I find myself posting late again- maybe this is going to be normal for me? : )
So I thought I might post some information about how I planned a wedding and didn't spend a fortune.
**I will also post on specific vendors later- but this is a quick overview of saving $$**
The first part of this that is important is that we were mostly on our own with paying for the wedding )which is quite common these days.) Don't get me wrong, our families definitely helped financially and for that we are grateful- but for the larger part- my husband and I were on our own to foot the bill.
With that being said- we were careful about the bottom line... let's be honest, we were careful about every line!
Next, I got started super early on venues- I was determined to find the perfect place at the perfect price! In all areas of life as a rule- I don't pay sticker price- I always find a deal!
Venues:
Wedding Venue was FREE... that's right. Word to the wise- find a local park or area of the city you live in that you think is beautiful and hop on the city website and see what you can find! In most places I searched you can reserve for free or for a low fee a city park and that's just what I did! My venue was a beautiful small park with a gazebo, two water fountains, and a rose garden. Because it is maintained by the city- the grounds are also very well kept. I think something like this would be great for birthday parties, or any celebration.
Reception venue was not as easy for us-- once we found the perfect location everything was smooth sailing but we had to cancel with our original venue because they were not sticking to their word about keeping with our budget. Another warning- be strong, stick to your budget. And, be prepared to walk away if you need to- we were looking at paying way more than we could afford simply because our first reception venue thought they could up charge here and there on everything. Not with us, we walked and saved ourselves!
Catering- you can go big or you can go small and believe me, I was offered it all! At the end of the day we opted to go with a small variety - 2 "meat' options, salad, a side, and a bread... we did assorted non-alcohol drinks and beer and wine. Here's the deal- over the past year we had a ton family weddings and we found that the larger variety of foods while nice, isn't necessary... so we gave some variety and everyone was happy that we didn't run out of alcohol!
Wedding Dress- I got lucky... the 2nd dress I tried on was IT for me... I fell in love and having my Mother with me was wonderful because she and I agreed- I said yes to the dress! Lucky for me (more like blessed- I don't believe in coincidence) the dress happened to be super on clearance and I paid less than $300. I had no idea of the price when I tried the dress on but that's another piece of the puzzle to think about-- if you are in a white dress that you love and feel beautiful in- the sticker price is not what people will care or know about. You will be beautiful and glowing no matter what- so why pay a crazy price?
Do it yourself- this is a huge way to save money and I really enjoyed doing "wedding crafts"! Things I made: centerpieces, flower girl bucket, cake topper
Shop online & compare prices! I took some time to compare prices and found great online sites for: save the dates, invitations, table linens, lavender for the "toss" as we left the reception, my garter... so many options here!
Okay it's not getting any earlier and I have an event for work tomorrow (don't get my started- that's another blog for another time)... next, as I said, I will list vendors and pictures! The bigger picture here is that with a little research & determination- you really can have what you want, and save your money too- that's where I stand! :)
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