Post Holiday Budget Weddings: A(nother) quick primer
By Never teh BrideNow that the holiday season is upon us and our maxed out credit cards are sleeping peacefully in our wallets, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are thousands of future brides tearfully wondering just how they will pay for their upcoming nuptials. Some, of course, are lucky enough to have mommies and daddies who are footing the bill. Others aren’t so fortunate and may be grateful for a little help in the matrimonial budgetting department.
First things first, and by first things I do not mean panic. Get thee to a bookstore. Or, if the thought of buying a book makes you cry (and I know how you feel), get thee to the library.
Books like Bridal Bargains can help you find crazy bargains on everything from dresses to music to the honeymoon.
Then hit up web sites like Cheap, Chic Weddings. There, you’ll find great tips like:
- Regular candles are nice too for cheap wedding favors. Wrap in tulle and tie with ribbon. Stick a small flower in the ribbon.
- Check out the mall department stores. You might find (not in the wedding dress department) the perfect dress for you. There may be some cocktail dresses, formal dresses or prom dresses on sale.
- Don’t forget photography students in your area. Many High Schools and Colleges offer Photography Classes, and you might be able to catch a rising star at a great price.
Next, consider doing it yourself. By it, I mean anything you can put your skills to work at. Among the readership, we have a few who have dressmaking skils. Putting together favors from craft store pickings isn’t that difficult. And for invitations, which can be a big expense, there is software that lets you do it at home, like PrintingPress Platinum Software for Invitations
Finally, trim the guestlist, refuse to pay retail, ask friends for help, and whenever you start to feel a little bummed that you can’t have a dream Lady Di style wedding, think about how good financial freedom is going to feel.
December 21st, 2005 at 6:22 pm
My parents had no money for a wedding; neither did my nephew and his bride. They were married by a justice of the peace–and they’re just as married as couples who have $40,000 weddings. That isn’t to say that people shouldn’t have expensive weddings, just that a simple wedding is fine.
As a former professional photographer, I would suggest closely looking at a photog’s portfolio before engaging him. A good photographer takes good-looking candid shots (of guests chatting, not chewing), uses soft lighting (no red eyes or shiny faces or hard shadows), composes shots (no trees growing out of people’s heads) and knows how to put people at ease for group photos (warm, natural smiles, not the “say cheese” variety). Given that photos will last a lifetime, and food and favors will quickly be forgotten, I’d sooner cheap out on the last two than on photos.
December 21st, 2005 at 8:14 pm
Good point, Lori! I think people except food at weddings to be a little weird and often less than filling anyway…at least I do. But memories definitely last forever, so why not make sure the visual ones are beautiful. Luckily, my friends are all pretty good amateur photographers. I will - provided The Beard ever proposes - most likely rely on them to make good use of their digital cameras. Then I can make prints!
December 22nd, 2005 at 12:07 pm
My sister just got married and we did A LOT ourselves. We decorated the place by putting white Christmas lights inside white tulle and wrapping it around the columns/poles inside. It looked GORGEOUS in the dimly lit room with lots of votive candles and tealights (which are super cheap).
It wasn’t in a church so the “altar” was a cloud of tulle on the floor sprinkled with rosepetals. The centerpieces were square mirrors with a tall candle and four smaller votives, with candy canes and rosepetals sprinkled around.
The wedding favors were Christmas ornaments we made by taking those clear glass balls, taking of the top, squirting red & white or silver & white acrylic paint inside, and shaking them up. Let them dry, pop the top back on and tie a bow around them. They looked great!
And I’m a graphic designer so I designed her invitations and we printed them on panel cards on a regular inkjet printer. The large invitations had a sheer red ribbon tied around them. They looked amazing as well.
DIY is a lot more work and headache, but if you have a big family that’s willing to help, it can really cut down on the costs.
December 22nd, 2005 at 3:02 pm
That sounds absolutely gorgeous, Amber! Next year, I’m going to make some of those ornaments!