$3,000 Budget - Is it possible?

My wedding was planned in under 3 months and we came in under $1200. Now, keep in mind that alot of things that are important to many couples were not important to us. We wanted a more casual wedding, and that is what we went with. However, your budget is almost $2000 more than mine was, so I believe it is TOTALLY possible! DIY will be key! Here is a breakdown of our actual costs...sorry if this takes a few posts, but it can give you some ideas maybe...

BASICS: We chose to have an early afternoon wedding and lunch reception. This eliminated the expectation of alcohol. We also had a semi-DW, about 2 hours from home, and only invited close family and friends. Final head count, including children was 47.

CAKE-$25: We chose not to have a traditional wedding cake. Instead, we went with several flavors of mini-cupcakes, and a small round cake for cutting. All were bought from the local grocery store, but the round was decorated to match our colors.

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Oh, if you know your colors I posted about a dyeable shoe line being on clearance, BOGO and free shipping!

unforgettablemoments.com

Dress-$284/Alterations-$190: This was one of my bigger expenses, but I chose an off the rack dress from DB which was an older style. However, it was PERFECT! I totally got that "This is the one" feeling. By choosing an expired style, I was able to get it for a great price. Alterations included hemming of 2 layers, shorten the straps, and a bustle.

Tux Rental-$55: By eliminating the jacket, we greatly reduced the cost of the tux rental. This price even included shoes that DH fell in love with and rented with the tux. All of our guys went without the jacket. It was perfect for our early summer wedding.

"Flowers"-$50: My mom bought silk flowers from Michaels and Hobby Lobby and made all of the BM bouquets, mine, as well as the flower girl basket and ring bearer pillow for this price. She is awesome!

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His ring-$55: My rings are heirlooms so they were free His is a Tungsten ring inlaid with 18k gold. We saw this ring at the mall for twice the price, but when we told the jeweler we saw a similar one at Walmart for $50, he gave it to us at that price! it was already on sale, but we got an even better deal.

Officiant Package-$350: This included the officiant, ceremony decorations, chairs, ceremony music, 3 hours of photography, and the fee for them to travel 100 miles out of town.

Invitations-$50: I just used a kit from Michaels and printed them myself at home. It was fun to put them together!

Venue-$65: We chose a State Park for our venue. We had both the ceremony and the reception there. The ceremony was in the orchards at Slide Rock State Park and the lunch reception was in the Ramadas. This price also included $20 for parking passes so our guests would not have to pay.

TOTAL COST OF WEDDING: $1129.

YES! That's my budget! And we are doing it

-We are doing our own flowers and favors

-We are using coupons

-I made my bridesmaid jewelry but you could get it super cheap off of e-bay

-I bargain shopped for just about everything

-We found a place that bundled things together like the officiant, music, and photographer.

-Try not to use a weekend because you can get great discounts for weekdays!

The only thing is that it takes more time since you are using less money!

Oh and I totally forgot about the food! It was not in our budget because we did something a little different.

We have lived together for awhile and didn't really want to ask anyone for gifts.

Instead, we had a potluck picnic reception! Everyone brought a dish and it turned out great! It had more of a family feel to it than a formal dinner would have. We just used an iPod for music and everyone had a good time. The whole thing was over by 6PM, which was nice because it allowed DH and I to enjoy our evening together as husband and wife

Welcome to WW! I think it can be done. The best way to do it is to cut down on the guest list. CHeck out Vista Print and Hayley's website. Your invites and lots of other stuff can be purchased for shipping only. If you have friends who are pros, ask for their help. Many people have had succes with Ipod receptions. Other brides have had family members make cakes or bought them at Walmart or the local grocery store.

Happy wedding planning!

Welcome to WW and yes it can be done

Absolutely! Here's my blog on that subject:

http://tyroneblue.blogspot.com/

Hi Sharonna ~ Welcome to WW

I have lots of great tips and DIY projects on my profile page.

I think the venue will put you over your budget with the amount of guests you are inviting. Unless your family is letting you use the space for free and gifting you the meals. You will see a lot of the 2K - 3K weddings listed above were in back yards or parks. If you need to pay for a meal for that many guests, that will total 3K on its own.

Lots of great tips listed above. Congrats!!!!

Well, we are not planning to have alcohol at our reception and not going to have a DJ so that should cut down some of those costs.

It still is going to be tight if you need to feed all those people.

I would talk to the hotel and find out about how much it costs to feed everyone.

You might need to do a day wedding that is in between meal times so that you can just do punch, soda, cake, and some appetizers.

Take you budget and start paying the BIG items first. Then work you way down to the little details.

Ex $3,062 budget

Hair & make-up - $0 - DIY

Cake - $40 - Grocery bakery or DIY

Catering - $1050 food - $160 drinks

DJ - $0 (DJ Ipod)

Dress & Alterations $200 (David's $99, local consignment shop)

Accessories - $40 (borrow veil, slip, jewelry from family)

Groom $100

Flowers $150 - pay florist to make you a really nice one and one for groom. DIY projects for others - pinwheels? coffee filter roses? crepe paper roses? (both below) DIY everything?

Invites and Stamps - $56 - clearance section Print at home kit - Use Vistaprint free items?

Rings - $50 - $25 per ring

cont.

Attendants? gifts - $16 - Dollar store glasses and glass paint or etching paste

Photography $700

officiant $200

And don't forget taxes and gratuity are usually not added in, so that is an extra cost.

Don't skimp on a photographer... that is all you will have left after the day. Memories fade, you eat the cake, you never wear the dress again, flower die....

Good luck ~

coffee filter roses

crepe paper rose

(instructions on my profile)

Hi Sharona:

Yes, it is quite possible to have a wedding on your budget. All the ladies above have given great ideas! I would be happy to help you as well, if you would like. Please feel free to message me or email me, and let's chat!

Thanks,

Kimberly Lehman

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