I'm getting married in about 2 years. Right now, I haven't planned anything. But, I have made a budget. It's steep for some. But, please don't ridicule. It's about $25,000. We are having 150 guests (we have big families) Most of the money is going to our reception site, about 15K. All of our food, dessert, open bar and linen rentals are included. My FIL's have decided to give us about 8K. My parents will be giving about 5K (what they can comfortably afford to give)
My Fi and I can both contribute about 4K together each year. So, about 8K by the time of the wedding. But, I'm still cutting it short, by only 4K or so.
What are some money saving tips? How can I inquire this extra money.
We are not going into debt over this. My parents and his parents gave us those sums of money, as gifts.
In addition, the 4K each year is what we can comfortable contribute. I figured it to be about $42 each, out of our paychecks each week.
put back a little each week into a savings account. Also contribute you and your husbands income tax return to your wedding savings fund. You could have a yard sale, or babysit for extra dough. Buy evrything on sale or borrow. (decorations, dresses, shoes, jewerly) I bought my wedding dress for 180, it was discontinued at davids bridal.I fell in love with a jewrly set (earings, necklace bracelet and tiara) but it was nealy 300$ for the whole thing. I went to claires and found something almost identical for 20$ Don't do too many different types of finger foods, that can get really expensive. Last tips: buy a wedding planner notebook and sit down and come up with a budget and stick to it!
July 12th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Money jars. Or water jugs. Put your change in them every night.
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:19 am
put back a little each week into a savings account. Also contribute you and your husbands income tax return to your wedding savings fund. You could have a yard sale, or babysit for extra dough. Buy evrything on sale or borrow. (decorations, dresses, shoes, jewerly) I bought my wedding dress for 180, it was discontinued at davids bridal.I fell in love with a jewrly set (earings, necklace bracelet and tiara) but it was nealy 300$ for the whole thing. I went to claires and found something almost identical for 20$ Don't do too many different types of finger foods, that can get really expensive. Last tips: buy a wedding planner notebook and sit down and come up with a budget and stick to it!
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:20 am
stop going out to eat so often, or buing a coffee or lunch every day. (not saying you do, but if you do, stop.) If you think about it… a coffee every day can cost like $2, thats $14 a week, $56 a month and $2912 a year!! YIKES. Just watch the little things to buy every day and see what can be done without.
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:20 am
1st of all …. WOW
hmmm ways to save $ up….
garage sales
working extra hours if avaliable
dine in more
just budget your life to stricter limits..
take a loan…
But honestly… Dont get in debt over a wedding.. You want to be able to start out you lives together with no worries.. You might got through since you havent planned yet and look around for the deals before you commit to something..
You find something you like.. Well keep it in mind and look around for cheaper items that are similar to that that you have choosen..
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Stop eating fast food, bring your lunch to work. By buying stuff at the grocery store and bringing it for lunch, I'm saving about $4 a day. 4*5=20*4=80*12=960. There's almost a grand right there. Also cut out Starbucks, pedicures, manicures, new shoes and purses, whatever else you tend to treat yourself with.
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:25 am
Stop going out. dont spend on gifts for eachother during the holidays and birthdays. And dont forget. In 2 years prices are more than likely going up so it may cost even more. say 3% more given todays inflation rate. abut 1%. Good Luck, Mark
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:27 am
try making alot of the stuff yourself like flowers and such also look into bridesmaid and groomsmen buying theiw own clothes don't forget about e-bay alot of great buys there think about cutting some stuff out
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:31 am
When you have decided on a color scheme buy a large lot of matching silk flowers. Buy a flower arranging book and start now learning how to and making the flower arrangements, bouquets, and other floral "things." Store them so they don't get dirty or crushed. (If you get married around Christmas time, much of the decorating is already done in churches and many reception sites.)
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Everyone has given really good tips so far. Also, try to cut down on gas for your vehicle. Since the price doesn't seem to be going down anytime soon, try to very economical. Is there a way you can use public transportation, car pool or walk/bike to work? Do you get newspapers or magazines that you really don't read? When they ask to renew the subscription…don't and you could be saving $15 or more per subscription. Watch the junk food and snacks (not saying that you eat a lot of them and I'm not saying to cut them out completely) but look at how much you are spending on these items and see if they can be cut down or eliminated.
Finally, go through your check book and credit card statements, see where you spent the most money (i.e. Starbucks every day at $4 adds up) and see what can be slimmed down and take that extra money and save it for the big day.
