How can I save money on my wedding?

I have a tight budget of $5,000 to spend on my wedding. How can I save some money? I'm already pinching pennys. The most important part is where can I have the reception and ceremony at that won't cost a lot of money? Most of the places I'm looking at cost $4,000. Any ideas? I have 150 guests and I'm thinking of cutting it down to 100. Any tips or advise? Thanks for your help.|||I'm throwing my wedding on a really small budget. We're getting married at a local park ($25 to rent the spot we chose for the day), and having the reception at my parent's house. We're going to do a pasta buffet (different types) for dinner. We're having about 120 people including the bridal party. We're also having a candy "bar" for the favors. Each guest is going to get a favor box and they will be allowed to pick any candy(ies) that they want to take home or eat for the favor. It's all really cheap but I know that It will look really pretty. Hope that this can give you a few ideas.|||well do your own catering that saves a few hundred, and make and print your own invatations, i guess that saves a bit, its suposed to be the happiest day of your life (if you dont have children) go all out, you deserve it its the one day all eyes are on you, make the most of it and congrats|||Cutting the guest list down certainly helps. I also found that by choosing a day other than Saturday, many times venues offer discounts and don't have such high minimums.





Depending how close you are with your family and friends, this may be an option. A friend of mine had an "essentials" shower thrown for her. Her MOH coordinated it and people signed up for different things she would need. We bought things like the guestbook, cake topper, gift certificates for her hair and nails, one lady made her veil, someone bought her bridal jewelry, some people pooled and arranged for the cake - those kinds of things. :) It's not an idea that every family can pull off, I know - but she had a lot of support and we were all glad to be able to help in that way.|||GO TO THEKNOT.COM ITS FREE AND THEY HAVE A SECTION THAT YOU CAN PUT IN YOUR BUDGET AND AND THEY WILL GIVE YOU IDEAS THAT ARE IN YOUR RANGE. I DID AND IT IS WORKING VERY WELL|||* Cut down your guest list. This is usually the first step. Keep it to close friends and family.


* Choose a day and time of the year that isn't peak. May-September is peak wedding season so it's more expensive. Saturdays are more expensive than Friday evenings or Sunday days as well.


* Skim through your menu because oftentimes people can save on this but don't. Many venues offer an extensive menu with tons of food--see if you can pare it down and they can cut the cost.


* Have both ceremony and reception in the same place.


* Don't bother with renting limos. To cut costs on this, car pool. It's not necessary to rent a car for this day.


* Use seasonal flowers and keep it at a minimum. Roses are ordinarily the cheapest to use.


* Try to DIY some things. You can do that with invites and favors.





Ask for discounts, because oftentimes vendors are willing to cut you one but people don't ask.|||If you can, I would try cutting down your guest list. That will help you save a lot of money - and you might be able to find a venue that costs less for 100 people rather than 150 people.


I would check out your local city websites. Cities often have rental facilities for great prices. Most cities have community centers, parks, halls, etc. that are available for rent. You can also try Elk's Lodges and Women's Clubs - they usually have a lodge or hall that you can rent for a great price. My friend had hers at own of the Elk Lodges - it was very affordable and really nice.


The nice part about renting from your city or local clubs is that most of them allow you to bring in your own food - so you don't have to spend so much money on catering.


If you are trying to cut back on costs you can serve appetizers and fingerfoods instead of serving a full meal. A lot of couples do that these days in order to save some money.


Ask a friend to be the DJ - or simply hook up your IPOD or Laptop; then have a friend be the M.C. for the evening. A typical DJ usually costs about $800; so doing the music yourself will definitely save some money.


For your flowers - try looking up wholesale florists in your area or go to your local supermarket to get your flowers. My friend got her bouquets and centerpieces from Safeway; they did a beautiful job and they saved her a lot of money. The florist at Safeway let my friend bring her glass vases that she had purchased for 98 cents at Walmart and put together her centerpieces using those - so she saved a lot of money on vases. Use Carnations and Gerbera Daisies for your flowers - they come in lots of different colors and are much cheaper than using roses, orchids, etc.


Keep your bridal party small if you can - you will need to buy gifts for all members of your bridal party; the more you have in the bridal party the more gifts, more people at the rehearsal dinner, etc.


Instead of getting a regular wedding cake you can use sheet cakes. A friend of mine used sheet cakes that she got from Costco. The cake was great and ended up costing about $300 less than a regular cake.


There are definitely ways to make your wedding beautiful, but still stick to a budget. The only thing I would say that you definitely should not cut back on is the photography. These are photo's that you are going to have for the rest of your life and you can't do this day over, so be sure to get a good photographer to capture your special day.


I'm sure that you can do your wedding on the budget that you have - just get creative, ask friends and family for help, etc.


Good luck!|||You can get an outdoor venue for not much money (like a park or a place on a unviversity campus) Then you can get the food cheaply from a resturant you like. If you say which city you are in, you may get more specific suggestions. Also, you can do snacks instead of a meal|||for the decorations at the reception hall u can get most @ the dollar tree, ex. candles, bubbles, center pieces. U can get really creative on a budget. buy cheap things that look expensive under dim lighting. david bridal has 100.00 wedding dresses. dont hire a wedding planner look at ideal wedding pics online than copy the essentials for your wedding. goodluck