I just got married last February and we managed to do it, including the dress and my husband\'s suit, for about $2000, and we had it catered.
How did I do it?
1) My mom made my dress. Simple design and we managed to get the material on sale or clearance. Fur trimmed heavy brocade. Total dress cost? About $250.
2) I made all the flower arrangements myself. By having our wedding on February 14th (Valentines Day) red and white were a given, so we went with white poinsettas (a winter flower) and red roses. The benefit? Post Christmas sales on the white poinsettas. Total floral cost, including bridal bouquet, Maid of Honor bouquet, boutonnieres, and table centerpieces? About $450. This also included my veil, which I also made. We went with the fake flowers and ended up giving out the centerpieces as future Christmas decorations and gifts to some of the families. This saved money and they walked out with a souvenier (and we had less to clean up and find room for). We also got little bottles of bubbles, tied some bows around them, and this was used when we left the building (instead of birdseed or rice).
3) Mens Warehouse for the suit. We went a little overboard with a $450 suit, but it\'s something he can also use for things like job interviews and whatnot. He didn\'t want to rent a tux, which, btw, would be a lot cheaper.
4) Catered via a local barbeque place. They dropped off the prepped food and we served ourselves buffet style and drinks included iced tea and sodas from coolers (supplied by my father who never gave me a grand total).
5) Cake. Mom made the cake, I iced it, and we pitched in for decorating. Fake flowers and plastic bells purchased and stuck to cake. Topper you can either make a miniature diorama (watch the weight... too heavy and, without careful prep, will fall through the cake) or purchase a pre-made cake topper and paint it yourself. Total cake cost, including cake pans (ours was heart shaped) was about $50.
6) We kept the guest list small, about 35 total people were invited. This meant we didn\'t have to feed 250 guests or make a huge cake. We did the invitations ourselves. Total cost for the invitation stationary? $30 at Garden Ridge (great place, btw) plus cost of stamps.
7) Wedding site and reception area: FREE. How? We used the clubhouse for the subdivision where my brother lives. Refundable deposit down meant that so long as everything was cleaned up and nothing horribly broken, then all monies were refunded in full (and while we had no alcohol, this was almost a guarantee).
8) Photos. $$320. $300 for a videographer and a $20 deal on the little disposable cameras with the flash. One - two cameras per table allowed the guests to take their own pictures. Some come out great. Also, my brother (who has also done some professional photography as we both worked for the same company at the same time) took some shots as well. Remember that there will always be two to three guests who will bring a camera and take pictures as well, so you should be well covered. In fact, encourage people to bring their cameras. While I still haven\'t gotten the film developed (not all the film has been used up) disposable cameras are a great way to help entertain your guests and get everyone involved in the wedding.
9) Music. With technology these days, my husband downloaded some great music, burned it to cd, and then we designated a cousin of mine to take care of changing the music out or when to play main tunes (like when I walked down the aisle). We did old classics like Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, the Ink Spots, and such. Very classy, easy to dance to, and helped set a great mood for all ages. Total music cost? About $20, including costs for joining downloading sites and CDRs. Also, my mom, being a pianist, and my husband, being a musician who records his own music, managed to record my mom playing some music (for my walk down the aisle and all) and thus she was able to participate in the wedding while being able to enjoy it.
10) Decorations. Party stores sometimes have wonderful clearance sections. Check them out in your area. All plates, napkins, plasticware, tableclothes, candles, and such were gotten on clearance and still in wonderful shape. Total cost was about $150. My sister in law (and Maid of Honor) helped out in part with this expense. She bought balloons and streamers and decorated the place.
11) Rings. We got a $300 Kay Jewelers credit card and got our rings. Simple gold bands with a little bit of decoration. About $300 for both rings.
12) Utilizing my mothers church (where she\'s the pianist) we got the Pastor there to Officiate. $100.
Check out sales, especially the post Christmas ones. You can find a ton of good deals, even at fabric stores. Take the time to shop around, get a clear idea of what you want, but leave yourself open to interpreting things in different ways so you can get the most bang for your buck. Also, by buying a little here and a little there, you spread out the cost of expenses over a period of time so it doesn\'t hurt the pocketbook as much. If you don\'t know anyone who shoots weddings or videos them, ask local photolabs (not the ones in grocery stores, but the real labs who do nothing but develop pictures) or local camera stores. They\'ll have a good idea on who is good enough to recommend and might even have an idea on price ranges.
Good luck and I hope it all works out for you!
Just remember, this is your day. Don\'t let anyone else dictate to you how to run it, decorate it, or what you and others should wear. That\'s a decision you and your fiancee should make together. This is not a time for your mother to have the wedding she never got to have because her mother dictated to her what to have (which my mom did to me on my first wedding... I hated it).
Anyway, I hope I gave you some ideas. If you have any other questions, email me at aryanun@wingedscarab.com.
