll get the original and own the license. You could then let them choose 10 or so of the best to use for their portfolio and advertising?

If they charge you $500 or less (including the processing) they are either selling themselves WAY short and you've found a diamond in the rough, or you are going to get screwed over.

This is ONE DAY. You don't get a do-over.

Photographers charge what they do for a reason.