Young Couple With No Money!! Please Help!

Also for the camera we had more fun buying the throw away camera`s as to let our guests take the pictures for us. I even thought of having small photo`s of bride and groom before the wedding day displayed on table in small picture frames so that our guests would know what fun we had before our Big Day and how we enjoyed each other to be here today.

Lauren,

You`re wedding is not for many months so luckily you have time to do your research.

First off, is there a church that you are a member of? If so, some churches do not charge their members to use the church for a wedding. If you aren`t a member of a church, I`d start looking around for one that will marry non-members and find out the cost. If getting married in a church is important to you, I`d start now. If not, you could always have a ceremony in a location that is not a church (ie, outside, a zoo, a museum, etc.).

Next, depending on what city you are getting married most hotels are pretty pricey in regards to rental fees, food, and liquor. If you are on a limited budget, I`d look into a location that you do NOT have to use their caterers - which most hotels do not allow. However, if you get married on a Friday or a Sunday, some reception sites offer a huge discount since it`s not a Saturday wedding.

I went to a wedding not too long ago at a zoo and it was fantastic. They were able to hire their own caterer and the cost was much less inexpensive. They actually hired students at a local cordon bleu school and the food was out of this world.

A lot depends on several key factors: 1. Where you live 2. How many people you are inviting and finally 3. How much you really have to work with -- since I don`t know this information I can hopefully help give you advice on some general things

There are a lot of ways to cut costs on items such as: photographers, florists, and food. Most wedding photographers charge quite a bit for their services but often times you can find through word-of-mouth people who do photography on the side. They are usually quite reasonable and the photos turn out quite nice. A friend of mine hired a high school science teacher to take all the pictures and he did a fantastic job -- he also gave her all the negatives which is huge savings right there.

Flowers can cost an arm and a leg. So, you could either do them yourself if you`re kinda crafty or ask a friend to help you if he/she is crafty. You can order flowers off the internet that are the same types that professional florist uses. You save the labor costs of a florist this way. Also, you don`t necessarily have to use a lot of flowers -- you can do more greens, etc. You could get ideas from bridal magazines and try to mimic them

If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive dress, try looking at bridal salons that sell off-the-rack. I saw a beautiful gown the other day for $99. You`ll just need to then find someone to the alterations for you. Or, you can always check online as many people try to sell their dresses after the wedding (check eBay). Sometimes you can get a really expensive designer gown for a fraction of the cost.

Musicians tend to cost quite a bit also. However, you could look to local universities and hire college students studying music. They enjoy the opportunity to be `a professional musician` and make some money while they are at it. I know a bride who got a wonderful harp player for her reception for only $125 -- and she played for 3 hours!!!

You definitely do not have to provide an entire meal. You could have an hors d`ouvers buffet with champage afterwards. Just try to find a place where you can either your own caterer or food that you, or one of your friends makes -- along with being able to bring your own champagne or choice of liquor.

If you do research and don`t mind doing a lot of the work yourself, you can have a gorgeous elegant wedding on a very small budget.

Good luck!