NPenak13: I read your post yesterday and have been thinking since then about some suggestions to help you. I'm a bride to be with a constrained resource too - time. I maintain a blog called MBA Bride offering business advice to brides. Although my blog has some suggestions for budgeting, nothing I wrote seemed to fit quite what you were looking for.
I think I found something that may help. Bravo Bride just published the top 5 budget bridal trends for 2012. They are:
1) Electronic invitations with added bonus of tracking RSVPs (check out this YouTube wedding invite) 2) Preowned wedding items 3) Cash registries (cha-ching!) 4) Cloth or paper flowers (which will look adorable in your home with FH) 5) Wedding rentals
I think there are a lot of opportunities for you to create a wedding completely out of the frilly wedding box that many brides put themselves in, all while saving $$.
It takes a lot of brainstorming and that can be exhausting. It's clear you have the support of a number of very smart and savvy brides on this forum; we will help guide you as much as we can.
Chin up!
staceface323
Posted:
Member since
Re: Getting Discouraged....
I just got engaged 2 weeks ago and my FH is toally freaking out with all that I am doing and the price. I want a Saturday night wedding, but obviously this is the most expensive and through all the emails I have recieved from the RH and other vendors I have found options that are a lot less expensive then I originally thought. I agree do a lot of things on your own it will definitely save a lot. We are going tomorrow to look at Woodlands at the Green which is owned by the same people as The Woodlands Mansion. It is a former private golf course looking to go public,so in order to get new clients they are offering a 69.99 pp option that has an extensive menu. I am hoping that the grounds look as nice in person as they do in the pictures cause if this is the case we are booking it without looking at other venues as this place is about 40 less then every where else I have researched with the same menu options and on a Saturday night. Good luck with everything!
gf1025
Posted:
Member since
Re: Getting Discouraged....
Don't get discouraged!! It's possible! We're saving as much as we can. For instance we no longer buy lunch and bring our lunch every day to work. DYI I have done so far: my Save the Dates and Engagement party invites. The wedding invitations we got on eBay. My dress I got at running of the brides The alterations are being done by a local seamstress who alters wedding gowns all the time at the cleaners! All those things have saved. The flowers, we went to a local florist instead of a 'wedding' florist and it turns out that our local florist is a wedding specialist!! So We got good prices for someone who is talented and does weddings almost every single weekend.
We shopped around and also got an excellent deal for the DJ!! Got a DJ + MC and basic lights for $800.
We don't hacve to worry about place cards or table numbers because the RH we chose provides them for us... Also, I think doing your hair at a salon is cheaper than getting it done at home (same with make-up for that matter). Anything is possible. Your preffered RH is GORGEOUS BTW!!!
gf1025
Posted:
Member since
Re: Getting Discouraged....
Posted by staceface323
I just got engaged 2 weeks ago and my FH is toally freaking out with all that I am doing and the price. I want a Saturday night wedding, but obviously this is the most expensive and through all the emails I have recieved from the RH and other vendors I have found options that are a lot less expensive then I originally thought. I agree do a lot of things on your own it will definitely save a lot. We are going tomorrow to look at Woodlands at the Green which is owned by the same people as The Woodlands Mansion. It is a former private golf course looking to go public,so in order to get new clients they are offering a 69.99 pp option that has an extensive menu. I am hoping that the grounds look as nice in person as they do in the pictures cause if this is the case we are booking it without looking at other venues as this place is about 40 less then every where else I have researched with the same menu options and on a Saturday night. Good luck with everything!
That RH looks fantastic!!
angelicd77
Posted:
Member since
Re: Getting Discouraged....
As far as planning tips and budgeting I'm totally clueless, but I thought that I would perk you up a little bit with my story.
FH and I have been together for over 5 years and engaged 2. He had lost his job (layoff due to the economy) not long before we got engaged. But we didnt think it would be a huge deal for him to find a job because hes very good with his hands. Well now 3 years later he still hasnt been able to find anything to save his life. I literally have been faxing resumes and hes been calling and going to places and filling out applications. Hundreds, mabye even thousands lol. Fortunately enough for us his parents let us stay there and thanks to a friend I was able to get a better job recently. We want nothing more then to be able to get our own place and plan our wedding but everytime something looks like its going in the right direction something else happens and its like 3 steps in the opposite direction.
If you need someone to talk to I'm right there with ya so FM if you want!! Hopefully 2012 will be the year for both of us to be able to get these weddings on track!!!
stormstryker
Posted:
Member since
Re: Getting Discouraged....
Posted by angelicd77
As far as planning tips and budgeting I'm totally clueless, but I thought that I would perk you up a little bit with my story.
FH and I have been together for over 5 years and engaged 2. He had lost his job (layoff due to the economy) not long before we got engaged. But we didnt think it would be a huge deal for him to find a job because hes very good with his hands. Well now 3 years later he still hasnt been able to find anything to save his life. I literally have been faxing resumes and hes been calling and going to places and filling out applications. Hundreds, mabye even thousands lol. Fortunately enough for us his parents let us stay there and thanks to a friend I was able to get a better job recently. We want nothing more then to be able to get our own place and plan our wedding but everytime something looks like its going in the right direction something else happens and its like 3 steps in the opposite direction.
If you need someone to talk to I'm right there with ya so FM if you want!! Hopefully 2012 will be the year for both of us to be able to get these weddings on track!!!
I really hope so! My fiance and I both work in dead end jobs (I am a Vet Assistant) and he is a security guard at a nursing home. Neither one of us are doing anything remotely what we want with our lives. He is a full time employee, part time employee AND full time student!!!!! I am a full time employee and full time bride. Not to mention our jobs are overnights, so we are totally backwards from the rest of the world!!!! The only day we see eachother is Sat, which is when we have to do all the things wedding related. Oh yea, and we can't afford to even live with our parents who don't charge us rent!!!!! This is what stresses me so much. After the wedding, we are not staying on Long Island, but we if we don't manage to get jobs in our field, then where do we go? How do we afford to go? I am sooo stressed by money right now its not even funny. I have been making everything I can myself, such as save-the-dates, invites, plan on doing table stuffes. We took out flowers from the centerpieces, etc. Still doesn't feel like its saving enough since we are being forced to have a large wedding (family is over 100people alone!)
Anyone know of anything I can do on the side to make more money??? LOL!
