Can`t Afford A Wedding

Its not rude to elope. Or have a small ceremony. If you limit it to fifty guests, it can be quite affordable!

Thank you ; )

Honestly??
I think you`re a hell of a lot smarter than the rest of us on this site!!
I trying my hardest to have a small simple wedding on a budget. And we`re still looking at a small fortune. And even though it`s still a year away....I can`t believe all the family drama and headaches we`ve had so far. No matter what you choose...there will be those that are unhappy.
They may be upset that you`re eloping or whatever....but they`ll also be the same people we get made over how many you invite, what day you chose for your wedding, the color of your flowers etc!
So just do what`s best for you!
Congratulations!

Awe thank you - you are very sweet! I don`t really want a wedding. I don`t want to be the center of attention - it seems as though EVERYONE around me wants me to have one, but I`m the one stuck with the bill. I`m still paying off school debt from 10 years ago - I have 2 years left of that I just want to be debt free (not mortgage free but you know what I mean). Thanks so much for your opinions!!!

If you want a small wedding, it can be done for under 2,500 or even under 1,000. Or less. If you can borrow a wedding gown, this would actually save hundreds of dollars (one of the biggest wedding expenses is the gown).

Hi...Well, I can only feel sorry for the brides of today! I`m celebrating my 25th Anniversary this summer. My wedding all those years ago was the most expensive in my family...$3,000...food and everything! I can`t believe how much it cost these days. But I do look back and remember the fun we had, all the friends and family that were there to share my special day, and I wouldn`t have had it any other way. The memories are just too special to leave behind. I would have a small "family" gathering. That includes only the immediate family and maybe a few very special relatives. Go with just a cake and punch reception, and hire a friend to play some cd`s of your favorite music. No one who loves you and your new hubby will think you are cheap by doing a smaller affair. Remember it is all about you and your love!!
If you don`t want to have a big old cake, try cupcakes.
They are great way to save, and you can do it all by yourself. Check out Cupcake Cuddlers in the wedding cake section and see the example of these adorable cupcake holders. Even a beginner can do a spectacular presentation, which might leave you some $$ to spend on other things.
Good Luck and Have a great wedding day!!

ELOPE SISTER!!
Do your wedding and honeymoon all in one!! Go somehwere great and get married while you are there.

My girl friend just did that very thing. Instead of putting all that money to a day, the two of them packed their bags and went to Puerto Rico for a week and got married on the beach there. When they got back, we all got cards with a photo of them on the beach sealing their vows with a kiss. They also added a sweet letter telling us they have so many people in their lives that they wanted to include and did not want to disappoint anyone, but they just wanted to be married and hoped that we understood. We all were stunned with happiness for them and in turn we threw them a huge surprise party.
Even if you threw a zillion dollar affair, someone would always be disappointed. The important thing is that you get to spend the rest of your life with the man that you love. I wish you the best of luck!!

Your wedding is all about what you want. If all these people who are begging you to have a wedding, then they should pay for it. If you do not want a "traditional wedding", where you walk down the aisle and everyone you have ever talked to is there, go to the mountains. I am not sure where you live, but in Gatlinburg, TN the many chapels offer a wedding package. You get your dress, pictures, flowers, location, food, EVERYTHING for one LOW price. You can invite any one that you want, and a bonus is you can have your honeymoon there too. I would really check into something like this. The worst way to start a marriage is in debt. I hope you find a perfect solution for you. Good luck,
Emilee

I too have opted for the small, immediate family wedding. We were suppose to get married in August of this year with all the big hoo rah crap. Then last Friday I decided I could finish my house faster and it just made more sense to do a small wedding. We are getting married outside in the backyard. I purchased a wedding arch at Michael`s for $18 (with the 40% off coupon), their sunflower garlard to go around it and to place in the grass for an aisle. The family drama and planning had just gotten to be too much. This way it`s more about us instead of everyone else. BTW - now the wedding is May 29th. I`m more excited about this than I ever was the big fancy shindig.

Hi, There are many options to look into for smaller and/or inexpensive weddings. I believe it is more important that it is a special day where two people are married rather than a huge expensive event. An idea people have done is to get married at at someone`s house or at a park followed by an outdoor potluck barbecue. It was casual, everyone was able to celebrate with the couple and costs were kept to a minimum. Another is to elope with just closest friends and family, then have a larger party later, such as at a 1 year anniversary - good luck

Thanks again I totally am set on a small wedding/eloping or something to that effect - I just needed to get feedback to help me ease the guilt of not going into major debt to please everyone. If I came from money or whatever it would be a different story thanks to everyone and your feedback this is a GREAT site!

Hello.
Lori...i had a small wedding that we put together in 10 weeks and spent about $1000 total. I only had 75 guests and a small reception where ladies I knew made all the food. It was a wonderful time. I don`t regret not having money but i feel like if I would have decided not to have the ceremony I would regret it later down the line like when my daughter gets older and asks about when I got married or so on and so forth. I also have an offer and maybe it will work....my best friend didn`t get married so she has a brand new dress she would like to sell with slip and dress bag. It is an Oleg Cassini size 14/16 and has never been altered. She will take best offer for the dress and is willing to ship. If you are interested please e-mail and I can send you pictures. Aaronwadefamily@hotmail.com Thanks.

