How can we save money on a wedding?

we are getting married next year, we just signed for a photographer and i feel like we are over paying for them. So, I was wondering what are some good ways that we could save money on the rest of our wedding.

Public Comments

1. Make your own invitations and programs. Also, shop around for the best price on wedding favors and decorations. Good Luck!
2. There are so many ways to cut the costs of weddings, you just need to decide on three things that are paramount to the day, and compromise on the rest. For example, photography, ceremony venue, and reception venue were the three where I put the most money. Add up your monthly earnings, subtract expenses, and then see what's left. From there decide how much each of you can afford to save. Just keep in mind that you don't have to spend your life savings or go into debt to have a beautiful wedding. I have seen beautiful and elegant weddings with a $2,000 budget. It's in the planning, the chosing, and the execution. I myself am having a $5,000 English Garden wedding, and while it is sometimes difficult, I can already tell it will be beautiful =] Here are some of my money-saving tricks: Ceremony: Have an early ceremony (around 2 o'clock). *Your guests will have already have eaten lunch, and won't be expecting a huge meal. You then can serve light food such as finger food and desert. This is the only way that my fiance' could manage to feed our 180-200 guests without going way over our budget. Wedding dress: I found a beautiful gown at http://www.groupusa.com/ for a little more than $300 (my splurge). They have beautiful gowns by wonderful designers from affordable to extravagent. *Try places like GroupUSA, David's Bridal, and even eBay for knockout deals. I just found this eBay store http://myworld.ebay.com/gianinarbridal One dress is $39! Brand new. Add $89 for shipping from China and you have some knock out deals. Bridal Jewelry: I found my crystal wedding jewelry at no other than Wal Mart. Originally I had been looking at genuine jewelry from big name stores, but decided to scrimp here to save money for the wedding gifts my fiance' and I plan to get each other. *Don't forget retail sortes like Wal Mart and Target. My headpiece, earrings, and necklace by Crystal Collections came to $21. Wedding location: I have four choices, a lovely place on the property of a family friend, the beautiful garden of a local inn, a church that has a SMALL fee and goes well with my wedding style, or on the mountain where my grandparents' grew up, married, and live. *Look for unconventional venues; they'll be cheaper or even free. I opted for the for the garden for my English Garden theme. Reception Site: I have two options here, one of which is the brand new mansion-style library in our town. It would cost only $199 ($100 refundable damage deposit, and $40 for a library worker to stay on site). The other would be our local arts building of the town center. They have several large and beautiful rooms and are roughly the same amount as the library. *The same rule for venues applies here. Caterer: My friends and family are fabulous cooks, and are going to provide a buffet-style meal for the wedding guests. *Friends and family can really cut down on wedding expenses! Cake: A friend of my fiance' and I is a baker, and would only charge us the price of the ingredients. *If you don't have anyone who can provide this. Go for a two or three tier cake, and then have sheet cakes to cut for the bulk of the guests. That way you end up saving several hundred dollars. You can also have a two-tier cake, serving that only to wedding party, parents, and grandparents and serve guests with a cupcake tower. I'm simply having a three tier cupcake tower and forgoing the cake. Flowers: I am making my own bouquets. Flowers for a 30-stem wedding bouquet, toss bouqet, six 20-stem bridesmaid bouquets, arrangements, and 18 centerpieces (five flowers a vase would only run $288 before shipping costs from http://www.theflowerexchange.com. I am having a family friend do the arrangements for a fraction of the cost. *Do as much as you can on your own! Http://www.theknot.com has videos and step-by-steps on how to make your own bouquets and arrangements. Favors: For get then! Most of the guests toss these expensive trinkets. *Instead I am making a candy buffet--something even my smallest guests would enjoy. You need a small table, glass vases shapes and sizes, candy from a bulk store like Sam's (in your wedding colors, if you