BRONZE BUDGET BRIDE

Tonight I found some really great invitations on Etsy (have you heard of Etsy, it's like eBay with all handmade stuff....there are some really cool thins for sale there, very artsy.)  I couldn't believe the price! 

I am having a peacock themes wedding and doing most everything myself to stay within my very low 5,000 budget and I couldn't find affordable invitations anywhere.  Check out the woman's shop where I found them:

www.capturedmomentsbyamy.etsy.com

Here is a direct link to the invites I am getting:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28221628



Aren't they vibrant and wonderful?  She had a ton of designs to choose from and does custom work at no additional cost.  It was under $150 for the following:

100 6 x 9 Wedding Invitations
100 5.5 x 4 RSVP cards
200 Envelopes
200 Return address labels

I hope this helps someone else!

So I have found my wedding dress. I am on a tight budget and I am looking to save money any way I can. I found the prefect dress for our informal back yard wedding. I wanted a simple white dress that still looked like a wedding dress but allowed me to move around and not feel restricted. I have one big problem with the dress.....I have not seen it in person or tried it on!!! I know crazy right? But the price of the dress is only $65.99. I found this great site called Milanoo.com. I have read the reviews of the dresses and like all sites, there are good and bad. You can't please everyone all the time.

This site has all types of wedding dresses, brides maid and flower girl dresses in a variety of colors. They sell by the size or you can have yourself measured for a custom fit. They do recommend that you have a professional do the measuring. I plan on ordering the dress now as it can take up to 3 weeks to receive it. I plan on getting the custom fitting so that it will be MY dress. I figure if I order now and hate the way it feels or looks, I have time to get a new one or have alterations made by a local seemstress.

Oh and in case you are wondering which dress I am getting, it was the one in the link below. Wish me luck!!!

http://milanoo.com/Sheath-Column-Strapless-Empire-Waist-Applique-Beading-Satin-Organza-Pongee-Wedding-Dress-p20728.html

Most couples these days definitely are! Look for innovative ways to lower your wedding costs such as planning your wedding in the offseason. Spring and summer wedding dates are more expensive and book up fast. Plan your wedding for wintertime instead. Though the weather may be frightful, your wedding can still be delightful ... and cheaper too!

Saturday night is the most popular time for weddings. To save a few bucks, plan your wedding on a weekday night instead. Wednesday and Thursday night are terrific choices. The costs for the reception site and most of your wedding vendors will be a fraction of the Saturday night rates.

Did you ever think of finding sponsors for your wedding? Young couples on a budget are thinking of inventive ways to cut wedding costs. One way is to host a sponsored wedding. Local businesses may be willing to sponsor your wedding. In exchange for subtle advertising on your invitations or at your reception, you can offset your costs with funds from wedding vendors and other businesses.

Save Money and Still have a Fabulous Reception

Today, an average wedding can cost around $26,000, and for many, that amount of money can break the bank. So, what do you do when you want to have a beautiful wedding reception without burning a hole in your pocket? Use some of our reception alternatives to save money, while capturing the magic of your special day.

Have your reception in a public park. An outdoor reception gives you the ability to have as many guests as you’d like, versus having to limit your guests in a hall. Having a picnic-like reception at a public park is a free, fun, casual way to celebrate your day. Just make sure that you check with the Park & Recreation department in your area, to make sure it’s okay.

Have a public beach party reception. If you’re getting married in the summer, try having your reception at the beach. More and more people and throwing informal beach bashes as a way to save money and liven up the traditional wedding reception.

Do your own cooking.Caterers can be one of the pricier parts of a reception, so ask a few friends if they’d work for a small fee and night of fun at the reception. A day or two before the wedding, prepare lots of the food by chopping the vegetables, getting all the ingredients and laying out the recipes. You can wow your guests with your fun, DIY wedding cuisine!

Flowers. Everyone has a favorite flower they’d like at their wedding, but the average cost of flowers range from $800 to $1000. So, discuss with your florist using only in-season flowers, which will save you the cost of the rare, exotic, out of season flowers.

Centerpieces. Instead of having lavish centerpieces, save money and go minimalist with nice, sensible candles as your centerpieces. They are tasteful and can be a cost effective way to have an elegant look at your wedding.

