I'm recently engaged and looking for some wedding tips. We are on a budget and I've seen a few sites and topics on how to save money here and there. Is there one place that I can find everything?

first off- shop after holiday clearance sales at craft stores, michaels and acmoore, and places like walmart, target and kmart. i got things on christmas clearance for 75-95% off- votive candles in glass holders for $.40 each!

i can set you up with a great lady who is making my invites. she does package deals and a la carte - you will save tons with her.

rings- shop jc pennys when they have sales, look for coupons
or ebay and craigslist. really don't be afraid of ebay. shop sellers with 99 or 100% feedback only

transportation- use a relatives nice auto or use your own. you don't nee a limo

dress- shop consignment shops. my dress cost $150 and is awesome.
bm dresses- these have dresses under $100
http://www.bridalsassique.com/index.asp?…
http://www.bridesonlinestore.com/

guys clothing- they can wear white shirts and tan slacks. all bought at the same time so they match.

flowers- you can shop local flower stores or grocery store floral dpts (make your own if you like) bring pics of what you want to guide your florist. or silks from afloral.com look great. that's who i went thru for mine

centerpieces- i like the tall vases with topiary style arrangements on them. i love gerberas so i think using them is a great way to punch up color and keep your budget down

food- shop around for a site that does in house catering or a caterer that has a great rep and great menu
sticking with pasta and chicken is a good way to keep bellies and purses full

location- i'm all for outdoor weddings. i think being surrounded by nature is just beautiful and makes for awesome pictures. plus most are free or really cheap.

cake- shop bakeries but also shop grocery stores. most do wedding cakes and are rather tasty cakes. you might not get all the flavor choices of a bakery but most ppl go with white or chocholate anyway.

you really don't need them but if you do - favors- you can do organza bags filled with candies. shop ebay for the best prices, seller ideabus, has the best prices and selection

photographer- look on craigslist for your area, under services, type in photography and see the results. i found a great gal for mine $300 for 6 hrs. some places charge wayyyy more but you should be able to find a good one for under 1k

you might be able to do the same for dj services. or just call around for a good rate from someone with referrals

our wedding for about 100 ppl will run us about 2500k, his family is doing our food so that helps.

most important thing about a wedding, budget- STICK TO IT

oh join your local yahoo group freecycle and post what you are looking for. i got lots of wedding things for free.
post on craigslist for your area too and search for wedding things too. many ppl have left overs they want to unload after their weddings and sell at below lowest cost!

I already have and paid for the dress, the cake is being taken care of as well ( mother in law ) I found a church to do it for $150 flat but where I am having a problem is where the heck am I going to have my reception. We are using our economic stimulus. checks to get married. Our budget is $1,200. the church and marriage license fee's have to come out of that money as well. I found flowers @ walmart and we are doing all of our own flowers. My boss is going to work out a deal with me for food because I work for a restaurant that he owns. I need a location is what I need and for cheap. I need some tips on like where to call I live in Bradenton Florida but just like suggestions of places that you might try that you know wouldn't cost much. ANY leads will be helpful I am running out of time. Thank you in advance and if you have any other questions I will make sure and keep up on this to answer you ASAP if I left anything out. THANK YOU SOO MUCH if you help and please help if you can =)
I want it to be cheap but not cheasy. I really want to avoid a trashy wedding, I have an 18 months old daughter to support as well as work so thats why I resorted to asking you guys. The inlaws are getting too crappy with me about this and to be honest I'd rather not give them any more say so then they already have this is our wedding and I want it to be perfect.
OK the church rec center thing is a good idea but most churches wont let you bring alcohol on the church grounds. I was looking at the website that one of you guys posted in your answer and it gave me an idea to call motels and see about their meeting rooms. Also when using the fake flowers from walmart they actually are very reasonable. The bridesmaids and groomsmen all paid for their outfits as well. so thats less I had to pay too. I am trying to make it great food, good drink and a decent hall that can be decorated to the nines. I am not planning a dj just a good sound system with some cds I have been putting together for a while now.

Hey girl, I'm in B'ton too! The rates around here suck don't they? Since you didn't say what day of the week it'll be or how many people, I threw together a bunch of places I thought might be the least expensive, but yet still pretty. I'd try all the bed & breakfast inns, and lodges/resorts on Annamaria. If all else fails, there is that Moose Lodge on Annamaria on Gulf drive by the Beach House. These all look pretty expensive, and most places only allow specific caterers. Another idea is to look up/google as many caterers as you can in our area, and see where they cater. That will give you an idea as to where you can look for facilities that won't make you order food through them. I hope something in here triggers something for you! Good Luck girl! Keep in touch, Let me know what you end up with! If I think of anything else I'll email you!
Lake Manatee State Park
http://www.floridastateparks.org/lakemanatee/default.cfm
Myakka State Park
http://www.floridastateparks.org/myakkariver/default.cfm
Chelsea Center
http://www.chelseacenter.com/
Harrington House http://www.harringtonhouse.com/weddings.html
Palma Sola Botanical Park
http://www.palmasolabp.com/facility.asp
Sarasota Garden Club
http://www.sarasotagardenclub.org/rentals.html
Selby Botanical Gardens
http://www.selby.org/index.php?submenu=Rentals&src=gendocs&link=Facility_Rentals&category=Rentals&PHPSESSID=c456b7b718c20c3e4537bcfe199bf155
Tropical Breeze Resort
http://tropicalbreezeinn.rtrk.com/?scid=786840

