What are your best....

ideas for saving money on your wedding (i.e., DIY's, bargins you have found online, general ways you have cut back on costs)
Just curious and would love if people shared thier ideas.

Honestly, I picked out a part of the wedding or an item that was VERY important to me and I didn't care what I spent. It happened to be our wedding bands. After I was allowed to splurge on that then I made a budget of what was MAJOR important to me and what's not and went from there. Sorry if that's so confusing but that's how I did it.

I shopped around for the best prices. It's hard to get a good price and a good vender. but you have to talk to the venders and some of them work with what you are willing to pay.

our biggest savings...cutting back the guest list. It went from 140 to 85. I want a small wedding and thats what I got.

Another thing is to never pay full price for anything.

-Bought veil, tiara, and ring pillow off eBay.

Here are a couple of things I've done:
* bought disposable wedding cameras on ebay for only $2.99 each
* wrapping my own favors instead of paying to have them done
* ordered my invites from a print shop instead of invitation shop (he gave us 10% off the list cost)
* made my own tissue packs and petal cones
* I shopped right after Christmas for my bridesmaids gifts, so I was able to get them much more for my money
* instead of paying for pew bows or flowers, I bought small red pomander balls from WalMart for $3 each to use on the aisles (my mother will use them afterwards for her dance studio)
* skipped CH flowers, I'm sure noone will even notice
* even though I would rather have nicer ones, I'm just going to use the seat cards my hall gave me
* booked my 3 bands from one company so I got a good deal, it's like I got my CH music for free

ETA:
* I bought me veil on ebay for $10
* I got my $160 tiara on sale for $29.99
* I bought $15 satin ballet slippers from Payless that I'll be wearing all day
* Instead of doing a fancy rehearsal dinner, we're having a rehearsal brunch (19.95 including mimosa's and bloody Mary's)
* bought my FG basket and RB pillow on ebay for $30
* I really wanted a cute 'Mrs. Savino' bikini, but I couldn't find it for less than $140- I wound up ordering it from ebay for $38 including shipping.
* instead of hosting a breakfast/brunch after the wedding, I will make small bags with muffins and juice for any overnight hotel guests

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Posted by kelleherkm

I saved a ton of $ on my CPs - because I bought them last year at the end of the holiday season (its a black/brassy pedestal with 3 pillar candles and a red berry wreath around it). Its perfect for my wedding because we're getting married when the chirstmas decorations will be up - and they only cost me $6.99 each. But all the $$ I saved on that I blew on the photographer! ha ha

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Wow those centerpieces are sooo pretty. That was what I meant buy the thread I started... sorry if it sounded a little confusing. I would just love to know what good thrifty ideas people thought of to save money without affecting the look/feel of the wedding and maybe actually enhancing it with the uniqueness of it..... as in your centerpieces.

My mom is thinking of making the flowergirl dresses... I got my dress at estelles for a lot less than the other places i was looking at ...etc.... does that make more sense.

I did a lot to save $$ since we paid for almost all of it ourselves.

I made my own programs, wrapped my own favors, made hotel welcome gift bags, made my own bathroom baskets for the reception, bought my tiara at Patchogue Floral, my MIL made my veil and purse, found my shoes in a store - then ordered the same pair through an online discount site, did not have flower arrangements at the church (its beautiful already, but I did have some ivy and berries on the pews), did not have head table centerpiece - lined up BM's boquets there, negotiated in extras for CH and dessert without paying extra for the additions, got our hotel for the wedding night free from our block...I'll try to think of whatelse I did...

I've tried to do as much online research that I could and it's paid off-- i haven't paid full-price for anything. there's always room to negotiate if you know what you want. I got my CPs after the holiday's last year at 70% off and will be making small christmas trees. I got the trees and all of the decorations for about $5 each. I'm keeping my guest list small ---we want betwen 90-100 people and i negotiated my reception package down by decreasing the number of entrees that my guest chose from 6 to 3.

Good luck!

ETA- I also made my own favors and wrapped and the card box!

we skipped alot of things like table cameras, no programs, no aisle decorations, we did alot of things ourselves, like the archway, the FG basket, the RB pillow (which was lost that day), the FG dress, the C-pieces (which were candleholders bought for $6.50 each at Joanne's after X-mas!)

ETA: we also picked an off season time to get married and used a regular florist for our flowers instead of a Wedding florist.

great ideas .....I feel a little better knowing that once the big vendors are booked (i looked around a lot to find less expenisve but quality vendors) that there are ways to cut back.

Every once in a while the total cost of it hits me and I panic!!!!

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Posted by SFP0214
Wow those centerpieces are sooo pretty. That was what I meant buy the thread I started... sorry if it sounded a little confusing. I would just love to know what good thrifty ideas people thought of to save money without affecting the look/feel of the wedding and maybe actually enhancing it with the uniqueness of it..... as in your centerpieces.

My mom is thinking of making the flowergirl dresses... I got my dress at estelles for a lot less than the other places i was looking at ...etc.... does that make more sense.

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Thank you :) I was really happy with the CPs and the price was soooo good. I know exactly what you mean. I wish I had more time to post and wasnt at work because I'd post pics of other things too!

Oh wait one more quick that I found...these are my save the dates - a digital pic of us at a xmas party that i put a frame/border around using one of my photo programs at home and then I found magnetic business cards on csale at Walmart and got packages of 30 cards for less then $4!!

I am making my own centerpieces and I got some of the stuff on clearance at Michael. I found these wooden lighthouses(4.00 on clearance and I still need some more at 13.00 full price) that will look great painted in my wedding colors. I am surrounding them with shells(bag of 80 large on ebay-10.00), sand(my florist said she has some), and votives(59.00 for 144 on ebay). total cost- about 7.00 per centerpiece. I am allergic to most flowers so this was the perfect way to go. I also love lighthouses and my wedding is natutical theme. My total budget on flowers and decorations with a low budget florist to help- 750.00. I did waste all my savings on my wedding music, though

I am borrowing my veil, slip & tiara...
having our wedding on a sunday in november to save money...
made our own STD's... making our own RD invites...
got shoes at payless...

We saved a lor doing a friday night wedding, we didn't get flowers for the church since it was decorated already for the whole month for easter, and the centerpieces were included in the hall, also the wedding cake.
We put one camera for each table, some people do up to 3
My aunt has a photography place so my pictures were her present....HUGE savings there!
We used a lot of the vendors that the hall recommended and it was good.
The DJ gave us a discount b/c my brother recommended him and he was working at jericho terrace at the time
I did my alterations on the side, not where i got my dress.