Wedding Tips Saving Money

An eleven line sentence is quite amusing. Ever hear of periods?

Punctuation, do you really think someone who A. Can`t spell `Champagne` correctly B. Would actually have a potluck reception C. Thinks balloons are neat D. Would even consider using paper plates E. Thinks sheet cakes can be "beautifully" decorated F. Thinks David`s Bridal has nice dresses and G. Would trust a non-professional to do the music entertainment

Can actually formulate a sentence? Very very doubtful.

Ditto on the last two posts. That was horrible sentence structure and really difficult to understand. But the ideas were even worse. Saving money is one thing, but being tacky is another thing. Potluck picnic on paper plates, balloons, prom dress... On your wedding day? That`s just awful. I appreciate a small budget, hey I`m not even close to rich, but this is just sounding pretty trailer parkish.

Sorry, I offended those of you who replied to my message. I was in a hurry when I typed this in. Yes, I can formulate sentences and use punctuations correctly. Ha, Ha! First of all, the whole point I was trying to get acrossis that you have to concentrate on what is really important on your wedding day. For example, I would much rather spend my money on a photographer than hundreds of dollars on fine china and silverware. I think people go overboard when it comes to their wedding day. For my wedding, we had the ceremony at a community church for about $400. We also had a limo. It cost us around three hundred dollars. We rented out a room in our local American Legion Hall. The rental for the hall was $400 for 4 hours. Tables and chairs were included. I only had my family involved in the potluck. My aunts did most of the cooking and the food was great. We could not afford a caterer. We did hire a dj for $350. We played a variety of music to accomodate our guests. We danced the night away. We create our own center pieces and favors. We used a tall statue of two doves kissing and decorated the base with lace (beautiful). FFor the favors we used smaller statues and wrapped them in netting and used ribbon to tie it up. We bought our cake for $250, and yes if you are creative you can buy a large sheet cake and decorate with the whole wedding theme. Key word here, "creative". Yes, I used paper plates , do you really think people cared? They were so hungry they practically ate the food out of the serving dishes. All everyone complimented on was how great the food was. This is how us black/hispanic people do it. It was one incredible night. In response to the whole dress thing, I didn`t mean a regular prom dress they have gorgeous white gowns (other than wedding dresses) at affordable prices. So, I appreciate all who replied. Please feel free to respond again. Take it easy this time. Sorry if there are any mistakes in this message.

I agree with you!! I have been looking into gowns that are not ttiled "wedding gown" and they are much more affordable!! If you have anymore money saving tips I would LOVE to hear them. My wedding is in Sept. 2004! Thanks!

I just want to point out that this is supposed to be a supportive board where brides can seek out advice and find ideas. The site`s purpose is not to `bash` other peoples ideas or insult each other. While no one will ever agree with every post on this board, it is important to be open minded and civil to each other when providing comments. What you may find tacky or `trailer parkish` another person may feel is totally acceptable.

So what if someone likes balloons or chooses to save money by preparing the food themselves? And who cares if the food is eaten off of paper plates or fine china? It still tastes the same. It is comments such as those above that make some brides (especially those on a low budget) feel inadequate and awkward because they can`t afford (or don`t want to spend the money on) an exquisite wedding.

As a society, we`ve come to forget what`s really important. A wedding is a celebration of two people in love, not a competition to see who can throw the best party. Does a couple who spends $25,000 on a wedding love each other any more that a couple who spends $2000? Is a couple with little or no money any less deserving of a day surrounded by friends and family, for fear of someone thinking they are `trashy`? I don`t think so - but maybe some of you do.

No wonder brides are stressed!!