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My fiance and I are paying for our own wedding. Does anyone know o some money saving tips or a way to get "sponsership" from people?

any suggestions welcome
Well we are paying for our wedding as well and we sat down and decide what was the most important thing to each of us. For us it was the venue and photo. So that is where we spent the most. Then we decided What we could do without like chair covers (we asked several people if they remembered anything about chair covers at any weddings they have been to ) No one remembered them so why have them.

We also stopped eating out for lunch, and only eat out for dinner if we are asked to go out with friends. This saved us about $200-$350 dollars a month! Figure the 2 of you eat out for lunch every day average of $6 a piece. That is 12 a day 5 days a week and 4 weeks a month which equals $240 just in lunch! It is cheaper to make sandwich or eat TV dinner and eat leftovers! Then say you eat dinner out 4 nights a week average $23 a meal all month equals $368! I shop once a month it cost me $150.00 and then I pick up little stuff thought the month cost about $60. Still cheaper than eating out!

Plus laundry you do at home right for every load you wash and dollar in a jar, for every one you dry a dollar, you will be amazed how fast it adds up. Put you change in a jar as well at the end of the day. Every thing adds up! Do you buy coffee every day? Skip it 2 times a week drink coffe at home or at the office. Little by little cut the extra expences back you will be amazed how the little things add up.

Just a few of my ideas that worked for me! Oh and make a budget and stick to it no matter what. It isnt in the budget dont buy it!

Best wishes and good luck in planning your special

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My family normally takes a trip once a year to Myrtle Beach, SC. I am used to saving up for one trip…. but this year two months before we go to Myrtle Beach, my cousin is getting married at Virgina Beach. I would love to go to the wedding, and it would also be an opportunity to visit a good friend of mine who is in the Navy…. any suggestions on saving money? Any tips on making extra?? Should I buy plane tickets to VA now if I don't know if I'll have enough?
The trip to Myrtle Beach is set in stone, I would never forget my family! (Besides my cousin's wedding IS family related)

maybe consider getting a parttime job for the extra money. doesnt have to be permenant just for you to get up enough money to do both things. dont buy your tickets just yet, make sure you will be able to go first, it would be great for you to see your friend thats in the navy. i dont know how far away from VA you are but it might be cheaper if you drive there. good luck!

Does anyone have any tips on how to save money on a wedding? any DIY idea's or things people don't normally think of?

The standard ideas:
DIY invitations (anchorpaper.com has the cheapest I've found)
DIY centerpieces - I used the dollar store floral section and made some great arrangements for less than $2 each
Only serve cake and something to drink
Don't hire a band or dj
Get married any day besides Saturday

Here are some other things I've learned, that may not be so well known:
1. Generally, if you stay away from the "big names" and wedding businesses, you'll save money. For example, I've found a lady who bakes cakes as a hobby who will bake ours for a third of what a bakery would charge. Same with our photographer - you can also check with local colleges, because lots of students will work for cheap in order to build a portfolio.
2. Get on some message boards (yahoo, theknot, wedding channel, etc) and search for brides who are trying to get rid of things. You'll find that many many brides are selling dresses, decorations, even invitations. You can save a bundle by doing this. I've gotten all our wedding bubbles for about $50 - buying from a store would have cost me over $200. Depending on where you live, you might find something in your local paper.
3. Thrift stores, thrift stores, thrift stores. Especially for vases, baskets, and other decorating things. The key is to go often!
4. Ask everyone you know. I found our baker through a coworker, and my photographer on myspace. Lots of people know someone who does wedding related things - and are usually more than happy to recommend!

Finally, consider what's important to you. It may be a lavish reception with lots of food and a three-piece band, or you may care more about the dress and the honeymoon. You and your fiance need to decide what you want to spend the most time, money, and energy on before you start spending.

Good Luck!!

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I am getting married in September. The more I plan and the closer it gets the more money I am spending. It's stressing me out. I was just wondering if you have any tips on saving money and planning a wedding.

