( 
) How you could create your own wedding and reception for $1,500.00 or less. This is a guide that will give you ideas of how to creatively and inexpensively make your wedding and reception for up to 150 guests.
Everything you need know about saving money for your special day. Don't take loans out for your wedding, use this guide to help save your hard earned money. Don't start your new marriage in debt.
This guide is not a guarantee that you will not exceed $1,500.00 for everything as it is your choice of what you choose to do. This will save you a lot of money in the areas you do choose to use.
A note to the happy couple planning your special day. Have patience, stay organized, follow this guide and take breaks when you get frustrated. Your wedding is one of the best and stressful days you will experience besides buying your first home and the birth of children. If you follow some or all of these tips it will save you from financial stress after the wedding.
Plan out your budget for each area. If you run under in one area, then use the money in another area running short.
The first thing for you to decide is location of your wedding and reception. Have a second and third location just in case you need a back up. Make calls to see which is feasible.
-Your church may be free, and with church locations you may be able to use the reception hall for nominal fee.
- Local parks may have a unique angle for your wedding, and there again you may be able to utilize a pavillion for a nominal fee as well.
-Home weddings are free, rental of tables and chairs from your local church, lodge, fire hall for a backyard reception are usually less than a rental center.
- Unique local attractions such as your zoo, botanicals, museum, historic sites may be affordable at just a donation.
Invitations
Decide how you will want your invitation to look and how may you will need.
Handmade invitations will take you an evening with your future spouse or friends and family.
You could create your wedding invitations on the computer with graphics. You or a friend could hand draw your invitation and color copy at your local stationary store.Make hand stamped invitations with a custom rubber stamp and you can detail as much or as little as you like.
The Menu
You have a huge decision on what to have for food for your guests. You must decide if this is horderves, light menu finger foods or dessert menu or a full meal. Late morning or an early afternoon wedding can get away with light menu finger foods and desserts. A wedding in mid afternoon is expected to have a full meal for the guests.
Many recipes can be found on the internet, or your family and friends for fast and delicious tidbits. Who do you know in your circle that likes to cook and is good at it? Many items can be prepared in advance and frozen to be heated the day of your event. Breads, cookies, pies, tarts, horderves.
Go directly to your local butcher for the best deal on your meat. Your butcher will even slice your meats for free. A nice ham and roast beef sliced thinly and garnished will go far. Chicken made into sauces or filets will stretch well. Fresh fish caught locally is Remember to serve your meat as a side dish not the main dish. Have plenty of other items to choose from.
Will you serve individual plates or have a buffet style? If you serve individual plates, you control what is on each plate. Buffet style you should go with multiple salads and a pasta bar with choice of sauces. Basic tomato sauce, meat sauces, alfredo sauce, pesto sauce. Chicken fettucini alfredo is filling and delicious, choose pasta and sauces you like. Pasta and salads and breads can be made from discount store items and taste like a 5 star meal!
Wedding Cake
If you have a cake baker in your family.. ask them to bake your cake! If you have a local baking school that teaches through your local high school or home economics class, contact them. Schools usually make cakes for a fraction of the local Bakery charges.
Make your own wedding cake topper to keep as your momento of your special day. You can use special keepsakes you already have collected to compile a unique piece. You could sculpt your own cake topper, you could use flowers for your cake topper.. . be creative!
Flowers
You can use dried flowers, cut flowers, silk flowers or live flowers. Use your locally grown seasonal flowers. Collect and dry flowers and spray paint them to match your wedding flowers. Grow your own flowers to use. Put live plants on the tables that are cuttings from friends and families plants.
Decorations
Decorations can be easy and made from household items. Carnations can be made from fan folded tissue paper/kleenex. Decorative fans can be folded out of an old roll of wallpaper with your wedding colors in it. Mirrors as a centerpiece with a throw of glitter and a candle will create a nice ambiance. Baskets of seasonal fruit or flowers work fabulous as well. You can go to your local freecycle.org and request unused or unwanted decorations or anything else you need for free. You never know what someone else has and does not need.
Wishing Well
Wishing well for cards from guests. This can be as easy as a box covered in gift wrap to an actual mailbox with the newly wed's names on it on a post cemented/plastered in an old 5 gallon bucket with fabric wrapped around the base.
Wedding Favors
Wedding favors can be as simple as candy in the traditional netting, or handmade candles made from cast off wax or sheets of new wax. Candles can be decorated with anything you like such as shells, glitter, dried flowers embedded in the wax.
Plants in pots with a tag that has "love grows and grows". An elegant velvet bow with something in the center of the knot. An ornament you make, A small ceramic token. Candy you make. You can imagine just about anything and have it for your guests momento.
