I am sure that most of us will agree that a wedding can be the biggest rip off out there.
Just wondering how some of you saved some $$ on your big day.
I am sure that most of us will agree that a wedding can be the biggest rip off out there.
Just wondering how some of you saved some $$ on your big day.
Getting married next September, but my strategy so far is to have a budget, stick to it and I have a fiancee who is great on a budget.Originally Posted by rookie888
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Probably one of the biggest money savers would be to provide wine with dinner, but have a cash bar rather than an open bar. In my student days I worked as a waiter and noticed that I picked up quite a few more half empty glasses than usual for open bars.
On the other hand, don't cheap out too much. Its probably worth still having a nice dinner, flowers, etc. Its a once in a lifetime event (hopefully). I know that I originally complained a little about the costs but in the end found that it was worth it considering the significance of the day.
PS. Congratulations to both you and Brad911.
Last edited by Spidey; 2009-07-10 at 08:29 PM.
Congrats!!!
I personally am not married (yet) but use to work as a wedding coordinator at a very popular wedding venue (over a 100 per year).
Venue: This is a massive one. Think about the little details not just the per plate cost.
-Is it nicely decorated already? If so you will need a lot less decorations.
-If they have nice chairs that means no expensive chair covers (3+ per chair).
-How is their wedding coordinator and staff? Some are more helpful then others and this could mean the difference between hiring an "on the day" coordinator or not. I would lots of tips to my brides, help with other vendors, coordinate everything day of, help lay down menus, give aways, etc, etc. There is lots to do day of and you won't have time to deal with it.
-Do they include table linens? Most (not all ie cheaper ones) include them in the rental. If they are 60 inch rounds make sure they are either using 120 inch rounds (circular and will hit the ground) or doubling 90x90s (square but have cross they so they have 8 points hitting the ground). If linens are included just by a nice sheer overlay or table runner (much cheaper) or leave it white and use table decorations instead (much much cheaper)
-Do they include glassware/china in the venue rental? If not that can also add up quickly.
-Ask them what their F&B minimums are and if they change during the week. At our venue, you needed to spend $15,000 on food and beverage on a Friday or Saturday (May-September) but only $10,000 at any other time. Trust me, people will show up for your wedding no matter what day of the week it is. I saw numerous 200+ weddings, Sun-Thurs, including a 400 person wedding on a Tuesday. Think about it, how many of us actually work Mon-Fri anymore?
-Ask the venue if you can get a special event permit, this allows you to buy the liquor directly from the liquor store (and return the extra afterwards) therefore saving the venues mark up. You will be paying a corkage fee per guest but it still works out cheaper (especially if they are big drinkers).
-Opt for just a host bar but just beer, wine and a special cocktail. Check to see if your venue charges you per shot or per open bottle. That means if they open a bottle but only one shot is gone, you are paying for the whole bottle, so limit the kinds of liquor on the bar.
-Have a reception style dinner instead, this can be much cheaper.
-Buffet is sometimes more expensive (then need to prepare more food). Consider the price of plated and you could be surprised.
-Don't dismiss the all inclusive packages that are offered by some venues, the number seems big but do the math and it could end up being a good deal (again with the big drinker weddings).
Wow that was long and there is much much more. Good luck and message me if you have questions.
Tip A: Sit down and figure out how much you could save on a mortgage with the $20-$30K people seem to think they need to spend on weddings these days.
Tip B: Get over yourself - you're not the Crown Prince and Princess. Get married at City hall, with 2 witnesses, and send all your friends and relatives an e-mail afterwards.
Tip C: There seems to be a trend to having your wedding in some Caribbean resort. Any "guests" who want to come have to pay their own way. It's cheaper than paying for a reception for 200.
I'm getting married in just 3 weeks, so most of the planning and purchasing has already been done. I'm a frugal person, and so I'd like to share some of the ways I saved money. Mostly, it just involves taking the time to shop around for good deals.
1) Start early, and start with the venues. This is especially important if you think you might invite 100+ guests. I started last September, but many of the places that had reasonable prices were already booked for most of the summer weekends. The sooner you start, the more options are available, and thus the easier it will be to find a good deal.
2) Look for a photographer who is just starting out on their own. Make sure they have several years of experience shooting weddings, but are still new to the business aspect and thus have competitive pricing. They may not be easy to find, so expect a fair bit of research time. Try kijiji.ca, yellow pages, and maybe even a google search with "photographer" and your city name. A good photographer will have a website with a portfolio, or at least a photo blog. Look at their work and see if you like the style. Maybe get a friend or relative who knows about photography to evaluate the quality. Make sure they include a DVD with the full-resolution photos so you can get your own prints made - the photographer's packages of prints are rarely worth the price they charge. I keep all my photos on the computer anyway, and show them to people on my TV, so I'm only getting a few 8x10s for my parents and grandparents. I ended up going with a nice lady who charges $850 for a package that includes 2 photographers for the ceremony, formals, reception, and even includes an engagement session.