We have a budget of $4000 Canadian. This is not a lot. We are making all the food ourselves. We are using balloons (since when have they become a faux pas?) and are looking for semi professionals to do other things. We can`t afford a church pianist so I am going to record myself playing some nice piano solos to be played at the ceremony. We can`t afford a photographer, so we are going to be using a student photographer from the local university. We are having about 100 people in a small non-denominational church (a city landmark, the oldest church in the town) and a reception afterwards at the local recreation centre (which just happens to be across the street from our house and the recommended hotel for our out of town guests). We aren`t going to have a limo, we can`t afford it, and it isn`t a priority. We are going to decorate our car and have our attendents drive us. We are making our own wedding cake (we`re borrowing round cake pans from my friend whose mom made her wedding cake. Make the cake. Freeze it before decorating because it`s easier to work with. Decorate) We are making our own centerpeices (hurricane lamps with glass etched stars on a crown of hydrangeas and glass bubbles. - Everyone who sees them is surprised they aren`t store bought). We are making my attendants bouquets/kissing balls. We are making our own favors (chocolate lollipop stars and hearts wrapped in tulle and cellophane with a note). We are making our own invitations (bought paper, a friend works in a print shop, is doing this for us). We have gone onto Ebay and gotten some phenomenal deals (veil for $12, 300 balloons for $20). We are having the helium balloons blown up and floating overthe dance floor with the ribbons haning down. Also some will be put in the corners of the room in bundles of different heights. A family friend is going to be making mine and the bridesmaids dresses, all I have to do is buy the fabric. I shop in bulk and always ask for deals on everything (you`d be surprised at how many times you get deals if you ask). We have showed our ideas to many family and friends and not a single person has once said they thought anything was going to be tacky. You can plan a beautiful wedding on a small budget. We are also planning for a wedding in 2006 so that we have a lot of time to save and buy our decorations so the cost isn`t so hard to bear. Our wedding is going to be beautiful, mostly because of the love we share, and that is what is important. If you are lucky enough to have unlimited funds, great for you, just don`t put down those of us that don`t. We have the right to a beautiful wedding too.

Thank you for your support Kelley and Sarah.

Hello,
There can be tons of ways to save money for a wedding. It all depends on what the bride and groom wants. One way is to find people who are trying to start out with their business or like to do it for fun and still make a little money. Or if you have crafty people in your circle they can help you make arrangements and the such. Keeping a eye out for decorations that are marked down and planning ahead also can help out.
It all depends really on how much stress a bride to be can really handle and wants to do. I have know both. The brides who needs the help and others who love to do most of it themselves.
If I can be of any help please feel free to email me at angwillard@yahoo.com..:)

I did our wedding for about $3000 and it turned out wonderful. It was a lot of work and we were fortunate to have friends and family to help out. We held it outdoors at his father`s house, which has a gorgeous view. We had a biker/traditional wedding. The guys spent $20 on their leather vest. I ordered tuxedo shirts with black bow ties for $5.00 a set from a woman on Ebay, The bridesmaids got their dresses from ebay for $65.00 a piece. We rented chairs, an arch, podium, and three tables for just over $200 from a party rental place. The flowers and centerpeices were done by my second mom for free (I am lucky she is a florist and is very creative). Our major costs were the rental for the hall and the dj. We did our own food which cost about $200, we did what could be done ahead a time and frozen then used roasters. It tasted great! I do have to agree that I don`t care for the idea of potluck receptions, I feel that it is a party you are throwing and you should do what you are able to do to celebrate. I laugh at couples that spend $25,000 on catering. I couldn`t imagine something like that, but hey, if you are able, go for it. I rather put that kind of money in savings. I was married once before many years ago for a brief amount of time. I learned then that what really matters is that you are happy and that will show through. I wasted money on a lot of stupid "have to`s" the first time around so planning my real wedding this time was a lot less stressful. Many people out their have their own opinions on what is proper and what isn`t. There are a lot of neat and fun things that can be done, but what comes down to it, have a wedding that reflects you and your husband to be. People will remember it and talk about it from years to come. We chose our favorite songs that we grew up on to walk down the aisle to, we had favor bags with a shot of alcohol and chocolate in it, and we had compliments left and right. I look back at it and I wouldn`t have changed a thing. It was a blast. If you would like to see any pictures or have any questions, I would love to help you out. Email me at raidertaylor@msn.com. I am not a wedding planner, so I am not trying to get any money out of anyone, I just don`t mind helping out.

Good luck and Best wishes,
Jennifer

I just wanted to say something to the girls that thought it was right for them to make fun of this womens post...that was RUDE. Instead of just commenting on her ideas you both thought it was funny to mention how bad her sentance structure is..people like me,,,,, came to get some good ideas even if it was not the best, didnt come to make sure that they spelt every word correct. And that the sentances had periods and commas.....you both are just very sad little girls..... And dont get upset because I call you a little girl cuz only children act like that......and to the one that posted the comment please dont feel that you have to apologize....
*sigh* ok im done venting......

P.s I hope that was enough period for you both