Wedding Ideas
 

I have a sister who is trying to do her wedding on a small budget. I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas on how to do a wedding in VA for cheap. Any help would be great!

Inexpensive Ideas for a Wedding:

1. Look on Ebay for dresses that weren't used, sometimes prices can be lower.

2. Ask a friend who's already been married if you can borrow her veil, I know of a friend who did that and it looked just as good on her as it did our other friend.

3. Don't have an open bar at the wedding, those can be very expensive.

4. Have the rehersal dinner at the groom's family house, that might be less inexpensive then say a restaurant or a country club or even a yacht club.

5. Pick flowers that are in season during her wedding date. No need to pick some exotic flowers that only bloom during some special season, that can make the prices sky-high.

I've never been married, but I've been in a couple of weddings and I've attended many, and these are just great ideas I've heard from other brides-to-be.

Some ways that I saved money....

Picked church and reception sites that were free.

Bought a tuxedo for the groom from a company that sells to cruise ships (cheaper than renting).

Made as many of the wedding "objects" as possible.

Had a friend video the wedding.

Had a friend be the coordinator.

Roses,
Silver

Use silk flowers. They look just as good and last years longer!

Pick a day in the middle of the week. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the biggest, and therefore the most expensive days.

A Sat or Sunday afternoon tea garden reception, especially in the summer, is quite lovely, but if many of the guests are coming from out of town, this may not be as much of an option.

Another option is to get married in those non-peak months of Oct, Nov, Jan, Feb, March - prices for hall rentals and such can be bteween 25-50% lower than high-season months.

for my wedding we made all of the table centerpeices and we made all of the wedding favors. I also found a dress that I absolutely loved on sale at Jcpenneys. my aunt is the cordinator and I have family that want to make the cake and be the Dj so all in all I have been pretty fortunate on being cheap

Watch what time you have your wedding and reception. If you can combine the service and reception at the same place and you don't have it during lunch or dinner you can avoid feeding your guests more than finger foods and cake.

Order a small tiered cake and have the bakery make the rest in sheet cake. You don't have to order a tiered cake for all of your guests but it is nice to have a small one for the pictures.

Instead of hiring a DJ for dancing, preprogram the music or have a friend stand in for this duty.

There are MANY books out there on weddings on a budget check them out of the library instead of buying them ;) for more ideas.

Just remember that there are many things at many weddings that you don't HAVE to do - favors aren't a requirement, most throw them away afterwards which is sad b/c those can be very expensive. You don't HAVE to have a program either. If it is important to recognize the people in your wedding have ONE page printed up and frame it on the guest book table. Everyone can see that your MOH was your cousin and that your 2nd BM was your best friend in college.

Good Luck!!!!

Also, check out http://www.tlc.com and check out the For Better or For Worse show. They have some really great ideas, if you can catch it on television. They have some awesome ideas for invites, and centerpieces and their budget is usually small anyways.

Oooo you've been to www.theknot.com right?

If this really is Lauren the Tri Sigma, there already is a thread for you:

http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=83705

Get married around a holiday- I was married the weekend after Easter and the church was already decorated for me! I had my reception in the church hall (which was very inexpensive compared to other reception locations). Just check to make sure you aren't breaking any church or local laws. (the church was fine with us serving alcohol, but the state law required that we have a licensed bartender serve it).

Also, have a "Dessert table" or a "cookie table" full of desserts and then you don't have to pay for a large wedding cake- just one large enough for pictures and the cake cutting.

Think about printing your own invitiations - most office stores sell the software and cardstock so you could make your own. You can also print out your own programs if you think you need them.

Have a morning wedding followed by a brunch buffet or an early afternoon wedding followed by hors 'douvres. That way you don't pay for a sit down meal.

Pick one thing that is really important and don't feel bad about spending the $ on that one thing if you are saving everywhere else. I really wanted nice photos to remember the day, so I paid more for one of the "best" photographers in town- but it was well worth it when I compaired my pictures to friends who used the cheaper people. But something else might be more important to you.