Apparel
You could go crazy and spend the entire $1,500.00 plus just on the dress alone. If you are lucky enough to have a gown passed down by a grandmother or your mother than you just have to have it altered. Ebay has many inexpensive gowns on at any given moment. Your local thrift stores, or even bridal stores will sell you a floor sample at a discounted price. At the bridal stores the floor samples will be in desperate need of cleaning. Do not take the dress to a dry cleaners, a $4.00 bottle of woolite in your bathtub with cold water will clean the dress as originally made. You will need to iron and do some small touch ups but the savings is worth it.
You can make a veil from wire, tulle netting, wire snips, masking tape and either silk floral vine or pearls by the yard. Cut enough wire to wrap around for a tiara twice. Wrap wire form with masking tape for stability. Wrap tiara form with either the silk ivy vine or the pearls by the yard. At the end of the wrapping material have filiment/fishing line to tie it off. Cut tulle to desired length and layers, sew to the back of the tiara from underneath so stitches do not show.
You could just wear a jeweled tiara without the veil. You could make a wreath of fresh flowers or baby's breath. A borrowed pearl necklace and some bobbypins would make a lovely hair accent.
For the brides maids dresses you can choose a dress from a local outlet that can be altered to look more formal with the addition of a lace collar from your local fabric store. Choosing something that can be altered from common to formal and then back to common so that your bridesmaids can use again.
Most men have a dress white shirt and black pants. Black shoes are also usually in a man's wardrobe. To create a uniform appearance with the groom's men. Going to thrift stores and getting men's vests in cotton or wool to dye to the same color. If the men go to a local warehouse outlet, most have tuxedo shirts and black bowties in sets for $15.00 for an off brand.
The groom will have the choice of jackets or just vests..
Photography
With all the digital cameras that guests will have, you will surely have photos that will encompass the entire wedding and reception. You can contact a school in your area and ask for a student that is taking photography and employ his or her services for a fraction of a professional photographer.
Music
For your music you can pre record your favorite songs to CD and have your stereosystem at the reception. You could inquire at a local music school for musicians to play. You could inquire to local Dj's and get prices that may fit your budgdet.
Using your resources and creativity you can save money and have a wonderful wedding day! Use your local discount stores, freecycle.org, Ebay, friends, family, sales in local stores. Be creative and be organized.
Everything you need know about saving money for your special day. Don't take loans out for your wedding, use this guide to help save your hard earned money. Don't start your new marriage in debt.
This guide is not a guarantee that you will not exceed $1,500.00 for everything as it is your choice of what you choose to do. This will save you a lot of money in the areas you do choose to use.
A note to the happy couple planning your special day. Have patience, stay organized, follow this guide and take breaks when you get frustrated. Your wedding is one of the best and stressful days you will experience besides buying your first home and the birth of children. If you follow some or all of these tips it will save you from financial stress after the wedding.
Plan out your budget for each area. If you run under in one area, then use the money in another area running short.
The first thing for you to decide is location of your wedding and reception. Have a second and third location just in case you need a back up. Make calls to see which is feasible.
-Your church may be free, and with church locations you may be able to use the reception hall for nominal fee.
- Local parks may have a unique angle for your wedding, and there again you may be able to utilize a pavillion for a nominal fee as well.
-Home weddings are free, rental of tables and chairs from your local church, lodge, fire hall for a backyard reception are usually less than a rental center.
- Unique local attractions such as your zoo, botanicals, museum, historic sites may be affordable at just a donation.
Invitations
Decide how you will want your invitation to look and how may you will need.
Handmade invitations will take you an evening with your future spouse or friends and family.
You could create your wedding invitations on the computer with graphics. You or a friend could hand draw your invitation and color copy at your local stationary store.Make hand stamped invitations with a custom rubber stamp and you can detail as much or as little as you like.
The Menu
You have a huge decision on what to have for food for your guests. You must decide if this is horderves, light menu finger foods or dessert menu or a full meal. Late morning or an early afternoon wedding can get away with light menu finger foods and desserts. A wedding in mid afternoon is expected to have a full meal for the guests.
Many recipes can be found on the internet, or your family and friends for fast and delicious tidbits. Who do you know in your circle that likes to cook and is good at it? Many items can be prepared in advance and frozen to be heated the day of your event. Breads, cookies, pies, tarts, horderves.
Go directly to your local butcher for the best deal on your meat. Your butcher will even slice your meats for free. A nice ham and roast beef sliced thinly and garnished will go far. Chicken made into sauces or filets will stretch well. Fresh fish caught locally is Remember to serve your meat as a side dish not the main dish. Have plenty of other items to choose from.