A lot of the stuff for our wedding we haven't had to pay for (DJ, Cake, Photographer) then my Dad & Stepmom gave us $1000 to spend for the wedding and his parents gave us $1000 to spend of the wedding…both of those will go to the reception hall & food. Then everything else we've pretty much paid for ourselves. My mom did buy my veil off ebay…the same veil from david's bridal priced there @ $100 got it off ebay (exact same thing) for $25.

Ways we've found to cut down some costs are for my centerpeices…I watched the sales at the craft store…and hit it at just the right time.

Ebay has been another one of my fav. places to shop…I got my cake topper, unity candle & holder and some thigh highs all for the price of just what the candle holder would have been in the store.

The dollar store has been another god send…I've got disposable cameras to put on the tables from there.

Also for flower's it pays to shop around…don't go to some big name florist…because you are just paying for the name. We found a local (well local to my mom) florist…who did all my flowers (bridal bouquet…3 bridesmaids bouquets…5 bouts…4 mother/grandmother corsages…4 father/grandfather bouts…unity candle flowers & ceremony decorations) for $315.00 That is literally 1/2 the price of what we would have paid had we gone to one of the "name brand" florists.

Also instead of getting your traditional invitations where you have to buy the envelope…invite and rsvp card all separately; we got Seal-n-Send invitations from www.now-and-forever.com . I love mine…they were SOOO much cheaper than going with the "traditional" invitation. Your getting the same thing, but its all on one card. So you have the invitation at the bottom is the rsvp card, whcih separates to mail back…which all folds up to be its own envelope. SO much cheaper!!! Here's ours:
http://www.now-and-forever.com/CasPage1B.cfm?sEnsembleCode=CasEns02180&page=2&strcontinue=yes&strsearch=no&format=SNSCasEnsNF

DIY and Sales are going to be your big money savers! Anything that you can do yourself (centerpieces) do it…get the peices and put it together yourself. Watch your sales flyers. Also DavidsBridal has some awesome sales every now and again…I got my flower girl basket & ring bearer pillow in one box…was orginally $50.00 I got it for $10.00.

Hope this helps you some!! Good luck with your planning and I hope everything goes smoothly!

I really want to have traditional and more formal wedding. But, that's extremely expensive. My boyfriend and I aren't official engaged yet. But, we are saving money for it.

I was thinking a realistic budget for our vision and for our area of the country, is about 15K-17K. I've done some research and have found that about 10K will go to the use of the reception venue (including linens, silverware, chairs, tables) and the food and drink.

That would only leave us with about 5K-7K for everything else. We live in such a high cost of living area, that money doesn't go far at all. We want a traditional Catholic Ceremony and a semi-formal reception.

I know I could DIY a lot of things. But, I'm not really crafty. Also, I don't want things looking too homemade or cheap.

What are some realistic money saving tips. I know to use less flowers and to make my own programs. But, what about other things. I want things to look really great and professional.
I want our wedding to look and feel like it costed 30K, instead of 17K.

What can I do that realistic? I see lots of ideas on Yahoo Answers, but sometimes I think they are a little too casual or homemade for my taste.

Not to offend anyone, but it's just not my style. If I'm paying 10K for food and drink; I don't want my invitations looking like made them from a kit from the craft store.
BTW, the reason I'm concerned with money is because we are saving heavily. I have a feeling he's going to propose within the year and we will set a date soon after. So, I want to be prepared and money saved.
We would probably have about 140-150 guests.

I have a large family, which includes 13 first cousins and I'm very close to them all. Plus, I have 12 aunts and uncles (by blood and by marriage) Plus, my parents, grandparents, close family friends and my own close personal friends.

My guest list allow is about 60 people and that's keeping it strictly for family and close friends.

My boyfriend has an even larger family.

Here are the ways I saved money:

I checked eBay for deals…found my beautiful 10-inch tall clear glass bud vases at a dollar store (they look like I spent $5 on each vase!)…made my own programs….went to an antique store for jewelry and saved over $300 on a necklace….shopped around for vendors and went only with what we NEEDED, not wanted….did my own make-up….bought my guest photo matte frame on eBay for $9 and saved myself from buying the SAME one online for $59.99!

Tons of ways to save…and I get what you mean about not wanting your wedding to look like you tried to save some cash. Just take each item (guest book, ring bearer pillow, flower girl basket, favors, etc.) and check eBay first…or see what you can make yourself.

Here's a GREAT recommendation too…I bought my custom-made veil from a company called Occansey Designs and she has her own website… www.occanseydesigns.com. I paid $60 for mine (shipping included) and saved over $100 rather than buying it at David's Bridal…they wanted $175 for the EXACT same one! My veil looked gorgeous, so I was happy!!

For our flowers on the tables…we used one tall and one short Gerber daisy…one light pink, one a deeper pink. Simple, elegant and cheaper than a total bouquet!!

I'm trying to think of other ways…but those are the ones that come to mind!

BEST of luck!!