How to budget a wedding...

[englishteacha]

We're in Maine, so our prices are considerably lower than what you'll find in NJ. It's actually my anniversary today!

Our cake and photos were gifts from friends who bake cakes and take pictures. We had a church wedding and rented the American Legion ballroom for our reception. (It's not your "normal" legion hall...very classy) My family did the food and my MIL made our favors (white chocolate daisy lollipops). Our wedding was very inexpensive, but it was a lot of work for us and our families. Neither of our families could afford to pay for our wedding, so we paid for what we could and our families helped with providing many hands!

Some general advice: Shop around. Ask for discounts. Do what you can yourself without driving yourself crazy. Ask all your friends and co-workers who they used for the services you're seeking. If you have a friend who is talented in something you need, ask to hire them or if they'll give you their services as a gift.

Go to NH to buy your dress!!! (since your future in-laws are there, anyway)

 

[meriface11]

i actually grew up in monmouth county (freehold), but i got married in CT. my brother is getting married next summer, but i think the reception is somewhere in ocean county b/c the ceremony is going to be at georgian court.

 

[mjkacmom]

Kind of a budget buster, but since you are in NJ, you really should have an open bar. My dress cost $1500 15 years ago, but you could save money at a David's Bridal, or even ebay. I remember everything seemed to cost $500 - photographer, DJ, limo, cake - but this was 15 years ago.

 

[Bren's Mom]

I don't think that $100pp for all that you're getting, in NJ, is a bad price. Although depending on the date/day of the week you may be able to negotiate something even better.

And I think that $8k or less is totally doable for you!

We had a 40 person wedding at a lovely restaurant on a river here in CT for $2k. We did a luncheon, skipped dancing. The time of day and no band/dj helped the budget. The venue was very rustic, something I love.

I ordered my dress from Chadwick's...it was $89 I think. And I loved it.

DH, along with his best 'man' (dss, who was 10 at the time) both wore khakis, white dress shirts, navy jackets and different purple ties. They looked great.

My sister bought my little nieces matching dresses on clearance, we put purple ribbon sashes around their waists and they looked awesome.

I bought lovely stamped tin buckets which fit our venue. They were $1 or $2 at the Christmas Tree Shop. I also bought lavender wired ribbon there, $1 for 10 yards, and put bows onto floral picks. And then I got large pothos plants when they were on sale. Put one plant in a bucket with the ribbon for each centerpiece. They were beautiful, and my friends and family still have the live plants growing in their homes!

For other flowers I ordered my bridal bouquet, 2 tiny baskets of flowers for my nieces, a boutonniere for dh and dss, fresh (loose) flowers for the cake and a corsage for both moms. (My dad is not in my life, dh's dad passed away many years ago.) We spent $400 at our local grocery store, and the flowers were beautiful. We had my favorite yellow and lavender roses and irises.

I printed our invitations. Bought beautiful heavy ivory invites found at Christmas Tree Shop. They were so easy to design and print. Looked great. I also printed response cards and our favor cards (thank yous with dollar scratch off tickets in them 'We got lucky in love, hope you get lucky too! Thank you for sharing our special day with us.'

We had a buffet with a roast beef carving station, matchstick veggies, tortellini alfredo, salad, rolls...can't recall what else.

Cake was 3 tiers, basket weave with the fresh flowers on top and around.

My sister took pics, she's not a pro photographer but takes great pics and we're thrilled with how they came out. Our friends took pics also. And we took all of them, printed them in black and white and made a lovely album.

You can do it if you're a little creative and alot flexible! Congrats!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I just started a thread and maybe that information will be helpful to you.

here it is :

wedding supllies -- CHEAP!
Anyone out there engaged and planning a wedding?

We were traveling this weekend and we went into a store named Big Lots.

They had a huge display of Martha Stewart wedding supplies -- a planner book, invitations, thank you's, decorations, little favor boxes, streamers, little tin heart shapedboxes in a pack of 24, etc


.....for $2 each!!!

Everything was $2. It was all very nice!

I hope this helps someone.

 

[pooh's honey]

It is definitely do-able! I live in NJ too, although south NJ, and was able to stay under my budget of $10,000. I had about 100 guests. For what you are saying you get, $100/person is a really good deal and about average for the area.

I would suggest seeing if there are recommended vendors for the other things you still need. You don't have to go with them, but sometimes they will give you a discount since they are on the preferred list.

