Other Articles

February 4th, 2010

These articles are found on the other articles section of this site, but I figure I would post them here since I don’t update the blog much and this page is the one that most people see if they are first-timers.

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Found elsewhere on the Internet. Worth sharing. Italics with ♥ indicate favorites.

General Tips
Budget Bride Tips from Bravo Bride
General Tips on How to Plan a Wedding, but Not Go Broke from FrugalBride.com
Fabulous $5,000 Weddings from Bridal Guide.com
Tie the Knot without Busting your Budget from MSN
Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding from About.com
Wedding Budget Articles
Wedding Budgets from Squidoo
25 Ways to Save Money from Real Simple
75 Ways to Create a Luxury Wedding on a Budget
13 Ways to Keep your Wedding as Simple as Possible from zenhabits.net
Ten Tips for Planning a Simple Wedding

Reception
Cheap Wedding Reception Ideas

Flowers, Decor
DIY Boquet
Baby’s Breath Floral Arrangement from Bronze Budget Bride
Elegant and Rustic Wedding Decor from Team Sugar

Invitations
Plain Invitations -> Pretty on Low Budget Bride

Real Weddings
Budget Beautiful from Style Me Pretty
Budget Savvy Bride – Cut Costs, Not Corners! from Project Wedding

Still here…

January 12th, 2010

Yes, still here.

I realize this is not updated much, but many people have found this site a useful resource, so it will stay open.

Any ideas for new articles, feel free to suggest :)

BCBG Maxazria – Floral under $500

December 25th, 2009

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Available @ Nordstrom

Cheap, but not tacky weddings

October 19th, 2009

Article Oprah.com
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/10/15/o.bride.on.budget/index.html

site reorganization

September 29th, 2009

in lieu of waning post, I may reorganize this site. I may make it simply an archival site with a running feed of budget links and articles from the web. It will keep it more updated, with a smaller burden for me to concoct elaborate posts. not exactly sure how i’m going to do that, but we’ll see.

Style Me Pretty’s Budget Category

September 14th, 2009

Style Me Pretty has a Budget Category, full of inspirational real weddings done under budget.

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Photos by Katie Anderson. Collage by Style Me Pretty.

The best thing about these weddings is that they don’t scream “budget”. They might say “quaint” or “adorable”, but never “budget”. Its sheer simplicity gives it an understated elegance that can rival even the most elaborate weddings.

Thoughtfully considered detail combined with rich photography gives even the smallest wedding a powerful punch.

View the category here

Deal of the Day: David’s Bridal $99 Gown Sale

September 12th, 2009

Picture 3
Chiffon slim gown with with spaghetti straps, ruched empire bodice and beaded lace. Style: M9233 – Originally $399, Sale $99

Oh, well, I had three, but the second and third one sold out :(

View David’s Bridal Sale collection.

99 cent wedding

September 11th, 2009

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img Getty; source CNN.com

Talk about recession. The 99 cent only stores offered 9 weddings for .99 on the date 9/9/9. The decor was all made from items in the store. Even the dress was made of 99 only material.

The gallery is limited, but you can view the official photo gallery here. I’m hoping they’ll have more up soon.

There isn’t much luxe to the weddings, but the budget idea is certainly there. Inspirational or amusing nonetheless.

New Series: Save Smart

September 7th, 2009

If you don’t know whether you should splurge or save at the top of your head, place the category in the save list. If you’re really not sure, place it in the Save Smart category – a new hybrid in bridal budgeting.

Today’s categories cover photography and hair & makeup. Future categories will include the dress, videography, reception, florals, stationary, and more.

Photography

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Splurge
Award-winning photographers who brag about their achievements. Consequently they expect you to value their service as much as magazines have valued them.

Save
Get your friends and family to do with with their own cameras.

Save Smart
Option A – Risky: A student photographer eager to break into the wedding business. Look for one with an extensive event portfolio in various lighting locations. Yes, I said event portfolio. They’ll have a keen eye on capturing specific moments. Some portrait photographers don’t always translate well to event; it’s much easier the other way around.

Option B – Safer: Relatively new wedding photographers with some experience, but a lot of style. They don’t necessarily have an extensive list of accolades or awards, but they certainly know what they’re doing. Also, many offer discounts for weekday weddings.

Hair & Makeup

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If photography and videography is high on your list, you will consequently want to place this as a priority.

Splurge
Full service hair and makeup salon, complete with pampering. Or in-home hair and makeup artists, who expect to profit from the entire bridal party.

Save
Do it yourself

Save Smart
Option A – Risky: Get friend and family to do your hair and makeup. Your “party friends” – the ones that are so keen on always dressing up and looking their best – may be great alternatives to professionals. Go to makeup stores together to shop for your foundation and brushes. Let your friend take over everything else.

Option B – Risky: If you’re looking to do your entire bridal party as well, get a student hair and makeup artist, or someone looking to teach a class. It’s best to get someone who has a decent portfolio already. Ask about teacher references and comparable compensation.

General Note on Compensation

Don’t skimp on compensation. It doesn’t matter if it’s a student or a friend. They are already saving you a lot of money to begin with. Offer them reasonable pay to motivate them. Otherwise your student photographer could care less about shooting your bridal party formals and will skive off to the wine bar to compensate their self.

Consequences of the Guest List

August 28th, 2009

We often hear that a smaller guest list keeps the cost of a wedding down, but exactly how?

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Photo: bjearwicke

The Breakdown

Invitation – $5
Food and Drink – $40
Chair – $10
Favor – $5
Table setting (including prorated price of renting one extra table and one extra centerpiece): $15
TOTAL: $75 per guest

Budget weddings usually average around $40-50
Fancier weddings are upwards of $150-$200

Most people shoot for a smaller guest list of 75 – 100 and end up with twice as much – 150 – 200.

Lets start with 75 guests and see where that leads us

For 75 guests, the cost is $5,625
Add 25 guests for a total of 100, the cost is $7,500 for an increase of $1,875
Add 125 guests for a total of 200 guests, the cost is $15,000 for an increase of $9,375

Also consider, a fancier wedding with a $150 per person cost and a small guest list of 50, it will total to about $7,500. Therefore, decreasing your guest list can also enable you to have a luxurious wedding for the same as an average wedding of 100 guests.

So how can you keep the guest list small?

Consider who is important to your life

The mindset is kind of like, “If you were trapped on an island and you could only bring five people…” It really forces you to be selective. If you don’t think you’ll see them again in five years, don’t invite them.

Family versus Extended Family

This is where most of the drama arises. You want to invite Uncle Joey’s wife’s brother because he’s family. But honestly, did you attend their wedding? If no, then no go. If yes, well, do you think they really want to come to your wedding? Did they even remember you going to their wedding?

Avoid “and guest”

This option is if you absolutely must invite all your friends. Since your friends will have mutual friends to keep them company, they don’t need to bring a guest. Every “and guest” is one less person you actually want to invite. If you choose this option, stress the importance of it on the invitation. There is no shame in telling people you are on a very strict budget and that an additional person will be a financial burden.

Keep the engagement on the DL / Act like the guest list has already been made

As much as you want to announce your engagement, try to tone it down as much as possible. You’ll end up with your fair share of “So when’s the wedding?” and consequently, “Where’s my invitation??” Simply say, “We’re planning a small wedding with just family.” Of course you’re planning a small wedding with family – doesn’t mean you won’t end up with friends ;)

Take the advice with a grain of salt and apply it best to your own wedding.

Related Articles on the Web
Wedding Guestlist: Who Makes the Cut
Featured Wedding: A Very Small Guest List