Inexpensive wedding ideas?

P.S. One of my friends has EVERYTHING for a wedding with pink and brown theme... I kid you not, EVERYTHING... bridesmaid dresses, table decorations, favors, wedding dress, etc. that she wants to sell. She had a large wedding all planned and then decided to have a very small family wedding, so the only thing she ended up using was her wedding dress. Everything else is brand new. Let me know if you're interested and I'll put you in contact with her!!

Definitely make your own invitations. Computers now-days do such a nice job. You can have a custom invitation for a fraction of the price. Also, keep the reception simple- many restaurants do catering for a very reasonable price. Also, If you or someone you know is at all craft, you can save a ton on decorations, flowers, etc.

The biggest money saving on a wedding will come from having the most concise guest list possible! So try to get the numbers down and invite some groups of friends without partners if appropriate ie one of my uni friends invited the uni girls without partners knowing we would all have a great time together (its not like we knew each other's partners anyway!).

Try to keep flowers to a minimum because they are so expensive, you could use single flower (like cala lily) bouquets for bridesmaids for example. Oh and consider artificial flowers if you more want them to look pretty in photos (haha that's all I want!) because even high quality ones can be much cheaper than real ones and you get to keep them!

Try to think of things that aren't that important to you on your day... like for me, I really wanted an awesome photographer but couldn't care less about fancy cars that cost $1000 for an hour or so.

I would say make your own invitations but it depends how fussy you are, I have definitely spent more making my invites than I would have spent having them printed... but I got to have exactly what I wanted so can't complain.

One of my friends had a gorgeous kinda buffet roast meal at her wedding, just 4 different types of meat with all the trimmings. They just had it in a big warmer at the back and people took their plates up and it was served by family. It must have been so much cheaper than paying caterers, waiters etc

You could also request that people pay for their own alcohol instead of bringing a gift if you wanted. Or have a dry wedding if you aren't much of a drinker?

We had quite a large budget but now the pound is rubbish and worth about half as much as it used to be in Australia where we are getting married! Looking forward to hearing other people's ideas.

You have gotten some really great ideas here and I wish you and your intended all the best. But take it from someone married over 25 years -- don't skimp your budget by not buying your wedding rings. They do not have to be fancy; I wear a very thin plain gold band that cost us $50 when we married. It is more precious to me now than when he first put it on my finger. It represents where we were in life at that time - like you -- in college and broke. Is it engraved? No, we couldn't afford it. You may not think it means much now, but it will later.

(Why do I never see teh spelling till I post it?? :grumble: )

I just got married last weekend. We did a small ceremony in our backyard. And an open house type reception, pot luck brought by family.
My dress is a bridesmaid dress from the clearence rack at David's Bridal, $40
I got my flowers from Costco. Flowers can be very expensive, so really think about how much you want.
Vases from Goodwill, $1.99 each
We got 2 sheet cakes from Costco, $16.99 each. And had family serve the cake.
We had a friend take pictures with her digital camera, but we did not want a formal photo album, just a couple pictures to put on the mantel.
We had a friend perform the ceremony (in CO you do not need a minister or justice of the peace, etc.)
We rented tables and chairs, this was $200
We borrowed market umbrellas from family/neighbors instead of renting a tent.

You do not need to spend a lot of money to have a nice ceremony/reception. Make sure your quest list is appropriate to the amount of money you want to spend. The more people, the more money you'll spend.

Don't skip the rings, it's important to "look" married, even if it's just a band. You may not be able to get the ring of your dreams, but not many people can these days.

I would add this piece of advise...
Remember that no matter what little thing happens during the day -- it is not that important. Really! This day may be the start of your married ife, but it is only one day in that life. It is the marriage that is important -- the relationship -- in the long run. So many brides and grooms today get too hung up on making the day "perfect".

My day was perfect:
It rained so hard it was named -- Tropical Storm Isadora.
My mother and I transported all of the wedding stuff by ourselves to the chapel/reception hall -- cake, flowers, dresses, decorations...the morning of the wedding -- during Isadora!
My brother didn't show up-- and he was supposed to be in the wedding party. No reason has ever been given.
My father refused to go because my stepdad was giving me away (complicated -- but there were very valid reasons for this and he knew them all).
One of my bridesmaids car broke down on the way to the service, she did arrive -- a only a little bit late and a little bit damp.
We didn't kiss to seal our vows -- we shook hands! The priest had to tell him to kiss me.:blushing:

None of this was planned, or within my control -- but I look back and think -- the day was perfect because none of this stuff mattered in the long run. Gives us great stories now too.:laugh: