Posts Tagged ‘Fiance’

So I do not know the first thing about planning a wedding. I do not have close friends as they have all shifted away over the years and we have lost contact. Im a full time Mum and have trouble making friends so I dont have any brides maids or anything. I am not close with my family and they arnt interested in my wedding (my mothers more of the boozing type then the mothering type) and my fiance is a typical man who isnt interested in the planning….. so that leaves me all on my own to plan a low budget wedding and I am so overwhelmed by it all I dont even no where to start! it will be tiny, just us and the kides pretty much but I still want it to be nice. Any advice on wedding planning is appreciated, or any info on costs, what I will and wont need, how to find a dress etc etc.

I live in New Zealand

First of, ignore all the marketing. I don’t know about New Zealand but here in the US the marketing, the whole wedding industry, is just outrageous. If you don’t have this dress, you are a failure. If you don’t have 20 attendants, you are a failure. If you don’t buy this invitation and match it with this silverware and the flowers at the wedding, you will jinx your marriage. It is just a bunch of nonsense.

Since it is just you, your fiancee, the kids and a few friends, you don’t really need to rent a church or a banquet hall for a reception. Have something small and intimate at a park or on the beach at sunset. If your oldest child is a girl, have her be your maid of honor. Depending on how many kids you have, a son can be the best man or he can give you away. A younger daughter, if she can walk, can be a flower girl. If you have a dog, bring him also. He can carry the rings around his neck.

As for the dress, look around at consignment shops or second hand stores or in the classifieds. You would be suprised how many people sell their wedding dresses. And I bet you can find a really nice suit and dresse from your kids there.Your fiance doesn’t have to buy a tux. He can rent it.

So, first thing first, pick a date. Second thing, sit your fiance down, and tell him, that if he doesn’t talk to you about the wedding, then if he is left wearing pink, it is his own fault. He doesn’t have to plan every detail with you, just ask him what kind of place he would like to be married in ie a Church, park, beach etc. Then when you know, pick and book your venue. If it is a church or a hall, you might have to book it months in advance. If it is outside, call the parks department and ask if there is a permit you have to get. There is a park nearby here that has a gazebo and people get married there all the time. And if it is a park, you can have a picnic/reception right there.

Then find your minister or official who can marry you. You don’t always have to be married in an actual church to have a minister marry you. There may or may not be a charge. It will depend on the Church but it is customary to give a donation.

Go get your marriage license. This is one of those things your fiance will have to do with you.

Really, other than the assorted fees, there isn’t a lot to pay for and you can get married on a tight budget. I don’t know how to convert this into your currency but if I had to take a guess in US dollars, I would guess that you can do it in less than 500 dollars.

Dena

P.S. If you live by a university, look there for an art student who might want to do your invitations in calligraphy or an aspiring florist or photographer. Trust me, they will be a lot cheaper than a professional plus they will jump at the chance to have a real job on their resume.

Hope you have a wonderful wedding and an even more beautiful marriage!

Technorati Tags: Banquet Hall, Best Man, Brides Maids, Budget Wedding, Close Friends, Consignment Shops, Dresse, Fiance, Fiancee, Flower Girl, Jinx, Kides, Low Budget, Maid Of Honor, Planning A Wedding, Typical Man, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Industry, Wedding Planning, Younger Daughter

I plan on having a beautiful wedding on a small budget… way less than $10,000 dollars. I plan on having 100 or so people. So do you think I can pull it off? I truly think it’s very possible! I want to prove to the wedding industry that I can do this! Here is the website that inspired me to have a not so stressful wedding on a budget: http://2000dollarwedding.com/

I’ve already found a wedding reception hall that is way under $1,000 and the place is beautiful. The reception hall will provide us with tables and chairs. I might have to rent chair covers and table cloths. (Which I don’t mind.) The reception hall will also provide us with plates and few other kitchen items.

