Wedding Dilema

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.

karenjoy

wow, I wish things were that cheap here, my Wedding cost a LOT LOT more than that...and it was two years ago and I did a ton of stuff myself. I think that US prices are lower than here. My dress cost over $1600, but that was my choice, and I could have got a cheaper one. We married in Church, but it is where I went as a child and my Mum is buried in the Church yard, and if we married in a different venue it may have been cheaper, it also meant we had to have a car, and that cost etc. But we saved money in other ways. So it was swings and roundabouts for us.

My suggestions are do as much yourself as you can, I did all my own order of service booklets for the Church, we brought all the Church flowers in the supermarket and for a small donation the Church 'flower ladies; decorated it for us and it looked fabulous. I designed and made the menus for the reception, we brought all the alcohol, mainly champagne as my own groomzilla insisted that he was getting married once and wanted good champagne, I had a bespoke dress, but got my veil, shoes and tiara second hand from ebay, I made all my own table centre pieces and also decorated the tables for the formal Wedding breakfast, or sit down meal myself the day before the Wedding, I made labels for the confetti cones and the favour boxes myself and made up little poems as a thank you to people as part of their menu, I designed the table plan and had it printed at Staples rather than a special Wedding place. I shopped about for all sorts of things, but don't compromise on the photographer, we paid more than you, but things are more expensive here. But I love my pictures and the video, it's what I have of the day. Why not ask people for contributions to a Honeymoney fund as a present? We already had a home and so we asked for vouchers or contributions to our honeymoon, we got a hot air balloon trip from out Best Man. I know from marrying a Canadian that Weddings are pretty different on your side of the pond, but money saving is the same. You can add me if you want, I could talk Weddings all day lol

Oh our favours, as I have lost my Mum to breast cancer and Hubby lost his Dad to a heart attack, we made a donation to Breast cancer and heart charities and gave all our guests a pin, the pink ribbon for the ladies and the gold heart from the British Heart Foundation for the men, we put them in little envelopes with a note explaining what we had done and why, it was received very well by people, if you looked carefully at my Wedding pictures, you can see that I am wearing a pink ribbon pin on my dress and Bill is wearing a gold heart on his cravat. x

auntdeedee87

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

That's a pretty great package for the price!

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.

Of course they charge that for a reason--they're professionals and their time is worth something. But how do you think they got to that point? Do you think they just woke up one day and someone said "Hey, I want to pay you $2,000 to shoot my wedding"?

Almost all wedding photographers start off as an "apprentice" to an established photog by trailing along and shooting a whole separate set of photos from the hired photog for free. They will also volunteer their time and will sometimes offer to do it for free because they have to build experience and a portfolio.

I'm not suggesting that she put an ad in craigslist saying "hey anyone out there have a point and shoot? bring it along and take some pics!"

I'm suggesting that with a little time and effort, it shouldn't be too difficult to find someone with the chops to beautifully shoot a wedding.

And notice i said originals and licensing. I didn't say prints. You could get those done on your own, and only get the ones you wanted rather than paying a premium for hundreds of pictures you dont need in printed formats.

Photography is largely a 'You get what you pay for' field.

I have been shooting weddings for 7 years. I just did one last month and charged $500. I was there for 9 hours. I have spent about 5 hours already processing those photos and still have 600 more to wade through. It's gonna be 20+ hours of work when all is said and done. Assuming it rounds off to 25 hours, that means I made 20 dollars per hour. Discounting the expense of driving to the event, then to the reception, batteries, payment for my second shooter to cover all angles,and props that were suggested and I made even less.

That's dirt cheap for someone with 9 years of experience in the field.

I sold myself short. I will be raising my prices in the new year because of it.

If you can find someone truly talented, great. But if they have the chops, the deserve to be compensated for their time. And less than $500 simply doesn't cut it.

Slimithy

We did our wedding 12 years ago on a very cheap budget and planned it in a month. Much of the items you list were given to us as gifts. My parents paid for the cake and photographer (who was much cheaper than yours listed). My MiL paid for the catering. We paid for the venues. My grandfather (ordained minister) officiated. The wedding dress was a hand-me-down as well. I think total out of pocket was something like $1500 or maybe less.

Slimithy

And even after all that and saving the money we did, we still wish we'd just saved the money and went to the beach and invited everyone to join us. The ceremony was beautiful and wonderful and we remember it fondly; but it was one day of out whole lives together. It is over before you know it and the money is gone. Just saying...

auntdeedee87

I tend to be passionate about the subject of photography. Part of my charm.

Captain_Mal

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

---

$314 from David's Bridal
Veil

---

$171 from David's Bridal
Ceremony Venue

---

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

---

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

---

$1,585 from David's Bridal

I have gotten quotes as well
Flowers

---

$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

Pretty sure I wouldn't spend more on my flowers than I am on my dress. You can cut some off of the flowers for sure. The photographer quote is pricey. I'm almost certain you could find another local photographer that would do it for almost half of what your quote is. Look to trim the photographer cost.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

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

---

$314 from David's Bridal
Veil

---

$171 from David's Bridal
Ceremony Venue

---

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

---

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

---

$1,585 from David's Bridal

I have gotten quotes as well
Flowers

---

$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 printed my own invitations with all the inserts and matching programs and place cards, picked the stationary out at either Michael's or Office Depot. The glasses would be a nice touch, but for what purpose? just do the sugar coated almonds in the sack like everyone else. Do you need a veil? They're grossly over priced, I wasn't going to do one but my mom did made it for me. You could always get some tulle, beads, glue, and make your own (iron the tulle). You photographer is grossly over priced unless it's also video. I used a momtographer, I didn't get a print package, but I did get a disk of my 600 pictures to make my own. I know nothing about flowers except that they are plants, however a circular mirror with a bowl of floating candles on each table may be cheaper or varying heights of vases with floating candles (the vases with ribbons). Your catering is actually reasonably priced, but why have a chef salad with all the other proteins when it may be cheaper to go greek or garden?