like), scoops, and little bags or favor boxes. Mine will come to about $60. Children: Do you want children at your wedding, but want the adults to enjoy the reception worry free? *If so, enlist a teenage niece, cousin, or friend. They may help as a wedding present, or simply be happy with $50 or so. They can keep the children happy and occupied with toys or color books in another room. Alternatively have the kid's table covered in a paper table cloth with crayons at each place setting. Invitations: You can purchase nice paper, envelopes, and an emblam, and an ink cartridge and make your own for about $50. OR you could go to http:///www.invitationsbydawn.com. She has great deals and some of them come to a total as little as $100. *Instead of $250-$350! Do what you can on your own, or look for budget-conscience resources like the one above. I am making my own invitations using beautiful, old postcards from the early 1900s. One-of-a-kind, over a century old, and inexpensive at a total of $90. DJ: My fiance's brother is a DJ, and will save us $975 by doing the reception as a wedding gift. *If you don't have someone like this, consider cutting the cost by having premade CDs of the music you want, and have someone man the player. Attendant Gifts: Try places like http://www.exclusivelyweddings.com *I found my 7 attendants gifts for $35, because they were having a sale on freshwater pearl and silver bracelets =] Centerpieces: Something simple. If you're having a fall wedding, vases filled with slender branches painted gold or silver is beautiful and inexpensive, and branches of berries can be added for winter. Spring or summer, simple vases with a few flowers. *I found short, square vases and am putting five gerbera daisies in each. Total cost for 18 tables is $99, and they look gorgeous! Have your bridesmaids' pay for their dress and shoes, and have a family friend who's good with hair or makeup help with that on the wedding day. Be sure to get them nice gifts! If your attendants are on a budget, go to a place like http://www.groupusa.com for dress ideas. My attendants dresses cost $119 each, and they're something they can wear again and again. GO TO http://www.theknot.com It has everything you could ever need. Also get these books: Wedding Planning for Dummies, The Knot's Guide to Wedding Planning, and Priceless Weddings for Under $5,000. Your local library should have at least one of them. Good luck!
3. elope
4. My big saver on my wedding is flowers...my bouquet and bridal party flowers are real..but the decorations at the reception is fake...silk flowers..and the look real and amazing...beautiful..just like real ones....and its way cheaper.....I just didnt see the meaning of haveing thousands of dollars of real flowers when silk looks exactly the same...goodluck!
5. Only have a few bridesmaids,and only one fw and pageboy. If you have a talented friend,you could buy the wedding dress material etc and ask her to make you the dresses as a wedding present?Only invite people to the wedding who you actually want there,and shop around in cheaper shops for shoes for the dresses.Do your make-up yourself on the day,or get a friend to do it.Hope this helps!x
6. make cute but inexpensive decorations such as using tea lights and having them float in a glass of water. its very romantic/cheap. you could also have food that everyone loves like meatballs everyone loves meatballs just having them on toothpicks and maybe jazzing them up a bit is sorta fancy itself.
7. wow! i recommend a very good way the wedding dress less than $300 , of course. the dress is with very good quality and very shinning http://www.kanaccasbridal.com/shopbrands.asp?cate_id=326 the bridesmaid dress, $129 per one http://www.kanaccasbridal.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=199&cate_id=330&cat=BLS flower girl dress $79 http://www.kanaccasbridal.com/shopbrands.asp?cate_id=333 enjoy it !!!!!!!!!
8. you can buy so many gently used items on ebay and craigslist for half the price or less. Many people are obviously only going to use them once, however a couple things you don't want to be cheap on: your dress, the photographer and your cake (buy one don't make it). Everything else you can always find the less expensive version of. Good luck and congrats
9. These days with didital cameras you can ask your closest friends. look I had a so called professional person he wasn't even prepared properly didn't check the camera on low batteries. be prepared its best not to waste money on so called photographers.
