There are a lot of posts on theknot about being on a budget and how to figure out a budget, so I thought this could be useful. I'm basically going to give some general advice on planning and finding vendors. So, lets start at the beginning.
You Just Got Engaged
Congrats! Now what you should do is figure out how much money a wedding costs in your area. You can go to http://www.costofwedding.com/ and enter in your zip code. Did that number completely freak you out? I'll admit, it freaked me out, a lot. So now you need to figure out how much money you can afford to spend. How much money can you save in a month? How much can your fiance save? How long do you want to be engaged? Get that total and now you have a rough idea of what your budget will be.
A word of advice, don't depend on money from other people. Sure, your parents or your in-laws might tell you that they will give you money, but until that money is in your hand, pretend that it doesn't exist. Also, remember that he who pays has a say.
Start saving money right away! You want to create a cushion in case some emergency comes up that you need money for. Another bit of advice, pick up a copy of the Bridal Bargains book. Its definitely helped me along the way and will give you an idea of a timeline to get things done.
Creating a Guest List
Once you have a rough idea of what you can spend, you need to create a guest list to see if that number still works for you. First, make a list of all of your friends and family that you want to invite. If that number seems really large, start cutting back. Maybe you just want to invite parents, siblings, aunts & uncles, first cousins and close friends. Or maybe you have enough room to include 2nd and 3rd cousins, co-workers and old friends from college.
Finding a Venue
This is where you can get pretty creative. If you don't want to get married in your church or your not religious, there are a lot of locations where you can have a ceremony and reception in the same place. Use Craigslist, your local knot board, google and maybe even your friends to help you find some possible places. A family members backyard, a local park, restaurant, banquet hall, winery, mansion, etc. Or if you want a destination wedding, start looking those up. Sometimes its cheaper to do that than it is to have an at-home wedding, but it all depends on you and what you want.
Caterer
If you find a venue that isn't a full service one, you'll need to start looking for caterer. Warning: food can cost up to 50% of your budget. Now might be the time to start thinking about your guest list again. A wise knottie once said "Would you be willing to lend (name) $50 and never see that money again, or $100 for them to have a date?" If the answer is no, then you should start cutting back your guest list. A lot of brides are now serving BBQ style food because its filling and usually averages $20 per person. A steak and lobster meal can cost up to $110 per person depending on your area. You also want to find a caterer that will provide all of your rentals too. This isn't something that I did, but we were able to get discounts and it ended up saving us money.
Photographer & Videographer
For me, this was the hardest vendor to find. I knew what style I wanted, but I could not find anyone within our price range. You can use your local knot board for recommendations, Craigslist or check out http://www.ppa.com/ for a list of photographers in your area. Look at their websites and see what style of photos they take. Do you want more posed and formal shots or do you like artsy, off center pictures? Then find a photographer that fits your style. For me, its photojournalistic. I absolutely love that look.
Photographers are one vendor that you can definitely ask for a lower price. Most are willing to create custom packages for you in your budget. But you need to know what you want first. What is important to you? Having a ton of photos while you are getting ready and going all the way to the end of the reception? And engagement or trash the dress shoot? A CD of all of your pictures? Albums for your parents? Albums are typically what causes the price to go up, so a lot of brides are opting to make their own wedding album. If this is something that interests you, definitely ask your photographer about either removing that from a package or subsituting it for something else. In my case, we're subsituting a proof book for an engagement session because we'll have an online photo gallery instead. Now, meet with photographers and ask to see tons of pictures from their weddings. If you don't like their personality or their pictures, you don't want to chose them. Think about it, you're going to spend more time that day with your photographer than anyone else. You want to feel comfortable around them.
I'm not have a videographer. A few family members have video cameras and might film it for us, but it wasn't something that either of us found to be important. If it is to you, I'm pretty sure finding one is just like finding a photographer. When you have that connection, you know its going to go over well.
Officiants
If you're not getting married in a church, you'll need to find someone to marry you. In some states, a friend or family member can be ordained online and can marry you. This was not an easy search for us. Officiants in MD are pretty expensive. The more customization you want for your ceremony, the more money it will cost.
The Dress
You want to start looking for your dress 8-12 months before your wedding because some dresses can take up to 6-8 months to come in. Look online first and figure out what type of style you like. Ballgown, mermaid, sheath, tea-length, lace, silk, etc. Then, head on out to the stores to try some on. Make sure not to try on dresses that are out of your budget. You don't want to fall in love with a dress that you can't afford. And try on dresses that you didn't think you would like, you might just change your mind.
Florist
What is your favorite flower? Is it in season for your wedding? Flowers that are out of season can be really, really expensive. Pick out a few flowers that you like and then meet with a florist to figure out what they cost. If a florist seems to expensive for you, visit a grocery store and see if they will make the bouquets for you. Or, you could think about DIYing the flowers. There are tons of online wholesalers who provide flowers at pretty reasonable rates.
Baker
By this point, I'm sure you've figured out that if the word wedding is attached, the prices go up...a lot. So, you have some options here. Fondant is expensive. Yes, it creates that smooth sleek look, but its going to cost your more money. From my research, I've found that a local bakery thats been in operation for years is usually pretty cheap. You could also use a grocery store for this as well. Another money saver is to have a small wedding cake to cut, but serve your guests from a sheetcake thats much cheaper to make and doesn't need to be decorated because no one will see it.
Paper
Invitations can be crazy expensive. Rising prices at the post office don't help much either. Find some styles that you like and then look around on other websites to see if you can find a coupon or sale. Or, the Budget Board #1 recommendation: Vistaprint. Vistaprint is freaking awesome. There are no other words for it. You can sign up and get offers in your email for free postcards, business cards, magnets, just about anything. And they have these deals ALL of the time. You can also go the DIY route if you feel crafy enough. http://www.cardsandpockets.com/ is another great website and I'll be using them for our invitations.
This is getting long enough, so I just want to give some other basic advice.
- Decide on what you want vs. what you need. This is key for a budget.
- Create a budget sheet in excel to track what you are spending.
- No one is going to pay attention to your chairs or table linens. Your guests will remember the food and music.
- Ignore magazines and the internet. The wedding market is notorious for making you think you need personalized favors, a photobooth, a live band, chivari chairs and a ton of other crap that really isn't necessary.
- And, when all else fails, come visit us on the Budget Board on theknot. Navybaby1113 is an awesome moderator and so are the other knotties on there. We're going through the same things you are and I guarantee we can help you find the cheapest floating candles, centerpieces, linens, or anything else that you need.
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