I saved a lot of money by buying a prom dress. I got it for $35 at Filene`s Basement (I think they are only in Boston area, but it`s like a Ross, Nordstrom Rack, or TJ Maxx). It`s actually really pretty and I love it. It easily passes as a wedding dress, so why not? Now is a good time to shop for prom dresses and many are even discounted since prom time is already underway.

Good Luck!

You can have an elegant wedding cheap!!!! I have seen Resort weddings costing up to 30,000 and have seen backyard that have been done for under 5,000.
For many people who drink.........an open bar is what makes it fun. If you can choose a site that you can bring in your own beer, and bar, this will save you tons. Great food from the best "bar " alway is a big hit. Backyard, Parkside, a Public Historic Site......ect the key for guest to have fun like any party.....great food...great spirits.....good music and the two of you having a blast not stressing out.

Lori,
You do not have to do anything you don`t want to. It is crazy to have a wedding you don`t want and more importantly that you cannot afford. Your family and friends will understand. I like you are not comfortable being in the spotlight, so we got married in a small chaple and then hosted a luncheon at a local restaurant for 24, only our closest family (parents, grandparents, siblings). Everyone was very understanding. My closest friends had a shower for me knowing they would not be invited to the wedding.Many family members (aunts, cousins etc) sent us gifts and cards with congratulations and best wishes. I think you will be surprised. If they know your circumstances, they will be quite understanding! Good Luck and have a beautiful memorable wedding that you want!

When my sister got married years ago, she demanded that my parents spend twelve-thousand dollars on a huge, formal wedding. Looking back on it now, I feel that wedding was tacky. Everyone knew my parents couldn`t afford it anyway. My sister wanted to pretend to be some royalty that she wasn`t. I think its classy to have a smaller wedding that is affordable.

ELOPE!!! I think that deciding to elope has been the best decision that my FH and I have made so far. Both of our families were dissapointed that they can`t be at the ceremony, but we decided to have a BBQ the weekend after we get back. We are going to Sevierville, TN and having our ceremony in the Smoky Mtns. Since Sevierville is right next to Gatlinburg (wedding capital of the South), we found a non-denominational minister (who is very laid back and earthy) that offers wedding packages wtih video, photo, etc. We are just going to videotape the ceremony and show it to our families when we return, which had made everyone happpy. I think the total cost for everything (gas, food, 3 nights lodging, ceremony, reception, etc.) is around $1500, which is not too bad. Anyway, just look around. I also saw that Vegas had a ton of good deals, too, and you can usually get cheap airfare. Good luck!

ELOPE...
My FH and I have saved every penny, and he`s got a second job and is working 7 days a week to pay for a wedding my dad wants.... We`ve already booked too many things to cancel, but if we could do it again we`d just go and get married on a beach in Thailand or somewhere like that and have a party when we got back.

Hi. My FH and I are on a tight budget to. I have been searching high and low for ways to cut costs. For example, I found an artist in New York who made both of our wedding bands (24K white gold with engraved designs) for $250!! Just one plain wedding band cost more than that at the jewelery store!!
Anyway, email me at etnob@yahoo.com and I can share some ideas with you.
Good luck!

Looks like I have to post this in 2 parts I am getting an Error message.
Part 1-
I am doing my wedding as low budget as possible. Anything I can make myself I have. We have kept our list to 90 people. We rented our church hall so since we are Parishioners it will only be $125 for the night. Also we get to go in the day before and decorate. For the center pieces we purchased those long mirrors you can hang on the back of doors for $3 each at a Dollar General (family Dollar is the same). My fiancé bought a glasscutter and he is going to cut them each into 4 square mirrors. On the mirrors we are putting large white gardenia jar candles that we purchased 15 of at an AC Moore which is like Joanne’s for $2.88 a candle. (And they ARE the big jars), around that we are putting purple and white silk flowers which were purchased at Joanne’s for 70 percent off. So that is about $35 on candles $9 on mirrors and $30 on enough flowers to do all the tables, the card table and the head table. (We purchased those 6-foot garlands so we can cut them up and use them where we need them). I was also told if you scatter that fine glitter on the mirror it would reflect more light. I am going to experiment with that and see how it looks. Glitter should only be $2.00 in the craft store. Since it is at our church we are able to stock our own bar, which is usually where your big bill is. If you call around sometimes firehalls or local VFW`s may also let you stock your own bar. We have been watching for sales and a few weeks ago purchased Vodka and Gin for $14.99 per liter BUT there was a $10 mail in rebate per bottle (yeah), so we used all our friends names and addresses to get back those rebate. SO now it will be $5.00 per bottle. We have been able to purchase all the soda pop on sale, and just bought several boxes of wine that also have mail in rebates. My girlfriend works at a restaurant and she was able to get the boxes of drink stirrers and bar napkins at the restaurant discount price.
Look for part 2-