Liquor. Eliminating an open bar can save you a tremendous amount of money. If you want to have some liquor, serve a minimal amount, such as just champagne or just beer and wine. This gives your guests the option to drink without having to spend the money for hard liquor!

Music.Hiring a DJ or band for your reception can cost lots of money, but if you’re having a very low-key wedding, a nice alternative is using a stereo system or an iPod. Rummage through your CD collection and make a wedding playlist. Put someone in charge of the music, and you and your guests will be dancing the night away with no worries about the cost!

Wedding favors. It’s very nice to have a parting gift for your guests at your wedding, but the cost of wedding favors can rack up, depending on what you want to give your guests. One smart way to save money is by making your own favors such as baked goods, or miniature frames holding the seating arrangements, which can later be filled with pictures of your big day!

Once you’re confident that you can pay for you wedding, you’ll be really ready to enjoy it!

courtesy of OurWeddingDay.com

One of our members here, Alanta, suggested fiftyflowers.com as a good resource for buying flowers online at wholesale prices. I do recommend it for those who must have real flowers at their wedding.  Another fab wholesale resource for bulk flowers is Costco.com. Although the variety is limited, the prices are great and may be more affordable to most small budget brides since many of their bulks sell for under $100!

Check them out for yourself and keep in mind that making your own centerpieces is always cheaper than having a florist do them for you.

I found this info online from a bride that goes by Irissvb and just had to add it since she's been there.


"I had a big wedding (350 people), due to the number of people in hubby's family--(75 for HIS family alone) and the number of friends in my parent's community that had to be invited...

We did lots of things to cut costs... if you are truly in need of help, I could write a book-- I've been to over 40 weddings in about 14 years--and have seen the gamut--from spray cheese on club crackers in an unconditioned 10x10 room-- Not good in 100 degree/100% humidity August weather (Tacky and CHEAP--NOT recommended if you want any style what-so-ever!) , to a wedding of 500-600 people (just throw your bank account out the window!)...

Some ways to cut down the costs:

1) have a tea reception or a dessert reception. i.e. don't serve a full meal. However, you'll want to make sure not to have the reception during a meal time. Keep your eye on the costs, though, sometimes, it can be just as costly depending on what you order.

2) Flowers--depending on the time of year and the formality of the wedding, lots can be done here-- i.e. if it's a late spring / early summer wedding and an informal outdoor wedding, you could have friends bring bouquets of cut flowers from their garden and put into those in-expensive glass vases... (One friend went to Garage sales & estate sales and bought old tea pots and coffee pots and used them as vases for cut flowers from the garden.--very pretty AND cheap!)

At my wedding, my mom opted to create the centerpieces (I opted to stay as far away as possible on that day-- too much stress for the bride.) She had a friend whole-sale order the fresh flowers, candles, floral foam and trays. We must have saved at least $2000 on flowers alone!

For one event, I went to the local farmer's market and bought some flats of flowers (this was in spring) and then got some mini flower pots and just re-potted the flowers into the pot... Used them for centerpieces with some baby's breath. they looked very informal for a spring event.

3) Cakes - watch for places that charge a cake-cutting fee.. PER SLICE...
One friend opted for a "tower of cupcakes" - each frosted like little flowers--- very pretty and no cake cutting fee!

4) Timing: An "off night" such as a Friday or Sunday wedding is usually less expensive than a Saturday wedding. Planning around a holiday can sometimes be beneficial-- 1) the guests may already have time off, so more may come (as long as you give them ample notice) and 2) Some places have discounts on particular holidays because traffic may be low at that time of year.

If you're Christian, then having the wedding around the time of a high holiday like Easter or Christmastime means that the church is already decorated (and you don't have to get flowers for the ceremony).

5) Location: Restaurants may be cheaper than banquet halls. Ethnic restaurants tend to be of good value... Also if you want something more informal, how about an outdoor "picnic" type wedding or a BBQ vs. a sit-down formal wedding?

6) Consider having a friend make the cake as their gift. I was lucky, my sis-in-law was an awesome baker and she made me a beautiful cake! :-) It was probably worth at least $500... AND it tasted and looked great! Of course, you have to be absolutely sure that whoever is baking your cake is reliable!

