i just got engaged and plan to be married within the year and my fiance and i plan to start a family soon after. i want to get in shape and be healthy not only for my wedding but also so i will be healthy when we decide to get pregnant, he is already in excellent shape and health other than diet but its me who needs to do most of the work. ok, first things first, i am a pack and a half a day smoker i have tried to quit cold turkey for 3 years and i always come back to it, i am going to buy the patch today, as a result of smoking my cardio is shot. also we have budget restraints due to the wedding, so gym memberships and expensive health food is out of the question, currently i eat mostly fast food and drink mostly soda. i never exercise because my cardio sucks and i also have bad knees from cheerleading in highschool so jogging and running even when i was in good health was extremely painful. someone please help me with inexpensive diet tips and at home exercise plans please help!

You will find that as you decrease the amount you smoke, your ability to do cardio will improve. (I enjoy smoking, but I quit it, too. You can too — I traded exercise for smoking!)

For exercise, do you have a bike? How far is it to work? If it's possible, I'd get on a bike for your exercise. It will do amazing things for your knees (I am doing this for my knees: I have added to my daily gym visit, 15 minutes/5 days a week on the stationary bike — wow, my knees feel better than they have in years.)

Okay, something else that you can do at home: rent some DVDs and try yoga. I tried it about a year ago and I've been hooked ever since. You can even look up poses and get tips online. I just bought us two new mats for $19/each. There are less expensive mats (I saw some for $16, but they were too thick).

Something that you can do in life. I have read it a lot but in my experience it really works: take the stairs, park far from the mall/store/office, get off the bus two stops before your regular stop and walk. I used to have to walk 15 minutes to catch the train — I would vary my route and try to speed up or slow down but after doing this for a few months, my legs became much more defined.

Diet? Well, I'd just say… buy fruits and vegetables that you like and try to increase your good foods and decrease your bad foods intake. Don't buy spinach if you hate it and try to choke it down — that won't help you at all. But, if you have a thing for broccoli, then buy it and eat it every way imaginable. Do you like yogurt? Eat up — that stuff is good for you. Do you enjoy cereal? Buy the Go Lean or similar brands that are high fiber and protein and low carbs and sugars. It's tough to just wake up one day and say: things are going to be different today! Very often it is discouraging because we don't see immediate results. But, these things do take time — stick with it and do not give up! (And, remember to allow yourself "wiggle room" to slip on the diet plan once in a while, or to take the escalator instead of the stairs.) Set your goals small and celebrate your achievements — even the smallest things all add up to something bigger. Good luck to you — you can do it!

I'm getting married next spring and am looking for tips on how to have a small, elegant and inexpensive wedding. We will probably marry at my old college…the setting is exquisite. We might skip the cake and my dress is going to be a bridesmaid dress instead of a big cupcake of a wedding dress. Any other suggestions? Thanks!!

It sounds like you're on the right track so far. I just got married this past June and we spent $6,500 with 110 guests. Don't skip the cake, though, that is such a great tradition. You can get a cake from Publix, or any grocery store, for a reasonable price. Mine was $220 (including the delivery fee) and it fed 100 people. And you have the right idea about your wedding dress, I got mine from Dillards. Some other tips are: get family and friends to help you with everything. You can make a lot of things that will save you money. Don't go overboard on flowers, find them cheap at a flea market or do something different for centerpieces (like floating candles). And you could even put together your own bouquets for cheaper. For pictures, a good idea that I've seen on here is to take the bridal party to Glamour Shots before the ceremony, it's a lot cheaper. And then just have someone take pics of the ceremony and the reception with a good digital camera. You could also get a friend to videotape it and make that their gift to you. Are you having the reception at the college, too? If not, you could rent a hall for it or just have it at a park or someone's house to save money. For food, go with a buffet. This will be your most costly thing. Get some quotes from caterers, tell them your budget and they'll tell you what foods they can serve for that price. If it's still out of your price change, get party platters from restaurants. You could do stuff like wings, eggrolls, chicken fingers, ribs, mashed potatoes, salad, Italian, just about anything. They'll supply you with huge servings of whatever food you want. You would still want to hire some servers to clean up and set up the food. You don't want to worry about that on the big day. And if you're serving alcohol, get a bartender. Letting guests serve themselves can cause a big mess. Buy your alcohol and sodas when they're on sale. You could even serve only beer and wine to save more money. For wedding favors, shop around on the internet, then check out Ebay for the same items and compare prices. I found the same exact stuff on there for cheaper than other websites. They also sell wedding invitations which is how I found mine. Good luck and remember this is yours and your fiance's day, nobody elses!

Any tips would be most welcome. Also if anyone has stories about how they planned their weddings I'd like to hear. My parents aren't going to be able to pay for it like a lot of people do so we will have to foot the bill ourselves and want something small and inexpensive.

