I want to take some time to let people know how we planned a wedding for around $10,000 and walked away from the alter, debt free (this included our honeymoon). I firmly believe you can plan your dream day without spending $20,000, $30,000 or more!
After getting engaged, March 4, 2012, we didn't start planning the wedding until July or August 2012. I relied heavily on www.theknot.com for planning purposes; their guest list tool and checklist was awesome! Also, I was lucky enough to be planning my wedding in the days of Pinterest.
Our biggest money saver was on the venue which was at Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville, GA. Once we toured the plantation, we knew this was perfect for us. However, after seeing their venue fee packages, I thought we could not manage it on our tight budget. Then, I asked the coordinator if they had any off season prices. They did!!! If we could handle not having Saturday wedding, we could cut the venue fee in half ($1800 to $950). It was an easy decision to get married on a weekday, because I knew no matter what day we choose, the people that matter to us would be there regardless. In addition, because we chose a weekday, we were able to set up the venue and have the rehearsal on property because the night before, because once again, no bride chooses a weekday. This was a big bonus because I have been in weddings where the bridal party had to set up the venue the day of the wedding, to say the least, that is stressful.
Once we knew our venue and date, it was time for all the other details to be decided on. I started with the guest list. I knew keeping under 100 guests was crucial to keep costs down. We ended up with 135 people on the list and around 85 actually attended.
Next was the photographer, I had someone in mind, but she lived several hours from me and was awesome, so her rates reflected that. However, like all the websites say, call in your favors. The photographer cheered with me in high school so I gave her a call. I will not go into detail about the exact dollar amount (out of respect for her future bookings) basically, I told her my photography budget and waited to see if she agreed, which she did!
After that, I started going through the list of wedding expenses and started concentrating on the more expensive ones and began researching alternatives, here is a breakdown of what I did:
Food: We used Costco/Sams and were able to afford 12 food items for 100 people for $500 (compared to several catering quotes for 4 appetizers for around $2000). You need to be mindful of how you are going to prepare any foods that need to be cooked and what you will be serving the food on. We found the serving trays with serving utensils at Costco for a good price and borrowed the warming dishes from a friend.
Bar: Called in a favor to a friend who owns a restaurant and got his retail prices. We stuck to whiskey (the groom's favorite), keg beer, 2 red wines, 1 white wine for $450 (there was still leftover spirits after the wedding).
Invites/Save-the-Dates: We designed both on our own for $220 total, compared to ordering just invites that averaged around $400. I designed them in Microsoft Publisher/Word and printed them at home. Below is a photo of the invite (I got the idea from Pinterest and for the RSVP card, I ordered a personalized acrylic stamp from Etsy). For the Save-the-dates, we took our own photos with a tripod at a local park and ordered them through Walgreens.
Cake: We used Maire's Kakes who made a wonderful 3 tiered cake to serve approx. 60 people for $196 (including delivery). We requested a tier be pistachio cake, which she did not have a recipe for, so she whipped one up for our tasting and it was awesome (something a big store bakery wont do). We then ordered 5 dozen donuts for $40 (because why not have donuts at a wedding:).
DJ: Paid only $350 for ceremony music and 5 hours of reception music.
Decor: We made pretty much everything ourselves for around $800. This included the ceremony seating signs, centerpieces, table runners, cake table decor, gift table decor, guest book area, alter, photo booth and props, invites, save-the-dates and Thank You Cards. Having a DIY wedding is a lot of work, but we started early and each week we would try to complete at least one project.
Flowers: We ordered Baby’s breath from Publix for $60 (about 16 bushels) This amount made 7 boutonnieres, 4 bridesmaids bouquets and 14 centerpieces, as well as random floral arrangements at the ceremony site and gift/guestbook tables, with leftovers that Publix let me return!
For my bouquet, I tried to make it my self (I got the supplies from Hobby Lobby), I quickly realized I could not do this, no matter how "crafty" I am. We ended up taking my supplies to a florist who assembled it for only $60! Sometimes you have to admit defeat :)
Day of Wedding Planner: I had a good friend who also did catering for her own restaurant, act as my day of coordinator (for free!) and this was a great choice! She came to the rehearsal and made sure she had a clear idea of what I was envisioning and also figured out the details of preparing the warm food items. She made the day run smoothly, because, once you as the bride head back to get ready, there is nothing else you can do to ensure you have a smooth day.
Other Tips I learned:
· Have a wedding binder and use it often. Bring it to all wedding related meetings and make sure to have colored photos of your ideas to show potential vendors.
· Use the www.theknot.com tools (print them and add to binder).
· Shop for decor at www.save-on-crafts.com first and then go to craft stores. Try to only place one order because shipping will get ya.
· Create a very detailed day of timeline and personalize it for both sides of the wedding party, parents, wedding planner, etc. I created a timeline, printed it out, went through and highlighted all groomsmen’s tasks, then did the same for all who needed one.
o A good photographer and DJ will pretty much set your timeline for you.
· Have a bridesmaid designated as your "drink girl" (you will never make it to the bar on your own because you get stopped so much).
· Have a bridesmaid designated to make sure your make-up stays in check throughout the night.
· Don’t forget to arrange transportation for yourself on the day of. I did not do this and ended up having a "Dude Where’s my Car?" moment the day after ,when we finally realized it was still outside the bridal suite :)
· Have a plan for food for the wedding party and parents for the day of. We ordered Publix subs and fruit.
I am very proud of our song selections, as they were all very personal to us:
· First Dance: John Legend- Stay with You
· Walk Down Aisle: Iz- Somewhere Over the Rainbow
· Father Daughter Dance: Tim McGraw – My little girl
· Cake Cutting: Jason Marz - I am Yours
· Mother Son Dance: Into the Mystic –Van Morrison
· Bouquet Toss: Beyoncé- Single Ladies
· Garter Toss: Marvin Gaye- Let’s Get it on
· Recessional: Ce Ce Peniston- Finally
Hope this helps you plan your special day!
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