I don't have an exact list in front of me for what I spent, but I know I saved a lot by doing some of the things myself. Yes at times it was stressful trying to do flowers and programs. But the thing to remember is this: Everyone want to have a good time. People won't notice if you bows or ribbons don't match your dresses exactly. Try to keep that in mind or it can be overwhelming and stressful.

I do have to warn you though, the one expense that we didn't realize would be so much was the limo. And it was probably because we needed something for 12 people. But if it's just going to be you and your significant other perhaps you could get a towncar instead?? Just an idea.

 

[pianoronni37]

DH and I had our wedding in October 2008. It was a "budget" wedding.

It DEFINITELY seems like you'd be overpaying.

We had a wedding for 65 people, there was a buffet and we also had our ceremony on site, 2 hours of open bar, and the total was $1760. Of course, I'm in Upstate NY and there are beautiful (affordable) sites throughout the state, so it may have been an advantage.

My flowers were "budget" and I had silk ones made at a florist for me, and my bridesmaids each picked out some flowers at Michaels/AC Moore that matched my colors and we had a bouquet party, putting them together! I think we spent $150 total on flowers, including the boutonnières.

My DJ was $600, but since it was a Sunday wedding (cheaper!) he knocked off $100 so we got him for the entire night for $500.

The cake was $350 to serve 75.

My photographer was a friend (I would NOT recommend this route, as we were very unhappy with our photos), total cost was $700. A professional would have run $1200, but had I known how BAD these would be, I would have gladly shelled out $500 more.

My hair and makeup cost $100. Again, it was someone I knew (for my hair) and I wasn't totally happy. But I was on a budget, so it was really my only option. My girls paid for their own.

Remember to account for decorations, centerpieces, stationery, favors (we had caramel apples!), and other things that could come up.

Altogether, including my dress, accessories, everything mentioned above, PLUS the honeymoon (Disney, $1700) our wedding cost just under $10,000.

And that was a BUDGET wedding.... those little things do add up. Just remember to set a budget and keep to it. It's easier to follow than if you just head to the store and say "ooh I want this! oooooh I want that!"

Good luck, don't stress TOO much, and have LOTS and LOTS of fun that day - it flies by WAY too quickly!!!

 

[blana]

You might also want to check out http://www.windsorpeak.com/bridalbargains/default.html for ideas with lower costs.

 

[teddygurlkeekee]

How much do invitations cost?

I came across this thread because my sister is getting married and I know they are wanting to do things cheap.

That being said, I did both hers and my cousins wedding invites for them. They gave me their specifics and pictures and I emailed them a picture file that they just sent to Walmart.com and got printed off for about 12 cents each. I do alot of invitations and annoucements for people for all types of events..

PM if you would like more info or to see examples. I would love to help!

 

[HGD24]

Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding!

We were married at a restaurant that has gardens and offers an area for weddings so we saved on transportation and decorations since nature was decoration enough. Our entire wedding & honeymoon cost us $8000 and to this day, people still say how beautiful it was.

We made a list of the things that we felt were important enough to spend more money on and those that we could go a little less expensive on.

We used high-quality silk flowers that everyone thought were real, had the cake made by a family member who makes them as a business, didn't have open bar, used the restaurant's centerpieces, did my own make-up & made our own programs. I'm sure there were more things we did to cut costs, but those are the ones that I can remember. It can be done and it can be nicely. Good luck!

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

Thank you! Those are some good ideas, I like the M&Ms idea!

They also have Disney M&Ms including Princess Wedding (Cinderella & Prince Charming)... We're doing the Princess Wedding and some personalized ones for our wedding... mixing in some solid ones in our colors...

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Thanks everyone, getting some GREAT ideas!!

Someone mentioned not having a DJ, and I was thinking of not getting a DJ as well, since there may only be about 40 of us, I don't know if anyone will really be dancing you know.

WWYD?

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

They also have Disney M&Ms including Princess Wedding (Cinderella & Prince Charming)... We're doing the Princess Wedding and some personalized ones for our wedding... mixing in some solid ones in our colors...

I have seen them when I sign of facebook, they pop up on the side as an advertisement and I was seriously thinking about that too after someone said the M&Ms!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

We're in Maine, so our prices are considerably lower than what you'll find in NJ. It's actually my anniversary today!