Will you serve individual plates or have a buffet style? If you serve individual plates, you control what is on each plate. Buffet style you should go with multiple salads and a pasta bar with choice of sauces. Basic tomato sauce, meat sauces, alfredo sauce, pesto sauce. Chicken fettucini alfredo is filling and delicious, choose pasta and sauces you like. Pasta and salads and breads can be made from discount store items and taste like a 5 star meal!
Wedding Cake
If you have a cake baker in your family.. ask them to bake your cake! If you have a local baking school that teaches through your local high school or home economics class, contact them. Schools usually make cakes for a fraction of the local Bakery charges.
Make your own wedding cake topper to keep as your momento of your special day. You can use special keepsakes you already have collected to compile a unique piece. You could sculpt your own cake topper, you could use flowers for your cake topper.. . be creative!
Flowers
You can use dried flowers, cut flowers, silk flowers or live flowers. Use your locally grown seasonal flowers. Collect and dry flowers and spray paint them to match your wedding flowers. Grow your own flowers to use. Put live plants on the tables that are cuttings from friends and families plants.
Decorations
Decorations can be easy and made from household items. Carnations can be made from fan folded tissue paper/kleenex. Decorative fans can be folded out of an old roll of wallpaper with your wedding colors in it. Mirrors as a centerpiece with a throw of glitter and a candle will create a nice ambiance. Baskets of seasonal fruit or flowers work fabulous as well. You can go to your local freecycle.org and request unused or unwanted decorations or anything else you need for free. You never know what someone else has and does not need.
Wishing Well
Wishing well for cards from guests. This can be as easy as a box covered in gift wrap to an actual mailbox with the newly wed's names on it on a post cemented/plastered in an old 5 gallon bucket with fabric wrapped around the base.
Wedding Favors
Wedding favors can be as simple as candy in the traditional netting, or handmade candles made from cast off wax or sheets of new wax. Candles can be decorated with anything you like such as shells, glitter, dried flowers embedded in the wax.
Plants in pots with a tag that has "love grows and grows". An elegant velvet bow with something in the center of the knot. An ornament you make, A small ceramic token. Candy you make. You can imagine just about anything and have it for your guests momento.
Apparel
You could go crazy and spend the entire $1,500.00 plus just on the dress alone. If you are lucky enough to have a gown passed down by a grandmother or your mother than you just have to have it altered. Ebay has many inexpensive gowns on at any given moment. Your local thrift stores, or even bridal stores will sell you a floor sample at a discounted price. At the bridal stores the floor samples will be in desperate need of cleaning. Do not take the dress to a dry cleaners, a $4.00 bottle of woolite in your bathtub with cold water will clean the dress as originally made. You will need to iron and do some small touch ups but the savings is worth it.
You can make a veil from wire, tulle netting, wire snips, masking tape and either silk floral vine or pearls by the yard. Cut enough wire to wrap around for a tiara twice. Wrap wire form with masking tape for stability. Wrap tiara form with either the silk ivy vine or the pearls by the yard. At the end of the wrapping material have filiment/fishing line to tie it off. Cut tulle to desired length and layers, sew to the back of the tiara from underneath so stitches do not show.
You could just wear a jeweled tiara without the veil. You could make a wreath of fresh flowers or baby's breath. A borrowed pearl necklace and some bobbypins would make a lovely hair accent.
For the brides maids dresses you can choose a dress from a local outlet that can be altered to look more formal with the addition of a lace collar from your local fabric store. Choosing something that can be altered from common to formal and then back to common so that your bridesmaids can use again.
Most men have a dress white shirt and black pants. Black shoes are also usually in a man's wardrobe. To create a uniform appearance with the groom's men. Going to thrift stores and getting men's vests in cotton or wool to dye to the same color. If the men go to a local warehouse outlet, most have tuxedo shirts and black bowties in sets for $15.00 for an off brand.
The groom will have the choice of jackets or just vests..
Photography
With all the digital cameras that guests will have, you will surely have photos that will encompass the entire wedding and reception. You can contact a school in your area and ask for a student that is taking photography and employ his or her services for a fraction of a professional photographer.
Music
For your music you can pre record your favorite songs to CD and have your stereosystem at the reception. You could inquire at a local music school for musicians to play. You could inquire to local Dj's and get prices that may fit your budgdet.
Using your resources and creativity you can save money and have a wonderful wedding day! Use your local discount stores, freecycle.org, Ebay, friends, family, sales in local stores. Be creative and be organized.
Guide created: 10/17/06 (updated 11/05/08)
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