3) Make your own invitations. Search the internet for design ideas, but please don't replicate a copyright protected design. We saw a neat idea of using 1/4" ribbon, with one color forming a "V" coming down from the top and a second color of ribbon forming an inverted "V" from the bottom, loosely interlocked in the center. We used 3 layers of paper, sandwiching the ribbon ends between the middle and bottom layer. We bought nice high-quality paper and envelopes from a stationary store, and used the paper cutter at a Staples business center. We used our own laser printer, as the text was just plain black. Finally, rather than mailing out a whole bunch of stamped RSVP envelopes, we setup our own website and wrote a little php form that guests could use to RSVP for each family member (we're both computer programmers). You can easily get your own free wedding website: check out weddingwire.com or do a Google search.
4) Shop around for flowers. Costco has some very inexpensive rose bouquets and boutonniers. After we decided what kinds of flowers we wanted to order, I phoned about a dozen florists to get quotes. I was amazed at the range of prices! Several were between $650 - $750, but a nearby Grower's Direct quoted me $400. I later called another Grower's Direct location because the manager there supposedly specialized in weddings - this one was only $300! Her bouquets were only a little more than Costco's price, so we decided to go with her for the entire order.
5) Who needs an expensive DJ? My fiancee and I don't like to dance, so it's really just for the guests. I was even considering going without one but I don't want all my friends and family to think I'm cheap (well I am, but most of my relatives don't know it). We found a guy who will play some oldies music for $550, plus $99 for setting up his audio equipment at the ceremony.
The only place I really did not want cheap out on is the rings. I let her pick out any ring she wanted, and was lucky that it was only $3000. My ring also has some small diamonds in it and cost $800. Her dress was also expensive, but her parents paid for it. But, a good way to cut costs is to rent a dress. Selection may not be as good, but if she's not picky then she'll find one that fits.
Amen to that!
My wife and I got married at City Hall last October with only our parents in attendance. With the money we didn't spend on a huge wedding, we were easily able to afford a honeymoon in Hawaii (although the 7K price tag of that felt painful too, but not as painful as it would have been after a 30K wedding).
This weekend we are throwing a wedding "reception" in our backyard - BBQ and booze for everyone. We have requested that people dress in casual (e.g. summer bbq) clothes and not bring gifts. Total cost of our bbq: $1000 for food, liquor, table/chair rental, etc. Plus, we actually get to enjoy being with our friends and family and enjoy our own celebration instead of worry about every single little detail going well so that our big day doesn't get ruined.
The thing that shocks me most about weddings is how much people actually buy into the fact that it "has" to be just like everyone else's - i.e. flowers, fancy dinner, tux/dress, DJ, etc.
The most enjoyable wedding I have ever attended was one that had no official ceremony - just friends & family in the couple's backyard. Everyone was relaxed and comfortable. No expectations. And it was truly a celebration rather than a show.
Sorry if I sound cynical or resentful about weddings (because I AM). What a waste of money and setting yourselves up for years of financial stress trying to pay for it afterwards.
In this once-in-a-generation recession/depression, I can think of many better ways to spend 20-30K.
I saved a few $ on the ring, as I bought the diamond from a wholesaler (w certificate) and had the ring made....ended up paying about 15% of the appraised value.
In general there are some good cash deals out there, perhaps b/c of the recession businesses are a little hungrier for business.
The other day my wife and I were on top of Grouse Mountain overlooking Vancouver - a popular wedding location. I can understand the choice but as we stood under the rented section of the lounge/outdoor patio I could see the musicians, servers and guests somewhat agitated by the bugs - on a cloudy day there are more than if it were sunny.
Ah yes ... those small details (pardon the pun)
When we married (frugally) it was on a beach during a cool, windy and cloudy late May day. We couldn't change the date as it was all prearranged BUT right at the very end of the ceremony - I swear this was true - a beautiful rainbow suddenly appeared right behind us. Fancy that.
I got married in my sister's house, standing on a platform covering her hot tub (drained and turned off for this event!).
We had 34 guests, a caterered tea beforehand, and a buffet dinner afterwards. I didn't wear a wedding dress, I didn't have flowers, and I don't have a diamond ring. We took everybody for a horse-drawn sleigh ride (it was a beautiful snowy December 23). The catering was the biggest expense, at $3500 (we had some fancy food, peeps).
Then for our honeymoon we went hiking in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas mountains for nearly a month. That cost more than the wedding, but not much!
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