Our cake and photos were gifts from friends who bake cakes and take pictures. We had a church wedding and rented the American Legion ballroom for our reception. (It's not your "normal" legion hall...very classy) My family did the food and my MIL made our favors (white chocolate daisy lollipops). Our wedding was very inexpensive, but it was a lot of work for us and our families. Neither of our families could afford to pay for our wedding, so we paid for what we could and our families helped with providing many hands!

Some general advice: Shop around. Ask for discounts. Do what you can yourself without driving yourself crazy. Ask all your friends and co-workers who they used for the services you're seeking. If you have a friend who is talented in something you need, ask to hire them or if they'll give you their services as a gift.

Go to NH to buy your dress!!! (since your future in-laws are there, anyway)

Happy Anniversary!! Thank you!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

i actually grew up in monmouth county (freehold), but i got married in CT. my brother is getting married next summer, but i think the reception is somewhere in ocean county b/c the ceremony is going to be at georgian court.

that's where I am graduating from in May

 

[SilverL]

Our wedding was less than $4500. We had a lot of friends who did things like cake, hair, photography, etc, in lieu of gifts, and we did everything else ourselves.

Venues were about $800
Dress was $500 with alterations
Stationary (Invitations, Envelopes, Postage, Insert Card, RSVP cards, Programs, and signs) was $250, and most of that was postage. We did all stationary ourselves for 200 invites and ultimately 200 guests. I think I got an RSI from the rotary trimmer
Accessories (Shoes, Bra, Crinoline, Rings) came to $200
Decorations were around $400
iTunes songs for reception were $75
Beauty stuff (Make Up---which I did myself, purchasing all the products at Sephora---Hair, Nails, Brows, Etc) was $250
Flowers were $450. We ordered online and did them ourselves. DH's sister in law works for a florist
Food (cake, coffee, punch) was less than $100
Gifts for our large bridal party were $200
Marriage license was $50
Hotel (2 nights at a very nice one + Food during our stay) was $500

The rest went into strange, mysterious places that I forgot to document. Most of these prices aren't typical, because we didn't hire a single professional, but it gives you an idea of what IS indeed possible if you're willing to take the DIY route.

 

[HGD24]

Thanks everyone, getting some GREAT ideas!!

Someone mentioned not having a DJ, and I was thinking of not getting a DJ as well, since there may only be about 40 of us, I don't know if anyone will really be dancing you know.

WWYD?

I've been to small weddings where they had a stereo playing soft (usuallyclassical) music. If you want an MC to announce toasts and cake cutting, you could ask an outgoing family member or friend to do that. If you want to do the traditional first dance and other traditional dances, you can make cd's and play them at the appropriate time.

 

[fussymonkey]

One of my cousins had a gorgeous wedding with 80 guests 2 years ago in DC and spent around 4K I think. She put want ads on Craig's List, like "wanted: wedding florist. Color scheme is blue and brown, need 3 flower girls, 1 bridemaid, 1 bride's bouquet, 5 boutineers, 2 corsages. Budget: 500" etc. She did that for photography, caterer, florist, dj. She got tons of responses from vendors, interviewed them all, chose the ones she liked and had a lovely wedding. The advantage was that the vendors knew the budget ahead and were willing to work with it, so she didn't find herself streaching out of her budget.

FWIW, in 2001 we had a wedding for 115 guests, 10 bridal party members, and our honeymoon in London and Paris for about 8K. So it can be done.

Congrats and good luck

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

One of my cousins had a gorgeous wedding with 80 guests 2 years ago in DC and spent around 4K I think. She put want ads on Craig's List, like "wanted: wedding florist. Color scheme is blue and brown, need 3 flower girls, 1 bridemaid, 1 bride's bouquet, 5 boutineers, 2 corsages. Budget: 500" etc. She did that for photography, caterer, florist, dj. She got tons of responses from vendors, interviewed them all, chose the ones she liked and had a lovely wedding. The advantage was that the vendors knew the budget ahead and were willing to work with it, so she didn't find herself streaching out of her budget.

FWIW, in 2001 we had a wedding for 115 guests, 10 bridal party members, and our honeymoon in London and Paris for about 8K. So it can be done.

Congrats and good luck

Thanks, I never thought of using craigs list, I did not even think that florists, etc would look, but that is some great advice. I am going to have to get a notebook and start writing these down.

 

[meriface11]

that's where I am graduating from in May

no kidding. my mom works there in administration, so she was able to reserve the chapel for my brother and his fiance.