Budgeting tips

I promise this will be my last question for at least a few days.

We have just learned that his parents are going to be unable to give us any money towards the wedding. Because of this, we are now paying for it completely ourselves with some help from my parents as well. And of course, this means that some of our preliminary ideas for what we want are now going to go out the window.
Obviously I know that it is definitely not their responsibility to pay for any of our wedding at all, but it is a bit frustrating when they had originally told us that they would give us some money towards the food and drink. Alas, it's not to be.

Anyway ladies, I need some good budgeting tips for us, as we're also trying to buy our first apartment in the near future as well. As I said, my parents will be chipping in, but we're still going to be responsible for probably half the budget. Any ideas or tips you could give me for keeping the costs down would be gratefully accepted.

[sparklesweetie]

Well, on food, here's my tip. If you're ok with it, buy items in bulk (we got ours from a BBQ resturant) and serve it up buffet style. We paid $600 for the "meal for 100" (but probably fed close to 200). Had plenty to go around and brought a bunch back home with us.

Fake flowers are almost always cheaper than real ones.

Make as much as you can yourself (like you didn't know that ). I'd be more than happy to help you if you're not into the crafty thing. (Unity candles, veils, ring bearer pillows, signature mats...I got ya covered. )

Erm...I'm sure I've got more, but having a brain blockage at the moment.

[Julz518]

My two biggest tips are (1) to prioritize and (2) to plan ahead.

1) You have to realize that you probably can't afford to have everything exactly the way you want it. So pick the one or two things that mean the most to you, and compromise on the rest.

2) You have the luxury of time. Start shopping for everything NOW - including your vendors. They usually raise their prices annually, so if you lock in their 2008 prices now, it will save you a few hundred bucks in the long run.

My biggest expenses were the venue and the food. (Alcohol was really not that big an expense, and we had a full bar.) Again, start shopping now for your venue so you can get their curent rate. Ask your friends if they or any of their parents are members of any social clubs that have rental halls you might be able to use (for the members price). Are you willing to consider a Friday or Sunday wedding? That can also save you bundles.

As for food, the biggest consideration is your guest list - so you have to decide for yourself how to limit that. But, if you have your wedding early, you could have a brunch, mid-afternoon (2-3ish) you could just have heavy HDs, or late (7-8pm) you could have a dessert reception, all of which would sve you money.

And if you need any decoration-type stuff, let me know. You can have all mine for whatever it costs to ship it to you!

[Heather]

Originally Posted by Ciarrai

we are now paying for it completely ourselves...

we're still going to be responsible for probably half the budget

This made me laugh, lol.

You're using the same colors as I did, and I saved money in a number of ways. Mike and I paid for everything ourselves...

• Instead of buying any type of centerpieces, floral or otherwise, the venue had silver candlabra (sp?) that I used and had placed in the middle of each table. If your venue doesn't have something like that, see if you can rent something. Probably saved $300 to $500.
• We had a friend perform the ceremony and saved about $300.
• My BMs were in simple black dresses so I didn't have to worry about matching them to anything like the table napkins, lol.
• All table clothes and chair covers were white - the least expensive to rent or use and it's in your colors so you'll save some money there.
• I used silk flowers (roses) for the bouquests, real for the bouts & Mom corsages. Saved at least $400.
• I made the programs and STDs myself - white card stock with black lettering with a small red design. Saved about $100.
• I didn't have a cake, the venue provided a chocolate lava cake as part of the meal.
• I didn't buy any "extra" flowers for anything - the venue was beautiful and didn't need to be cluttered up.
• Didn't have a videographer.
• All my BMs love to read, so I bought them all books that reminded me of them and inscribed them with a letter about what the meant to me. The guys received leather cigar holders and four good cigars bought in bulk from a shop.
• The venue had a card holder I could use.
• We did a simple signature book for our guests when they arrived.

As with Julz, our biggest expense was the food and drink. We had full open bar for cocktail hour and the length of the reception. The food was amazing, and people still talk about it.

I've mentioned before to not worry about minor details. They seem big when you're planning, but the truth is people won't remember the small things. They'll remember good food, good music, and not spending a dime.

I just remembered that you asked for my list. I'll send you two if I still have my original. One is just a blank list, the other has my actual costs figured in.

[Complicated Woman]

Well, first of all, establish a budget and STICK TO IT.

Next, DIY everything you can. No one but you really cares about the small details, and honestly, on that day, you won't care, either! I saw a lovely tiara I was dying for for $65 and was able to make a very similar one for $20. My jewelry was from Target, I got inexpensive shoes at DSW, the flower girl dress was from WalMart -- and I promise, no one knew or cared where the stuff was from, I got plenty of compliments on everything! We didn't have any fresh flowers, I made my own bouquets from silks and used wax sugared fruit and candles for centerpieces. Skipping the flowers seriously saved $500, easy -- plus my brother is super allergic to pollen, so he thanked me, lol.