10. Well for one, you can do your own flowers. I sell kits as well as lots of other businesses.
11. Flowers: The options include fresh or silk flowers. If your heart is set on fresh flowers, consider having your attendants carry one or two roses with ribbons. This can look very special and elegant. Most grocery stores have a floral department that can do your flowers very inexpensively. You can also use silk flowers very effectively. Beautiful pre-made bouquets can be had from the arts and craft stores or you can make your own from separate stems of silk flowers. If you have the time, you can learn to make your own bouquets, using flowers either from your own garden, from the grocery store or flower stand, from a wholesaler or from another source. It has been my experience that grocery stores are usually the least expensive. If you decide to rely on your own garden, be sure to have a back-up plan in case your blooms don’t come through as needed. Cakes: Again, I recommend your grocer’s bakery. This is an inexpensive way to have a beautiful cake. Most have books of pictures for you to choose from. While a homemade cake is another option, don’t plan to make it yourself. This is a major job. Your job is to get married, not to bake on your wedding day. If you have a relative who is particularly talented in this area, you may want to ask them. However, if they have not made a wedding cake before, don’t just assume that they can do it. This is a difficult thing to do. Don’t set yourself up for a disappointment. Have a friend get ordained for a day to perform the ceremony. Use recorded music for the service and CD's for the reception. Have a heavy hors'douvre buffet, rather than a sit down meal. Serve wine and beer, but not liquor. If you or a friend lives in a condo or apt complex, check out the clubhouse for the reception. That usually the cheapest way to go. Have the ceremony and reception in the park, in your backyard or on the beach. Make your own invitations. Put disposable cameras on all the tables. This way you will get more candid shots and won't have to have the photog take so many. Photogs are very expensive, so if you haven't signed a contract yet, comparison shop online.
12. Go to a local college that offers photography classes and see if any of the best students would be interested in doing your photography. You'll have to pay for film and developing, and a little something for their time, but it'll be MUCH cheaper than an established wedding photgrapher. Sure you won't get a custom made wedding album, but I'm sure you ahve a friend or 2 that scrapbook who would be tickled pink to make one for you. Or you can take your pictures to Kinko's and have them make one for you. Also, hang some fliers at that college that you are looking for a band to play at your reception. I'll bet you'll have your pick of all the garage bands in town looking for a paying gig. :) Some of them might be pretty good too! Or load up your ipod with all kind of dance music- some old big-band-era classics for the older set, some boisterous slam-dancing stuff for those rowdy groomsmen, and those oh-so-sappy slow songs for the starry-eyed lovers. Then rent some big speakers and some lights, and maybe a disco ball. Have a life-of-the-party friend you trust act as emcee, and announce all the "moments": cake cutting time, first dance, etc. For your cake, order a small 2 or 3 tier cake for the cutting ceremony, and get sheet cakes to serve to the guests. Sheet cakes cost a fraction of what you pay for a ginormous 6-tier monstrosity, and serve the same number of people. To save money on the bar, either forgo alcohol completely, or serve just beer, wine, and soft drinks. Or have 2 or 3 "custom cocktails". They can coordinate with your colors, and you can give them cutesy names. You can also have a Jello shots party a few nights before your wedding with your bridesmaids, and make tons and tons of them. Get those little plastic condiment cups with the snap-on lids, and foil pans to store them in while they "gellify". We did this for my sister's wedding. It was a lot of fun to see the older ladies giggling while slurping jello out of the little cups.One tip- WEAR RUBBER GLOVES. Unless you were going for green-stained fingertips. For flowers, go simple and elegant. Carnations give you the most bang for the buck. They smell great and fill up a lot of space in a bouquet. Plus they come in every color under the sun. Use them with lots of greenery, and a few other flowers, like roses, sparingly. You can get them from any grocery store with a floral department and make the bouquets yourself. It's super-easy. For centerpieces, get thee to the Dollar Tree. Dollar stores are THE best place to find tea lights and candle holders, and you can get really pretty framed mirrors to set them on. sprinkle a few silk rose petals (walmart has a big box of 500 for about $9) and you're all set. Now for the menu. If your reception venue allows outside catering, see if you have an family members who are up to the challenge. You could do a pasta bar, with a few different kinds of pasta (how cheap is PASTA?!), with a few different sauces (marinara, alfredo, pesto, etc.) and toppings (diced pepperoni, olives, green peppers, onions, fresh herbs, cheeses, etc.), a simple salad, and garlic bread. Then give out tic-tacs as favors. lol You can buy print-your-own invitation kits at craft stores and walmart. These are so much cheaper than custom engraved invites, it's ridiculous. Just use a 2-hole punch (you can get these at an office supply store), punch two holes in near the top and thread a length of ribbon through it. They'll look just like the expensive ones. I hope this helps inspire your creativity!