I think I’m going to recruit a lot of my family members and friends to help me out with the wedding. I want a family oriented wedding where my friends can feel as if their apart of my family. I don’t want a huge expensive show. That’s why I’m choosing to have a DIY wedding reception that looks expensive. Everyone I know is pretty creative. I’m a very crafty person so I plan on making all the wedding favors, wedding programs, boutonnieres, decorations, wedding invites, wedding pillow, etc. I found a beautiful scrapbook in my room that I plan on using for my wedding as a guestbook. The cost: Free! I’ve got beautiful picture frames in my room of my fiance and I. Those pictures will be used at my reception. I even might have my finance and I grow our own flowers for the wedding. The more things that I can make by hand for our wedding, the more money my fiance and I will be saving. Which I believe to be true!

I found a restaurant that caters on great budget. I don’t plan on getting a fancy wedding cake from a bakery. I might just get myself a store bought wedding cake. My moms friend owns a dress shop and she can get me a great deal on a simple wedding dress. I might hire my aunt who takes professional looking pictures in her spare time to be my photographer for the wedding. I also know other people who too are good at photography. I will hire a DJ because my fiance and I love music so much. I think that I will be buying my own liquor for the wedding and having a family member of mine who doesn’t much like to dance be a bartender.

I’m so excited to be planning my wedding with my fiance. I think he’s going to be excited too. Were both crafty people. So we plan on using our imagination for this wedding. I love my fiance so much and I can’t wait for our special day that will occur sometime next summer. Wedding planning for me has been very exciting because I don’t feel so stressed out. My wedding is just one day and it’s day that I want to remember but I also want my family and friends to remember the day as well. When I first started doing wedding research I felt overwhelmed. Now I don’t feel that way thanks to the 2000 wedding budget website!!

So what do you all think of my ideas? Can I pull this off? I think it’s possible to have a beautiful wedding on a small budget. I hope to inspire others also when they plan their wedding. So I want your input?

My wedding budget is 5,000, with a 2,000 honeymoon included. So girl, I KNOW you can do this!!

Have fun, be creative, and don’t stress if everything doesn’t go as planned.

Also, Try sam’s club for flowers if you don’t wind up growing them.

And a plain cake, for 150 people should only cost 150 or so, then YOU get to decorate it. I am putting preserved flowers, and fresh edible petals on mine.

Technorati Tags: Bakery, Chair Covers, Crafty Person, Dress Shop, Family Members, Fancy Wedding, Fiance, Picture Frames, Planning A Wedding, Scrapbook, Spare Time, Table Cloths, Tables And Chairs, Wedding Cake, wedding dress, Wedding Industry, Wedding On A Budget, Wedding Pillow, Wedding Programs, Wedding Reception Hall

My husband and I are getting married April 23, 2011 in the most beautiful location of San Diego, CA. But to save money and to cut costs (since we live in Southern California) we opted to save $10,000 (literally) by having a 3 1/2 wedding/reception in the morning/afternoon. Our wedding will take place at 9:30am, then lunch will be served shortly there after until 1.

We’re saving so much because 1) it’s not a 6 hr event 2) there isn’t an open bar 3) no dj and most of all taxes, service charges, and we’re able to keep our wedding small at 50 people instead of having the minimum of 100 people at $130/per (before taxes) This way we’re paying $103/person with taxes.

Anyways! The few friends that I’m inviting are already complaining! "Why isn’t there any music and a dance floor?" "Why don’t you have an open bar?" "Oh you’re just wasting your money." "It’s tacky to make your own centerpieces" (which by the way are gorgeous!– White Orchids submerged in 16" in. vases with black pebbles at the bottom) and so much more trash that I’m just tired of listening to it!

What do I say to them? My fiance and I are on a budget. Our ENTIRE wedding with the reception, venue, dress, cake, photographer, etc.. is about $7500… and honestly, that’s all we can afford. Let’s face it, weddings are more about a show for the family and friends, than the bride and groom. The bride and groom just want pictures.

I want to avoid the added stress of trying to please everyone. Any suggestions? Thank you.
To MessyKatt- Most of my friends are "well off" and have parents who are willing to chip in.. so they expect more out of everyone else as well. I understand what you’re saying… there are 3 people in my life who are causing this stress. & everyone is right, time to cut it out of my life. Thank you to everyone!

You know what? CONGRATS!!! It sounds like it is going to be gorgeous!!!

