Wedding Ideas
1.Save wedding invitations that you get in the mail. Use the ideas of others. Making your own can be fun and unique. Enlist the help of your closest friends and family to help you assemble them. My invitations (including envelopes and inserts) cost around $100 for 300.
2.Find a florist that will sell flowers to you at wholesale prices. Have a friend put bouquets and corsages together for you. Also use mixed bouquets from your local grocery store for fillers. They can be separated and used in big centerpieces or cut down for corsages. I only spent around $100-$150 for flowers and accessories, which included my bouquet. And I loved it!!
3.Decide on your theme/style, and shop after-holiday clearance. I picked up white lights, silver candles, and silver ribbon in after-Christmas clearance, to use for our July wedding. Shop after Valentines or July 4th for red accents, after Easter for pastel accents, and after Thanksgiving for fall décor.
4.Pinpoint the 3 most important areas to you….spend the most money in those areas, and scrimp on the rest. To me, photography, flowers and food were most important.
5.Find out if friends or people from the church are getting married around the same time as you. Borrow or share wedding items to save money. We were able to use an arch from another wedding the weekend before-it was already decorated in our colors! Using it saved at least $50-$100, and added a unique focal point in the sanctuary.
6.Many people are taking wedding pictures these days. Find a college student or person starting out, and pay them a flat rate, which includes the disk with all the pictures. Most people have really nice photo programs on their computers….. you can add special effects on your own for MUCH less. Then you can get them developed/printed in the sizes and styles that you like. Using a site like Snapfish is also a great option.
7.Having an afternoon wedding will save money on food. You can get by with serving finger foods, rather than a sit-down meal.
8.Find a friend or acquaintance to make the cake. Like photography, there are many people who know how to make beautiful cakes, but do not own a business. They will do it for a fraction of the cost. Adding fresh flowers is a cheap way to make it look elegant. We used flowers from my aunt’s garden. They looked beautiful and it added a sentimental touch that I will always remember.
9.Having an outdoor reception will cut down on the amount of decorations needed. God’s creation does not need much improvement. We held our reception on the back lawn of the church. White tents made it look festive, and a few table decorations added color. Other than that, we did not need much else!
10.Make the food yourself, or pay a close family friend to make it. Careful planning ahead will cut down on costs and prep time. Make food that is easy to put together, and that can even be done several days ahead. Pre-cut veggie trays from Sam’s or Costco are an easy, pretty way to go. We served tortilla pinwheels (which the whole bridal party assembled the night before the wedding ), chips/salsa (our favorite!), and fruit salad. I assigned several of my mom’s close friends the task of putting it all together the morning of the wedding.
11.An easy way to give favors to your guests is to set up a candy buffet. Make a fun, visually-appealing display of your favorite candies, and set out little containers or bags for guests to fill. Candy and bags or paper containers are relatively cheap, your guests will have a blast choosing their own selections, and you will provide a fun way to say thanks and tell a little about yourselves. Put a personalized sticker on each container, and the guests have a one-of-a-kind (inexpensive) favor from the two of you!
12.Always set a budget right away, so you know how much you can afford. Keep all receipts so you can return unused items. Don’t overspend on the little areas-things people won’t notice anyways. For example, buy a cheap aisle runner…everyone will be looking at the bride anyway!
1.Save wedding invitations that you get in the mail. Use the ideas of others. Making your own can be fun and unique. Enlist the help of your closest friends and family to help you assemble them. My invitations (including envelopes and inserts) cost around $100 for 300.
2.Find a florist that will sell flowers to you at wholesale prices. Have a friend put bouquets and corsages together for you. Also use mixed bouquets from your local grocery store for fillers. They can be separated and used in big centerpieces or cut down for corsages. I only spent around $100-$150 for flowers and accessories, which included my bouquet. And I loved it!!
3.Decide on your theme/style, and shop after-holiday clearance. I picked up white lights, silver candles, and silver ribbon in after-Christmas clearance, to use for our July wedding. Shop after Valentines or July 4th for red accents, after Easter for pastel accents, and after Thanksgiving for fall décor.
4.Pinpoint the 3 most important areas to you….spend the most money in those areas, and scrimp on the rest. To me, photography, flowers and food were most important.
5.Find out if friends or people from the church are getting married around the same time as you. Borrow or share wedding items to save money. We were able to use an arch from another wedding the weekend before-it was already decorated in our colors! Using it saved at least $50-$100, and added a unique focal point in the sanctuary.
6.Many people are taking wedding pictures these days. Find a college student or person starting out, and pay them a flat rate, which includes the disk with all the pictures. Most people have really nice photo programs on their computers….. you can add special effects on your own for MUCH less. Then you can get them developed/printed in the sizes and styles that you like. Using a site like Snapfish is also a great option.
7.Having an afternoon wedding will save money on food. You can get by with serving finger foods, rather than a sit-down meal.
8.Find a friend or acquaintance to make the cake. Like photography, there are many people who know how to make beautiful cakes, but do not own a business. They will do it for a fraction of the cost. Adding fresh flowers is a cheap way to make it look elegant. We used flowers from my aunt’s garden. They looked beautiful and it added a sentimental touch that I will always remember.
9.Having an outdoor reception will cut down on the amount of decorations needed. God’s creation does not need much improvement. We held our reception on the back lawn of the church. White tents made it look festive, and a few table decorations added color. Other than that, we did not need much else!
10.Make the food yourself, or pay a close family friend to make it. Careful planning ahead will cut down on costs and prep time. Make food that is easy to put together, and that can even be done several days ahead. Pre-cut veggie trays from Sam’s or Costco are an easy, pretty way to go. We served tortilla pinwheels (which the whole bridal party assembled the night before the wedding ), chips/salsa (our favorite!), and fruit salad. I assigned several of my mom’s close friends the task of putting it all together the morning of the wedding.
11.An easy way to give favors to your guests is to set up a candy buffet. Make a fun, visually-appealing display of your favorite candies, and set out little containers or bags for guests to fill. Candy and bags or paper containers are relatively cheap, your guests will have a blast choosing their own selections, and you will provide a fun way to say thanks and tell a little about yourselves. Put a personalized sticker on each container, and the guests have a one-of-a-kind (inexpensive) favor from the two of you!
12.Always set a budget right away, so you know how much you can afford. Keep all receipts so you can return unused items. Don’t overspend on the little areas-things people won’t notice anyways. For example, buy a cheap aisle runner…everyone will be looking at the bride anyway!
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