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:32 am
trim your budget. this is how I saved money:
- dress: David's Bridal or ebay
- be your own iTunes DJ
- utilize your friends' talents. we hired our photographer friend and her friend to be our photogs. my friend is a stylist and did my hair.
- skip on the stuff no one notices. limit your flowers to the ones people notice - your bouquet and bridesmaids bouquets. no one will notice if the groom doesn't have a boutonnière or if none of the honored guests have corsages.
- go cheap on the centerpieces. no one remembers them anyway. go to resale stores and buy lots and lots of clear glass votive holders. go to Menard's and buy small mirror tiles. bam, you've created "mood"
- don't rent a limo. sure, it's fun, but it's not necessary. ask your MOH or the best man (or whoever has the nicest car) to be your chauffeur.
- don't do disposable cameras on the tables. create a collection on shutterfly where everyone can upload their digital pics.
- find a photographer who will upload all their pics to shutterfly - it costs $0.19 per print vs. $5 per print that most photographers charge.
- find a venue where you can stock your own bar and bring in your own caterer. you'll save so much.
as for money saving tips between now and then:
- cut out extra expenses - do you need a gym membership or can you run outside or do a workout video at home? do you really need cable? do you a land line if you both have cell phones?
- shop a Aldi's.
- at the beginning of each week, create a menu for the coming week. make a shopping list so you have all the items you need on hand. make sure to put the meat you need in the fridge the night before. if you have everything ready to go, you'll be less like to go out to eat.
- hang out with your friends when they are doing free things, like going to the beach. if they want to go for drinks or to a movie, suggest coming over for board games or to rent movies. a 6-pack is much cheaper.
- search for cheaper auto insurance
- bag lunch instead of picking up fast food.
- when you want to buy something that's not a necessity (such as food or gas), wait a week. you'll probably will forget about it by then.
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:38 am
if u have time get a second job,if not then cut back on some things and take a little bit of money out of each check
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Bring your own lunch to work instead of buying it. If you smoke, give that up.
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Because I am terrible with saving money, this system worked best for me.
Start browsing around for wedding items, venues, florists, photographers, bakers, etc……… NOW.
When you find something you like, put deposits down. That way, you will be "locked in" for the current prices because prices go up every year in the wedding industry. Make sure it's something you want and like because most deposits are non-refundable.
Once you have things booked, and you know what items you want for your wedding, starty buying stuff. Take the money that you were going to put in a savings account, and pay something off towards the wedding, such as the photographer or venue. If you plan to have your own alcohol, start purchasing a bottle a month.
This system might not work for everybody, but it sure worked for me. By the time the year of the wedding rolls around, mostly everything will be paid for!
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July 12th, 2007 at 11:49 am
By all means, spend what you want , but seriously sometimes less is more. When our budget is tight we cut out dinning out first, then I assess the grocery bill. I don't buy anything that isn't absolutely necessary. You could also put your money into a CD at the bank and let it earn interest.
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July 12th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Change your cellphone plans, no txt msg, email etc. Save $20
Cut off the premium channels,. Who watche s HBO anyway? Save $20 p/m
Cut off the DSL and change to dial-ip for now. Save $20 p/m
Have a yard sale and a bake sale
Carpool
Cancel gym membership and magazine subscriptions
No more designer Java in the morning. If you save the $3.50 that you spend in Starrbusk Mon-Fri..you can save $77 a month
Savings total in two years: $3288 plus whaetver you made on the yard sale.
If you make small sacrifices in yor lifestyle and cut back unnecesary things, you can save.
Good luck
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July 12th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Our wedding was 25K for 200 guests, and we paid for it ourselves. It wiped out our savings, and we saved like crazy. No meals out, no fancy coffees, no new clothes (except wedding gown and day-after dress), no new tech things or gadgets, etc. It was just a simple paring down, and it was amazing how much we were able to save.
If you can't swing it, you have to either cut down on the numbers, or the style of wedding you are planning. By the way, we didn't have a honeymoon, and decided to spend everything on the wedding, and we were HAPPY to have done it! It was well worth it!
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July 12th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
u can him can set say 200$ or more to the side have a wedding account or something put in every month and have sponsors
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July 13th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Pay yourself first!!
Check this out to see what i mean …. http://www.helium.com/tm/456815/articles-there-which-great
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http://www.helium.com/tm/456815/articles-there-which-great