Use talented friends and family, too -- my step-mom did my hair, my aunt did my makeup, a graphic designer friend did our invitations, and my cousin (who DJ's at his college radio station) borrowed some sound equipment from school and was our MC.

As far as saving on the reception site, since you're not having a church wedding, try to have it all in one place, it's usually much cheaper. We also saved tons ($25 a head off the usual price) by having our wedding in the winter and on a Friday evening.

Also, ask for deals. The worst they can say is no! We were having children and we asked about a discounted rate, kids ate for half the cost of adults and under 2 years old were free. Our reception site also helped us out in combining some of the extras we wanted -- a dessert station, espresso bar and the corkage fee on a special dessert wine we brought -- for a reduced rate. Just try to cut down on spending in every area a little bit and you'll see it adds up.

Originally Posted by Heather

This made me laugh, lol.

I may have been a bit tired at that point. I think what I meant to say was that anything that they were going to pay for is now up to us. Glad I amused you.

Everyone's suggestions are great. A few more I could add:

Take a look at some wedding budgets or planning lists and think about what you can do without entirely. There's likely a ton of stuff you just don't need but might be considered standard. My DH and I cut out what was listed on the template we used as "transportation" - limos and such. We also cut out fancy linens, overlays, chair covers, and such. We didn't hand out seeds or bubbles or anything like that. No one said anything.

Do simple favors, if you do any at all.

Centerpieces - consider anything BUT flowers. I used fruit (lemons and limes) in vases.

Consider creative alternatives to bouquets for bridesmaids. A friend was telling me recently that she went to a wedding where the bridesmaids carried fans in the bridal colors. Also, being judicious about the number of attendants cuts down on costs -- the cost of their gifts and flowers and such.

When you look into venues, consider what each provides in their set price. Sometimes, it might actually be cheaper to go with slightly more per-person than to try to get extra stuff added by another vendor. Also consider how much decoration the venue needs, and whether the venue has stuff you can use for free. Consider whether the chairs are nice enough that you can dispense with chaircovers and if the linens are pretty enough to dispense with additional overlays. And if the venue might allow you the use of an on-site coordinator in the price.

You can ask a friend to act as a day-off coordinator instead of hiring one.

Definitely don't hire a videographer. If any of your friends has a small hand-held camera, ask them to videotape your wedding. A family member did ours, and the result is HILARIOUS. And I like it better for that than having been a professional product.

Consider asking a friend to do your photography.

[AimeeJorge]

You received a lot of good ideas.

One area we saved a lot was in the photographer. I know pictures are very important and they are memories you can always look back on. But some of these photographer are crazy. The prices they charge, from $3k to $8k. That's absurd, I think.

What we did was hire my cousin's boyfriend who loves to take pictures and has a good eye for pictures. He has an expensive camera. He's not a professional but he takes pictures like a professional. We paid him $200 for 4 hours. During those hours he took over 600 pictures. My husband later edited the pictures on photoshop and then through somerset albums(online) we made a beautiful, professional looking album. All this under $700. Check out my blog. I mention this more in detail.

You'll be surprised how many friends you might have who take professional looking pictures. Who you can work something out. If not go to craigslist list. There you can find people who are trying to build up their profolio and will give you a great deal.

Originally Posted by Laura Ann

The bottom line is the commitment you and your husband are making to one another, with the blessings of God, in the presence of your family and friends. Everything else is just icing on the cake. Keep focused on why you are getting married, and the rest will be nice but not ridiculously expensive.
Good luck.

Yeah not quite. I think god would rather smite me than bless me right now, being an atheist and all.

[james02]

A way that we saved a great deal of money (probably $1000) was by having a friend conduct the ceremony. Worth a shot.

[NovemberGal]

Originally Posted by james02

A way that we saved a great deal of money (probably $1000) was by having a friend conduct the ceremony. Worth a shot.

Wow...you'd have paid a priest or whoever $1000 to marry you?? I think we gave our priest $200.

I was going to say, I think the officiant's fee for us is only a couple hundred bucks.

[benjaminshr]

Setting your wedding budget is one of the very first things you should do. Use this handy wedding budget worksheet to plan out what you'll need to pay for, and how much you should plan to spend.You have to do following for save money:
1. Figuring Out a Basic Wedding Budget.
2. Trim Your Wedding Guest List.
3. Save Postage on Your Wedding Invitations.
4. Shop Sample Sales and the Internet for Cheap Wedding Dresses.
5. Look for Cheap Wedding Food and Drink.

[Ciarrai]

You didn't post a wedding budget worksheet, so I'm not sure what you're attempting to do. This is the second time in two days you've posted something that doesn't make sense, and you don't even have a clickable signature as an excuse.