Wanted to share and hear some creative suggestions from brides out there on ways to save money while still hosting an elegant affair……….
We eliminated the RSVP cards & listed a ph# and email addie. (this cutout close to $300 in the printing and stamp costs)
Ok, now its your turn to share!
we had no limo, that saved a ton of money.
we had a buffet style dinner which a lot of the food could be bought in advance and in bulk.
the only real flowers in the wedding were mine. 
July 21st, 2007 at 12:22 pm
buffett instead of a planned meal
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July 21st, 2007 at 12:22 pm
we had no limo, that saved a ton of money.
we had a buffet style dinner which a lot of the food could be bought in advance and in bulk.
the only real flowers in the wedding were mine.
References :
July 21st, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Every week in the newspaper are coupons for 40% off any one item at Michaels arts and crafts. I had all my family and close friends cut them out of the paper for me and each weekend I made a trip there and purchased all the flowers and made boquets, etc. that I need for the wedding. I saved a fortune especially since I did alot of it myself.
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July 21st, 2007 at 12:26 pm
We were driven in a borrowed car, also served the meal buffet style, and it was prepared by my Aunt and her friends. We had all silk flowers, and we bought them in bulk and my mother-in-law made the arrangments, centerpieces and toppers for the cakes. And lastly, rather than going to some fancy bakery, we found a local woman who made a cake from a bridal magazine and only charged me $135 as the 3-tiered cake was smaller and she made me sheets in the back to serve guests!
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July 21st, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Always ask for a discount….the worst thing they can say is NO.
We saved the most money by cutting out things that nobody really pays attention to like pew bows and personalized napkins. We won't have a limo ride from the church to the reception since it's only a few minutes, the men will all be wearing dark suits they already own instead of paying to rent a tux for one day….things like that.
Most of the wedding is DIY projects. Sure its been a workload but I've saved thousands and I'm rather proud of myself after finding out how crafty I can be.
Anytime you can have something be more than one thing…do it! For instance we have caramel apples that are doing duty as table decor, escort cards, and the favors.
Make a list and figure out what is most important to you. For me it was beautiful pictures, for him it was food. When making a purchase or a decision we asked ourselves how is this going to help our most important goals. For instance we could have bought custom personalized toasting glasses and a cake set but that doesn't make the cake taste better or really make a diff. in the pics. If your goal is to have alot of physical keepsakes a personalized cake server would be worth it.
The more formal you want it, the more expensive it is gonna be.
"Guests remember what's there, not what isnt" Nobody will notice that you didn't have filet mignon. They will notice if you serve dry, nasty chicken or run out of alcohol to fit filet mignon into your budget.
NEVER GO INTO DEBT to pay for a wedding. You shouldn't remember your wedding because of the bills coming every month and when you two fight because you are having to work two jobs to pay it off.
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Those are all my top ones
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Professional party designer
July 21st, 2007 at 12:52 pm
DIY the placecards and the centerpieces.
I've been to so many weddings where the place card is a expensive looking little picture frame or what not. That's such a waste.
I plan on doing the tent style placecards. I'm getting nice paper from a craft store and just having the person's name and table number on there. I'm going to line them up nicely on the table at the reception. I'll add a few candles to the table and maybe some flower petals and that's it. That's still elegant, but saves a lot of money.
I'm also DIY centerpieces. I'm not a big flower person, so I'm doing mostly candles and some smaller flowers. I'm hoping to spend about $10-$15 on each centerpiece. I plan on making them elegant, b/c I'm having a formal evening wedding. Candles set the mood better too.
I'm also not decorating the church. Mainly because my church does not allow it, but also b/c I think it's tacky and not worth the money. I'm just getting two nice flower arrangements for the alter. No pew bows or tulle of any kind.
I'm also printing my own programs.
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July 21st, 2007 at 1:53 pm
The RSVP idea had never occured to me, but it is a great idea!!!! I'm hoping it isin't breaking any major wedding rules, because I may do just that!!!
I am hand making my invitations (I have 10 months), my mother, who is a pro cake decorator/hair dresser/chef/florist is very excited about covering the cake/hair/flowers and a couple of the hor dervers…(don't worry, I'm helping!!!) so that is saving a TON of money….and also, the reception site we are getting for free as my father is a member of the organization….
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July 21st, 2007 at 3:06 pm
We worked with the catering manager to customize a menu. We did it because we didn't love any of the standard options, but it ended up saving us nearly $1000.
My wedding dress is a fancy bridesmaid dress for $98 (in ivory with beading and embroidery and a lace-up back, so it looks like a wedding dress–my sister and future sister-in-law didn't realize it was a bridesmaid dress).
We're doing the invitations, placecards and programs ourselves for next to nothing.
We're making the centerpieces at about $8 apiece.
We're using a professional photographer for only about an hour at the ceremony and for a few posed and family photos after, saving nearly $1000.
Our DJ gave us a $150 discount because he is very familiar with our venue and has a good working relationship with the staff there–he doesn't have to figure out any of the set-up or worry about getting what he needs, so we benefited by asking the event manager at our venue for recommendations.
I'm looking for sales and using coupons, too. We've saved thousands of dollars by planning ahead, being flexible, and being creative.
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July 21st, 2007 at 3:17 pm
You can cut your flower budget by using ferns or palms instead of large arrangements for the ceremony, then give them to the relatives to take home after! Also, use two or three different types of centerpieces at the reception. Say if you are having twelve tables, use larger, tall arrangements on 4, smaller bubble bowl arrangements on 4, and candles with petals and crystals around them on the other 4.
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I'm a wedding planner.
July 21st, 2007 at 5:30 pm
use silk flowers instead of real they save a bundle and also are great keepsakes.
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http://www.classycandlesandweddings.net
July 21st, 2007 at 8:42 pm
I made our own invitations (40 for $15), and they came out much better than I expected!
I'm also making our own centerpieces using a small vase, square mirror and candles. Each center piece is costing us about $6 a piece.
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July 25th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Pick the brains of all your friends, his friends, your family, his family, parents friends…friends friends. haha! See who everyone knows and who can do or help with what. DIY is always cheap…and having your mother-in-law to be (or sister) show you how to do something doesn't just save you money it also gives you a great chance to get to know each other and bond.
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