I have planned 3 very cheap weddings that turned out wonderful.
Go for silk flowers and do the boquettes yourself. Its amazing what you can do with ribbons that will make flowers look great. THey are really easy to design.
I sew dresses for fun, and I know that theyre other people out there that do it cheap and good. Ask around, a friend of yours might have a grandmother/mother that would love to make a few extra dollars to make the dresses (I would not offer less than $10 an hour for this route). Or buy a used dress, and have the bridesmaids buy their own dresses (this is acceptible).
Do you know anyone who decorates cakes? Go to the craft shop and find out when their Wilton classes are and then ask a student if they will make your cake. You will get a really pretty cake for a cheap price (students won't charge that much cause they are looking for pictures for their portfolios).
You can make invitations on your home computer for the cost of ink and paper. You don't have to include a rsvp card if you don't want to. It is now considered 'ok' to have them reply to an email account (but it is poor manners to email wedding invites).
Music is a cd and a friend to push play. Or if you have family that can play an insturment, ask them to perform at your wedding. I'm sure that you can dig out a keroke fan that would love to sing infront of guests for you.
For the dinner… Do a desert buffett. Have the reception 1.5 hours after the cermony and tell guests that you will be serving desert at this location. Dinner isn't a MUST at receptions. Also if you MUST have a bar, do a CASH bar, an open bar can cost you up to the thousands depending on your friends.
For a DJ you have a friend that is a music geek and can spin his own CDs for you (doesn't everyone have a friend that has so much music and stereo stuff that they should be a DJ?)… And have your friends make you CDs of their favorite music so that you will have a nice veritity for everyone.
Table decoretions can be as simple as a floating candle and streamers in your wedding colors.
I once did a wedding for 500 for less than $4500… so it can be done

Money's tight these days, so what are some tips for an inexpensive but charming wedding? (For my mom and her fiance)

You can do all the flowers yourself. You can make the cake yourself. You can make the invitations. These three things alone will save you hundreds of dollars. A wedding is not "made" by how much money is spent. What matters is that the bride and groom are happy and everyone had a good time. If you know anyone with a nice sound system of their own you could ask them if they would be willing to do the music. Why hire someone that will charge you an arm and a leg when you can just use a nice stereo system and ask everyone you know for different CD's. Depending on how many women are in the wedding party you can either make the dresses if you know anyone that sews, or ask them to pay for half the dresses themselves. Depending on location and if you want alcohol instead of having an open bar have it so that they have to pay. That way only the people who want to drink can and you are not paying for drinks that are not going to be consumed. Small Weddings are great because you can limit the amout of people. I hope some of these tips help. Good Luck

I am getting in married in Nov. of this year, we are in our 30s and its not our 1st, so grandeur and glamor arent so necessary. But we do plan to have around 85 people coming, have already picked the place, its in a hall on the beach, aside from the date the rings and the hall we havent too much planned anything else. We want it to be very simple yet tasteful, what things in weddings do you feel are the parts that just cant be left out? Are centerpieces really nec. at each table? is a nice stereo system considered tacky rather than a DJ? MOST IMPORTANTLY…who pays for whose stuff…is it our responsibilty to buy the attire for our groms and bridesmaids? We arent doing the whole fancy long train dress but we do want everyone to look alike without spending more than a hundred bucks. Any ideas or tips or old wivestales would be humorously appreciated.
we have already gotten the food taken care of too, my wonderful boss at Seaside Bistro is graciously doing a nice meal for us.

Hi and congratulations!

Here are my thoughts:

~ First, in most weddings it is the bridesmaids and groomsmen who pay for THEIR OWN dresses and tux/suit rentals. Some couples do offer to pay, but it is not necessary.

~ Places to get dresses in your price range would be to look at a store in the mall!! Seriously, you can find many nice dresses at Macys, JCPenney, etc. OR, online through Chadwicks. There are even online retailers such as:
http://www.bridesonlinestore.com/

~ YES, I personally would want a centerpiece on each table. I think it unifies the room and adds to the elegance. Now, that doesn't mean you need $50 flower arrangements on each table! Since you are going to be at the beach….get a glass bowl or vase like this:
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/bevfabriccrafts_2008_117910984

OR this:
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/bubava52ea6o.html

add in some seashells on the bottom:
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/seashells6.html

Fill 2/3 with water and float some candles on the top:
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/floatcan.html

OR….you can never go wrong with a cut glass vase and 1 or 2 roses with some greens! Very elegant and not too costly!

~ For the music: If you are just wanting some "dinner music" then I think an Ipod with speakers is fine. But if you are wanting "dance music," I think it is best to go with a DJ.

~ If you are on a budget, I always recommend to the brides to get a boxed set of invitations that are sold at places like Michaels, Target, Walmart, Office Max, etc. You get 50 in a box and then you bring them home….format them on your computer….and print them yourself! There are many styles and designs to choose form. These run about $25-$30. Very inexpensive!

Again, IF you are on a budget….
~ For flowers (bouquets/boutonnieres), I always recommend going to a large grocery store that has a floral department. Their arrangements will be much cheaper than a regular florist and they are trained designers!