7) if you want live music and have friends who are musicians--consider having them give the music as their gift...

8) Limit your bar (if you intend to have one) to beer and wine vs. premium liquor and close the bar down early. (i.e. at midnight instead of 1 a.m.) 2 good things come of this-- 1) it's cheaper, 2) less likelihood of friends over-indulging.

9) Instead of a limo, if you have a friend with a nice car (maybe a nice minivan, so that it's easier to get into and out of.) have them wash it up nice and shiny and decorate it and have them be your "chauffer" instead of renting a limo. Cheaper, and you don't have to worry about how long you have the car! (Make sure, however, they will be sober when driving!)

10) Consider creating your own wedding cards vs. ordering from a catalogue. These days, there are lots of ideas in scrapbooking magazines, rubber stamping, computer clip art, digital photos, etc. all you have to do is to make 1 original, scan it into the computer and print out on card stock. :-)

11) Make your own veil! Not all that difficult. A little hot glue, rhinestones and a pre-made netting and you're all set.

12) Save on a garter-- get a cheap garter, glue on some fancy ribbon (blue) and rhinestones, etc. You're all set!

13) Book your honeymoon way in advance (if you're doing a get-away trip or a cruise, etc.) Usually, there are discounts for booking early and cruise-lines will upgrade you if you book early.

14) Bridal Gowns-- Make sure that wherever you get your dress, the salon INCLUDES alterations. it's insane how much places will charge you to put on a button or to raise a hem! If you're going for a less formal wedding-- don't shop in the wedding salon, but look in you local department stores for a nice white dress or suit--they tend not to be as expensive. If you have a family member who is a seamstress, you could always get your dress made as well!

15) Tuxes - lots of tux rental shops give the groom a tux for free with a certain number of groomsmen. OR, one of my friends had her fiance Buy a tux--if you look for sales, sometimes they are not that expensive, ANd he'll have it for later! If you're doing something less formal--your fiance could buy a suit instead...

Do splurge a little on a good photographer--make sure you get someone reliable. If it's a friend who's shooting the wedding, make sure that they are responsible enough that they will shoot the photos you need. (and make sure that you are confident of the quality of photos they will be shooting!"


Wednesday, April 19, 2006, 4:23 PM

I recommend all brides have a printed worksheet like this so that you see where your money will go and be able to see ahead of time just how much . For example, for transportation, instead of renting  a limo for $600 a day, why not rent a luxury car for the day and drvie it yourself and that can save you over $400. Better yet, deck your own car out with wedding decals like the ones here on save-on-crafts and save that $600 for something else like food or wedding rings.

WEDDING BUDGET WORKSHEET
Item	Budgeted Cost	Actual Cost
PRINTING:
Invitations/Reply Cards
Announcements
Napkins
Thank-you Notes
Wedding Programs
Postage
TOTAL
FEES:
Marriage License
Clergy Fee
Ceremony Location
Reception Location
Equipment Rentals
TOTAL
FLOWERS:
Bride's Bouquet
Throw Bouquet
Decorations
Bridesmaids Flowers
Boutonnieres
TOTAL
GIFTS:
Bridesmaids
Ushers
Groomsmen
TOTAL
WEDDING ATTIRE:
Bridal Gown and Veil
Bridal Shoes/Accessories
Groom's Tuxedo
Groom's Accessories
Attendants' Dresses
Attendants' Tuxedos/Suits
TOTAL
PRE-WEDDING PARTIES:
Bridesmaid Luncheon
Bachelor Party
Rehearsal Dinner
Engagement Party
TOTAL
ENTERTAINMENT:
Ceremony
Reception
TOTAL
PHOTOGRAPHY:
Photographer
Videographer
TOTAL
FOOD AND BEVERAGES:
Caterer
Wedding Cake
Beverages/Bar
TOTAL
TRANSPORTATION:
Limos, etc.
Parking
TOTAL
WEDDING RINGS:
Engagement Ring
Bride's Wedding Ring
Groom's Wedding Ring
TOTAL
MISCELLANEOUS:
Wedding Favors
Tipping
Wedding Consultant (if used)
Unexpected Costs (10%)
TOTAL
TOTAL BUDGET:

courtesy of About.com