I am also having a crafty, lower cost wedding (although yours sounds elegant with Orchids and mine is sort of crazy). Here is what you should say:

"Future Husband and I are being financially responsible so we can accomplish our goals in our marriage."

Here is what I say when explaining my $6000 budget: "I don’t want to deplete our savings or go into debt for one day when money saved could go into our future family. We are planning on starting a family after we are married and I can go without some flowers on my wedding if it means our baby will be better provided for." (baby isn’t planned for some years, but people don’t know that.)

And to anyone giving you hassle that isn’t married yet:
"Oh, you’ll understand when you start planning your own wedding." (It is a little catty, but I think well deserved in this case.

AND REMEMBER: it is YOU and YOUR HUSBAND’S DAY! It is what makes you two happy. I have been to weddings where I thought it was God awful boring, but it made the married couple happy so I didn’t regret being there one bit.

Also, making your own centerpieces aren’t tacky at all. Perhaps you need to stop sharing details with these friends that are stressing you out. Your supportive friends should be the ones you are turning to.

Technorati Tags: Added Stress, Amp, Bride And Groom, Dance Floor, Family And Friends, Fiance, Lunch, Morning Afternoon, Pebbles, Photographer, Reception Venue, Right Time, San Diego Ca, Service Charges, Southern California, Vases, Wedding Problems, Wedding Reception, Weddings, White Orchids

Hi, I’m getting married in April and I need to know what my wedding budget should be based off of how much I make. Together my fiance and I make a little under 60 grand a year. What would be an appropriate budget number for a wedding based off of that?

honey this isnt about how much you make, this is about how much you can afford.

ok, you make $60k a year. but how much of that is already going towards bills and things? subtract that from your yearly total. do you have any kind of safety net in place if something unexpected happens that you need to pay for? if not, start saving, and subtract whatever you save from your yearly total. have any major purchases on the horizon? house? apartment with slightly higher rent? subtract from your total.

im not trying to be rude or anything, it just scares the bejesus out of me when couples start planning weddings without figuring what they can TRULY afford.

if your willing to wait a bit longer, you could probably spend more because you have more time to save. but if you try to make up a budget based just on how much you make in a year without taking into consideration every other bill you have, your going to be in trouble. dont forget, when you get married, his bills become your bills and your bills become his bills too

Technorati Tags: Apartment, April, Bejesus, Budget Number, Couples, Fiance, Honey, Horizon, Safety Net, Taking Into Consideration, wedding budget, Weddings

How stressful was/is it for you & your fiance? Was/is your fiance making things seems impossible because of money being limited? Please let me know if any of you are experiencing this. Cause I am! I’m so stressed and frustrated! I only have 2 more months and we’ve been planning since the beginning of the year but the budget is killing me softly. AHhhhh!!

It does make me angry that the wedding industry has become such a money making business that everyone has their hands in the bride’s pockets. And so many of the details are completely unnecessary, but people make brides think they are essential.

My best suggestion involves having someone who has some spare time and is dependable to do some legwork for the bride. This person can look at venues, florists, photographers, etc and get lots of time consuming running around taken care of. Then make a list and let the bride look at the 3-5 best choices and make a decision after speaking to the vendors she’s interested in.

It’s hard to not get so excited that you’ll order things that aren’t necessary, waste time on projects that won’t make a difference. I spoke to a young bride today who decided "to heck" with the fancy invitations. She and her fiance make beautiful invitations themselves. They are charming, show the personality of the couple and are true keepsakes. And they cost less than $1 each, plus postage.

By the time many brides get into the planning, they realize the money is running low because of things people talked them into early on. And that is what is so aggravating for people who’ve "been there, done that."

But please try to relax and enjoy the time until the wedding. Ask yourself "is this necessary" next time someone wants your money. You have to look out for you own budget. Vendors won’t help you. They’re looking out for themselves, at your expense.

I wish you the very best!!!

Technorati Tags: Amp, Brides, Fiance, Florists, Heck, Invitations, Keepsakes, Killing Me Softly, Legwork, Personality, Photographers, Planning A Wedding, Planning A Wedding On A Budget, Pockets, Spare Time, Time Consuming, Waste Time, Wedding Industry, Wedding On A Budget, Young Bride