To skimp or not to skimp? That is the question.
My wedding is just around the corner. Plans are going smoothly and I am only stressing out a little — so far. If you’ve been reading my column, you know that I am throwing a spectacular wedding on a shoe string budget and have done a pretty good job of staying on budget. How have I done it?
I have prioritized the details to spend money on and the things that I consider less important. It’s important to me to have great photographs of the wedding and reception, so that’s on my list of items not to skimp on. I will actually have two photographers shooting the wedding — both pros though one specializes in weddings (Hydenphotography)and the other specializes in editorial photography. And a family member with great video cameras will shoot video for free.
Not a huge priority? My dress. I know, that’s a strange thing for a bride to say, but I will only wear that dress for a few hours of my life so why spend massive amounts of money on it? I found a great website with beautiful wedding dresses at wholesale prices. Yes, you take a chance on the dress showing up and looking like a burlap sack, but for only $130, it was worth the risk. And guess what? It showed up on time, fits me perfectly and is just as pretty as the photo online.
Another detail on which I am saving big is flowers. I have found a wonderful supplier online with some amazing deals. I was directed to the site by a friend who had great luck with them for her wedding. I ordered 25 bouquets with four-stems of orchids and greens for under $200! And for vases, I went to an online “dollar” store and found beautiful glass decanters for $1 each.
Table coverings have been a big headache. The venue has 30 small round tables. rent tablecloths is about the same price as buying them — between $7 and &10 per table. So, we’ve decided to cover the tables with fabric-like black plastic table cloths ($1 each at dollar stores) and to dress that up with colorful tulle over the tops. This will end up costing about $3 per table.
And for the wedding cake, I’ve decided to create a fun cupcake wedding cake. With the help of one of my bridesmaids, we will decorate 140 cupcakes with colorful icing and beautiful little sugar orchids, stargazers, calla lilies and roses. This will also save us from needing a server to serve the cake.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Hi Heather,
I read your article and understand the craziness of wedding preparation. This time last year, I was in the process of planning a wedding in 4 months. Something that I didn’t know about that you might find helpful is the website http://www.reuseido.com …kind of like a “craigslist” for wedding stuff.
Also,in light of sticking with your budget, you and your fiance can save $45 dollars on your marriage license by attending a free event. The Oklahoma Marraige Initiative has free communication/relationship workshops that are free and open to the public. Our next big one will be Saturday, February 7 from 10am to 4pm at the Cox Convention Center. It will be fun and interactive, and we’ll provide lunch for free. The only investment is time!! Shoot me an email if you have questions.
Happy Wedding planning!