so, it turns out that we dont have any money for the wedding because our move cost way more than we anticipated, so we basically have nothing to put towards it... we are hoping to get married in august, so if we really scrimp, we could probably save about 400 bucks LOL... we have the wine already, i bought my dress already, invitations i will do on the computer etc... but i was wondering if you have any ideas of how we can make this as cheap as possible. my mom said she would help out with the cake, and tables and chairs... we want to have it in our back yard, which isn't huge, but is doable. also, there will be a max of about 80 people coming... any ideas would be great!

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Hail the Conquering Graduate! Now to Pay off $56,894 in Student Loans... therein lay the challenge

Use balloons instead of or in addition to flowers. It will save you BIG bucks! You can get the muted colors/frosty looking ones at most party supply places (or check on line for discount places). They fill in a lot of gaps, can be bought to match your wedding colors, etc. You can either blow them up with air or get a small helium tank (I think you can rent one, actually!). It might be fun to guests to release them at the end or something!

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Which parts do you need help with, specifically? Food, entertainment, invitations, photography?? You've already got the dress and location, so my two big tips are out.

I will suggest this one strongly: Go to the library or bookstore and get a copy of Bridal Bargains by Denise & Alan Fields. It's geared more toward people planning big "traditional" weddings, but it was still very helpful with our small wedding. They also have a website, and the discussion boards there are full of information.

Also, when you're asking for prices on things, do not mention the word "wedding" unless you have to. It seems to tack another 15% on the price somehow.

Definitely don't say the word wedding...EVER! People charge ridiculous amounts once they hear that word. If they ask just say its a gathering. Which is true.

Let us know more specifically what you are needing help with. I planned my wedding myself and spent very little and I'm sure there are a lot of ladies who can help you out. Do you have colors in mind?

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Proud mommy to adorable Kinsley

MY BLOG!

We had a good family friend with a nice 35mm camera take candid pictures ( we got married before digital cameras )and a lot of pictures of the extended family. The professional photographer did the "traditional" pictures. If you know of someone you trust to do this you may not even need the professional photographer.

We bought all of the film and paid for the developing as we were able to. By developing the pics on our own and keeping the negatives then parents etc were able to get doubles etc that they wanted. You would want to pick a person who feels comfortable organizing and mingling with people. The wall flower type of person might not feel comfortable doing this.

I enjoy looking at these pictures more as they captured all of the fun moments that as a bride mingling with everyone you can easliy miss or forgotten!!!

Enjoy your big day!!!!

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AMOAMOM :love:

Bridal bargains book is great! I got tons of ideas in there for my wedding.

Also instead a fresh flower bouquet you can use faux flowers, they are better looking now then they used to be and cost a lot less. I also see a lot of wedding stuff in AC Moore and Michaels, plus they usually have a 40% off coupon in the newspaper every week. You can check that out and see if you get some ideas. Also party city I think has an isle for weddings and I remeber seeing coupons occasionally for them too.

What other ideas are you looking for? Food? Maybe do more pasta dishes then meats, are you getting it catered? Maybe some family members can help make some dishes, bake deserts, etc.

Good Luck!

Sounds like you have most of the costs covered. What else is left?

Photographer? Part of the cost is a deposit, you pay for the balance after the pictures are delivered. Get a small package of formal shots. Of my entire wedding album, there are really only one or two pictures that are my absolute favorite. The photographer shouldn't have to document the entire ceremony. Buy a few disposable camera to have at the ceremony and friends can take all the candid shots.

Flowers? The biggest waste of money at a wedding, IMHO, is flowers. I recommend silk flowers for the bride's bouquet, the mothers' corsages and the lapels. The rest of the decorations can be balloons and fabric.

Food? All you really need is cake and a little wine for the toast. Everyone says that but most of us want to do more. If you time your wedding right, you really won't have to provide lunch or dinner. Think of doing lots of appetizers - fruit / veggie trays, etc. Perhaps there are friends who would like to help you with providing those. Remember, your local grocery store may agree with store the extra food in their refrigerators until the day of the wedding.

Minister? That is one expense you can't avoid. Same goes for the license.

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"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

Ah...weddings...one of my favorite topics!!! (I'm actually an event planner!!!)

We were also on a tight budget for our wedding. My best piece of advice? Choose what is important to you and spend your money on those things. For everything else, go as cheap as possible. For example, my dress was important to me, but the cake was not. I did spend some money to get a great dress, but I got the cake from a grocery store (ordered a plain, frosted three-tier cake for $60...then we simply asked our florist for a few extra flowers which she gave us for free, put them on the layers of the cake and voila...a beautiful yummy cake and no one at the wedding had any idea!)

Also - and this is a personal opinion - but favors are another place that I'd consider cutting. Simply sprinkle some hershey kisses on the tables and your done. (Think about it, where are all of the favors that you've collected from the various weddings that you've attended? No idea? That's my point!) Again, this is just my way of thinking....favors are very important to some people. My main point, however, is that there is no need to spend, spend, spend. Simply decide on what aspects of the wedding are most important to you and go from there... Good luck!

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We also did a small, inexpensive wedding. A family member "catered" it and donated all the food which was awesome. A professional photographer friend of a friend from church volunteered to take our pictures for free. We did our wedding for around $800.

You do get what you pay for sometimes though. The "professional" photographer friend called an hour before our ceremony and said he wasn't going to make it, but not to worry he was sending his wife. She didn't know a lens from a hole in the ground and we got maybe 10 good photos out of 4 rolls of film. Not one picture from the actual ceremony came out at all. And it took 3 months to get the pictures back from them. We'd have been better off handing out disposable cameras to the guests.

All the best to you and may your wedding be beautiful and your marriage be long.

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I am my son's mom & my husband's wife.

Weddings can be expensive even if you have a small, frugal one (I know from experience). Here are some of my suggestions:

Food: If you haven't set a time for your ceremony and reception yet, consider having it during a time of day that you wouldn't need to serve a full meal. If you do it mid afternoon you could serve hors d'oevres (sp?). If you keep the food simple you may be able to make some yourself or ask friends and family to help out. If you have it catered this will be cheaper as well (this is what we did and there were no complaints)

Music: If you are having it at your home will you be able to use your own stereo system?

Centerpieces/Flowers: I am not a huge fan of faux flowers so I just used a few to accent candles and to decorate vases with goldfish in them. Remember, your centerpieces can be anything you like! If you want to use real flowers, is it possible to plant a flower bed that will be ready in time for August? Then you could make your bouquet, corsages, etc.

Photos: I agree with the other posts that recommend having someone you know take pictures. My favorite photos were all candids. My husband's aunt bought disposable cameras for our reception tables and developed them as our wedding gift. Maybe a relative would want to do that for you. You could have a photographer do just a few formal shots or go to a studio for bridal portraits.

Sorry to be so lengthy (once I get on a roll...). Don't get too stressed with all the little details. In the end, you'll just remember how much fun you had and how special it was and that's the important thing!