~ The same goes for a cake. Go to a grocery store (Publix has good ones) as does Costco and Wamart.

inexpensive decorating

try these sites…
and they r simple….

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_wedding/

http://www.superweddings.com/bridalcrafts.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Low-Budget-Wedding-Reception&id=56710

http://www.yourweddingcompany.com/index.php/action/createDecoratingIdeas/planId/4/

http://store.weddingsolutions.com/Wedding_Decorations.htm

http://www.googobits.com/articles/190-how-to-have-a-fabulous-lowbudget-wedding.html

http://www.do-it-yourself-weddings.com/

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4ADBF_enUS236US236&q=wedding+decorations+do+it+yourself

hope this helps…:)

My sister is getting married, i want her wedding to be very special, But i have no clue how to decorate for a wedding, Does anyone have any inexpensive decorating ideas they would like to share? Please help if you can. Any ideas are greatly appreciated….thanks!
I'm sorry, i didnt add this info,
The wedding is December 31rst
New Years Eve Night!
I shouldnt say, 'new years eve night' its going to be 3pm that evening.

New Years Eve, you can use some Christmas greenery for decorations. Decorate small trees with white lights and silver ribbon for the church. These would take the place of Candelabras, and the trees will be 1/2 price after Christmas. For centerpieces at the reception, spray paint twigs white may need more then one coat when you apply the last coat sprinkle with silver sparkles and let dry place in a container of your choice add some flowers, holly red berries and you have your center pieces. Another idea for the centerpieces is purchase or make silver cone shaped trees for the center of the tables, and place votive candles around it, the candles will reflect off the silver. ( 2 or 4 candles would work.The tablecloths could be black with a square of silver fabric in the middle of the table placed in a diamond position. Good Luck just use your imagination and have fun.

Budget is small…looking for southern or caribbean food.

I would also suggest approaching the local culinary schools (there are plenty in NYC) and your favorite restaurants to get a better deal. Unfortunately, in NYC nothing comes inexpensive so it may take some leg-work and negotiating but don't be deterred.

Daughter is getting married the end of next month. Because of the short notice, we are trying to keep the expensives at a minimum. Do we even need to decorate the guest tables? Any suggestions for the head table? Any suggestions or tips are very welcome.

i was at a wedding where they had white table cloths and pink pot-pouri scattered all over the tables. it was inexpensive but looked gorgeous! and smelled great too…even if it was outside.

I am looking to get married at the beginning of next year and am trying to think outside the box when it comes to planning my wedding. any helpful tips on how to save money on my big day? especially need help in picking a place… any good places to look?
Thank you so much. More information… my boyfriend has a huge family so the guest list is kinda extensive. We live in southern california and were wanting a march wedding. I am already thinking about picking out a fabric that I like and having my bridesmaids pick out the style of dress (out of a few that I have approved) and then having family friends that are handy with the sewing machine make them. I dont have a budget exactly yet because I am still in thhe beginning of things and dont really know exactly how much I am going to have to shell out for the location. My boyfriend and I are both virgins and our wedding is so important to us, but we are still young. thank you everyone for your help
Hi Amber:

Most of us love to help brides on a budget, but we need MORE INFO!

How many guests are you having?
What do you mean by inexpensive? What is your budget for the wedding and for the reception?
Where do you live? OR…where will the wedding/reception be?

Edit your question and I will get back to you.

EDIT: Ok. Thanks for the extra information.

~ The very first thing you will need to do is to SET A BUDGET! That is the most important thing. Why? Because everything you want, dream, or plan will need to revolve around the budget. If you know that your parents or your fiance's parents are willing to contribute, then figure that in as well.

~ The second thing that strikes me is you say "an inexpensive wedding" and then you say that your fiance has "an extensive family." Those two things will not go well together. You cannot have an inexpensive wedding with a large guest list. It just won't happen.

~ The biggest portion of any wedding budget is the reception. That will be AT LEAST 1/2 of your budget. Now, you CAN have an inexpensive reception. Many on here are simply having cake, punch and coffee after their weddings. Or, adding in a bit more with some finger foods and appetizers. You can do this if you have it at the right time of day….say from 2-5 p.m. (not at a meal time.) This would be a huge savings.

~ If you want the traditional night time dinner, drinks and dancing…..it's going to cost. Check out some reception venues in your city to see what they charge. I live in Michigan so I can't help you at all with So. California.

~ Dresses. That is a good idea (getting fabric, etc.), however, do check out budget online bridal stores. It may even be cheaper than having someone make them! Here is one:
http://www.bridesonlinestore.com/
OR
http://www.bridalonlinestore.com/Collection/

~ Other ways to save are to not get caught up in all the bridal industry's thinking that you "have to have this" and you "have to have that" in order to have a "perfect day." It's all crap. You CAN have a very nice wedding without all the frills of limos, favors, unity candles, table cameras, etc.

Hopefully this helps a little. Feel free to ask lots more questions. That is what we are here for! Good luck with your planning,